RM Sotheby's Duemila Route Auction contained 423 cars, 150 motorcycles, 60 boats and racing hydrofoils, 117 bicycles, bobsleds, and more. This article is an adjunct to our main auction report and contains just the highlights of the motorcycle section.
The collection was the property of Italian Luigi Compiano and was confiscated by the Italian Government to recoup around €14 million owed in back taxes. The full story of Compiano's collection can be found in our original auction preview.
Our main report on the auction details the extraordinary circumstances which culminated on November 25-27, when 5,000 people turned up for the sale, with more than 3,000 people from 57 countries registering as bidders and five auctioneers rotating on the auction block for a total of 30 hours to sell the 817 lots.
Amongst those 150 motorcycle lots were some genuine treasures.
As the auction was a "no reserve" auction, the highlights selected themselves in order of the prices they fetched, and given that Luigi certainly demonstrated with his collection curation that he knew his stuff, the order of the bikes and the prices they fetch provide a rich tapestry for the contemplation of any functional petrolhead with a few bucks to invest in their passion.
There were bargains amongst these lots and that's why so many people attended.
Without doubt Luigi's collection of racing bikes got the most attention. Almost every bike in his collection of Yamaha's TZ two-stroke production racers did well, as did a wide vista of other racers including several Moto Guzzis, a Suzuki Square Four RG500 production racer, an AJS 7R "Boy Racer," a Manx Norton, almost all of the BMW motorcycle collection, and ... judge for yourself.
2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR
€70,200 ($74,454) | Auction Link
2009 Ducati 1098R Bayliss
€44,460 ($47,154) | Auction Link
2008 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
€39,780 ($42,191) | Auction Link
2009 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
€37,440 ($39,709) | Auction Link
1962 Norton Manx 40M
€37,440 ($39,709) | Auction Link
BMW R 75 with Steib Sidecar
€37,440 ($39,709) | Auction Link
1976 Yamaha TZ750C
€36,270 ($38,468) | Auction Link
1974 Yamaha TZ750A Racing Motorcycle
€35,100 ($37,227) | Auction Link
1980 Yamaha TZ500G
€32,760 ($34,745) | Auction Link
1973 Ducati 750 Sport
€32,760 ($34,745) | Auction Link
Suzuki RG500
€30,420 ($32,263) | Auction Link
2005 BMW HP2 Enduro
€28,080 ($29,782) | Auction Link
AJS 7R 'Boy Racer'
€25,740 ($27,300) | Auction Link
2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCX
€24,570 ($26,059) | Auction Link
1969 Yamaha TR2
€23,400 ($24,818) | Auction Link
Yamaha TZ250
€23,400 ($24,818) | Auction Link
2008 BMW HP2 Sport
€22,230 ($23,577) | Auction Link
BMW R 69 S
€22,230 ($23,577) | Auction Link
2005 BMW R 1150 GS Adventure
€19,890 ($21,095) | Auction Link
1960 Moto Guzzi Autoveicolo Da Montagna "Mulo Meccanico"
€18,720 ($19,854) | Auction Link
2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCDX
€18,720 ($19,854) | Auction Link
1974 Moto Guzzi 750S
€17,550 ($18,614) | Auction Link
1976 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Mk I
€17,550 ($18,614) | Auction Link
1971 Norton 750 Commando
€17,550 ($18,614) | Auction Link
1970 Norton 750S Commando
€16,380 ($17,373) | Auction Link
1975 BMW R90S
€16,380 ($17,373) | Auction Link
Moto Guzzi Falcone
€16,380 ($17,373) | Auction Link
1996 BMW R 80 GS Basic
€16,380 ($17,373) | Auction Link
1973 Yamaha TZ250
€15,210 ($16,132) | Auction Link
BMW R 60
€15,210 ($16,132) | Auction Link
BMW R 51/3
€15,210 ($16,132) | Auction Link
2003 Honda VTR 1000 SP2
€14,040 ($14,891) | Auction Link
1956 BMW R50
€14,040 ($14,891) | Auction Link
1969 Norton 750 Commando
€13,455 ($14,270) | Auction Link
2009 BMW S 1000 RR
€12,870 ($13,650) | Auction Link
2009 Aprilia RSV4
€12,870 ($13,650) | Auction Link
1967 BSA A65SA Spitfire Mk III
€12,870 ($13,650) | Auction Link
1989 BMW R 100 GS Paris Dakar
€12,870 ($13,650) | Auction Link
Other bikes above $10,000:
1984 BMW R 80 GS | €12,870 ($13,650) | Auction Link
1970 Triumph T120R Bonneville | €11,700 ($12,409) | Auction Link
1954 NSU Max 251 OSB | €11,700 ($12,409) | Auction Link
2004 Triumph Thruxton 900 | €10,530 ($11,168) | Auction Link
1972 Laverda 750 SF | €10,530 ($11,168) | Auction Link
1974 Kawasaki H1 | €10,530 ($11,168) | Auction Link
Jawa Motocross | €10,530 ($11,168) | Auction Link
1989 BMW K1 | €10,530 ($11,168) | Auction Link
1970 Ducati 450 Scrambler | €9,945 ($10,548) | Auction Link
1969 Triumph T150T Trident | €9,945 ($10,548) | Auction Link
2008 Harley-Davidson XR1200 | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
1980 Yamaha TZ125G | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
Triumph Bonneville Black Edition | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
1970 BMW R 75/5 | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
1992 BMW R100R | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
2004 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans Rosso Corsa | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
1990 Ducati 750 Sport | €9,360 ($9,927) | Auction Link
The full results of the auction can be found here. This is just the top 50 of 150 motorcycles that sold during 30 hours of auction action, so everything else sold for less than $10,000.