Collectibles

Steve McQueen's Cyclone could become the third million dollar motorcycle

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This one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month could become just the third motorcycle in history to sell for more than a million dollars. One of just six in existence, a similar bike set the world auction record at $551,200 in 2008. The beautiful bevel-driven V-twin was capable of 111 mph and this particular bike has a golden provenance including ownership by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen. McQueen has multiple entries in the most valuable cars sold at auction, the most valuable movie cars sold at auction plus SEVEN entries in the top 100 motorcycles sold at auction. The bike was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright.
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record for a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record for a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen.
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
This one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month could become just the third motorcycle in history to sell for more than a million dollars. One of just six in existence, a similar bike set the world auction record at $551,200 in 2008. The beautiful bevel-driven V-twin was capable of 111 mph and this particular bike has a golden provenance including ownership by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen. McQueen has multiple entries in the most valuable cars sold at auction, the most valuable movie cars sold at auction plus SEVEN entries in the top 100 motorcycles sold at auction. The bike was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright.
This 1915 Cyclone Board Track racer set a world record price for a motorcycle at auction when it sold for $852,000 in March, 2015. The Cyclone’s technical specification made it the most advanced motorcycle engine built in America at that time, and while the company built road machines, it is unquestionably racing that Cyclone is remembered for. In its debut year of 1913, factory development riders JA McNeil and Larry ‘Cave Man’ Fleckenstein were timed at 108 MPH in a Minneapolis motordrome. The next year, McNeil was timed at 111.1 MPH at the Omaha, Nebraska, board track, which was nearly 20 MPH faster than the internationally recognized world record of 93.48 mph, held by Indian, and a 100 MPH mark timed by Lee Humiston on an Excelsior. Officials at the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) simply could not accept the 111 MPH figure.
Mecum
The one-hundred-year-old Cyclone Board Track racer going to auction next month was restored by noted author, historian and craftsman Stephen Wright and owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record or a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record or a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record or a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
Fittingly, Ron Christenson, the founder and Managing Director of Mid-America, (now the president of Mecum Mid-America Motorcycles, the two companies having amalgamated in 2014), will preside over the sale of the ex-McQueen Cyclone. That's Ron pictured above at the sale of the only Cyclone ever to be previously offered for public sale, on the day it set a world record in 2008.
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record or a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record or a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008
Board track racing from the grandstand. A screen grab from a very informative video about Board Track Racing in 1920. Be sure to watch the video at the foot of the page too.
A screen grab from a very informative video about Board Track Racing in 1920. Be sure to watch the video at the foot of the page too.
Apart from being a restoration expert of exceptional quality, Stephen Wright was one the foremost authorities in early American motorcycle history having penned the now highly-sought-after books "American Racer 1900-1940" and "American Racer 1940-1980" plus the “The American Motorcycle 1869-1914” which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out
This 1912 Indian V-Twin Board-Track Racer was restored by Stephen Wright and sold for $61,500
This 1914 Indian Model F board track racer was restored by Stephen Wright and sold for $34,500
This 1920 Indian Powerplus "Daytona" racer was restored by Stephen Wright and sold for US$150,000
This 1929 Harley-Davidson Model B was restored by Stephen Wright and sold for US$37,440
The most expensive motorcycle to ever change hands privately was a 1948 Vincent Black Lightning famously ridden by Rollie Free at Bonneville Salt Flats to a then record speed of a 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h) over the "flying mile" on September 13, 1948. The “Bathing Suit Bike” was sold in late 2011 for an amount believed to be US$1,000,000 by elite Texan rare motorcycle agency and restoration service Harris Vincent Gallery to well-known collector Chip Connor.
As we accurately forecast last year, the Easyriders Captain America Chopper smashed existing motorcycle auction records when it sold for $1.62 million last year, tripling the previous record
The current world auction record holder for motorcycles, the Captain America Chopper ridden by Peter Fonda in the film Easyriders, seen here in a publicity still for the film
An image of board track racing from Stephen Wright's book, "The American Motorcycle 1869-1914" which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out
Indeed, the only thing more exciting than this motorcycle going to auction is the collection which is to be auctioned at the same time - the EJ Cole Collection. The collection is easily the most significant and valuable motorcycle collection ever to reach public auction
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A Cyclone Board Track race going to auction next month seems to have all the boxes ticked to become just the third motorcycle in history to sell for more than a million dollars. Rarity? One of just six known to exist. Tick. Precedent? A similar bike set the world auction record in 2008. Tick. Technologically significant? The bevel-driven OHC V-twin was capable of 111 mph in 1911. Tick! Wildcard factor? Previously owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen. Tick, tick tick!

