Bill Cosby bikes sell for $605,000

A collection of more than 80 motorbikes owned by British collector Bill Cosby has been auctioned for more than $605,000.

The group included more than 40 Triumph bikes and it was a 1977 "Strongbow" flat tracker that topped the bidding with a price of $62,700 - more than three times the pre-auction estimate.

Bonhams Auctions spokesman Ben Walker says interest was high in the historically significant collection.

“This is a well-deserved result for one of the most well-known UK collections of largely British machinery," Walker said.

"We are so pleased to have been able to achieve such a high sale rate which means that these historic machines, which embody the golden age of British motorcycling, have found new homes with fellow enthusiasts and collectors,” Walker said.

Other highlights from the Bonhams auction included:
• Nine-time motorcycle world champion Mike Hailwood's Heur "Carerra 1158" watch sold for $106,000.
• The 18-carat gold watch was given to Hailwood by Jack Heuer, the company’s former chairman and bore the engraving "To Mike Hailwood for a successful 1973 Jack Heuer". The gift is thgough to be associated with Hailwood’s bravery in helping to rescue an unconscious Clay Regazzoni from his burning Ferrari at the South African Grand Prix, while Hailwood was competing in that year’s four-wheeled series.
• A customised Harley-Davidson signed by the Pope went under the hammer for $91,100, at the lower end of the pre-sale estimate.
• Top price at the annual Bonham's Autumn Stafford auction was achieved by a 1927 Brough Superior Overhead bike, which sold for $173,500.