1978 WHAT WERE THEY WORTH

George Disteel late in his life, using duct tape as an eyepatch to help him see despite cataracts

An old friend forwarded a pair of newspaper clippings from a 1978 auction, held by Butterfield+Butterfield auctioneers of San Francisco (now absorbed into Bonhams), of the various contents from the estate of noted Bay Area eccentric Crazy George Disteel.  Ive written previously about Disteel, but hadnt seen the prices fetched by his motorcycles at the auction -it makes fascinating reading, and sheds light on how the priorities of the motorcycle collecto r market have shifted in the 35 years.

The San Francisco Chronicle article of Jan 26, 1978, with a story of George Disteels estate auction...

If I were to ask a savvy classic motorcycle fan today, which was the more valuable, a Vincent Black Shadow, a Norton International, or a Moto Guzzi Falcone?  The answer would likely be in that order, that of course a Shadow is among the most coveted of vintage motorcycles, and anyone whos been reading the classic press the past 30 years could explain exactly why - the speed records, the exploits of Marty D ickerson and Rollie Free and George Brown, the Phil Irving connection, all of which seems correct and natural today.  But history is a mutually agreed-upon construction (or disagreed upon!), a narrative which suits the needs of the present.  And at present, we apparently need the Vincent Black Shadow as top dog, with consequent demand and bidding wars at auction pushing prices over $120k for decent examples.

The Butterfield+Butterfield auction list and results for George Disteels estate

In 1978, though, collectors felt the three machines - Vincent , Norton, and Guzzi - were of equal value - $1550 - at least in that California auction room.  As someone who entered the classic bike scene just a few years later, I concur that in the early 80s, a Moto Guzzi Falcone was a rare exotic in the USA, highly esteemed for the quality of its build and innovative design.  Moto Guzzi, the only factory of the 3 still in business at that date (Norton was limping along in limbo, and Vincent gone since 1955) had a far better reputation for the quality of their castings and machine work than either British brand, and Norton OHC singles bathed in the glory of decades of racing success of their racing brother, the Manx.  I can confirm that both an Inter and a Falcone were every bit as desirable as a Shadow until the current generation.

The 1965 Cycle World road test of a Vincent Black Lightning - an evil-handling beast

Vincent twins had a reputation in the USA for excellent top speed potential, but frightening handling, the legacy of a profoundly negative Cycle World road test of a Black Lightning in their Sept.1965 issue.  In fact, the tester said, "The Vincent motorcycle may be fast, but it is an evil-handling beast, with simply awful brakes. It is the most dangerous motorcycle ever to come our way, and we are not sorry in the least that it is no longer being made." Which is a far cry from their current reputation!  (By contrast, Ive road tested a 1950 Vincent Black Lightning, and found it absolutely fantastic, with excellent handling, and a thrill to ride).

Using an inflation calculator, $1550 in 1978 dollars equals around $5800 in 2014, a 275% inflation over 36 years.  What would can we expect to pay today for these machines?  While I cant account for the condition of Disteels bikes (theyre still around of course, I know of several in the SF Bay Area still), heres what youll have to pay for really good examples of each machine:

- Bonhams auctioned a 1950 Moto Guzzi Falcone at their Las Vegas 2014 sale, which fetched $36,800.

- H+H sold a 1950 Norton Model 30 International for $33,900 in April 3013 (courtesy theFuelist.com)

- Bonhams sold a 1953 Series C Vincent Black Shadow for $119,240 at the Stafford sale last month.

 

35 years later, the Vincent is valued by collectors at 4 times the value of the Norton and Moto Guzzi, a situation which would have puzzled collectors in 1978, who would have pooh-poohed the notion of the flawed Vincent twin having more value than the race-bred Norton and high-quality Moto Guzzi.  Food for thought; todays valu es are exactly that, and not an indication of tomorrows values...