Trends in public fascination come and go, and just over a century ago, at the dawn of the age of personal transportation, car and motorcycle racing was a phenomenon across the United States and Europe.

Motorcycle sport began wherever it could. Invite men to race or fight anywhere and you can immediately oversubscribe competitors and draw a crowd, but the most successful race promoters of 100 years ago built massive banked board tracks in cities across the United States and it was on these tracks that the public's first taste of theatrical motorsport was played out.

Board track racing from the grandstand. A screen grab from a very informative video about Board Track Racing in 1920. Be sure to watch the video at the foot of the page too.

Unlike other pioneering motorsport contests (primarily road and cross country racing) where the the majority of the race could not be seen from one vantage point, the giant oval motordromes offered spectators close access to the entire spectacle, and contributed to it because the wooden surface quickly became slick with oil and treacherously slippery.

An image of board track racing from Stephen Wright's book, "The American Motorcycle 1869-1914" which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out

With a very similar format to the gladiatorial chariot races which preceded motorsport by thousands of years, spectacular often tragic accidents could be seen at every event and prodigious crowd-pulling feats (and hence profit) were a given.

A screen grab from a very informative video about Board Track Racing in 1920. Be sure to watch the video at the foot of the page too.

Newspaper headlines quickly helped the fastest of America's new motorcycle manufacturers develop enduring brand names. The advent of the motorcycle was the first time that personal transport had been available to the public at an affordable price, and there were more than one hundred American motorcycle manufacturers in the first decades of the twentieth century. Not surprisingly, winning such races was rewarded with success in the sales showroom but only a few prevailed on the racetrack – Harley-Davidson, Excelsior and Indian were the predominant names before board track racing was banned. For a short period, one technologically advanced marque was clearly faster than the rest, Cyclone.

This 1915 Cyclone Board Track racer set a world record price for a motorcycle at auction when it sold for $852,000 in March, 2015. The Cyclone’s technical specification made it the most advanced motorcycle engine built in America at that time, and while the company built road machines, it is unquestionably racing that Cyclone is remembered for. In its debut year of 1913, factory development riders JA McNeil and Larry ‘Cave Man’ Fleckenstein were timed at 108 MPH in a Minneapolis motordrome. The next year, McNeil was timed at 111.1 MPH at the Omaha, Nebraska, board track, which was nearly 20 MPH faster than the internationally recognized world record of 93.48 mph, held by Indian, and a 100 MPH mark timed by Lee Humiston on an Excelsior. Officials at the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) simply could not accept the 111 MPH figure.
Mecum

You don’t need to do a lot of research to realize just how rare Cyclones were in their day, let alone one in such pristine condition a century later. The extraordinarily beautiful motor of the Cyclone was a 996cc, 45 degree V-Twin with bevel-driven overhead camshafts. In 1915 it was reportedly timed at 111 mph (178.6 km/h).

This near identical 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer set a world record for a motorcycle at auction when it sold for US$551,200 at a Mid-America auction in July, 2008

The short-lived but spectacular success of the Cyclone brand and the bike’s remarkable bevel-driven OHC V-twin design, which was bleeding edge at the time, both contributed to another Cyclone setting a world auction price at a Mid-America auction in 2008 (pictured above).

The current world auction record holder for motorcycles, the Captain America Chopper ridden by Peter Fonda in the film Easyriders, seen here in a publicity still for the film

Only two motorcycles have ever previously sold for a million dollars: the current world auction record holder, the Captain America Chopper ridden by Peter Fonda in the film Easy Rider (pictured above), and the ex-Rollie Free Vincent, which set a world record for a private sale several years ago.

As we accurately forecast last year, the Easyriders Captain America Chopper smashed existing motorcycle auction records when it sold for $1.62 million last year, tripling the previous record

As we accurately forecast last year, the Easy Rider Captain America Chopper smashed existing motorcycle auction records when it sold for $1.62 million last year, tripling the previous record of $580,000 held by the 1910 Winchester motorcycle below. The image above is of the on-line auction interface during bidding for the Captain America Chopper, showing the competing bids and the highest bid at that time.

The only two Winchesters known to exist are also heading to auction in March along with the EJ Cole Collection (of which the Cyclone is part), suggesting that more records are likely to fall in the next month.

