Source: MotorcyclistOnline.com
For the past 33 years, Las Vegas has become home to motorcycle’s high rollers, collectors, and enthusiasts who swarm the city for Mecum Auctions’ annual January sale. This year’s event had a reported 2,000 motorcycles up for grabs, from turn-of-the-century machines to modern-day racers. By the time the last motorcycle rolled across the stage of the four-day event, these five rose to the top for highest prices paid. Since there was a tie between fourth and fifth place, we included the sixth-place finisher as well, this 1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000 and its $129,250 selling price worthy of an honorable mention.A 1928 Indian Ace, with its heralded inline-four engine, earned top honors after selling for $220,000 at the 2024 Las Vegas Mecum Auction. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)1. 1928 Indian Ace | $220,000Every OEM has a marquee model that exemplifies the company’s very best. While Indian Motorcycle has manufactured heralded Scouts and Chiefs, the elegant Indian Four deserves a spot among the finest machines ever produced by Hendee and Hedstrom.This restored beauty comes from Wayne Kruty’s private collection. Kruty did a comprehensive restoration in 2014, including having the engine and transmission rebuilt by Davies Antique Motors. The 1,265cc inline four-cylinder engine has overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves and puts out about 30 hp. This one features a leading-link fork and frame, something only found on the first-year Indian Ace models. Draped in classic red paint highlighted by crisp gold script, the motorcycle exudes power and grace.One of the motorcycle’s strongest selling points, the beautiful inline-four, is a descendant of the 1911 Henderson. The Henderson brothers, Thomas and William, were well known for the American four-cylinder motorcycle engine they engineered. They sold their company to Schwinn bicycles, who also produced Excelsior motorcycles, in 1917. William Henderson then embarked on a new venture, founding the Ace Motor Company in 1919, which was subsequently purchased by Indian in 1927. Production was moved to Indian’s factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, where it rolled out the first 1927 Indian Ace. The next year it dropped the name Ace but continued to produce inline-four motorcycles. This Indian was the Ace in the hole at Mecum’s 2024 Las Vegas auction, winning the jackpot for highest selling motorcycle at $220,000.With a beautiful dustbin fairing hand-fabricated by an Italian legend and an engine with a GP pedigree, this 1957 Mondial 250 Bialbero Grand Prix Racer is truly one of a kind. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)2. 1957 Mondial 250 Bialbero Grand Prix Racer | $165,000Mondial was a boutique motorcycle manufacturer from Bologna, Italy, that specialized in squeezing the highest performance possible out of motorcycles with relatively small engines. Produced between 1948 and 1979, the brand cut its teeth in Grand Prix racing and won five world championships in its heyday. During that tenure, only approximately seven Mondial 250 Bialbero Grand Prix racers were built by the factory. This survivor is the result of a 10-year labor of love for owner John Goldman, who lovingly restored it to its former glory.The engine’s history adds to its provenance. The 250cc DOHC single-cylinder engine uses a shaft-and-bevel drive for its cams instead of a tower of gears driving the camshafts. For that reason, it is believed it was raced by Tarquinio Provini in 1957, giving it a GP pedigree.Owner John Goldman smiles onstage after winning Best of Show at the 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)The beautiful dustbin fairing adds to its allure as well. The aluminum was hand-fabricated by Giancarlo Morbidelli, the famed Italian engineer, motorcycle builder, and race team owner also responsible for the mechanical restoration. Paint, cosmetic work, and final assembly was done by Roberto Totti. A gem of a motorcycle, Goldman’s Mondial won Best of Show at the 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering, a prestigious annual motorcycle concourse. It’s rare, it’s immaculate, and it raced away with the second-place prize, selling for a stately $165,000.Considered to be the fathers of the American inline four-cylinder motorcycles, the Henderson brothers built what many thought to be the “Duesenberg of motorcycles.” (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)3. 