J. Wood and Company auctioned a substantial estate yesterday of a motorcycle and car collector. The auction included cars, tools, books, and all kinds of items of interest to people who like mechanical things. The most interesting lots for us, though, were the 21 motorcycles, many of which represented the best that Italy, Great Britain and Japan had to offer.
The auction — at a warehouse in Norwood, Massachusetts — was well attended, and we recognized quite a few well-known motorcycle collectors from the region.
The most hotly anticipated item up for sale was Lot 4, a 1990 Honda RC30 with just 13 miles from new, never raced and aside from being in need of a good cleaning, was in factory pristine condition. The auction company held several absentee bids on the bike, but the bidding eventually rose to a winning price of $27,000 to an on-site bidder.
Several other Japanese bikes brought strong prices, including a 1986 Suzuki GSX-R Limited which sold for $11,500, and a nice 1988 Honda VFR 400 never officially imported to the United States with just 1,600km, which sold for $7,100. A 1982 Katana, which featured low miles, but a fair share of scuffs and bruises, and a fogged windscreen, sold for $5,000, and included an NOS fuel tank to replace the original which had some light damage. Rather surprising bids included a 1974 Honda CB350 Four, which sold for $2,900, and a “1960s” Suzuki TS250 with no papers and a stuck throttle cable for $1,200.
Leading the charge for the British was a gorgeous 1968 Velocette Thruxton, which sold for $10,000. The British bike bargain of the day was a 1971 Norton Commando kitted out with everything Dunstall could offer, including the exhaust and fragile fiberglass fairing. It sold for just $7,600. The 1968 BSA “Lightning 650″ — according to the graphics on the side covers — was reported to be actually a matching numbers 1968 BSA Firebird with just over 2,000 original miles. It sold for $6,000.
A few Italian bikes brought strong prices, including $9,500 for a 1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, and $24,000 for a 1977 Ducati 900SS. The collection included a super-clean 1988 Cagiva Alazzurra with no title, which sold for a surprisingly strong $3,700. On the bargain side of the ledger, we liked the 1981 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza for just $2,500, and a gorgeous 1990 Ducati 750 Sport with a clean title for $4,100.
There were only two German bikes on offer: A pair of Puchs. The 1980s-era Puch Monza had just 18 miles, but a dry brake reservoir, and sold for $650. The Puch 50 minibike sold for a perplexing $550.
All of the bikes were sold at no reserve, and all were taken home by bidders on-site. The auction house charged a 13 percent buyer’s premium, discounted to 10 percent for cash or a guaranteed check.
A note on estate auctions: Jerry Wood made an announcement at the beginning of the auction urging everyone with a collection of more than a few bikes to be sure to organize keys and paperwork on each bike. J.Wood and the Harris family consumed hours locating keys and paperwork for this auction, and some titles never appeared before the time of the auction, negatively impacting a few prices. Good advice for all of us.
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Great reporting, just what we like… Know for sure that the Mecum bike auction at Pebble/Monterey in August will have some fabulous machines and collections… thanks ty,, makes me day…
This auction was my first and a lot of fun. I was hoping to bid on that 350 four but it got expensive very quickly. Also liked that V50 Monza until I looked in the tank. The smell of varnish was overpowering and the rust looked like clumpy barnacles, it was pretty bad news bears. On the other side of the spectrum was that Cagiva, it was about as clean as the RC30. Just awesome.
I also got outbid on some square flat slides which were pretty sweet but I didn’t stay in there for them. At the next auction advertised on Throttle Yard can we have a TY debrief session after the auction? It would have been fun to meet people.
Ned.
Great update. Thanks for following up on this, I was jealous I couldn’t make the trip. That Ducati 900ss is up there on my ‘must have’ bikes.
I thought the VFR400R was in good shape, but not mint shape. More worrisome was that they didn’t have a key for it so there was no telling if it even ran. Given Honda reliability and a cam-driven gear set my guess is that it would fire, but it’s a gamble – - very few parts for these are available in the US. Further there was no telling the condition of the tank and since I saw rust in some of the other tanks I wasn’t optimistic about this one. Finally, although rare in the US I have seen them for sale for less than the hammer price without buyer’s premium. $7,100 really left me scratching my head.
