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Suzuki RG500

Wallet-busters at Bonhams

(by Guy ‘Guido’ Allen, Oct 2021)

 

Suzuki RG500 sets record price

Last week's Bonhams autumn sale at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show proved that there is no shortage of interest in iconic eighties performance bikes, or more traditional classics. However a one-off Norton prototype went for a song.

Suzuki RG500

Described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an unused and dry-stored 1989 Suzuki RG500 Gamma went for an incredible Au$64,300 (US$47,000, GB£34,500). We believe that to be a record for the model.

Ducati 750SS

Meanwhile the performance of better-established classics was more predictable. For example a 1974 Ducati 750SS green frame sold for Au$214,500 (US$157,000, GB£115,000).

MV Agusta 750GT

And a 1973 MV Agusta 750GT in remarkable condition went for Au$236,000 (US$172,700, GB£126,500). This and the Ducati came from the same collection.

Norton Commando 850 MkIII

Back on the list of exceptional results was a 1975 Norton Commando 850 MkIII Interstate, which went for Au$38,600 (US$28,200, GB£20,700), or nearly double what an average MkIII might expect. Why so much? The story is that it's thought to be the last Commando sold by Andover Norton, in 1982 – seven years after the paint had dried and it was assembled! Like the Suzuki, it has never been ridden.

Norton Cosworth prototype

A one-off Norton prototype or test bed, dating back to around 1974, attracted surprisingly little interest. It features what appears to be a Cosworth experimental engine with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, plus liquid cooling. It went for just Au$12,900 (US$9400, GB£6900).

See the full results here.

 

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