Ultimate collectables

For the cynical among you, saying it’s collectable is just another way of justifying the hair-raising amount of cash you just splashed out on some over-powered addition to the toy box. But let’s face it, classic and collectable motorcycle values have performed far better than superannuation funds over recent years, and they’re a hell of a lot more fun.

Join us for a wander through the decades as we count down the top collectable picks.

10. NORTON COMMANDO 750
Norton’s iconic twin has rocketed in popularity in recent years. Its lineage goes back to the Bert Hopwood-designed 497cc twin of the 1940s (the Model 7) and developed into the 650 Dominator and 750 Atlas.

Launched in 1967, the Commando’s main claim to fame was its Isolastic engine-mount system, designed to isolate the rider from the big twin’s considerable vibration. By 1973, it grew into an 850.

The early Fastback (1968) is the model that creates the biggest visual impact, and its unique ‘ducktail’ set a styling trend that has remained part of the motorcycle styling palette.

It boasted some pretty good numbers with 185kg dry weight and a respectable 42.6kW (58hp), and won MCN’s “Machine of the Year” for five consecutive years (1968-1972).

Even today a well set-up Commando is a delightful ride, and the Brits are producing a pretty faithful (but modernised) 961 version (visit: www.nortonmotorcycles.com).

9. KAWASAKI Z1
It’s doubtful whether Kawasaki’s mighty Zed would have made this list a decade ago, but now there’s no question it has a right to be here. Values for what is sometimes referred to as the world’s first road-going Superbike (a very questionable claim) have leaped in recent years, to the point where you won’t get change out of $25,000 for a good first-model Z1 ‘Jaffa’. Not bad for a something you could have picked up 10 years ago for four grand – tops!

Later Z1Bs and Z900s don’t bring the same big numbers.
Legend has it Kawasaki was working on a four-cylinder 750 when it got beaten to the punch by Honda with the CB750 Four.

Management sent the engineers back to the proverbial drawing board in a super-secret project code-named New York Steak, and the result was the 903cc Z1.

Launched in 1973, the 82hp (60kW) 230kg monster claimed a 130mph (210km/h) top speed in a surprisingly civilised all-rounder package.

8. DUCATI 750SS
While Suzuki can lay claim to starting the Japanese trend of race replicas with its iconic GSX-R750 of 1985, Ducati can lay prior claim to the concept with its 1974 750SS. Inspired by its 1972 race win at the Imola 200, with Paul Smart in the saddle, the original green-frame, round-case 750SS is now worth a fortune.

The 750SS set the pattern for the company’s sports bikes for decades to come with its L-twin powerplant and steel-tube frame, as well as huge 40mm Dell’Orto carbs and an ‘Imola kit’ for intending racers.

This really was a racer for the road with a specs sheet that was enough to see any performance hound reaching for their wallet. With just 202kg to punt around, the 73hp (53.7kW) engine could propel this surprisingly delicate-looking device to a heady 217km/h.
The Fabio Taglioni-designed desmodromic engine had a remarkably short development time, with the first lines penned in 1970. It was to see its first race track the following year.

While the SS was not the first road-going 750 from the factory (the non-desmo GT scored that honour), the 750SS is easily the most desirable. A 900SS was added to the corporate stable just a year later.

7. HARLEY 1936 KNUCKLEHEAD
While there are plenty of rarer models out there, Harley-Davidson’s original 1936 EL Knucklehead is widely regarded as being the single-most influential design in the company’s century-plus history.

It was the first time H-D offered an overhead-valve V-twin engine to the public, mated to a four-speed gearbox. The 1200cc twin was good for 37hp (27.2kW) in E form and 40hp (29.4kW) in the EL.

Step back a little and you soon realise this is the motorcycle that set the shape for cruisers on our roads today, not just Harley’s own product. Numerous styling cues – new at the time – set the trend for many other models to follow and we even saw the revival of the Springer front end in the 1990s.

For customers in the ’30s, it represented a major lift in quality, presentation and performance, helping to justify the substantial expense in tough economic times. Harley built 1526 units in its first year, which was enough to pay off the risk of spending five years developing an entirely new motorcycle during the Great Depression.

6. HONDA NR
There was a time in the late ’70s and early ’80s when opinion was divided over whether Honda, or more specifically its race arm, was either incredibly courageous or breathtakingly stubborn. The centre of this controversy was the NR500 race bike with its V-four powerplant, boasting oval-shaped pistons and eight valves per cylinder.

Sarcastically known as the “never ready”, the machine simply couldn’t hack it against the might of the two-strokes.

It was developed into a 750 endurance race version and saw its first victory ever in a 1987 Swann Series race in Australia in the hands of Tasmanian riders Mal Campbell and Rob Scolyer.

Rather than let the concept fade away in pit lane, Honda developed a road-gong version with elliptical pistons (still with eight valves) called the NR. Just 300 were made and were sold in 1992 for a head-spinning $US50,000 – then around $82,000 in local money.

It may have seemed like a fortune to pay, but the NRs have more than held their value and very, very, rarely change hands.

5. INDIAN 101 SCOUT
Like many top-rung classics, the Indian 101 Scout has a racing connection. While the ‘basic’ 45-cube (750cc) machine was a solid seller for the company, engineer and former racer Charles Franklin reckoned it could handle some improvements.

