1908 Harley-Davidson Becomes Most Expensive Motorcycle Sold At Auction

A 115-year-old Strap Tank Harley has made the steep joyride to become the priciest bike ever purchased at auction, according to vintagent.com, which tracks the world’s most expensive vintage motorcycles (via the Associated Press).

The vehicle, sold for a whopping US$935,000 after auction fees at the Mecum Auctions in Las Vegas last month, is thought to be one of only 12 surviving motorbikes of the same model. It is also believed to be the earliest Harley model that fans can still obtain, as styles that pre-date the Strap Tank have either been destroyed or currently reside in private collections.

As per a HotCars feature from 2021, the former most expensive bike to be sold at an auction was a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning, which went to a buyer at a Bonhams sale in 2018 for US$929,000.

The Harley-Davidson Strap Tank, assembled in the company’s one-story factory in 1908, is named after its unique build—its fuel and oil tank are attached to the crossbar using nickel straps.

Greg Arnold, Motorcycle Division Manager at Mecum Auctions, attributes the bike’s record-breaking price to the fact that all its original parts are still intact, which makes the item “that much more rare.”

Old motorcycles are frequently resold with newer parts, but this version retains the same pieces that came with it when it was built, like its original tank, wheels, seat cover, engine belt pulley, and muffler sleeve.

There was another Strap Tank that went off the resale market for US$715,000 back in 2015. While that was an older bike, dated to 1907, it was never restored and hence fell short of the current record.

[via USA Today and Associated Press, images via Mecum Auctions]