Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/787665
36 nMarch 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Felicia Morgan LAS VEGAS, NEV., JAN. 28—On Saturday afternoon, the last day of the famed Mecum motorcycle auction in Las Vegas, a Washington truck driver took to the stage to watch the bidding as his 1914 Harley-Davidson, lovingly named Black Betty, was offered up for sale. By his side was his lovely wife Vivian as well as a member of the board of directors for the Shriner's Hospital in Arizona, Ed Stolze. All this might have appeared, on the surface, to be inconsequential to the casual observer. It was anything but. Dave Monson, known as Chopper Dave to those who spent 16 days of the summer riding across the country with the gregarious trucker, was qui- etly watching the proceedings. For the past six-plus years Monson had been meticulously gathering parts to build a motorcycle to help him knock a chunk off his bucket list yet here he stood on stage watching as his beloved machine was offered up to the highest bidder in a totally selfl ess act of generosity. Since the fi rst Motorcycle Cannonball back in 2010, Dave had decided he was going to be one of the competitors who took to the back roads of America while straddling an antique motorcycle. He'd purchased a motor from Jon Neuman, a Texan who would end up sharing the road with Monson as he traversed the United States during the September 2016 Race of the Century. And then he set about the process of collecting the rest of the bike bit by bit while he spent the next several years waiting for the cutoff year to fi t with his custom con- struction machine. "I knew my little '14 couldn't compete with the newer bikes, so I just waited. But I was get- ting frustrated as the bikes just kept getting newer and newer, but as soon as they announced that it would be a century race, that's when I signed up," Monson shared. His project was mostly completed in July 2016 when he hit the road and spent the next two months skipping around tinkering with the bike while visiting with various motorcycle personalities. First stop was Sturgis, where the initial shakedown miles got serious. Dave cruised around making friends and was tickled pink when BB around too long. Dale Walksler, owner of the well-known Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, was one attendee who toughed it out and was sorry for the experience. "Bonhams was the worst auction I have ever been to," said the man who makes his living negotiating in the antique motorcycle world. As an avid historian, Dale knows his prod- uct like the back of his hand. "From opening gavel to the last sale, there was chaos and disorganization. The sale rate was low as were the number of bikes sold. There was no justice to a buyer or seller but, most importantly, there was no justice for the motorcy- cles on the stage. It was a sham. And if you want a quote from me, here it is: 'I will never attend another Bonham auction, even as a spectator.'" A quick look at the results from the one-day sale showed that Bonham, auctioneers since 1793 known to specialize in art and collectibles, had some 345 lots up for bid. The top machine for the day appeared to be a 1914 Feilbach that sold for $195,000 including premiums. Meanwhile, back at the south- ern end of Vegas, Mecum was busy banging the gavel on more than $13.7 million dollars worth of antique machinery and memorabilia that rep- resented a 53-percent increase in sales over the 2016 event. The top sale of the four-day Mecum auction crossed See "Auction," page 40, column 1 Auction Continued from page 32 TUGGING AT HEART STRINGS WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED A HEART OF GOLD The ballad of Black Betty Black Betty, the 1914 custom H-D, was brought to auction by Washington residents Chopper Dave Monson and his wife Vivian. Fellow Cannonball racer Rick Salisbury (right center) bought the bike and Shriner Ed Stolze (r) was on hand to accept the generous $20,000 donation from the Monsons on behalf of the Shriner's Children Hospital. See "Black Betty," page 38, column 1 Buyers and sellers gathered to kick tires and talk shop in the bullpen area This Buddy Stubbs H-D got more attention for the Jerry Garcia dummy, that also had a beer, than it did for the beautiful machine. The entire bike, passenger and beer included, sold for $36,000 with no reserve.