A new world record was set at the Mecum auction in Las Vegas recently, when a bid for just over £1 million was accepted for a 1915 Cyclone V-twin. It’s said to be the highest amount ever paid for a motorcycle in a public auction – £1,062,070, if you want to be exact.

The Cyclone, a sought-after American vintage bike, helped make the Mecum auction set a new gross world record for a motorcycle auction as well, at £21.2 million. Other top-dollar bikes sold on the day were a 1938 Crocker V-twin (£710,000) and an 1898 De Dion (three-wheeler) at a ‘mere’ £133,000. Proving that older bikes still command top prices, all but one of the top ten sales were pre-war machines.

Don’t have a spare million burning a hole in your wallet? Then a more affordable option is the Charterhouse auction to be held at the Haynes Museum in Somerset on 13th March. A collection of 27 Hondas from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s is going under the hammer, ranging from a number of CB450 Black Bombers, through CB500s and 750s plus a six-cylinder CBX. They’re being sold separately, but the whole collection should fetch around £70,000

Jim Freeman, chair of the BMF said, “For those of us with sheds full of ‘valuable classics’ aka ‘old clunkers’ these stories are always fascinating, just remember its always about rarity and uniqueness, it isn’t valuable just because its old. Equally, if your living room needs a pristine CBX, as a statement, at least it shouldn’t need a drip tray, unlike others!”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Charterhouse Auctions