Hoard of Vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles will be Auctioned August 14 in Rutland, VT

Information may not be reliable

The single-owner lifetime collection of Robert “Bob” Bearor – an incredible assemblage of Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles, parts and memorabilia dating as far back as 1908, to include rare and important barn find motorcycles that are finally seeing the light of day, plus vintage cars, midget race cars, antique tractors, chainsaws, vintage fishing lures and more – will all come up for bid on Saturday, August 14th at the Vermont State Fairgrounds in Rutland, from 10 am-6 pm Eastern time, by VanDerBrink Auctions, based in Hardwick, Minn.

Mr. Bearor, who passed away in 2019, was a dedicated car and motorcycle enthusiast and a self-described wild-man who, along with his wife Christine, who went by “Teenie” because of her diminutive stature of just 4 feet 9 inches, always surrounded themselves with vintage cars and motorcycles, especially Harley-Davidsons, which the couple would ride to shows or just for fun, often in matching outfits. The two got married in a 1958 Corvette. Teenie survives her husband.

Along the way, Bob befriended Ed Flynn, a kindred spirit wild-man and the owner of an Indian Motorcycles dealership in Bennington, Vt. Ed’s collection was just as impressive as Bob’s and, upon Ed’s death and with the blessing of Ed’s widow, Mr. Flynn’s massive inventory of Indian motorcycles (two of which were unearthed from under his house), as well as hundreds of parts (including NOS) and memorabilia from the Indian dealership, became part of Bob’s collection.

In May of this year, a team from VanDerBrink Auctions, plus some motorcycle enthusiasts from New York, went to the Bearor property to inventory Mr. Flynn’s collection. In a chicken coop they found 14 frames and vintage Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The museum was full of Indian and Harley memorabilia and parts. For three days, the crew diligently dug through the buildings on the property and uncovered 53 motorcycles, hundreds of parts and memorabilia.

Now, the two combined collections in their entirety will be sold to the highest bidder, live at the fairgrounds and online, via Proxibid.com. A preview will be held on Friday, August 13th, from 10-6. The catalog, plus a video, can be viewed now, on the VanDerBrink Auctions website: www.VanDerBrinkAuctions.com. “Many of the motorcycle parts will be just for onsite bidders, so it’s best to attend the auction in person,” said Yvette VanDerBrink of VanDerBrink Auctions. 

Several motorcycles are certain to attract attention. One is the 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle, an older restore that’s green and gold and with all the stainless-steel parts supposedly dipped in gold (although it has not been tested). The bike had been touring in a display from Mr. Bearor and it ran when parked. It features a V2 4-stroke, V-Twin motor with suicide chain drive transmission, white wall tires with fringe and a big white leather seat with fringe – a truly unique motorcycle.

Then there’s the 1976 Harley-Davidson FLH motorcycle with a sidecar that Mr. Bearor dubbed “The Joker”. Known as a Coney Island custom, the bike is powered by a Harley V Twin motor, shows just 9,567 miles on the odometer and boasts lots of metal green flake. Many hours and thousands of dollars went into this custom, one-of-a-kind motorcycle. It comes with a10-page appraisal, listing all the things done to it. Bearor toured it in a semi on a walk-through display.

Two Indians that are rare but in need of a restoration are the 1932 Indian Chief 4-cylinder bike and the 1937 Indian Sport Scout with V Twin motor, both of them barn finds that appear mostly complete. Memorabilia includes vintage advertising posters for Indian Power Plus motors (25 inches by 38 inches) and an Indian and Goodyear advertising poster (13 ½ inches by 40 inches).

Other Indian motorcycles and parts in the auction include a rare 1917-1918 Indian Model O Light Twin, a 1920 Indian Power Plus, a 1924 Indian Chief, an early 1928 Indian frame, a 1932 Indian Scout, a 1932 Indian Chief 4-cylinder, a 1937 Indian Sport Scout, two 1937-1939 Indian Chief rigid frames, a 1938 Indian Junior Scout, a 1938 Indian Chief frame, a 1949 Indian Arrow and a 1951 Indian Warrior TT. See the VanDerBrink Auctions website for a full list of offerings.

The Harley-Davidson category will feature an early 1916 Harley Davidson frame and motor, a 1919-1922 Harley-Davidson Sport project, a 1991 Harley Davidson, a 1997 Harley-Davidson Electro-Glide Sport, a 1930’s Harley-Davidson frame, a Harley-Davidson VL Series project and more. Lot 170B should spark a bidding war; it’s for a very rare pair of 1916 Harley wheel discs.

Motorcycles by other makers include a 1972 Honda CB100, a 1974 CB125S and a 1982 Yamaha GT80. Motorcycle memorabilia will feature 50 vintage Indian dealer motorcycle posters, Indian pins, Indian postcards, Indian tools, Indian bicycles, Indian oil cans, vintage motorcycle leathers, kidney belts, racing suits, vintage race posters, vintage motorcycle hill climb posters and more.

The few vintage cars in the auction (none of which run and are in need of TLC) include a 1964 Ford Thunderbird coupe, white/cream with a black vinyl top, a V8 with automatic transmission and mostly rust-free body; a 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne four-door sedan old restore, black with a white top, a V8 with automatic transmission and 103,132 miles; and a 1982 DeLorean DMC12 coupe barn find with stainless-steel exterior, 33,886 miles and complete engine and transmission.

Antique tractors will include a Farmall A, a Farmall Cub with blade, a Case MC tractor, The Beaver tractor and a Massey Harris Pony. Stationery gas engines will feature a Majestic 2hp engine, a Majestic 3hp engine, an International Type M engine, an International Tom Thumb engine, a Fairbanks Morse Type Z engine, Maytag stationary gas engines and other examples.

Vintage midget race cars will include an example with a pretty cream-colored metallic paint scheme, juice brakes, a 4-cylinder engine with velocity stacks and racing seat belts; a midget with a GM 4 cylinder engine, two Rochester carbs and headers and racing seat belts; and a beautiful purple and white car with a 49 Flathead V8 with Stromberg #97 carbs, Edelbrock AL2 heads and AL2 intake, velocity stacks, Ford clutch, a three-speed transmission and electric fan.

Gas and oil memorabilia will feature a Mobil Oil gargoyle cabinet, a G&B gas pump, oil cans, signs and more. The auction will have two rings of action, with one ring dedicated to antique tractors, chainsaws and boat motors. See the VanDerBrink website for terms and conditions.

For more information, please visit www.VanderBrinkAuctions.com. Updates are posted often.