Other results that I thought were strong:
* The TZ250 also brought $7,100 and, according to the auctioneer, was freshly restored.
* 1971 Benelli Tornado $4,700.
* 1973 Moto Guzzi V7 $9,500.
Thanks for the great review Throttle Yard! We had a nice bunch of folks attend and it all worked out great. Motorcycling is alive and well!
Jerry Wood
That Commando was completely tricked out.
Deal of the year.
Surprised the Gixxer went that high.
Thanks for the update.
I guess I won’t be owning an RC30 anytime soon… I have always wanted one, and was searching when they were just hitting $10K , if only I knew then… Of course, mine would have a thousands of miles on it by now.
Seems like a few good deals. The Norton, Thruxton, and RC30 all seem like good prices. When was the last time an RC30 around $10K? I thought they were always highly coveted and highly priced.
@John Do you know if the VFR400 was a NC24 or a NC30? An 88′ should be a NC30 but it looked a bit funny in the photo to me.
Anyways, the value of a stateside VFR400 is in the registration/ plates. Was this one platted?
The pricing on has always been out of whack compared to bigger bikes… but as you know the build quality on these baby racers was incredible. Parts were relatively cheap and plentiful in the UK & Thailand last time I checked.
IIRC the only things to be watch out for striped tach drives and worn out / ham fist damaged carbs. All VFR charging systems require a close watch on the wiring and RR. Finding straight front wheels was getting a bit tough but could still be had for $100US.
@varjak: They were around $10K in the late 90′s – maybe early 2000′s – At the time it would have stretched my budget and I couldn’t find one local so I got a contemporary 900ss (1992) for half the price and local. Still want the RC30 bad though!
@nomad: It was an NC 24. I don’t recall seeing a plate on it, but it reportedly was titled. It was in good condition, but it was evident that it had been sitting for a while: oxidation on the frame, triple clamps, etc; minor surface rust around the exterior lip of the tank; some of the pinstriping (the tape surrounding the number roundel on the rear) was peeling off; etc.
I don’t mean to criticize this bike as I know what a jewel these small bores are to ride; my old FZR400 was more than a match for most 600′s of that era. I’m really commenting on how auctions can have such strange results at times. For the same price the Norton was a steal, as was $10K for the Velocette. Both were stunning bikes and in perfect shape (save for the missing fairing for the Velocette) and it seems they should have fetched well north of their hammer prices. I’ve been to lots of auctions and there’s always a few sales – above or below hammer price – that puzzle me.
I’m out of town today but when I get home tonight I’ll post prices of the cars.
That RC30 is my dream bike.
car prices:
1995 Ford Taurus SHO. 5 speed. smoked when started. $1,800
1998 Mercedes 300TE Wagon: $900
1979 Porsche 911 SC: not sold at $10,000
1986 Merkur XR$Ti 5-speed. Period modifications by “Rapido”: $3,300 (low miles, excellent condition and sounded great. The XR4Ti to buy if you were in the market)
1979 Mercedes 6.9: $3,200
1988 Jeep Comanche, 4X4: $1,300
1985 Merkur, 5-speed. $2,600. (also nice condition and low miles)
1974 Jensen Interceptor Coupe: $7,750. (Appeared to be rust-free and was in fantastic shape, save for being unable to start. With a Chrysler 440 under the hood it’s probably nothing that a hammer and a 2X4 can’t fix. )
1986 528e, 5-speed. $900.
1994 530i, 5-speed. $2,700. (no title)
1990 BMW 530i. $1,400. (no title)
1984 Mercedes 300TD wagon. $7,400 (superb condition, 33K miles. reported to run strong, but ran it out of diesel and couldn’t re-prime in time of auction)
If it was nice, the Velo Thruxton was a huge bargain!
I had a 1986 VFR400R… But it was mostly original with the classic red-white-blue paint scheme and white wheels. Fun bike, a seriously underrated category in North America (400cc supersports, that is). It was my second bike and the first sportbike I rode, I flogged it for a season before trading up. Taught me many good lessons without ever biting back and was a blast on twisties.
I never would have guessed that I could have doubled my investment on that one. You can never predict the market I guess.
Good report.
Please note that Puch is Austrian, not German.
The fact that Austrians speak German, like many Swiss also, is no different to Canadians speaking English with their own accent, being called Americans.