Victorian classic motorcycle restoration expert Roy Parker (97) has consigned 21 of his 24 projects to Donington Auctions in a timed online event until November 10.
One classic Harley-Davidson model is offered, and the rest of the collection features British brands such as AJS, Ariel, BSA, Calthorpe, Norton, Royal Enfield, Triumph, and Velocette.
According to the auctioneer, Parker would rate as one of Australia’s most prolific private motorcycle restorers, and he’s still on the job.
What started as a project to keep busy during retirement has developed into a collection of British classic bikes, with a lone Harley-Davidson WLA outfit in the mix.
The urge to play with motorcycles dates back to his much younger days.
Among Parkers’ early mounts were an Ariel VG 500 single. Why choose that model? “I liked it, but it wasn’t because of choice,” he explains, highlighting the notoriously tight wartime and post-WWII market when there were global shortages of most consumer goods.
“You couldn’t buy a bike – there weren’t any, and I couldn’t afford a new one. I went into the dealer, and their only bike was the Ariel.”
He then moved on to a bigger Harley-Davidson WLA: “It had a box sidecar on it so that I could cart my wood,” he explains. He eventually decided he needed a car for his business and had to sell the Harley: “10 pounds!” he laughs, shaking his head, “That’s all I could get for it.”
After starting work in various jobs at age 14, Parker built up an electrical contracting business in Victoria, employing around 50 people. He eventually retired in his seventies and mulled over how to stay active.
He mentions that in the early days of his business, he restored a few cars, including a 1948 Morgan, an A-model Ford and a Vauxhall 14/40. “Then the business got bigger, and I had no time,” he says. “So, when I retired, I thought I’d go back and do some cars, but then I thought, no, I’d do bikes.
“I found it was taking anywhere from 10 to 13 or 14 months to do a bike,” he says. “In the 22 years I’ve been restoring, I’ve built the collection to 24.” That’s doing a little six days a week and taking Sunday off to chase down parts via the internet.
His first restoration was a 1962 Norton Model 99SS, and he later recovered versions of Ariel and Harley from his younger days.
Parker still has a restoration project, but he has decided to release a substantial part of his collection, including the engines, which have all benefited from a complete restoration.
The machines on offer are:
AJS 16MS 350cc 1954
Ariel MK11 1000cc Square Four,1954
Ariel VG 500cc single with sidecar 1936
Ariel VH500 Red Hunter 500cc 1949 single exhaust
Ariel VH500 Red Hunter 500cc 1949 dual exhaust
BSA M20 500cc 1942
BSA Blue Star 500cc 1934
BSA BB31 350cc 1956
BSA M21 600cc 1946
Calthorpe 500cc 1938
Harley Davidson WLA 750cc with sidecar 1942
Norton ES2 500cc 1961
Norton Model 7 Dominator 500cc 1953
Norton Model 18 500cc 1951
Norton Model 30 International 500cc 1949
Norton Model 99SS 1962
Norton Model 650 SS 1964
Royal Enfield Model LO 1935
Triumph TRW 500cc Royal Navy 1962
Triumph Speed Twin 500cc 1964
Velocette 250cc GTP 1939
The sale is a timed online event finishing on November 10, 2024.
Donington Auctions specialises in vintage, classic and collectable cars and motorcycles, single-owner collections, and automotive memorabilia and ephemera.
