Cw 25 Years Ago March, 1967
CW 25 YEARS AGO March, 1967
ROUNDUP
"et Approximately 1580 people were killed on motorcycles in 1965... Certainly helmets would save some lives. In fact, we should all put on helmets before getting out of bed. Over 11,900 persons were killed as a result of falls at 99 home. —from Roundup
IT WAS THE YEAR THE JUSTICE Department indicted Muhammad Ali for refusing to enter the armed forces, the year revolutionary leader Che Guevara died, the year U.S. Air Force B-52s bombed Hanoi. Quintessential ’60s stuff, right? So how is it possible that this edition of Cycle World carried on its cover the words, “Antique Bike Auction”? Isn’t interest in old bikes a relatively recent phenomenon?
Au contraire. As a story in this old issue testifies, the interest in vintage bikes is a vintage business that has been around nearly as long as motorcycles have been around. The article, done by the late Tony Hogg, an Englishman who eventually became editor of Cycle World's sister publication Road & Track, proves it. The bikes for sale, and the prices
they sold for, are enough to make you weep. How about a 1920 Harley and sidecar for $575? How about a 1922 Indian, also with sidecar, for
$420? Or maybe a 1914 Triumph for $420? A 1929 Norton for $125?
Equally interesting is that the cover of this issue shows a rider astride a beautiful new Yamaha 350 Grand Prix, nowadays a collectible bike that would, in reasonable condition, sell for at least as much as those auctioned Indians, Triumphs and Harleys.
For literature lovers there was a 41-volume set of the magazine Motorsport, which sold at this auction for $1288. Hogg said then, and we repeat, “Hang onto your old copies of Cycle World, fellows.” If you can’t, at least hang onto your old motorcycles. —Jon F. Thompson
“Why Does Benelli Out-handle Anything Around?” The company’s overly creative ad writers gave credit to the Barracuda 250’s horizontal engine and pressed-steel frame. The Italian firm, later to build a 900cc Six, was out of business by the mid-1980s.
