Harry’s Garage retro collection is heading for auction

Next month’s NEC Classic Motor Show will feature a four-strong Harry Metcalfe retro bike collection, all of which will go up for auction as part of the Iconic Motorcycle Sale.

Metcalfe is the man behind the popular Harry’s Garage YouTube channel where all of these bikes have been seen before, and he’s also the founder of Evo magazine. The line-up includes a 1989 Yamaha XTZ750 Super Tenere, which features a twin-cylinder 749cc engine that produces 69bhp and a top speed of around 120mph.

A second Yamaha is also part of the collection, and like the XTZ750, this XT500 was inspired by a model which raced at the Paris-Dakar Rally. It was first registered in 1979 and features a twin-valve, four-stroke, single-cylinder 500cc engine that delivers 32bhp. 

It was also the motorcycle of choice for the villain in the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only. The bike has been fully restored and owned by the former journalist since 2016.

Moving away from the Yamaha bikes, Metcalfe, together with Iconic Auctioneers, is offering his 1979 Kawasaki Z1300, which is a model you may have heard of before. That’s because the Japanese brand gave this bike a thumping inline six-cylinder engine that churns out 120bhp. 

The bike has so far done 41,789 miles and has been owned by Metcalfe since 2019. Last on this list, but certainly not least, is a 1984 Honda XL500R. It was acquired by Metcalfe as a tribute model to Honda’s 1982 Paris–Dakar victory.

Honda produced this bike as a direct competitor to the likes of Yamaha’s XT500, which was also a Paris-Dakar Rally winner, and like its rival, it features a sweet underseat exhaust system. 

All four of these bikes will be going under the hammer on Sunday, 9 November, as part of an extensive auction presented by Iconic Auctioneers.

Photo credit - Iconic Auctioneers.

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