Fonz’s Triumph, McQueen’s Harley For Sale

Is any old motorcycle that’s not a Brough Superior worth $100,000 or $200,000?

An eBay seller that goes by the moniker “bighouses” will find out soon enough having put a 1949 Triumph Trophy TR5 once ridden by Henry Winkler on the ABC comedy “Happy Days” and a 1934 Harley-Davidson RL once owned by Steve McQueen up for sale.

Also offered is a 1979 Harley-Davidson XL1000 owned by daredevil Evel Knievel and used in the film “Viva Knievel.”

The Triumph is being sold in unrestored “as filmed condition.” It was modified for the Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli character that Winkler played by famed builder Bud Ekins, who had the banged-up bike at his dealership. Ekins removed the bike’s front fender and spray-painted the gas tank silver to make it look more like a biker’s ride.

According to a “New York Times” story from 2011, Ekins had first shown the “Happy Days” producers a borrowed Harley-Davidson for Winkler to use. Because Winkler couldn’t ride, the studio wanted a smaller, lighter bike that would be easier for stagehands to push.

The asking price for the fully documented Triumph is $100,000 and the listing has 18 days left.

McQueen’s RL is fully documented as well and was sold originally at his estate sale in 1984. It comes with the original certificate of authenticity, bidder paddle, original bill of sale from the McQueen Estate and the odometer statement. It has been in climate controlled storage in southern California.

The asking price is $200,000 and the listing runs for 17 more days.

Also available is Knievel’s XL1000, which the listing says was “recently repainted by Knievel’s painter George Sedlak.” The asking price is $100,000 and the listing runs for 21 more days.

The three celebrity bikes are located in Beverly Hills, CA.

– By Bud Wilkinson