A 1915 Cyclone V-Twin sold for a record $1,320,000 at the Mecum Las Vegas 2025 sales as the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at public auction.
The 1915 Cycline V-Twin became the first motorcycle ever to achieve over a million dollars when it sold for $1,320,000 at the Mecum Las Vegas 2025 motorcycle auction. New marque records were also set for Crocker and De Dion.
Mecum Las Vegas 2025 Motorcycle Auction
Mecum Las Vegas 2025: the 34th annual world’s largest vintage and antique motorcycle auction on January 29 to February 1, 2025.
The Mecum Las Vegas 2025 sale was the most successful and highest-earning motorcycle auction ever with $27.2 million in overall sales. It also achieved several world-record-setting individual motorcycle sales including the most expensive motorcycle ever.
Top Ten Result at Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction 2025
The top ten results at the Mecum Las Vegas vintage and antique motorcycle auction were:
- 1915 Cyclone V-Twin (Lot S106.2) at $1,320,000
- 1938 Crocker Twin (Lot S108.2) at $880,000
- 1913 Henderson Four (Lot S130) at $352,000
- 1914 Minneapolis Single (Lot S131.1) at $264,000
- 1974 Ducati 750SS (Lot F199) at $198,000
- 1928 Indian Ace (Lot F163) at $192,500
- 1925 Henderson Deluxe (Lot F164) at $187,000
- 1929 Indian Model 401 Four (Lot F245) at $184,250
- 1915 Williams Clady (Lot S144) at $170,500
- 1898 De Dion-Bouton Tricycle (Lot S123) at $165,000
Most Expensive Motorcycle Ever – 1915 Cyclone V-Twin
The 1915 Cyclone V-Twin (Lot S106.2) became the first motorcycle ever to sell at public auction for more than $1 million when it sold for an incredible $1,320,000 to become the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at public auction.
Prices over a million dollars might have been paid privately for motorcycles. Microsoft’s Paul Allen’s private purchase of the Captain America Chopper replica sold for an unconfirmed $1.3 million while Ivan Mauger’s gold-plated Triple Crown speedway bike demanded a reported $1.26 million sale price.
Cyclone produced motorcycles for only three years, but these were the leading bikes of the time and capable of speeds over 100 mph. Only 14 Cyclones are known to have survived. Few were built and these were fragile due to the crude lubrication system.
The Cyclone also boasted a comprehensive restoration by expert restorer Stephen Wright as well as status as a member of the revered Urban S. Hirsch III Collection.
Other Top Results at Mecum Las Vegas 2025 Sale
Eight of the top 10 motorcycle sales in Las Vegas were achieved by offerings from The Urban S. Hirsch III Collection, including the second highest seller at the event: a 1938 Crocker Twin (Lot S108.2) that achieved $880,000. Like the Cyclone, the Crocker was also a record-setter, becoming the most valuable Crocker ever sold at public auction and 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 (Lot F199) hailing from the first half of the 20th century or earlier, as in the case of the No. 10 top seller, a 1898 De Dion-Bouton Tricycle (Lot S123) that sold for $165,000. The six-figure sale of the De Dion claimed another auction record as the trike became the most valuable De Dion of any type (three or four wheels) ever sold at public auction.