The most expensive motorcycle to ever change hands privately was a 1948 Vincent Black Lightning famously ridden by Rollie Free at Bonneville Salt Flats to a then record speed of a 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h) over the "flying mile" on September 13, 1948.

The most expensive motorcycle to ever change hands privately was a 1948 Vincent Black Lightning famously ridden by Rollie Free at Bonneville Salt Flats to a then record speed of a 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h) over the "flying mile" on September 13, 1948. The “Bathing Suit Bike” was sold in late 2011 for an amount believed to be US$1,000,000 by elite Texan rare motorcycle agency and restoration service Harris Vincent Gallery to well-known collector Chip Connor.

The "Bathing Suit Bike" was sold in late 2011 for US$1,000,000 by elite Texan rare motorcycle agency and restoration service Harris Vincent Gallery to well-known collector Chip Connor.

Restoration by Stephen Wright

The motorcycle in question was restored by Stephen Wright, which may not mean much to most people, but for knowledgeable enthusiasts, Wright's involvement in the restoration adds an authenticity even greater than McQueen's.

Apart from being a restoration expert of exceptional quality, Stephen Wright was one the foremost authorities in early American motorcycle history having penned the now highly-sought-after books "American Racer 1900-1940" and "American Racer 1940-1980" plus "The American Motorcycle 1869-1914" which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out.

Apart from being a restoration expert of exceptional quality, Stephen Wright was one the foremost authorities in early American motorcycle history having penned the now highly-sought-after books "American Racer 1900-1940" and "American Racer 1940-1980" plus the “The American Motorcycle 1869-1914” which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out

Wright-restored bikes are highly sought after, not just those he restored while working directly for Steve McQueen at Solar Productions, but the many he subsequently restored.

The quality of his work can be seen quite obviously on this Cyclone, but also on this selection of motorcycles which have come to auction in recent years, and the prices they have fetched.

Several of Stephen Wright's restorations have crossed the auction block in recent times: From top left clockwise, a 1912 Indian V-Twin Board-Track Racer which sold for $61,500, a 1920 Indian Powerplus ‘Daytona’ Racing Motorcycle which sold for $150,000, a 1929 Harley-Davidson Model B which sold for $37,440, and a 1914 Indian Model F board track Racer which sold for $34,500.

Fittingly, Ron Christenson, the founder and Managing Director of Mid-America, (now the president of Mecum Mid-America Motorcycles, the two companies having amalgamated in 2014), will preside over the sale of the ex-McQueen Cyclone. That's Ron pictured above at the sale of the only Cyclone ever to be previously offered for public sale, on the day it set a world record in 2008.

Fittingly, Ron Christenson, the founder and Managing Director of Mid-America, (now the president of Mecum Mid-America Motorcycles, the two companies having amalgamated in 2014), will preside over the sale of the ex-McQueen Cyclone. That's Ron pictured above at the sale of the only Cyclone ever to be previously offered for public sale, on the day it set a world record in 2008.

Indeed, the only thing more exciting than this motorcycle going to auction is the collection which is to be auctioned at the same time, the EJ Cole Collection. The collection is easily the most significant and valuable motorcycle collection ever to reach public auction.

Indeed, the only thing more exciting than this motorcycle going to auction is the collection which is to be auctioned at the same time - the EJ Cole Collection. The collection is easily the most significant and valuable motorcycle collection ever to reach public auction

We'll have a full preview of the collection later in the week, but suffice to say this collection also contains a 1942 Crocker V Twin likely to fetch $500,000 or more, a 1907 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank (one of these sold for $352,000 in 2006), a 1911 Flying Merkel Twin Racer (Auctions America sold a 1911 Flying Merkel for $201,250 in 2011), a hyper-rare 1913 Minneapolis Twin, a 1915 Harley-Davidson V-twin (Mid-America sold one of these for $169,600 in 2009), a 1917 Henderson Four, a 1914 Theim Single two-speed (made by the same company that made the Cyclone, Joerns Motor Mfg. Co) and dozens of other priceless exotics and it will almost certainly attract the cream of the world's collectors.

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3 comments
Nelson Hyde Chick
For anyone to have enough spare cash to pay a million for a motorcycle means our system of government is not working.
Bill Bennett
Going 150 on a bike in a bathing suit and a helmet laying down took balls. The Cyclone is not going anywhere fast, as it is missing chains.
yawood
What a great video. The quality is amazing for the 1920s. Imagine in those days going at 212 km/hr (132 mph) on those bikes on the 1 mile circuit at Daytona.