SPRING SPENDING SPREE

This 1934 Brough Superior SS100 8/80hp 'Two of Everything' joins the list of top-selling motorcycles of all time, behind another SS100, and a CycloneThe recent auctions at Bonhams (at Stafford) and Wolfe Industrial Auctions (Frederick County Fairgrounds, Maryland) prove deep-pocket collectors are hot for the best motorcycles, setting new records, and shifting positions in my 'Top 20' for all-time auction sales records.This 1938 HRD-Vincent Series A Rapide now appears TWICE on my 'Top 20'As mentioned previously, the Bonhams Stafford sale offered a unique opportunity to compare the health of the moto-collector market, as several machines had previously sold in 2008, during the heady pre-crash surge in top-tier motorcycle prices.  Regardless...

Read more »

TOURING THE DOLOMITES IN 1926

In 1926, an intrepid motorcyclist/filmmaker, Lothar Rübelt, decided to film the stunning peaks of the Dolomites as a travelogue, with a few friends along for the ride.  The original film title was 'Mit dem Motorrad zu Wolken' (With Motorcycles to the Clouds), and this Italian re-titled print has recently been made available on the internet.  According to a former curator of the Vienna Technisches Museum, "Lothar Rübelt was a world-class photographer, and a motorcyclist, owning a 350 Douglas, 750 Super X, and no less than 3 Brough Superior 680s.  He was a friend of Robert Eberan Eberhorst (designer of the Auto Union 16 cylinder GP winner).  The Brough SS80 in this film belonged to Lother's brother Ekkehardt Rübelt, who was...

Read more »

QUAIL GATHERING STEAM

Gary Kohs receives a trophy at the Quail Motorsports Gathering for his MV Agusta 750SThe Quail Motorcycle Gathering, May 5th in Carmel Valley CA, will host a remarkable 32 MV Agustas from the singular collection of Gary Kohs, whose passion for the Italian marque extends not only to motorcycles; he also produces exceptional 1:5 scale models of the MV 750S and 175cc 'Squalo' racer. A Fine Art Models MV Agusta 750SFor those not familiar of Kohs' small-scale motorcycles, a wander to the website of Fine Art Models will magically disappear an hour of your time.  His 32 bikes at the Quail is one of the largest gatherings of vintage MV Agustas ever in the USA, and the relaxed atmosphere on the Quail lawn, well-fed and serenaded by Mariachi bands,...

Read more »

LUIGI COLANI: THE FUTURE IS NOW

The Colani motorcycle design study of 1973A generation ago, we lost the Future.  For over a century, a better, more functional, more equitable, and technologically cooler place was tantalizingly just out of reach, but certain to become today, soon.  Snapshots of the Future arrived as drawings and models created by designers and artists in tune with the new, and beyond the new to the currently impossible.  Anything we could dream was possible, and it was just a matter of time before it became everyday.The Colani-Egli MRD-1 of 1986, a turbocharged Kawasaki Z-1 1428cc engine in an Egli chassis, with Colani-designed bodyworkThe recent Age of Irony took a scant view of the Future's unbridled optimism; forward-looking, visionary projects,...

Read more »

GATHERING OF THE NORTONS

The Delaware Valley Norton Riders held their 19th annual 'Gathering' at historic Washington Crossing State Park, which is neither in Delaware or Washington, but Pennsylvania. Having grown up in the great big state of California, it was novel crossing state lines several times in the course of a 75-mile ride from Manhattan to rural Bucks County.The countryside, once we broached the vast conurbation of NYC, was still struggling into Spring, with trees yet branchy on the hillsides barring the occasional wild pink cherry, and bulbs throwing caution aside in clumps of brilliant yellow and white.  The threatened rain didn't, and a warm muggy day was our reward for venturing out amongst the valleys and rivers of New England's rolling hills.The...

Read more »