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Decades of Motorbikes at Auction

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Plenty of interest is expected for the range of motorcycles going under the Charterhouse hammer in their 1st June auction of vintage and classic motorcycles at The Vintage Nostalgia Show at Stockton Park, Wiltshire.

“We have been busy scouring the countryside pulling bikes out of old barns and advising on private motorcycle collections.” Commented Matthew Whitney. “With such an array of lots going under the hammer it is perhaps not entirely unsurprising the sale has already generated interest from enthusiasts across the British Isles and abroad.”

In this specialist motorcycle auction, there are bikes dating from 1919 through to 2008. British bikes are well represented with Triumph, BSA, Ariel, Sunbeam, Norton, AJS, Velocette, Cotton and Rickman Metisse which will be battling against Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati and Harley-Davidson to name a few.

The earliest motorcycle is a 1919 Calthorpe with a JAP 292cc engine estimated at £5,000-6,000. From a private collection of early British motorcycles in Bournemouth is has been meticulously restored by its owner over a long period of time.

30 years ago, when an owner put two motorbikes into a barn he never thought he would run out of time to restore them. At that time, he planned to totally restore them but today most people leave them as they are in original condition full of character and patina.

From this Dorset barn, a 1937 BSA New Blue Star Q21 has been pulled out and estimated at £4,500-5,500 and a 1937 Sunbeam Model 9A £5,500-6,500.

However, if more modern sports bikes are more your scene then two motorcycles from the 1980’s, which have increased greatly in value over the past couple of years, will fit the bill.

Here there is a 1983 Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica (MHR) estimated at £18,000-20,000. Having covered just 6,000 miles the owner has kept his treasured Ducati MHR in a climate controlled environment for the past few years.

This is then followed by a 1984 Yamaha RD350LC. It has been owned by the vendor since 2003 and it has covered only 28,000 miles from new. Today a rare survivor, as many were thrashed to within an inch of their life, crashed, stolen or destroyed, this Yamaha is estimated at £6,000-7,000.

Viewing for this auction, being held at The Vintage Nostalgia Show at Stockton Park, Wiltshire BA12 0SQ is on Friday 31st May and on the auction day, Saturday 1st June with the sale starting at 1.00pm, or you can see all the lots on www.charterhouse-auction.com where live internet biding is also available.

Charterhouse are now accepting further entries for their classic & vintage car auction on 23rd June at The Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet and their next specialist auction of classic and vintage motorcycles on 10th August at the Hayne International Motor Museum.

For advice, valuations and further information, contact Matthew Whitney and the team of experts at Charterhouse, The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BS 01935 812277 or email bikes@charterhouse-auction.com

Captions:

1919 Calthorpe, from a collection in Bournemouth, £6,000-7,000

1936 BSA New Blue Star Q21, from a Dorset barn, £4,500-5,500

1937 Sunbeam Model 9A, from a Dorset barn, £5,500-6,500

1983 Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica, stored in a climate controlled environment, £18,000-20,000

1984 Yamaha RD350LC, a rare survivor from the boy racers, £6,000-7,000