Million-Dollar Baby! Vintage Harley Breaks World Record at Auction
Legendary 1908 HD ‘Strap Tank’ is the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction.
So you think you have a Harley Davidson “barn find” story? This one takes the cake, and the cash.
A 1908 ‘Strap Tank” Harley, an extremely rare and highly coveted motorcycle, was found in a barn 70 miles from Milwaukee in 1941. Late last month, it sold for just short of $1 million.
That makes it not only the most expensive Harley Davidson ever, but the most expensive motorcycle of any brand ever sold at auction at $935,000.
A Rare Breed
Records for that long ago are obscure, but experts believe Harley Davidson made only 12 of these “strap tank” motorcycles and even fewer are intact.
Not only is this bike intact, it still sports some of its original parts, like the wheels, engine belt pulley, seat cover and muffler sleeve; all there when the bike was built 114 years ago.
The “strap tank’ bikes had their oil and fuel tanks strapped to the frame by nickel-plated steel bands, thus the name.
‘Legendary Model’
Eventually it was restored by a vintage motorcycle enthusiast named Paul Freehill of Fort Wayne Indiana.
“In terms of Harley-Davidson history, there is no more important model than the legendary Strap Tank,” says Mecum Auctions, the well-known auction house that made the sale. “It’s the first of the breed, and the earliest Harley-Davidson model one will ever find, as the prototypes that preceded it are long gone.”
Auction House Stunned
Vintage collectors drool when they hear even a whisper about a strap tank find. A 1907 strap tank HD sold for $715,000 not long ago, and it was not even restored like the latest strap tank model find.
<
Overall, the Motor Company only made 450 motorcycle that year. Very few still exist, especially one with the original parts in it.
The auction house knew it had a find on its hands and made sure vintage collectors knew about it. Still, they were stunned by the eventual selling price.
"We marketed the bike well and Harley is by far the most famous American motorcycle brand so we had a feeling it would do well in auction, but obviously you are surprised anytime you sell the most expensive bike ever," said Greg Arnold, the man in charge of the Mecum motorcycle division.
Star of the Show
The auction in Las Vegas showcased more than 2,000 motorcycles, and the strap tank bike was clearly the star of the show.
Prized motorcycles from 15 private collections were on sale and bidders from all over the world bid on them.
The private collections included the well-known “As Found Collection” of Mike Wolfe, who’s better known as the front man for the TV show “American Pickers.”
Photos: Mecum Auctions
