Description
This motorcycle is Lot 69 to be auctioned by Bonhams at the Timed-Online January Sale, please see the Bonhams website for full details. The timed online auction runs between January 17th through January 27th, with lots closing from midday January 27th 2025.
Public Viewing:
Available 22nd January 2025 from 09:00 until 17:00, by appointment only at Bonhams Milton Keynes.
Lot 69
Offered from the estate of the late Dave Benson, former Life Vice President of the British Two-Stroke Club and its Villiers marque specialist
1960 Francis-Barnett 250cc Cruiser 84
Registration no. ACC 890C
Frame no. CE15904
Engine no. 428D 13120 (see text)
Post-WW2, Francis-Barnett concentrated on the production of lightweight two-strokes powered by Villiers engines at first, though from 1957 AMC's own engines were fitted to many models and by 1961 the home grown product - although now manufactured by Villiers - was used exclusively. Reviving a pre-war model name, the Cruiser was a new introduction for 1954 and initially used the Villiers 1H 225cc engine, which was housed in a new frame boasting a fabricated front 'down-tube', telescopic forks and swinging-arm rear suspension. The 249cc AMC engine was adopted on the Cruiser 80 in 1956 and then three years later a new variant arrived in the form of the Cruiser 84, the latter featuring a voluminous rear enclosure and leg shields.
This Cruiser 84 was the subject of a registration plate transfer in 2008. It should be noted that while the frame number matches the HPI records the engine number does not. Repainted at some point, the machine is offered for sympathetic re-commissioning and/ or restoration to a greater or lesser extent (the engine turns over). The odometer reading is 9, 068 miles and the Cruiser features a 'crash' bar carrying a spotlight and a Francis-Barnett Saint Christopher's badge. Accompanying paperwork includes some correspondence; a spares list and related notes/ diagrams; a photocopied road test article; old/ current V5C documents; and some photographs of the Cruiser at various events.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
