Pride and joy bikes up for sale

IT started, like so many things, with a compulsive purchase – a single motorcycle, bought after "a rush of blood to the head while flicking through Exchange & Mart". But now, 50 years and 50 motorbikes later, motorcycle enthusiast Jeremy Chichester stands amid his extraordinary collection and shrugs his shoulders in a gesture of confession.

"I have to admit," the 79-year-old tells me. "I can't even remember which one was the first these days. After a while they all do rather blend into one."

The retired businessman's compulsive collecting of motorbikes led to him having to buy a barn in Nailsea in order to have somewhere to store the vehicles, which range from 1920s vintage bikes to 1950s, 1960s and 1970s classics – though most come from the 1940s – the era of Jeremy's own childhood, when he first fell in love with all things two-wheeled.

"They're all old friends. They each have their own character, and their own story to tell," explains Jeremy, who lives just outside Weston-super-Mare. "The Sunbeam S7, for instance, once belonged to a vicar in Uphill, who would use it to drive between services.

"And one of the lovely old Ariels belonged to a cousin of mine who used it during the war to get home to visit his wife when he was serving on military bases in the middle of nowhere. So that one served its master very well.

"When you see these beautiful old bikes, learn the stories behind them, it's impossible not to fall for them and snap them up. At least, I've always found it tricky."

Once Jeremy filled the Nailsea barn, he purchased a second barn, in Weston-super-Mare, purely to house his ever-growing collection.

"It was just something I did," he laughs. "If I spotted an interesting old bike for sale in one of the magazines, I could rarely resist the temptation to pick up the phone.

"Often these were things that had been stored away in people's garages for decades – their youth covered in a dust sheet and forgotten about.

"I always revelled in buying them, tinkering with them a little, but mostly just riding them – I've ridden all the bikes in the collection at some point.

"But my real favourite – the one I would ride each day when I was younger – was the old 1960 Velocette Venom. That really is a beautiful bike. You didn't have to worry about it being stolen," he adds with a chuckle.

"I think I'm the only person that understands how you kick start it."

But Jeremy, and his sons Mark and Matthew who now care for the machines, feel the time is right to part with the collection.

All 50 bikes will be sold at Bonhams' inaugural vintage and classic motorcycle sale to be held at The Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show, at The Bath and West Showground, in February.

The collection of motorcycles, which could sell for more than £100,000, is currently being stored at a secure secret location in Nailsea, ahead of the sale. The Velocette Venom alone has been give a conservative estimate of £3,000-4,000.

Jonathan Vickers, motorcycle expert for Bonhams, says it is extremely rare for such a large collection of vintage and classic motorcycles to come on the market.

"I'm confident they will all sell," Jonathan says. "Because enthusiasts love to take on a project – old bikes in good condition, with very little mileage on most of their clocks, but which still have the scope to have a little restoration work doing on them are perfect as enthusiasts' projects.

"There are some real gems among the collection. The Sunbeam S7, for example, is likely to make at least £3,000, but I wouldn't be surprised if it reached something more like £5,000 given its lovely history and generally sound condition."

Other highlights of the collection include a 1946 Norton 16H (estimate £1,000-£1,400), a 1947 Velocette KSS (£3,000-£4,000), and a 1958 Panther Model 100 (£1,500-£2,000).

Jeremy admits it's been exciting to see the bikes being removed from the barns that have been their home for decades.

"It's lovely to see them out in the open getting dusted off a bit," he says. "It's like reliving all my yesterdays.

"This one," he adds, patting one of the Velocettes on the back like an old friend, "this one got me a real telling-off from my wife, who was long-suffering but was a very patient woman. Having the barns as storage generally meant 'out of sight, out of mind' for her.

"Unfortunately this one was delivered to our doorstep by a long distance lorry driver friend, at exactly the moment when she was all dressed up and about to head off to a dance. It didn't help that the chap had thrown in another old motorbike with the deal, which was literally in parts, all jumbled up inside a wooden packing case.

"I got a bit of a telling off on that occasion."

Even in his 80th year, Jeremy still rides a motorcycle – a relatively stately BMW C1, which he will not be including in the sale.

"Oh no, I'll keep hold of the one so I can get about," he smiles. "I'm not ready to stop motorcycling just yet."

For more details on the sale, visit www.bonhams.com/motorcycles or contact Jonathan Vickers at Bonhams direct on 01726 814 047.