I was glancing through the Telegraph online a couple of days ago and came across this story of an extensive motorcycle collection .....
www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/many-motorcycles-miklos-salamon-man-followed-childhood-dream/
Thinking that the collection might be in a museum and available for visiting, I googled the late gentleman's name, only to find that the bikes were being auctioned off by Bonhams.....
www.bonhams.com/auctions/24494/#/aa0=1&MR0_length=50&w0=list&aj0=lot_number_asc&m0=0
Anything on there that anyone fancies? For practicality, I'd probably go for the Bonnie but, for its name, I'd go for the Grindlay Peerless.
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What a lovely collection.
I'd have to go for the Vincent Black Shadow.
Pat
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Well if you are taking the bonnie, I'm going home with the Commando, The Black Shadow and the MV Augusta.
I am seriously pondering on getting myself am old school Bonnie
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The Black Shadow is a stunner. I went to a classic bike meet at Popham Airfield a few years ago, and there was one there. It looks menacing and imposing, even today. Beautiful bike.
I have a 1969 650 Bonnie with a lot of non-original bits in a half dismantled state at my dad's place that I haven't done anything with because the restored value has been significantly lower than the cost of the bits (and the labour for the bits I can't do) needed to get it there. Values are rising though, so it might be time to revisit. It's going to be a trigger's broom job though as pretty much everything apart from the frame and the tank is toast. Engine seized solid, brightwork is all completely gone, wheels are junk etc etc.
Last edited by: DP on Fri 9 Mar 18 at 09:57
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I only want the MV because I saw Agostini winning the 72 IoM on a 350 and a 500 Agusta.
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>> I saw Agostini<<
My teenage hero! All my school mates had posters of Adam Faith and Cliff Richard on their bedroom walls...I had Ago:)
Pat
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>> I only want the MV because I saw Agostini winning the 72 IoM on a
>> 350 and a 500 Agusta.
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I want it because, IMHO, it's possibly the most beautiful motorcycle ever made.
Interestingly, there's a Harley WLC in there, I have one. Bought mine ten years ago for five grand, interesting to see it was a good investment; not that I have any plans to sell it.
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Get an older Hinkley Bonnie. As pretty as a Meriden version but properly put together and won't dirty your drive !
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My choice would be the Moto Guzzi 850T. The Laverda and Benelli Sei are tempting, though.
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A fine selection of Vincents.
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It would have to be a Black Shadow for me, even though I would be too frit to get on one now I expect.
A slightly older friend of mine had one in the 70s, I remember the big 150mph speedo. He reckoned it fired once per lamp post in top.
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>> A slightly older friend of mine had one in the 70s, I remember the big
>> 150mph speedo. He reckoned it fired once per lamp post in top.
The speedo used to tick up and down in steps, it didn't "sweep", and was always slightly behind your real trajectory.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 10 Mar 18 at 21:20
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>>The speedo used to tick up and down in steps, it didn't "sweep", and was always slightly behind your real trajectory.
Chronometric, it had a clock mechanism inside it.
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He reckoned it fired once per lamp post in top.
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Vincents were actually relatively short-stroke (84 x 90) for the period. Compare that to the 81x 92 for my 1972 Harley Sportster, similar capacity, and 87x 100 for the ElectraGlide which is 1200cc.
To compare to other British bikes; the BSA M21 600 side-valve was 82 x 112; that, sir, is long stroke. Velocette Venoms, probably the epitome of the classic British 500 singles if you ignore such exotica as BSA Gold Stars and Manx Nortons, were actually a "square" engine.
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In the 60s when I was at school, the expression 'fires once every lamp-post' was generally applied to the 645cc Panther sloping single. They were a beast of burden and usually hitched to a sidecar.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phelon_%26_Moore
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>> In the 60s when I was at school, the expression 'fires once every lamp-post' was
>> generally applied to the 645cc Panther sloping single. They were a beast of burden and
>> usually hitched to a sidecar.
>>
>>
>>
A cycling club mate had one of those, complete with chair in the late sixties. He had a rack on the back to attach to bikes for transport to races and I had a lift home on it after one event. The floor had gone on the sidecar so I had to ride pillion, no helmets then and both of us dressed in our cycling kit. I had to throw my right sock away as it was sprayed with a fine oil mist from the gearbox.
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>> In the 60s when I was at school, the expression 'fires once every lamp-post' was
>> generally applied to the 645cc Panther sloping single. They were a beast of burden and
>> usually hitched to a sidecar.
>>
I never owned or rode a Panther combo but a good mate of mine did. The starting technique required, amongst other forms of black magic and witchcraft, knowledge of a small lever on the timing chest which effectively put the exhaust cam onto half compression to enable easier kicking.
I was at a local motorcycle club meet one night with Frank, who was a phlegmatic pipe-smoking character. A lad asked him if he could have a go at starting the Panther, Frank agreed and started to talk him through the ritual; but before he could get to the bit about the cam lever, he'd taken a mighty swing on the kick-start, and the bike promptly kicked back and dumped him onto the car park in front of the handlebars. He didn't ask for a second try.
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Further to my OP, it looks as though the sale has now been extended to two days with the arrival of further entries......
www.bonhams.com/press_release/25752/
Alas, previously planned engagements for that weekend prevent me from going and taking a look.
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Just remembered to have a look at the results of the auction; it would appear that various other bits and pieces were auctioned as well. The star of the show, the Brough Superior, went for £264,700.
tinyurl.com/y8oshtyo
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Good price. Whilst I remember excellent litle series on ITV4 - The Motorbike Show - quintessentially British look and feel, once you get past the presenter's rather irritating way, there are some lovely bikes on it. Featured CBXs last week...I really want one.
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My pre oil in frame Bonnie went for 9k
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Motorcycle auction..... - Pat
