1961 DKW (Hummel) 115 (lot R619)
So many lots have been added to the roster for Mecum’s annual motorcycle auction, which returns to the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Jan. 27-31, 2026, that a fourth day was added to the schedule. Motorcycles are being added daily, and we’ve highlighted some standout American, British, Japanese, and racing motorcycles in previous posts.
Mecum’s motorcycle auction is a must-attend event for any gearhead, but if you can’t be there in person, you can bid online or by phone – just fill out the registration form at Mecum.com.
1880 Humber Penny Farthing High-Wheel Bicycle (lot N34)
All of the nearly 600-plus motorcycles up for auction in January are unique or special in some way. There are hundreds of vintage motorcycles going back to the early 1900s, and there are even three penny farthing high-wheel bicycles from the 1800s – one from 1860 and two from 1880. While not motorized cycles, penny farthings are an important part of two-wheeled history that ultimately brought us the two-wheeled motorcycles we all know and love.
Go to Mecum.com, click on the Buy drop-down menu at the top, select Motorcycles, and scroll down and click on the Las Vegas Motorcycles tab. You’ll find stock bikes, custom bikes, streetbikes, racebikes, prototypes, replicas, originals, and everything in between.
Scrolling through the lots, some rare and unusual motorcycles caught our eye. Let’s take a look at them in chronological order.
1914 Jefferson Racer
1914 Jefferson Racer (lot R508)
Antique motorcycles are the most highly coveted and command the highest prices at auction, like the 1915 Cyclone V-Twin that sold for a record-breaking $1.32 million at the 2025 Mecum auction. This 1914 Jefferson Racer (lot R508) is also an American-made V-Twin (61ci) and is a year older than the Cyclone. This comprehensively restored machine is a beauty, but only the bidding will tell whether it’s a six-figure bike.
1938 Vincent HRD Rapide
1938 Vincent HRD Rapide (lot R761)
Vincents, produced in Britain between 1928 and 1955, are always highly sought after and fetch premium prices. This 1938 Vincent HRD Rapide (lot R761), one of three Vincents currently listed on Mecum’s Las Vegas auction website, is an early model. It’s powered by a 998cc V-Twin and has a top speed of 110 mph. This Vincent is part of the Maurice Candy Collection. According to Mecum, “Racer and builder Maurice Candy left behind a legacy of good memories and wonderful racing bikes, including this remarkable collection that encompasses a pair of coveted Vincent-HRD models and more.”
1948 Ariel Square Four with Watsonian Sidecar
1948 Ariel Square Four with Watsonian Sidecar (lot R791)
British manufacturer Ariel pioneered the square-Four engine configuration in 1931, courtesy of legendary designer Edward Turner. It had two counter-rotating crankshafts and a centrally located camshaft that operated eight overhead valves. This 1948 Ariel Square Four with Watsonian Sidecar (lot R791) has a 997cc 4-cylinder engine, a 4-speed transmission, and a magneto ignition. Britain is known for its rainy weather, and the green Watsonian sidecar protects the passenger with an enclosed cabin. But the pilot – and the dog or cat in the rooftop pet carrier – must brave the elements.
1948 Brockhouse Corgi
1948 Brockhouse Corgi (lot W185)
Also from the U.K. and 1948 is this Brockhouse Corgi (lot W185), named after the breed of Welsh herding dog favored by Queen Elizabeth II. This odd-looking conveyance is a civilian version of the 98cc Welbike, a scooter designed to be dropped by parachute to support airborne troops during World War II. This Corgi is part of the David Silver Collection: “This wildly eclectic roundup includes motorbikes, purpose-built race bikes, sport bikes and more from manufacturers all over the world and spans from the very beginning of bicycle production to the modern motoring age.”
1958 Harley-Davidson FL Duo-Glide Captain America Replica
1958 Harley-Davidson FL Duo-Glide Captain America Replica (lot R786)
The Captain America bike, ridden by Wyatt (Peter Fonda) in the 1969 cult classic film Easy Rider, is the most iconic chopper ever built. One of the originals was crashed during filming (near the end of the film, when Wyatt is shot while riding it), and two “prop” bikes were stolen. There are various Captain America replicas – there’s one in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama, for example. This one, a 1958 Harley-Davidson FL Duo-Glide Captain America Replica (lot R786) built by Jack Kepler, is being auctioned with no reserve as part of the Casey’s Collection of Classics, which includes 11 American-made V-Twins: 10 Harleys and one Indian.
1961 DKW (Hummel) 115
1961 DKW (Hummel) 115 (lot R619)
DKW was a German car and motorcycle manufacturer that operated from 1916 until 1966. Known as the Hummel (German for “bumblebee”), this 1961 DKW 115 (lot R619) is a masterpiece of Art Deco design. Powered by an air-cooled 49cc 2-stroke single-cylinder engine with a 3-speed manual transmission, the 115 has swooping, Jetsons-esque body panels that exemplify the futurism of the post-WWII era. Mocked by the European press as the “tin banana,” this Candy Apple Red example brings a smile to our face. (If red isn’t your color, there’s also a blue one up for auction.)
1968 Honda CB750 Prototype
1968 Honda CB750 Prototype (lot R750)
The Honda CB750 was a transformational, paradigm-shifting motorcycle, so much so that Motorcyclist declared it the “Motorcycle of the Century.” They were sold by the thousands, but up for auction in January is an exceedingly rare example – a one-of-a-kind 1968 Honda CB750 Prototype (lot R750), the very first CB750 sent to American Honda for testing and marketing efforts. You’d think that bike would be preserved at the American Honda Collection Hall in Torrance, California, but for the right price you can own this singular piece of motorcycle history.
