Have your great-grandfather’s motorcycle collecting dust in the garage? Well, you might want to give it a closer look because it might be worth a lot of money. This is especially the case if it turns out to be Harley-Davidson Strap Tank from 1908, as one of these was recently sold for $935K at an auction recently.
The reason why the 1908’s Strap Tank model is so coveted is the fact that only 450 of them were made. Out of those 450, just 12 survived to date, including the one that Mecum Auctions offered at an auction in January.
According to the auction house, the motorcycle was originally found in 1941 in a barn in a small town close to Milwaukee. It was kept in its original state for more than six decades before being restored by an expert.
Considering the rarity of the Harley-Davidson Strap Tank, it wasn’t a surprise that there were a number of collectors competing to get their hands on it. After a lengthy bidding war, an anonymous buyer secured the motorcycle with a bid of $935,000. This is the highest price someone paid for a motorcycle at an auction.
“Survivors from this early time in Harley-Davidson history are extremely rare,” said Mecum Auctions in the listing. “Couple that with the fact that very few of those are as correct and original as this one, which includes the original tank, wheels, engine belt pulley, seat cover, and muffler sleeve with its sale, and it becomes apparent that this Strap Tank is a truly exceptional machine.”