He began working on the project in 1928, adding race-proven features such as a stronger frame, improved front suspension, more stable steering geometry – oh, and a front brake! There’s a dedicated worldwide club for the model, claiming around 400 members, which will cheerfully assure you this model is the pick of the entire Indian range when it comes to a mix of handling and performance.

Timing proved to be a bit of an issue for this bike – it was launched in 1929, the year of the Wall Street Crash, which in turn led to the Great Depression.

Hit by harsh times, Indian had to make some tough decisions, one of which was to drop this model and transfer the engine into the heavier Chief frame.

4. VINCENT BLACK SHADOW
If you wanted to be brutal, you could accuse Vincent of having a far bigger reputation than it ever deserved, given its relatively short lifespan and the fact its legend was largely built on variants of just two models with numerous common components. But try telling that to the many folk prepared to pay stratospheric prices for one…!

You could have, back in the 1970s, bought a good second-hand Vincent or HRD twin for about the same money as a new Kawasaki 900. Since that time we’ve seen values steadily climb, until the last decade when they started to skyrocket.

The pick of the bunch for many is the Black Shadow, distinguished by its unusual (for its day) black enamel finish on the powerplant.

It was the high-performance version of the Rapide, sold from 1948 and updated in Series C for 1950.

For a time it outsold its ‘plain’ sibling, eventually numbering some 1700 bikes. That figure doesn’t make it particularly rare by current standards, but the demand is so high that they remain a solid investment.

Famously robust, the engine had bigger ports, larger carbs and higher compression, for a power figure of 55hp (40.5kW).

It was based on a prototype developed by factory racer George Brown, his brother Cliff, and Australian engineer Phil Irving, and was nicknamed Gunga Din after the famous Rudyard Kipling character.

3. MV AGUSTA 750 SPORT
An astounding 63 world championships across 125cc, 350cc and 500cc classes, many with the legendary Giacomo Agostini, and a reputation for producing some stunning road bikes wasn’t enough to save the original MV Agusta, which finally fell over in 1980, moments after it ceased racing.

The swansong was the four-cylinder 750, built in various guises from 1971 to 1978, including the America of 1975. These days you’ll need $75,000 to get your hands on an America – not a bad appreciation of a bike that initially sold for $4995.

Pick of the bunch for collectability though is the earlier 1972 750S. Back then a 750S cost $3889, but you’ll need $100K today.

It pumped out a very respectable 75 horses and had a 210km/h top speed. However the 13.9sec quarter mile time wasn’t quite at the cutting edge when it came to bragging rights down at the pub – especially with Kawasaki’s Z1 roaming the streets.

Relatively steep pricing made MV ownership an exclusive club, but what you got with your 750S was race heritage and a stunning-looking motorcycle with open-mouthed carbs and beautifully-cast engine cases.

2. CROCKER V-TWINS
Never heard of Crocker? Don’t worry – most people haven’t. The company, run by a chap called Al Crocker, popped up on the USA scene from 1932 as the maker of single-cylinder speedway bikes, before turning its corporate attention to V-twin road bikes in 1936. The big twins are the focus here and they were built in a fairly wild range of specifications. One bike is said to have run a giant 1500cc engine.

They were universally regarded as being more powerful than the Indians and Harleys of the day – boasting around 40.5kW (55hp) compared to around 33.1kW (45hp) for Crocker’s competitors.

However, a big reputation wasn’t enough to ensure the survival of the motorcycle plant, which died out in 1942, when the company concentrated all its efforts on the flourishing aircraft components business.

Only 100 of the twins are said to have been made, of which approximately 70 are thought to survive.

Despite the tiny numbers, the brand is supported by a dedicated parts maker, which claims it can supply all the bits to construct a complete bike (visit: www.crockermotorcycleco.com).

1. BROUGH SUPERIOR SS100
What does half a million dollars get you? A four-seater helicopter with options, a pretty decent house in a lot of places, or an 85-year-old motorcycle. The Brough Superior SS100 is a lot more than the sum of its parts, something underlined by one that sold at a UK auction in October for £286,000 ($AUD460,000).

Add in the buyer’s premium and you’re heading for a cool half million. (That price, by the way, beat the previous record, set in 2008, by a hefty £120,000 – so much for the global financial crisis…!).

Produced in Nottingham from 1925 by George Brough, the SS100 was so named for its 100mph performance. Brough cheekily advertised it as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles, without the permission of the four-wheeler marque.

Undeniably fast and well-made, the machines nevertheless used widely available major components, such as JAP (and later Matchless) engines and Sturmey Archer gearboxes.

They were the preferred mount of TE Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia or Ned Shaw, who was to die of head injuries after a crash. That incident indirectly led to the development of the motorcycle helmet – a story for another day.

Hand-built to the tastes of individual owners, no two bikes are completely alike and, from 1925, it was a must-have for any self-respecting petrol head who could afford the steep £170 asking price.

An Austrian firm is trying to revive the marque, building surprisingly faithful replicas some 72 years after the brand stopped production (visit: www.brough-superior.com).

Story courtesy of Motorcycle Trader.