Mecum Captures First Ever $1 Million Motorcycle Sale
Las Vegas, Nevada – The recently held 34th annual world’s largest vintage and antique motorcycle auction, Mecum Las Vegas 2025, set a handful of very important records in the collector motorcycle world that will have everyone talking for quite some time to come. Not only did the January 29-February 1 event become the most successful and highest-earning in its 34-year history with $27 million in overall sales, it also achieved the world-record-setting sale of a 1915 Cyclone V-Twin that demanded $1.32 million and became the first million-dollar motorcycle ever to sell at public auction. These are just two of the most notable of the many records to come from the well-attended event; read on for more.
The Lore Behind The First Million-Dollar Motorcycle
The 1915 Cyclone roadster is an extraordinarily rare machine, and the one sold in Las Vegas was restored by the man who “wrote the book” on early American motorcycles, Stephen Wright. Cyclone production lasted a scant three years, and the name generates more excitement from enthusiasts than any other American motorcycle as the rarest and most technically sophisticated vehicle of its era.
The Cyclone’s reputation began with the brand’s debut in 1913 as the first overhead-camshaft motorcycle built in the United States. Cyclone built an instant reputation in racing but sold very few machines, and it’s reckoned that only five Cyclones in racing configuration survive today, with perhaps 14 machines from Cyclone remaining in total. To encounter a Cyclone available for sale is the holy grail for many collectors.
The Cyclone engine was designed by engineer Andrew Strand as a powerful 61 CI (996cc), 45-degree V-twin using overhead camshafts and producing 45 HP—by far the most powerful production engine of the era. It was capable of speeds in excess of 100 MPH, although the engine lubrication was crude and thus the engine could be fragile over long-distance races of 100 miles or more that were popular on the board tracks of the era.
Still, the Cyclone was an ideal Hot Rod roadster capable of leaving any other vehicle on the road in its dust. For those who have ever wanted a Cyclone, the Vegas offering was a remarkable and rare chance to own an absolutely legendary piece of motorcycle history, and the record-breaking sale of this million-dollar motorcycle solidified its place in auction history, further establishing Cyclone as a sought-after brand in the world of vintage motorcycles.
“The Most Valuable Motorcycle Ever Sold Anywhere, Period”
Spirited bidding among those who recognized this golden opportunity in Las Vegas caused the price of the Cyclone to quickly soar into the seven-figure range. Aside from its extreme rarity and general desirability as a highly significant piece of history, the Cyclone also boasted status as a member of the revered Urban S. Hirsch III Collection—another factor that likely added to its perceived value. In fact, as if to offer proof of the quality available in the Hirsch collection, a full eight of the top 10 sales at the Las Vegas 2025 auction were achieved by Hirch motorcycles.
With its ultimate sale price of $1.32 million, the 1915 Cyclone—according to recognized motorcycle historian Paul d’Orleans of The Vintagent fame—actually became the most expensive motorcycle ever sold, period, at auction or privately, beating out Microsoft’s Paul Allen’s private purchase of the Captain America Chopper replica, which sold for an unconfirmed $1.3 million, and Ivan Mauger’s gold-plated Triple Crown speedway bike that demanded a reported $1.26 million sale price.
More Records Set
As an event that both takes the temperature and sets the tone of the collector motorcycle world each January in regards to the year ahead, the Mecum Las Vegas event this year demonstrated an already-strong market that is on the rise and grabbing more attention than ever from passionate enthusiasts, collectors and even savvy-minded investors. Further exemplifying that truth were a handful of other record-setting sales, including two more from the revered Urban S. Hirsch III Collection.
Among them was the auction’s second highest seller: a 1938 Crocker Twin that demanded $880,000. Although it did not reach the same territory as the million-dollar motorcycle, its sale also made headlines for motorcycle enthusiasts. A well-documented bike that had previously been owned by marque specialist Ernie Skelton, the Crocker earned status as the most valuable Crocker ever sold at public auction and became one of the top five most valuable motorcycles of any marque ever sold at public auction.
While motorcycles from 13 distinct decades were on offer at the Las Vegas auction, historic antiquity definitely came out on top this year with all but one 1974 Ducati 750SS hailing from the first half of the 20th century or earlier, as in the case of the No. 10 top seller and the other Hirsch record-setter: a 1898 De Dion-Bouton Tricycle that sold for $165,000. The six-figure sale of the De Dion made it the most valuable De Dion of any type (three or four wheels) ever sold at public auction.
With high-quality collections like Hirsch’s, The “Slow Joe” Gardella Collection and others featuring exceptional examples of early-production motorcycles, the strong sale prices around true antique machines was a practical inevitability that nonetheless served to silence any who wrongly believed that such artifacts of motorcycling history were anything less than valuable treasures to be admired and preserved for generations to come.
Another case in point: the 1914 Minneapolis single that achieved a $264,000 sale price became the most valuable example of its make, in either single- or twin-cylinder form, ever sold at public auction. The single was purchased by a private collection that also took home the lovely 1914 Sears DeLuxe single-cylinder at this year’s auction as well.
The 1915 Williams Clady, while perhaps not a record setter at $170,500, nonetheless achieved a very strong price for this unique machine, further illustrating the still-thriving interest in the rarest early American motorcycles of all types.
Record-Setting Auction Anomalies
A selection of other, more unexpected records were set in Las Vegas as well. Take this 1986 Yamaha YX600 Radian, for instance. Why did it sell for $33,000 when similar examples most often sell for closer to $2,000-3,000?
As d’Orleans brilliantly pointed out, “That is the inexplicable magic of an auction: when two people want a motorcycle, even if it’s a 1986 Yamaha Radian with 5,200 miles and a rare OEM mini-fairing, there’s no telling how far they will go. JD Powers values an excellent 1986 Yamaha Radian at $2,600; this sale will certainly skew their actuarial tables.”
As for a 2004 BMW R1200GS that sold for $88,000, that price is likely due to the motorcycle’s ties to the band Rush. Previously owned by the late Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush, this GS specifically is well known among fans, as is Peart’s long relationship with motorcycles in a more general sense. The band enjoys quite the cult following among motorcycle enthusiasts, and with this bike being a memorable piece of Peart’s history, it clearly caught the eyes of at least a few at the Vegas auction.
Overall Results, a Record in Itself
Thanks in large part to the excellent inventory that attracted full crowds and enthusiastic bidding, total overall sales at the 2025 Las Vegas motorcycle auction reached $27 million, which eclipsed the event’s own previous world record by almost $1.5 million. Overall, prices for blue chip motorcycles (four-cylinder American bikes, Ducati 750SS, Ducati 900SS, 1911 Harley-Davidson V-twins, etc.) seemed to be back at pre-COVID levels. To top it all off, the million-dollar motorcycle sale of the 1915 Cyclone V-Twin was undoubtedly a large highlight of Mecum Las Vegas, and the entire auction showcased that the demand for rare and historic motorcycles is stronger than ever.
With credit to the records set and the other many wins achieved in January 2025, the month goes down as a big one in Mecum Auctions history with almost $255 million in sales between Las Vegas 2025 and its World’s Largest Collector Car Auction® held earlier this month in Kissimmee, Florida. Enthusiasts will want to keep an eye on what’s still to come for motorcycles in 2025; with a kickoff like this, it’s sure to be the ride of a lifetime.