20 of the Best Bikes from Mecum’s Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction

Mecum’s annual Las Vegas motorcycle auction is the biggest event of the year for many a biker. This year over 2000 motorcycles spanning almost 120 years of two-wheels rolled across the block at the South Point Hotel and Casino. It was a sure bet you'd find something you liked. Here are our picks.

ALSO CHECK OUT JASON MOMOA IN “On the Roam”

1952 Vincent Black Shadow

Sold for $84,700

You could argue that this 998-cc twin was the first liter bike. As such, it made 55 hp from its air-cooled V-twin. The Black Shadow is a legend among motorcycle enthusiasts.

The Black Shadow model was the super-sports version of Philip Vincent’s 1946 Rapide V-twin that soon became legendary for its name, its all-black finish, and the fact that it was the fastest production motorcycle in the world from 1948 to 1973! Quite a run. This one was recently imported from England.

Mecum notes that Vincents handled very well for their time, winning the Unlimited class at the Manx GP 3 times and recording 19 top-10 finishes at the toughest road race in the world. “This 1952 Vincent Series C Black Shadow looks ready to hit the road for a new owner to experience what the World’s Fastest Motorcycle of the 1950s feels like today.”

1952 Vincent Rapide Series C

Sold for $47,300

Another Vincent makes the list. This one has fewer than 5000 miles on the odometer and boasts a “recent” restoration by the specialist shop Vincent Works in Dolores, Colorado.

Mecum says this bike is fully certified by the Vincent Owner’s Club as having matching numbers, as per the factory’s own record cards. A few upgrades were added for full road usability: It uses a BTH electronic ignition, an Alton alternator with solid state voltage regulator, a Ducati-style clutch for smoother takeoffs, a dry cell battery, forged Omega pistons and an Alpha big end.

Mecum added that it’s been museum-stored and includes full records of the restoration.

1914 Henderson Four

Sold for $148,500

A beautiful Henderson Four! This one looks to be in concours condition. Take this to The Quail and you could win something. Or just ride it around. The 1,068-cc four has got to be powerful, though no engine output is listed. Mecum fills us in:

Truly exceptional machines, 4-cylinder Henderson motorcycles have enchanted all lucky enough to have encountered one. This immaculate 1914 Henderson, with its blue and silver paint, oceans of nickel plate and elegant posture, makes it clear why so many have referred to Henderson as the “Duesenberg of Motorcycles.” Its creator, William G. Henderson, was born into a family ideally suited to produce such a monumental vehicle. Henderson’s grandfather, Alexander Winton, founded the Winton Motor Carriage Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and became the first commercially successful automobile manufacturer in America.

His grandson William Henderson came to work as a designer and draftsman at the factory in 1899, helping develop the Winton car during its meteoric rise. However, Henderson was captivated by the developments happening in the two-wheeled niche, and when Percy Pierce unveiled his inline 4-cylinder motorcycle, heavily inspired by the Belgian-made FN in 1909, his interest was piqued. In his grandfather’s factory, Henderson set about developing his own inline “four,” in 1911, and his prototype was ready. The first Henderson was a long and luxurious belt-driven F-head 4-cylinder, an unusual format compared to popular V-twins of the time but offering a superior smoothness and ample amount of power.

Mecum says this 1914 Henderson Four has undergone a concours restoration at the talented hands of marque expert Chris Matthews. A beautiful bike.

1912 Pierce Four

Sold for $137,500

Inline-fours from over 100 years ago are always top sellers at any motorcycle auction. They just look cool.

Mecum explains about this one: “From 1909 to 1913, the Pierce Cycle Company produced two of America's most unique motorcycle models from its factory in Buffalo, New York. The brand's roots stretch back to America's Reconstruction Era and the founding of the George Norman Pierce Manufacturing Company in 1878, makers of various household goods, bicycles and early steam-powered vehicles. By 1901, the first gasoline-powered Pierce automobile rolled onto the streets of Buffalo, followed three years later by the Pierce Great Arrow in 1904.”

