According to
The Star (of DeKalb County, Indiana), the world's most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction passed discreetly under our noses on September 9th, 2013, at the second annual Auburn sale of new auction company
Worldwide Auctioneers. A 1910 Winchester sold for $580,000, with a second machine from 1909 'failing to sell' with a bid of $520,000. I've spoken with the former owner of the 1910 Winchester, who consigned the bike with Worldwide, who confirmed he'd sold his 1910 machine for $580,000 last September, and is still interested in selling his 1909 Winchester, if you're interested, and can meet the new price.
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| A rare Winchester enameled metal sign from 1909 |
Winchester is a legendary name in American guns, and for a very short while (1909-11) assembled motorcycles under its badge, using single-cylinder Marsh-Metz engines. The Winchester was clutchless with a flat belt direct-drive, and a total-loss battery ignition; motorcycling at its most basic, yet still selling for a very expensive $160. Apparently around 200 Winchesters were produced under contract by the
Edwin F Merry company in San Francisco, which is still in business as a bicycle wholesaler; the Merry company sold motorcycle and automobile parts and accessories,
according to their company history.
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| The Edwin.F.Merry company in the 1920s - founder Edwin is on the far right |
This confirmed sale puts the $580,000 1910 Winchester at the #1 position of my
'Top 20' most expensive motorcycles list, finally displacing the hybrid 1915 Cyclone which sold for $520,000 back in 2008. I was present (and emceeing) that MidAmerica auction, but the Winchester went completely under my radar, until today.
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| The 1910 Winchester motorcycle, from the legendary arms factory |
Gun collectors are known to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the most collectible rifles and shotguns or historic pistols, and an arch-enthusiast of the Winchester gun factory could conceivably have paid the price of a very fancy shotgun to have something a little different in their gun room...
