# 1907 Strap Tank Harley Davidson sold at Mecun auction $650,000



## frankster41 (Apr 2, 2015)

1907 Strap Tank Harley Davidson sold at Mecun auction $650,000 plus $10 buyers fee.


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## bikejunk (Apr 2, 2015)

Isnt this the bike that like 10+ years ago sold for over 100 g and everybody said crazy money ?


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## frankster41 (Apr 2, 2015)

It came from an auction in Kansas area and set the world record price paid for a motorcycle. $105,000
That was back in the late 80's or early 90's


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## thehugheseum (Apr 2, 2015)

straptanks aint no joke!!!!!!


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## frankster41 (Apr 8, 2015)

Were those the two replica ones that sold at the Mecum auction? I have pictures of those also and they look the same as your bikes.


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## thehugheseum (Apr 8, 2015)

any restored straptank is highly suspect......they have been replicated,same with 10 harleys,15 harleys,merkels.........if you find an original dont be a dummy and devalue it by restoring


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## Wheeled Relics (Apr 8, 2015)

Mike are these straptanks you're easevertising in this thread original?


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## frankster41 (Apr 8, 2015)

Here are the two Repo's that just sold at the Mecum Auction
One sold for $125,000 and the other sold for $110,000 plus 10% buyer premium.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Apr 8, 2015)

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk. ~Doug Larson


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## thehugheseum (Apr 9, 2015)

hope my comment wasnt offensive,it wasnt meant to be......its a shame that something that is genuine could be mistaken for a well done replica but its the world we live in

    in the 70s you definitely "restored" a straptank harley...........fast forward to present time and it is looked at as a shame

in the future.....maybe very near.....we wont restore any old bikes just to prove they are original,3d printing and exact replicating is changing collecting

personally i like seeing anything unrestored in any condition......when i see a worn or even decrepit relic i savor the bumps,rust n warts as badges of authenticity.......its no wonder that when something is really old it looks like hell,it should......its very old

i see alot of restorations and i never see one with the correct sheen an original finish had since our modern finishes are different formulas.......even worse most modern repaints are 2 stage and have that "dipped in plastic" look.......real shiney but not correct at all

i believe in the near future all kinds of antiques will be coveted much more for not being restored......


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## filmonger (Apr 9, 2015)

Keep posting Mike - Most of us here know that you are very savvy when it comes to TOC bicycles ....and Motorcycles too! Wish I could afford them. Very Very nice indeed. Have you taken them for a spin or two?


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## Wheeled Relics (Apr 9, 2015)

Mike we love you man, and in all good intentions completely respect your freedom to advertise anywhere you feel the urge. I can understand completely not liking pot shots from the peanut gallery, however this is the internet, one mans fine art is another mans misunderstanding. We *are* making ourselves fair game for equal and free correspondence concerning any number of details by posting for sale ad's in the casual threads of bike loves. For those that know, we have the luxury of assumption, for those that don't, we may ask a few questions. An  antagonist can be the one asking for a certificate of authentication, or omitting the devil from the details. With broadband internet etiquette recently being reduced to a stream of conscious short hand that amounts to brief grunts and groans and pointing gestures, I for one welcome communication that wraps words around topics that supersede our language, the pleasantries of riding a bicycle. 

Adam, Now I think a lot of us share sentiments on the nature of aging beautifully in a used, faded, worn in and worn out way. Some see the value wearing thin in restoration investments, others are proud to share their reasonable restorations as attainable treasures. How any of us represents those weathered relics, restored gems or waxed re-pops, attracts attention of both the glossy eyed and detail oriented alike. This is the unreasonably magical power of intrinsically valued aesthetics. 

Everyone in our every day to day lives individually value differently from one to another. Relics hold this value for millions of people the world over, and yet there are Buddhist relics and Christian relics, Meccas and Mounts. Restored strap tanks, and rusted out racers. 

Buyers and sellers coincidentally when large sums of money are involved experience a phenomenon in the art, antique and collecting world at large that flip flops between playing dumb and being a know it all. When name dropping, representational assumptions and descriptive ambiguity replace detail oriented perspectives of fine art we may be defacing while exercising our ability to communicate civilly about a love we all share.


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## walter branche (Apr 9, 2015)

Mike has some of the rarest ,nicest machines ever offered for sale anywhere in the world , .. He does not have time to try and fake you out ,,  ..  even though he gets payed and wins prizes all over America for faking people out , when he enters the Phil Donohue look a like contest ,, he wins every timeView attachment 207698








View attachment 207705Mike Cates interviewing Chip Foose


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