1972 Honda Double 450 Salt Flat Racer
1972 Honda Double 450 Salt Flat Racer (lot N527)
Built by racer and fabricator Boris “Bob” Guynes, this 1972 Honda Double 450 Salt Flat Racer (lot N527) is a land speed racer known as the Salt Shaker VII. Powered by a pair of 450cc parallel-Twin engines, nearly everything on this extra-long bike is custom-made, including its twin torpedo-shaped gas tanks made from repurposed gas cylinders. If you’ve ever wanted to run a bike on the Bonneville Salt Flats, this one is ready for glory. It’s being auctioned with no reserve.
1973 Husqvarna Super Cycle 450 CR 3-Wheeler
1973 Husqvarna Super Cycle 450 CR 3-Wheeler (lot N404)
We’ve seen lots of trike conversions over the years, typically on Gold Wings and other touring bikes, but this is the first dirtbike trike we’ve ever seen. This 1973 Husqvarna Super Cycle 450 CR 3-Wheeler (lot N404) has a “rare Super-Cycle 3 wheeler conversion kit” that includes two balloon tires out back like the ones on old Honda ATCs. This Husky trike is part of the Lucas Family Motocross Collection, a “curated assemblage of mostly vintage and rarely seen motocross bikes showcases the heritage of off-road motorcycling with Husqvarnas, Yamahas, a Kawasaki and one modern special-edition Suzuki.”
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane (lot N410)
Things were groovy in the early ’70s. Craig Vetter launched his Windjammer fairing in late 1973, the first issue of Rider was published in the summer of 1974, and the Honda GL1000 Gold Wing debuted that fall as a 1975 model. Vetter, a rising star designer, collaborated with Triumph on a limited-production factory custom called the X75 Hurricane (only 1,175 were produced). It featured swooping fiberglass bodywork with an elongated fuel tank that flowed down and back to the side panels and seat in a single piece, which was painted in bright orange with a yellow accent stripe. The Hurricane’s air-cooled 740cc Triple had individual header pipes that went under the bike and emerged on the right side, ending in a stacked trio of megaphone exhausts. This 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane (lot N410) is in original, unrestored condition and is being sold with no reserve.
1978 Van Veen OCR1000
1978 Van Veen OCR1000 (lot R727)
Van Veen was a short-lived Dutch manufacturer founded by Henk van Veen. In 1974, Van Veen completed a prototype of the OCR1000 that used 996cc Comotor (a joint venture between NSU and Citroën) 624 twin-rotor Wankel engine, which was originally designed to power the Citroën GS automobile. Production of the OCR1000 began in 1978 and ended in 1981. Only 38 examples were built. This 1978 Van Veen OCR1000 (lot R727) used to be part of Sam Costanzo’s Rotary Recycle collection in Cleveland, Ohio.
2000 Bimota SB8R
2000 Bimota SB8R (lot R259)
Bimota is an Italian manufacturer founded in 1973 by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini (the company name combines the first two letters of the founders’ last names). Bimota is known for its chassis design, and many of its motorcycles have been powered by engines made by Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, and others. Every Bimota is special, and there are three up for auction in January. This 2000 Bimota SB8R (lot R259), one of 150 built for World Superbike homologation, is powered by a liquid-cooled 996cc V-Twin from the Suzuki TL1000. It has a twin-spar aluminum frame with carbon-fiber reinforcements, carbon-fiber bodywork, Brembo brakes, a Paoli fork, and Öhlins rear shock and steering damper.
2012 Custom Twin-Turbo Trike
2012 Custom Twin Turbo Trike (lot N291)
When too much is not enough, consider this 2012 Custom Twin-Turbo Trike (lot N291), which is built around a 1985 Corvette 4-bolt main 383 fuel-injected stroker V-8 engine with twin T-4 turbochargers that’s rated at 600 rear-wheel horsepower and 485 lb-ft of torque. Known as “Justified,” this trike is said to be a multiple award winner. It’s certainly an attention-getter, and it will blow the wheels off your neighbor’s Polaris Slingshot.
2016 Confederate P-51 Combat Fighter
2016 Confederate P51 Combat Fighter (lot R765)
Confederates have always been special machines. From the early Hellcat to the Wraith, every model was hand-built, unique, and polarizing, not to mention raw, powerful, and loud. This 2016 Confederate P-51 Combat Fighter (lot R765), named after the legendary World War II-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is No. 12 of 31 P-51 Combat Fighters finished in the machined billet aluminum “Blonde” style for 2016 and one of 61 total P-51s produced that year. It’s powered by a 132ci S&S X-Wedge V-Twin and has a monocoque body made from aerospace-grade 6061 aluminum. This example is part of the Arizona Motorcycle Collection: “A range of marques and eras appear in this attractive collection of street and superbikes, from a 1934 Indian Sport Scout and a 1964 MV Agusta Germano Turismo to a pair of early examples from Kawasaki’s Z series.”
There are many more rare and unusual motorcycles up for auction in January. Go to Mecum.com to check out all the auction listings and register to bid. If you can, plan to attend the auction in person. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss.
The post 2026 Mecum Auction Preview: Rare and Unusual appeared first on Rider Magazine.
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