This Pierce Four offered 41 cubic-inches of displacement mated to a two-speed transmission. Would love to ride this thing.

1970 Honda CB750

Sold for $14,300

Remember when these came out? They revolutionized the motorcycle world. A transverse-mounted four-cylinder that ran smoothly, quietly, and was reliable! This one has only 17,002 miles on it.

1979 Honda CBX1000

Sold for $28,050

A transverse-mounted straight-six! Outrageous!

The CBX was really just Honda engineers showing off. It wasn’t the first-ever transverse inline-six, but it was still something amazing. Coming as it did just a decade after the also-revolutionary CB750 transverse inline-four.

The 24-valve DOHC engine was 1047cc making a then-impressive 105 hp. This one has only 3,300 miles on the odometer, and it’s a three-owner bike with the last ownership going back to 1998.

1930 Harley-Davidson DL Twin

Sold for $12,100

This bike has a 45-cubic-inch air-cooled V-twin with a three-speed hand-shifted manual transmission. It’s listed as a patrol bike.

1975 Kawasaki Z1B 900

Sold for $13,750

This started out life as a 900-cc inline-four but was modified with a KZ1000 engine that had been rebuilt to 1200cc. It has only 333 miles since, the seller said.

Among its features are: new forged pistons with file-fit rings, Mikuni flat slide carburetors, Vance & Hines exhaust, Lester mag wheels, iconic 1973 Rootbeer and Orange basecoat, clearcoat paint scheme, NOS seat pan with seat custom upholstered in ultra leather with color-coordinated stitching, and it’s in “running condition!”

1931 Norton Model 20

Sold for $22,000

This one has a “comprehensive restoration completed in the U.K.”

The seller explained that the twin-port version of the prior Model 18, the Model 20, joined the Norton line-up for 1930. Shortly after, in 1931, the Model 20 was redesigned to include dry-sump lubrication and a rear-mounted magneto.

1953 Triumph 6T Backbird

Sold for $17,600

A 650-cc bike was a big deal in 1953. This bike’s predecessor, the Triumph 6T Thunderbird, was introduced three years earlier to a strong m0torcycle market. The larger capacity cousin of the Speed Twin became a favorite.

Mecum says that “Triumph’s managing director Edward Turner understood the demand from American motorcyclists for larger-capacity machines with more power, and riders in the U.S. were especially fond of the 6T’s 90-plus MPH road potential and hot acceleration, which was a welcome improvement on the 500cc machines.”

1918 Indian Powerplus

Sold for $50,000

Just 15 years after Indian’s founding in 1901, it introduced this new side-valve V-twin engine design called Powerplus. Indian’s first flathead V-twin, the 61 CI Powerplus, arrived in 1916 set into the marque’s famed “cradle spring frame and joined to a three-speed, hand-shifted gearbox.

Mecum says, “The Powerplus quickly proved itself slightly more powerful than its F-head predecessors—far smoother, quieter and easier to maintain. With the war engulfing Europe and Indian’s position as the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, the company was quick to secure military contracts and devoted nearly its entire production effort to supplying allied forces. What seemed a lucrative opportunity later revealed itself as the first misstep for the brand as dealers were left with little inventory and customers flocked to other American brands like Harley-Davidson.”

1975 Norton Commando 850 MKIII

Sold for $14,850

After the above Vincent Black Shadow, you could argue this is one of the most desirable bikes ever made. The Norton Commandos were powerful and handled well for their time.

This one was fully restored last year, with all matching numbers. Probably leaving a lot of auction attendees wishing they’d stayed in the bidding a little longer.

1971 Norton 750 Commando

Sold for $13,200

What’s almost as good as an 850 Commando? A 750 Commando!

This one was also fully restored last year, so you know it’ll probably start. The new owner can relive his or her 1970s dreams.

