1927 Triumph Model N – $11,000

SELLER SAYS: The bike is part of a deceased estate and has been in storage for a few years. Needs a good clean and polish but is complete and was running when parked. Contact Kim on 0412 094 833 (Oakford, Perth WA).

EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: It’s always fascinating to look back on the evolution of motorcycles, especially when the bike in question harks back as far as this one. Just 25 years after Triumph’s first motorcycle, and about 50 years since the very dawn of motorcycles, the Model N shared earlier models’ 494cc single-cylinder four stroke engine and three-speed gearbox, but introduced several new pieces of technology — including internal expanding brake shoes, and an oil pump! Such new-fangled technology was alway going to be greeted with suspicion so, fear not, the bike also had a manual hand-operated oil pump (which you can see in the photos on the top right-hand side of the petrol tank). The gear stick was still hand-operated, and the lubrication was still total loss — which is to say it was pumped into the top of the engine and slowly found its way downward. Any oil that wasn’t burned up just dribbled onto the road. And hey, it worked! And here it is, just shy of a century later, still alive and kicking, with the oil using good old-fashioned gravity to find its way around. This looks like a wonderful example of mankind’s early, ingenious and successful attempts to create a fast, comfortable, reliable and entertaining machine for work and pleasure. Definitely one for the collector!