Photo: Charterhouse Auctioneers
We’ve all heard of, seen, or even had very strict parents ourselves. This ex-military dad took with him to the grave the knowledge that he still kept the motorcycle his son was never allowed to ride. It was discovered in his shed after 40 years hidden away.
A 1981 Honda CB100N is about to cross the auction block with Charterhouse Auctioneers from Dorset, UK, and it tells a very strange story. The original owner was still living with his parents when he got it and, despite the fact that he saved up for a long time for it, he was never able to enjoy it. Think along the lines of “never ever,” because the clock on the bike still shows no mileage.
According to the seller, speaking with the Daily Mail, the young owner bought it with the very clear intention of riding it, but when his father saw it, he had other ideas. The father was a very strict ex-military, so he decided that the bike would go into storage: “You’re not going on that. You can stick it in the shed.” And that was it. He died and didn’t as much as let his son know that he still had the bike.
After the father’s death, the son started sorting out his stuff at his Somerset home, and he found the bike in the shed, much to his surprise. By this time, well into his 50s, he no longer felt the desire to ride, so he sold it to one of his neighbors, who is now selling it through the auction house.
“These bikes were ordinarily used for commuting, so those which are still on the market from the 1980s tend not to be in the greatest condition,” George Beale of Charterhouse Auctioneers says for the same media outlet. “But with a little work this one could be like brand new, which is incredibly unusual for something so old.”
Photos included with the listing (and in the gallery above) show a hint of the kind of work the bike needs, including rechroming, since it is spotted with corrosion. On the bright side, the listing says the engine “turns over freely.”
The Honda is listed as without reserve and with no estimate, but the media outlet says it is expected to fetch £2,000 (approximately $2,720), when it comes up for auction on October 14, at the Haynes International Motor Museum.
According to the seller, speaking with the Daily Mail, the young owner bought it with the very clear intention of riding it, but when his father saw it, he had other ideas. The father was a very strict ex-military, so he decided that the bike would go into storage: “You’re not going on that. You can stick it in the shed.” And that was it. He died and didn’t as much as let his son know that he still had the bike.
After the father’s death, the son started sorting out his stuff at his Somerset home, and he found the bike in the shed, much to his surprise. By this time, well into his 50s, he no longer felt the desire to ride, so he sold it to one of his neighbors, who is now selling it through the auction house.
“These bikes were ordinarily used for commuting, so those which are still on the market from the 1980s tend not to be in the greatest condition,” George Beale of Charterhouse Auctioneers says for the same media outlet. “But with a little work this one could be like brand new, which is incredibly unusual for something so old.”
Photos included with the listing (and in the gallery above) show a hint of the kind of work the bike needs, including rechroming, since it is spotted with corrosion. On the bright side, the listing says the engine “turns over freely.”
The Honda is listed as without reserve and with no estimate, but the media outlet says it is expected to fetch £2,000 (approximately $2,720), when it comes up for auction on October 14, at the Haynes International Motor Museum.
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