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These ten motorcycles make a compelling case for beauty in very different forms: sculpted Italian bodywork, exposed prewar engineering, racing hardware and distinctive engine layouts. A July 21, 2024, SlashGear feature selected them as some of the most beautiful regular-production motorcycles sold at auction and arranged them by price. Its list is a subjective design selection—not an objective beauty ranking or a current record table—and its printed prices are historical figures, not present valuations.
There is also an ordering wrinkle: the article says it starts with the most affordable, but places the $29,000 Ariel before the $25,015 BSA. The entries below preserve the feature’s selection while ordering its stated prices from lowest to highest. Later auction results, including sales of prototypes, replicas and works racers, show why the list should not be read as a ranking of the most expensive motorcycles ever sold.
The ten motorcycles, ordered by the feature’s stated prices
Prices below are the approximate figures printed in the July 21, 2024, SlashGear article. They are presented as that article’s reported figures, not updated market values. The sequence corrects the Ariel/BSA inversion in its displayed order.
| Order by stated price | Motorcycle | Price in the 2024 feature | Design detail highlighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1964 Lambretta Li125 | $8,000 | Sculpted sheet-metal bodywork and a broad leg shield |
| 2 | 1964 BSA Rocket Gold Star | $25,015 | Café-racer stance, turned-down handlebars and chrome |
| 3 | 1931 Ariel 497cc Model 4F “Square Four” | $29,000 | Exposed mechanicals, a partly chromed tank and tank-mounted gauges |
| 4 | 1978 Benelli Sei | $40,000 | Six-cylinder layout and distinctive exhaust arrangement |
| 5 | 2008 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa | $50,900 | Transverse V-twin engine |
| 6 | 1988 Honda VFR750R Type RC30 | $50,900 | HRC racing colors and an analog cockpit |
| 7 | 1938 Harley-Davidson EL | $190,000 | Broad fenders, teardrop tank and period decoration |
| 8 | 1925 BMW R37 | $220,000 | Boxer-engine architecture in a compact layout |
| 9 | 1927 Indian Ace | $220,000 | Low-slung four-cylinder engine and fender mascot |
| 10 | 1915 Indian 8-Valve Board Track Racer | $285,000 | Stark, purpose-built racing form |
The feature’s aesthetic descriptions are the author’s reading of the bikes, not a claim of universal consensus. The appeal is in the variety: some machines are visually composed around bodywork, while others make their engineering the design.
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What makes these motorcycles visually distinctive
Bodywork as the focal point
The Lambretta Li125 and Harley-Davidson EL take opposite approaches to visual mass. The Lambretta’s pressed-metal surfaces and leg shield give it a cohesive, enclosed silhouette. The EL’s broad fenders and teardrop tank create a heavier, more ornamented profile. In both cases, the shape is recognizable before the viewer studies the mechanical details.
Engineering on display
The Ariel Square Four, Benelli Sei, Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa and BMW R37 invite attention to their engines. The Ariel’s visible mechanicals and tank-mounted instruments make the machinery part of the composition; the Sei’s six cylinders and exhausts create a distinctive arrangement; the Guzzi’s transverse V-twin gives the bike a strong mechanical signature; and the BMW’s boxer layout contributes to its compact appearance. These are different solutions, but each turns a functional architecture into a visual feature.
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Racing purpose and period character
The Honda RC30’s HRC colors and analog cockpit connect its appearance to competition. The BSA Rocket Gold Star’s café-racer stance and turned-down bars communicate a different kind of sporting intent. At the extreme, the Indian 8-Valve Board Track Racer reduces the visual language to a stark racing machine. The Indian Ace, meanwhile, pairs a low-slung four-cylinder engine with a fender mascot—a blend of mechanical presence and period ornament.
Why this is not a current “most expensive motorcycles ever” ranking
The prices in the 2024 feature are attached to a particular selection of bikes and its reporting; they do not establish a comprehensive auction leaderboard. Subsequent sales changed the price context substantially, and the compared lots are not all the same kind of motorcycle. A production model, a prototype, a replica and an ex-works racing machine are different categories. Sale date, currency, condition, restoration, provenance and whether the stated amount includes a buyer’s premium also matter.
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Mecum reported that its 1915 Cyclone V-Twin sold for $1,320,000 in January 2025 and described it at that time as the highest motorcycle sale at public auction. The same release reported $880,000 for a 1938 Crocker Twin. Those later results already exceed the top figure in the 2024 feature; Mecum’s description was date-specific, not a guarantee of a permanent record.
A February 12, 2026, Rider Magazine recap of Mecum Las Vegas reported $330,000 for a 2004 Honda RC174 George Beale Replica and $313,500 for a 1968 Honda CB750 Prototype, followed by $236,500 for a 1938 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide. The replica and prototype illustrate how much a record list depends on whether it includes non-production machines.
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At Bonhams Stafford on April 25–26, 2026, the ex-works 1965 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle sold for £967,000 including premium, according to a Motor Sports NewsWire report dated April 28. The ex-Barry Sheene Suzuki RG500 XR14 sold for £506,000 including premium. The report called the MV Agusta result the second-highest motorcycle auction sale at that time. Bonhams International Department Director of Collectors’ Motorcycles Ben Walker said the sale “established two new world records, for the price of an Italian and Japanese machine sold at auction” and came close to the outright record; that statement referred to the Stafford sale and its results.
For a specific lot, consult the auction house’s own sold listing where available. Mecum’s sold-results archive is searchable, but an archive landing page alone does not verify every year, model and price attributed to the ten entries above. RM Sotheby’s has an individual Ariel Square Four sold listing, and Mecum has an individual BSA Rocket Gold Star sold lot; individual records are more useful than treating a retrospective list as a complete price database.
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How to read the list as a design selection
“Beautiful” is a matter of taste, and the 2024 feature did not claim to measure public opinion. Its value is as a curated cross-section: streamlined scooter bodywork, chrome-laden classic styling, unusual engine configurations and stripped-down competition machines all make the cut. The prices add historical auction context, but they cannot tell you which motorcycle is the most beautiful—or what any example is worth today.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
