Easy Rider - Bonhams thinks Foggy's bikes are just super and so will you

2011 has started off well for motorcycle collectors.  Enthusiasts and alternative investors have already seen several valuable and interesting vehicles enter the market, and Bonhams will be unleashing another two in April.

The auction house will be selling two Ducati motorcycles at the International Classic Motorcycle Show in Staffordshire, on April 24.  But these two bikes are very special because of their association with Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty - the four-time World Superbike Champion.

The first is a Ducati 888 Corsa, which Fogarty rode to victory in the Superbike race and headline event at the 1993 North West 200.  The bike was subsequently purchased in 2005 by a private Northern Irish collector and rebuilt by Ducati specialist John Hackett in Coventry.  This notable machine is estimated to sell for an amazing £26,000-30,000.

The 1998 Ducati 'Fogarty Replica'

The second Ducati is a 1998 916SPS 'Fogarty Replica', and was used by Fogarty in the 2009 Ulster Grand Prix meeting.  The second bike of its type off of the production line, this Ducati was gifted directly to Fogarty by the factory. 

It comes with an authenticating plaque stating that the gift recognised Fogarty's "outstanding contribution to the success of Ducati".  It also retains its original registration number - S3 FOG, a nod to Fogarty's third Superbike Championship win in the year of the bike's manufacture.  This unique vehicle is expected to sell for £21,000-25,000.

For superbike nuts and motorcycle obsessives with the money to spend, April's International Motorcycle Show will not only be a day of visual indulgence but could present a one-time opportunity to buy a piece of superbike history and invest in their hobby.