This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.01284 749645 Lamdin Road, Bury St EdmundsSuffolk, UK. Tuesday - Saturday: 9am - 5pmSunday: 10am - 4pmMonday: CLOSED Current StockBespoke BuildsACE Café RacerAvintonIndian MotorcyclesVictory MotorcyclesKiwi IndianPatonZaetaZero EngineeringMV AgustaNortonCarsIt looks like a neglected bike long since consigned to the shed, but this two-wheeled contraption's value belies its rusty appearance.The ancient bicycle is in fact a 1906 Indian Camelback, one of the first ever two-wheeled motorised machines and one which is hugely desirable to collectors.Just 1,698 of the rare cycles were produced 105 years ago, with its 'unrestored' state meaning the relic could fetch as much as £50,000 at auction. Relic: The 105-year-old Indian Camelback 'motorbike' is worth £50,000 thanks to its 'unrestored' appearance Ancient: The single cylinder, 2.25 horse power bike, may not be the most powerful but could still be worth a fortune

And as it packs a puny 2.25 horse, has a single cylinder and top speed of just 30mph, buyers certainly won't be bidding on the ancient bike for its high-powered spec. Less than 1,700 of the rare bikes were produced in 1906, making it hugely collectable to enthusiastsIt was owned by the du Pont family, which bought the 'Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company' that built it, and this cycle was last ridden in the Seventies.Whoever buys the machine will probably use minimum efforts to restore it to a working condition, but complete restoration would see its value reduce. The Indian cycles were the great rivals of Harley-Davidson, but the company eventually went bankrupt in 1953.It had a rudimentary braking system and a hobnail boot on the ground would have been needed to help it stop.The motorcycle is going under the hammer at Bonhams in Las Vegas, U.S., on January 12.Ben Walker from Bonhams said: 'This motorcycle is in such demand because of its condition and to restore it

would actually take value off. 'The motorcycle will probably be 'oily-ragged', which means wiping it down with oil to preserve it as it is. 'It will probably be rebuilt mechanically but with as little change to its condition. Experts believe that cleaning the bike or restoring it to a better condition could actually be detrimental to its value 'India were the great rivals of Harley-Davidson and were at the forefront of motorcycles when they evolved from bicycles. 'It would have been a quick machine with a fair turn of speed and no brakes on early motorcycles were much good - the were the same design as bicycle brakes.'This is an extremely rare thing and hs come from the du Pont family that owned the company.'It was a pedal assisted bike and it still has its original registration number on the rear mud guard.'These motorcycles have never really reduced in value - if I filled a whole sale with them they would all go for good prices.' As it was: Only 1,698 Camel Backs were made in 1906

Circa 1929, Wall of Death, Revere Beach, MA With the quickly improving build quality, speed, and more oil-tight engines, motorcycle racing was able to move from dirt tracks onto the motordromes of the 1910s– large wooden board tracks used for streamlined competition with banked turns of 70-80 degrees.  Riders soon learned a neat trick– that with a little speed, centripetal force made it possible for them to stick their bike sideways in turns on a completely vertical wall.Royal Purple Oil T Shirt Motordrome racer on an Excelsior motorcycle, circa 1914Drape Over Bed Motorcycle companies here and abroad (Indian and BSA, to name a couple) found that the public loved the thrill of peering down just a few feet away from the gunning biker beneath them, and thus it quickly became a highly promoted spectacle as manufacturers used it as a vehicle to advertise their brands, and daredevil riders upped the ante at breakneck speed to make a name for themselves and  solidify their reputations on the infamous Wall of Death.Buy Ashley Furniture Bedroom Sets

With roots that can be traced back to New York’s own Coney Island, the Wall of Death attraction morphed into a motordrome on crack.  Motorcycles, carts and yep, even lions— simultaneously racing and criss-crossing in a raucous blur of fumes, fury, and fur inside the equivalent of an over-sized wooden barrel. The sport had a strong run from the 1930s- 1960s (with Indian Scouts being the over-riding bike of choice), but there are still hardcore enthusiasts to be found all over keeping it alive today. Dick Monte with two handsome-as-hell Wall of Death riders, circa 1945. The rider on the left is Elias Harris, and  on the right is Tornado Smith.  Photo from the late Carrie Tindale collection. Wall of Death motorcycle rider, circa 1930s “Wall of Death” AKA “Auto Drome of Death” motorcycle and cart riding crew, Stratford upon Avon Unidentified lion and female Wall of Death driver from back in the day “Fearless” Egbert of Collins Famous Death Riders & Racing Lion.

Mr. “Fearless” Egbert taking his five year-old lion for a ride on the Wall of Death at Mitcham fair. Tornado Smith, the Wall of Death rider from Southend, and his wife having tea with their pet lion and lamb.  George “Tornado” Smith brought the Wall of Death from America to England in 1929, and featured such spectacles as”Briton the Wall-riding lion” and “Gymkhana Girls and Girl Protégées” in his billing.  Check out the skull-and-crossbones badge on his beret, he’s nowhere near as mild-mannered as he looks.   Tornado Smith posts a letter while riding penny farthing bicycle. He is wearing a learner plate and his bike is advertising his Wall of Death act. Circa 1935, Earls Court, London — Tornado Smith, who entertains the crowds at Olympia with his Wall of Death ride, is seen riding a penny-farthing on the Earls Court Road. — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch CollectionCirca 1936, Southend-on-Sea, England — Mr. “Tornado” Smith, a stunt motorcyclist, clips the toenails of his pet lion, at home.