{"id":369574,"date":"2011-11-01T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2011-11-01T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/?p=37946"},"modified":"2024-12-06T03:34:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T03:34:29","slug":"motorcycle-expected-to-break-auction-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/motorcycle-expected-to-break-auction-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Motorcycle Expected to Break Auction Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A historic 1894 Roper Steam Motorcycle is expected to establish a new world record for a motorcycle sold at auction when it crosses the podium at Auctions America by RM\u2019s debut Las Vegas sale, January 12 \u2013 14, 2012. The multi-day auction will feature more than 400 collector motorcycles.
\nThe second of just two steam-powered motorcycles built by Sylvester Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts, arguably one of America\u2019s first auto manufacturers, the 117-year-old motorcycle is regarded as one of the world\u2019s oldest, predating early examples produced by Orient, Indian and Harley-Davidson.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to have been selected to present this historic and pioneering motorcycle at our inaugural Las Vegas sale in January. A significant piece of Americana, it is arguably one of the world\u2019s most important motorcycles,\u201d says Glenn Bator, Head of Auctions America by RM\u2019s Vintage Motorcycle Division.
\nBased on the frame of a Columbia bicycle, its revolutionary design features a compact rectangular boiler, burner and grate, and a small steam engine on the right side. A water tank was located directly over the boiler, from which a smoke vent exited at a rakish angle. All controls were located on the handlebars. In keeping with the true definition of a motorcycle, the Roper was completed without pedals.
\nIn addition to its pioneering design, the Roper Steam Motorcycle boasts a remarkable provenance from 1894, including a known, unbroken history from new. Regularly used by Roper, it averaged a record speed of 40 miles per hour on the Dorchester Road in Boston for a measured mile in May 1896.
\nFollowing Roper\u2019s passing in 1896, this historic motorcycle was sold by one of his heirs to a Long Island museum and after moving through a series of other museums, including America\u2019s Circus City Museum and Bellm\u2019s Cars of Yesterday, formed part of two prominent private collections. The current owner acquired the historic motorcycle in 1996 and has seldom lent it for display, with its most recent showing at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, where it helped to celebrate the induction of Sylvester Hayward Roper, America\u2019s first motorcyclist. Today, presented in its original stove black livery, Auctions America\u2019s upcoming Las Vegas sale represents the first time it has been offered at a public sale.
\nWhile the pre-sale estimate is “available upon request,” it is expected to exceed the current world record for a motorcycle sold at auction, held by a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer OHC that sold for $520,000 USD in 2008.
\n\u201cWith the only other Roper motorcycle ever built on long-term display at the Smithsonian Institution, the upcoming sale of this example presents an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime ownership opportunity for serious collectors. We anticipate strong interest in its sale,\u201d Bator adds.
\nThe famous Roper leads a roster of an expected 400 collector motorcycles slated for Auctions America\u2019s multi-day, dedicated motorcycle sale in Las Vegas. Additional notable entries include:<\/p>\n