1914 Henderson Four | $148,500We mentioned the Henderson brothers earlier when talking about the Indian Ace, so it’s no surprise that a 1914 Henderson Four made its way into the top five. The brothers made big waves in the industry when they offered a high-powered motorcycle with a 57ci inline-four engine mounted inside its frame tubes.The restoration on this immaculate Henderson was done by Chris Matthews. An emphasis was placed on staying period correct, from the nickel-plated fork, magneto cover, and handlebars to the blue and silver paint scheme. Its period-correct speedometer links directly to the front wheel, and the motorcycle’s headlamp and taillamp are fed by an onboard acetylene tank, more old-world fare with flair. Outfitted with Henderson Detroit aluminum running boards, a pair of sprung seats, and an additional set of handlebars, this beauty was ready to take two-up for a grand turn-of-the-century adventure. With its combination of power and styling, it’s easy to see why many call the Henderson Four the “Duesenberg of motorcycles.” Still stunning at over 100 years old, this 1914 model sold for $148,500, to earn a solid third place in the top five.Indian Motorcycle returned to flat-track racing with a roar in 2017, winning the 2018 AFT Twins championship with this custom FTR750 racebike. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)4. 2018 Indian Scout Racer–Jared Mees’ AFT Twins Championship Winner | $137,500Anybody who might have been looking for a turn-key championship-winning flat-track racer had a prime opportunity at Mecum’s 2024 Vegas auction as this 2018 Indian Scout racer won the 2018 AFT Twins championship with rider Jared Mees onboard. A nine-time national champion, Mees won the first race of the 2018 season in Daytona and never looked back, winning 10 races that year on his way to the title. Mees was on hand in Vegas to witness his old workhorse sell for a respectable $137,500.Jared Mees powered to the victory in the season opener at Daytona Beach aboard the Indian FTR750, then won nine more races on his way to the championship trophy. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)For their money the new owners received a fire-breathing 53-degree V-twin with sand-cast aluminum engine cases. The engine has dual overhead cams with four valves per cylinder, each valve set at a 23-degree angle. It’s counterbalanced to cut down vibrations, the system’s counterrotating balancer driven by a gear coming off the crank. No doubt there are remnants of Mees’ chief mechanic Kenny Tolbert’s wizardry somewhere in the powertrain too. The FTR750 has a proprietary S&S exhaust, a 43mm Öhlins fork, and a fully adjustable rear Öhlins monoshock. The bike’s chassis features a lightweight tubular steel frame and swingarm along with carbon fiber bodywork. A single Brembo disc brake resides on the rear, the lone binder tasked with scrubbing speed off a motorcycle that hits 140 mph down dusty straights. Hopefully this piece of American flat-track history found a great new home.From engine configuration to oversized frame tubing, the 1912 Pierce Four drew many points of inspiration from its automobile division for its motorcycles. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)5. 1912 Pierce Four | $137,500Also banging the gavel for $137,500 was this pristine 1912 Pierce Four. This one likewise came from Wayne Kruty’s private collection, the restoration being completed in 2011.While Pierce first made its name in the automotive industry in 1901, it resulted in the formation of a new bicycle division as well. This led to the company producing motorcycles too. The Pierce Four, the first of America’s mighty “Fours,” made its debut in 1909. It featured many carryovers from early automotive developments such as a T-head-design inline-four engine, cam-driven intake, external flywheel, and an enclosed shaft drive. This meticulously restored relic features a 43ci 696cc engine and a two-speed transmission, both of which have been rebuilt. Power to the rear is transferred via an enclosed shaft drive. The pedal was used for starting and served double duty as a coaster brake. The motorcycle’s oversized 3.5-inch frame tubing, which houses both gasoline and oil, was also inspired by Pierce automobiles. Its flashy maroon paint and nickel-plated accents likewise reflect a little Pierce panache. The company unfortunately went belly up in 1914, but fortunately there are a few stellar survivors still around.Once upon a time, Harley went superbike racing with its VR1000. Sporting a liquid-cooled engine with EFI and dual overhead cams, it was a drastic departure from its customary air-cooled 1990s cruisers. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions and Bryan Harley/)Honorable Mention: 1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000 | $129,250Since fourth and fifth place tied at $137,500, we figured we’d throw the sixth-place finisher into the mix. This 1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000 sold for $129,500. The track bike features a factory-built liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin with dual overhead cams and Weber-USA electronic fuel injection, a big departure from Harley’s traditional air-cooled, carb-fed, pushrod-driven engine. The powerplant is slung in an aluminum twin-spar frame with fully adjustable suspension. It was the first pure racing motorcycle Harley-Davidson ever built, and made its Daytona Superbike debut in 1994. The VR1000′s racing career was short-lived, though, and in all only about 50 of these homologation motorcycles were built—25 racebikes, 25 street. This one is a race model because it has no headlight, taillight, or turn signals, and is a highly collectible time capsule from a bold venture The Motor Company once embarked on.
