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Top 100 Most Expensive Motorcycles Sold at Public Auction

The leading public-auction motorcycle sales include a 1915 Cyclone Roadster at $1.32 million and a 1965 MV Agusta at £967,000 including fees. Sale currency, fees, provenance, and record-page update dates all affect comparisons.
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The highest reported public-auction result in the current ranking is the 1915 Cyclone Roadster, which sold for $1.32 million at Mecum Las Vegas in February 2025. The next entry is a 1965 MV Agusta 500 Grand Prix: Bonhams sold it for £967,000 including fees in April 2026, reported by the tracker as approximately $1.306 million. Those figures are close, but they are not perfectly like-for-like: one is reported in dollars and the other in pounds with fees included.

The ranking below follows The Vintagent’s evolving compilation of public-auction sales, which it says it has tracked since 2006. The details available here support the leading results, not a verified transcription of all 100 entries; the list should be treated as an editorial compilation rather than an independently audited database.

What is the most expensive motorcycle ever sold?

The Vintagent’s ranking places the 1915 Cyclone Roadster first at $1.32 million, sold at Mecum Las Vegas on 1 February 2025. A specialist sale summary describes it as the first motorcycle to exceed $1 million at public auction. The bike had received a comprehensive restoration and came from the Urban S. Hirsch III Collection.

The 1965 MV Agusta 500 Grand Prix is close behind. Bonhams sold it at Stafford on 25 April 2026 for £967,000 including fees; The Vintagent tracker gives an approximate dollar equivalent of $1.306 million. Octane reports that the works machine is believed to have been raced by Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini and was previously owned by John Surtees. The sale set an Italian motorcycle auction record, according to Octane.

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Leading public-auction sales in the ranking

Prices and fee details below follow the reporting identified for each sale. “Not stated” means the available source details do not establish whether the total includes buyer fees. Dollar equivalents for the 2026 MV Agusta and Suzuki are tracker conversions, not the original sale currency.

Rank Motorcycle Reported sale price Sale date and auction house Provenance or result detail
1 1915 Cyclone Roadster / V-Twin $1,320,000 1 February 2025, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Comprehensively restored; from the Urban S. Hirsch III Collection.
2 1965 MV Agusta 500 Grand Prix £967,000 including fees; approximately $1.306 million in The Vintagent tracker 25 April 2026, Bonhams Stafford Works bike believed to have been campaigned by Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini; previously owned by John Surtees.
3 1908 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank $935,000 January 2023, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Distinct from the 1907 Strap Tank sold in 2015.
4 1951 Vincent Black Lightning $929,000 January 2018, Bonhams Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Bonhams identified it as Jack Ehret’s speed-record-setting bike.
5 1938 Crocker Small Tank $880,000 February 2025, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Second-highest result in Mecum’s 2025 event summary.
6 1915 Cyclone Board Track $852,500 March 2015, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated A separate Cyclone from the 1915 Roadster at rank 1.
7 1936 Crocker Small Tank $825,000 August 2019, Mecum Monterey; fee inclusion not stated —
8 (tie) 1907 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank $715,000 March 2015, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Different model year from the 1908 Strap Tank at rank 3.
8 (tie) 1937 Crocker Small Tank $715,000 March 2015, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated Tied with the 1907 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank.
10 1939 Crocker Big Tank $704,000 January 2019, Mecum Las Vegas; fee inclusion not stated —
11 1977 Suzuki XR14 World Champion £506,000 including fees; approximately $683,000 in The Vintagent tracker April 2026, Bonhams Stafford Identified by Octane as Barry Sheene’s 1977 championship-winning machine; the sale set a Japanese motorcycle auction record.

The tracker ranks the Crocker Big Tank tenth and the Suzuki eleventh. The table retains the tie at $715,000 rather than giving one of those equal-price sales a higher position. It does not fill the remaining places with guesses: the available sale details do not establish the entries and lot information needed to reproduce ranks 12 through 100 accurately.

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Why different lists disagree about the record

Guinness World Records still lists the “Captain America” Harley-Davidson Panhead as the most expensive motorcycle sold at auction, at $1.35 million on 18 October 2014. Its page identifies the bike as Hollywood memorabilia associated with the film and cautions that record updates may not be published immediately. Later public-auction results include the 2025 Cyclone and the 2026 MV Agusta, so that Guinness entry is not current for a ranking limited to public motorcycle auctions.

Rankings can also differ because currency conversions use different exchange-rate dates and sale reports may treat buyer fees differently. The original-currency figures are therefore important: the MV Agusta’s reported hammer-and-fee total is £967,000, while its tracker dollar figure is an approximate conversion. A dollar ranking can change depending on conversion convention; it should not be read as an exact comparison of cash totals in a single currency.

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Rank #3
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This list concerns completed public-auction sales, not private purchases, asking prices, or reported amounts that have not been confirmed. In particular, an unconfirmed private purchase of a Captain America replica and a reported price for an Ivan Mauger motorcycle do not qualify as confirmed public auction results.

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Why rare motorcycles can command exceptional prices

The leading sales illustrate several distinct sources of collector interest rather than a single formula for value:

Rank #4
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  • Racing history: The MV Agusta and Suzuki are associated with Grand Prix competition and celebrated riders. In Octane’s account, the MV’s believed links to Hailwood and Agostini, and its previous ownership by Surtees, add historical significance; the Suzuki is identified as Sheene’s championship-winning machine.
  • Documented achievement: Bonhams described the 1951 Vincent Black Lightning as Jack Ehret’s speed-record-setting motorcycle. Its release says about 30 Black Lightning models were built and recounts Ehret’s 141.5 mph Australian record in 1953. Those rarity and record details are claims in the auction house’s release, not fresh independent verification.
  • Scarcity and model identity: The ranking includes different machines that share a marque or model name, such as the 1907 and 1908 Harley-Davidson Strap Tanks and the Roadster and Board Track Cyclone. Similar names do not make them the same motorcycle or establish equal rarity.
  • Condition and ownership history: The Cyclone Roadster’s restoration and collection provenance are part of the reported context for its sale. Provenance and restoration may matter to collectors, but these auction results do not establish a general price premium or a valuation for other examples.

The figures are exceptional auction outcomes, not benchmarks for ordinary vintage motorcycles and not evidence of investment returns or broad market growth. Mecum’s 2025 Las Vegas event was reported to have generated $27.2 million in total sales; that figure describes the event, not the motorcycle market as a whole.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 2
Maisto 1:12 Harley Davidson 2015 Street Glide
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Collectible quality True-to-scale detailed vehicle; Die-cast metal body with plastic parts
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Bestseller No. 3
Tamiya 14044 Yamaha Virago XV1000 1:12 Motorbike Model Kit
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$28.17
SaleBestseller No. 4
Maisto 1: 12 Al Kawasaki KX 450F (Colors May Vary), Large
Maisto 1: 12 Al Kawasaki KX 450F (Colors May Vary), Large
Die-cast vehicle; Close to 20 highly-detailed parts are in each kit.; Everything needed to build the models is included.
$16.99

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.

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