U2 Star Bono’s Ducati 916 sells for £11,500
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A rare Ducati 916 motorcycle, owned by U2 front-man Bono, has sold at auction at the NEC International Motorcycle and Scooter Show, raising £11,500 for the charity Riders for Health. The stunning Ducati has a truly rock and roll history having belonged to three of the biggest names in rock music - not only Bono but also the late INXS front-man Michael Hutchence and fellow U2 member Adam Clayton.
The sale of the Ducati came at the finale of an exciting auction which took place on the Blackhorse Stage at the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at Birmingham’s NEC. In total, close to £20,000 was raised for charity through the sale of a number of pieces of one-off motorcycling memorabilia. During a frenetic hour’s bidding the lots sold included a one-off race helmet signed by a host of motor racing legends including Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hill, Stirling Moss and Carl Fogarty, and a set of biking leathers signed by MotoGP star John Hopkins.
All the proceeds from the auction will go to help support the work of the award winning UK based charity, Riders for Health. Riders trains African health workers in motorcycle riding and maintenance, enabling them to reach remote villages with the kind of regular, reliable healthcare we take for granted. Riders makes sure health workers have access to properly managed vehicles that never break down so they can deliver healthcare day in, day out. The charity has programmes in Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania. Riders for Health currently reaches almost 11 million people in Africa. The money raised in the auction will help to support Riders’ goal of reaching an extra 10 million people by the end of 2008.
The money raised for charity at the NEC follows the money raised by Dainese and Valentino Rossi by selling a signed AGV helmet on eBay.
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December 3rd, 2007 at 11:19 am
This would be one of the bikes to have for a serious collector !
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:28 am
It actually went for less then i thought it would, considering Rossi’s helmet went for around £9000.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:36 am
F1Wolf - Yeah this would make a real collectors item, i would say.
GPFan - I expected it to go for more too (but then again i expected Rossi’s helmet to go for a lot more too so what do i know!
), i saw the bike at the NEC last week but it was on a really small stand tucked away in the corner so it’s pretty lucky that i actually found it.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Just stumbled on this site. I actually bought that 916. Picking it up from the UK next week and bringing it back to Dublin. It’s going inside the house as opposed to the garage. Found just the right spot in the front room (if I can just put the sofa somewhere).
B.
December 8th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Ha ha thats great Barry, like i said i saw the Bike at the NEC and it was beautiful! A great collectors item to own, and all proceeds going to a good cause.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Congrats on the purchase Barry, thats a really cool bike to own. You don’t get to meet Bono as well do?