1946 Indian Chief

Sold for $24,200

This one has patina, from its 46,280 miles on the road. And the 74-cubic-inch V-twin still runs, they say. The engine was restored by Live Free Cycles of New Hampshire.

1937 Bianchi 500M

Sold for $11,000

This bike was rebuilt by the previous owner, Mecum says, including that 500-cc thumper in the frame. Mecum fills us in on what a Bianchi is:

This amazing 1937 Bianchi 500M is from one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, Fabbrica Automobili e Velocipedi Edoardo Bianchi, based in the center of Milan in the Porta Venezia neighborhood. Bianchi built bicycles in 1885, a motorized bicycle in 1897, and a car in 1900. Proper motorcycles were built from 1903, with heavy frames and motors at the center, and Truffaut leading-link forks by 1905. By 1910, their 498-cc single-cylinder AiV motorcycle was very successful and made the company’s name in Italy. Of course, being an Italian company, special racing models were also built, with increasingly sophisticated gear-driven OHC and DOHC singles that took European Championships and many Italian Championships.

So is all that history going to start up and run? The buyer thinks so.

1978 Kawasaki KZ1000

Sold for $9900

Remember the sound these 1015-cc inline-fours made? They were more like an electric “wheeeeeeeee” than the bumping beat of the previous generation of British bikes.

The KZ was popular among police departments of the day for their power and reliability.

1977 Kawasaki KZ650

Sold for $3850

I myself spent much of the late-’70s and early ’80s riding a KZ650, and it was a blast. This one came from a private collection with just under 5,700 miles on the odometer and is looking royal in its Metallic Regal Blue paint accented with red and white pinstriping.

1935 Velocette MAC Racer

Sold for $11,000

Another concours-quality bike, this 350-cc MAC racer has taken its sporty performance to its limits, having been modified for racing with lots of well-made details added. Mecum says, “It’s so clean that is has most recently been displayed in a museum, and besides internal engine tuning, this machine breathes through a period-correct AMAL TT carburetor, has an extra-large oil tank with a breather, a rev-counter drive on the timing cover and rearset footrests.”

You can get into a classic motorcycle for a lot less than a classic car.

1958 Ariel Square Four

Sold for $24,200

These things are funky like no other. As the name suggests, all four cylinders are gathered together in an upright square configuration, as if you stacked the pistons for shipping in a tiny cardboard box.

The displacement of this four totals 997cc and makes 42 hp via overhead valves. It’s air-cooled, which makes you wonder how the inside of the cylinders ever gets any cooling. Nonetheless Mecum says “...the 1958 Ariel Square Four MkII is a legendary machine with exceptional performance for a 1950s motorcycle.”

The Square Four concept was originally designed by Edward Turner in 1928 as an overhead-camshaft four-cylinder roadster, which Turner convinced Ariel to produce as the 1931 Model 4F, with an initial engine capacity of 500cc, which was stretched to 600cc in 1932. These early machines were sophisticated, quick and smooth, “but tended to run hot.”

The Ariel Square Four Mark II was introduced in 1953 with aluminum cylinder barrels and heads and a distinctive four-pipe exhaust. The 4G Mk II engine is one of the most beautiful motorcycle engines of all time, Mecum says, capable of a full 100 mph, with much cooler running thanks to the extensive aluminum castings. That’s the setup on this 1958 model.

1974 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV

Sold for $40,700

This was the alpha male of 1974. Its 750-cc inline-triple was good for a 12-second ET in the quarter mile, amazing for the day.

While you might have met the nicest people on a Honda in the ’70s, you blew their doors off with a Kawasaki H2. The second-year iteration of the snarling two-stroke triple was the more powerful successor to the original 500-cc Kawasaki Mach 1. This much power in the days before traction control and ABS earned the H2 its nickname “widowmaker” in the U.S. In Rome they called it the “bara volante,” or “flying coffin.”

Yikes!

The triple made 74 unforgiving two-stroke horsepower, which was a lot for the day. Note to new owner: Hang on!