A HONDA monkey bike used as a runaround by John Lennon on his Surrey estate is expected to fetch more than £30,000 when it goes to auction in March.
The road legal 49cc 1969 Honda Z50A K1 ‘Short Tail’ was owned by Lennon from 1969 to 1971, during which time he used it to get around Tittenhurst Park, his Grade-II listed Georgian country house.
In 1971 – the year he moved to New York – Lennon sold the mini moto to Henry Graham, who in turn sold it to its current owner John Harington, that same year.
Over the past 47 years Harington, of Hook, Hampshire, has displayed the bike at various events and shows.
While the monkey bike currently doesn’t hold an MOT, according to the government check it passed MOTs on December 2010, April 2012 and May 2013. However, it doesn’t appear to have been used at all during that time, as each MOT displays the same mileage of 1,467 miles.
The bike is offered by H&H Classics at its March 4 National Motorcycle Museum Motorcycle Auction. It is in largely unrestored and original running condition, and features an extensive history file including green log book, old MOTs and Honda dating letter.
H&H Classics have highlighted the bike’s huge investment potential, with Mark Bryan, head of sales for the auction house’s motorcycle department, commenting: “Naturally we are thrilled to be entrusted with the marketing and sale of this bike, given its extraordinary provenance.”
It’s not the first of motorbike fan Lennon’s machines to come up for auction. In 2008, a Honda 160Z monkey bike, which was later owned by Ringo Starr, sold at auction for £30,000, far surpassing its £8,000 estimate.
