Steve McQueen’s Former Indian Racing Motorcycle at Auction

Once owned by Hollywood star Steve McQueen, this 1914 Indian Model F Board Track racing motorcycle has just emerged on the market again. The last time this happened was in 2010.Bonhams will auction it off later this month, during the International Classic MotorCycle Show in Stafford, UK.

Board-track motorbikes were quite rudimentary back in the day, lacking brakes, clutches and throttles, but they did boast the capability of reaching 100 mph once they started rolling. Riding these machines was quite trickyand dangerous, as they needed a little push to start and when the race was over, the rider would just short the magneto slow down and stop the engine.

This particular unit features an altered fork angle, which allows the engine to be placed further towards the front wheel, resulting in better stability at high speeds, plus improved steering.The racing motorcycle is fitted with a 4hp, 30.5ci (500cc) engine and a clutch, but the latter doesn’t seem to be operative.

Beautifully restored by Stephen Wright, the vintage Indian will go under the hammer on April, 28.