John Lennon/Ringo Starr: a Honda 160Z Monkey Bike,
circa 1970,
50 CC, with front registration plate, XUC 91H, mileometer reading 3690 miles; together with two enlargements of black and white photographs of John (and Julian) riding the machine, taken in or around February 1970
50 CC, with front registration plate, XUC 91H, mileometer reading 3690 miles; together with two enlargements of black and white photographs of John (and Julian) riding the machine, taken in or around February 1970
Sold for
£36,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- This was bought by John Lennon as a fun way of getting around the many acres of Tittenhurst Park and was amongst items inherited by the new owner, Ringo Starr, after John and Yoko moved to New York. Ringo employed the vendor, a landscape gardener, to undertake various projects on the estate over a number of years. In 1986, Ringo asked the vendor to provide help in moving from Tittenhurst to a smaller property nearby. During the move, the monkey bike was uncovered in one of the garages and, as a gesture of thanks for his help, Ringo gave the bike to the vendor.
The vendor put the machine back into working order and replaced the smashed front headlamp. The registration plate was also replaced.
Although Honda had not originally intended it to be a commercial product, since its introduction in a ride at the Tama Tech theme park in Hirano City in the 1960s the Monkey Bike has become a motorbike classic. They were easy to handle and anyone, regardless of age or experience, could learn to ride one in just a few minutes.
Category: Collectibles / Entertainment Memorabilia
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