It’s July 12, 2023, and you know what that means? The British National Motorcycle Museum’s summer auction is going on today, and there are a whole bunch of goodies to appreciate. Whether you plan to bid or not, if you’re at all interested in motorcycle history, there are always some excellent motorcycles and scooters to see whenever NMM has one of its thrice-a-year auctions.
The 2023 summer NMM auction is no exception. A total of 246 motorcycles and scooters are up for grabs, with plenty of interesting finds for fans of many motorcycling eras and makes. British marques are, of course, the most well-represented group of all, but there are also plenty of non-British models to consider. From Gilera to Bimota to Kawasaki, there’s a lot to take in—and that’s not even touching on the variety of classic Lambrettas and Vespas currently on offer.
Here are 12 machines that caught our eye while looking at this auction catalogue.
1962 Norton 650SS Race Bike
Besides being cool in its own right, the current owner of this bike has been using it to race in classic bike series since 2009. It’s based on a 1962 Norton 650SS Dominator and features several upgrades to aid in those efforts. Among the upgrades are a Wideline frame, Metmachex swingarm (or ‘swinging arm,’ if you’re British), and an extremely rare Seeley double-sided front brake. Undoubtedly a beautiful piece of kit, and it’s estimated to fetch between 9,000 and 11,000 pounds (about $11,697 to $14,296).
1974 Triumph Trident Metisse
This Rickman-framed beauty also features a Marzocchi suspension and Spondon calipers and is built around a circa-1974 Triumph Trident triple that’s been fitted with a Norman Hyde 850cc big bore kit and cams. Seems like it should go as good as it looks, doesn’t it? It’s expected to fetch between 9,000 and 10,000 pounds (about $11,697 to $12,996).
1928 Motosacoche
Back in the early days of motorcycling, Motosacoche was a major Swiss motorcycle manufacturer. While it made its own machines, such as this one, it also sold customer engines under the MAG name, which was short for Motosacoche Acacias Genève. Fans of Brough Superior history no doubt recognize that name, because Brough was one of the manufacturers that made use of MAG engines.
This example, according to the seller, is very much alive and running well. It’s an exceedingly rare model to find in the UK, and only a handful are still known to exist today. This bike is estimated to fetch between 9,000 and 11,000 pounds (about $11,697 to $14,296).
1923 Triumph Ricardo
This piece of early Triumph Motorcycles history belonged, at one time, to the Brighton Museum. It’s been kept in a house for the past 40 years or so but was reportedly kicked over regularly. The owner says that it has good compression, and the gear selector works in all gears, although it would need recommissioning if the new owner wished to take it out and ride it. All that said, it’s 100 years old—most of us would probably need a bit of recommissioning when we hit ages in the triple digits, yes? This bike is expected to fetch between 9,000 and 11,000 pounds (about $11,697 to $14,296).
1966 Lambretta SX225 ‘BelAir 2’
The SX200 is an extremely desirable scooter among enthusiasts, and this particular one is one of only two BelAir custom restorations ever painstakingly built by the world-renowned Rimini Lambretta Centre in Italy in 2013. Using a raft of 1970s-era parts and instrumentation, RLC created an extremely usable, enjoyable classic Lammy that reportedly completed a trip across Greece in 2015. It’s estimated to fetch between 22,000 and 24,000 pounds (about $28,592 and $31,191).
1963 Ariel Pixie
This adorable little 50cc machine featured a pressed steel frame and a scaled-down version of the same engine found in the BSA Beagle. Sadly for the Pixie, it disappeared when BSA decided to get rid of Ariel in 1966. This bike has a set of panniers in good condition, which is an extremely rare find. It reportedly was last run earlier in 2023, according to the owner. It's being offered with no reserve.
1973 Moto Guzzi Tuttoterreno
This rare and fully restored Moto Guzzi trail bike from the early 1970s came during the years that Guzzi and Benelli were working together. The 125cc engine that powers this bike is basically half of Benelli’s 250 2C twin engine and was also sold in a slightly different guise as the Benelli 125 Trail. It’s expected to fetch between 2,250 and 2,750 pounds (or about $2,924 to $3,574).
1990 Ducati 906 Paso
Designed by Massimo Tamburini, the Paso was first launched in 1986 with a 750cc engine. Over the ensuing years of the Paso’s run, the displacement got bigger—eventually resulting in around 1,800 individual 906 Pasos produced as the model’s final form.
This example has been fitted with a pair of aftermarket Conti silencers but will come with the original black chrome ones for the auction winner. It will need recommissioning if the new owner wants to ride it, but the good news is that it also comes with a genuine Ducati workshop manual to aid in the process. It’s expected to fetch between 2,750 and 3,250 pounds (about $3,574 to $4,224).
1961 Moto Rumi Formichino Tipo Sport
Before it added the ‘Moto’ to the beginning of its name, Rumi was an established industrial firm in Italy earlier in the 20th century. It started making motorcycles with a prototype in 1949, and scooters a little bit later once Vespa and Innocenti showed how popular they could be. Its first effort here, the Scoiattolo (Squirrel) used many of the firm’s existing motorcycle parts, but it turned out to not quite be what customers wanted, style-wise.
After a rethink, Moto Rumi came up with the Formichino to give customers more of the style that they wanted. These 125cc machines were known for being very quick at the time, and their unique design stands out across the decades.
This example has been run recently using an external fuel supply, but the auction house notes that the tank likely needs cleaning in order to restore it to full running order as a working scooter. It’s expected to fetch between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds (about $3,899 to $5,199).
1948 Scott Flying Squirrel
This beautiful 600cc Scott Flying Squirrel has been owned by the same owner since 2007. They purchased it as a project and restored it to well-sorted reliability, including a 12-volt electrical system conversion. It comes with a raft of paperwork and correspondence, and part of the proceeds from its sale will go to the Derby Blood Bike Charity. It’s expected to fetch between 6,500 and 7,500 pounds (about $8,448 and $9,747).
1976 Norton ‘Seeley’ Race Bike
This Seeley replica machine utilizes a Norton 850 Commando engine inside a Seeley replica frame, which was made by Andy Sidlow. It has not been run since it was built and will require recommissioning if the new owner wishes to ride or race it in a classic series. It’s expected to fetch between 5,500 and 6,500 pounds (about $7,148 and $8,448).
1972 Vespa Rally Custom ‘Hot Wheels’
This 210cc machine was built by Martin Murray and was based upon an original Rally 180 chassis. The engine started life as an early P200 unit, but now has a 210cc cylinder head. Other upgrades include an SIP2 exhaust and new Dunlop Scootsmart tubeless tires. The custom paintwork is of the kind that shines best in person, as photos and even video probably don’t do it justice. It’s expected to fetch between 6,500 and 7,500 pounds (about $8,448 and $9,747).
