110-year-old bike lost to overseas collector

**Bob** · 27th January 2009, 01:15

A 110 year old Raleigh motorcycle, named ‘Sir Walter has been lost to the UK due to lack of interest in keeping it for the nation.

The bike was built in Nottingham in 1899 and was thought to be one of the first motorcycles in the UK. John Day, 90, said he put the bike – inherited from his father – up for sale as neither the National Motorcycle Museum or Wollaton Hall showed interest.

Mr Day said: "I thought Sir Walter would be happy in his birthplace, Nottingham, which has a museum at Wollaton Hall [with] a section devoted to Raleigh. However, all I got for my offer of the bike was 'we'll let you know'. They didn't. I offered Sir Walter to the two best homes for nothing; I can't believe it."

The bike sold to a Dutch collector for £26,000.

**Badjelly** · 27th January 2009, 09:09

So this bike has moved from one overseas country (UK) to another (Netherlands)? I find it a bit hard to be concerned about this. Especially given that the Netherlands is about as far overseas from the UK as the South Island from the North.

**Hitcher** · 27th January 2009, 10:20

This is a bit rich coming from a country with a proud history of pillaging antiquities from other places.

**Bob** · 28th January 2009, 01:32

I posted this as (a) I know a lot of ex-pat Brits like to hear about stuff from back home and (b) it just struck me as sad that something like this can be lost to a nation through apathy.

I bet if I posted "Britten lost to Australia as no-one bids to keep in NZ" there would be a huge outcry...

**JMemonic** · 28th January 2009, 04:44

Originally Posted by Bob

I bet if I posted "Britten lost to Australia as no-one bids to keep in NZ" there would be a huge outcry...

Fortunately this is unlikely but apathy here amongst the general public would mean where this to happen the out cry would be from motorcyclists and we all know how much of a voice we seem to have.

**McDuck** · 28th January 2009, 05:28

Originally Posted by Bob

I bet if I posted "Britten lost to Australia as no-one bids to keep in NZ" there would be a huge outcry...

And nobody would put their hand in pocket to do anything real about it.

**Hitcher** · 28th January 2009, 08:04

Originally Posted by Bob

I bet if I posted "Britten lost to Australia as no-one bids to keep in NZ" there would be a huge outcry...

Not as large, I suspect, as if the British Museum decided that it was going to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

**jonbuoy** · 28th January 2009, 08:53

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Not as large, I suspect, as if the British Museum decided that it was going to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

Umm New Zealand was "stolen" by the brits from the maoris - glass houses.... Cheers Bob, at least your posts are always about bikes.

**Badjelly** · 28th January 2009, 09:24

Originally Posted by jonbuoy

....Cheers Bob, at least your posts are always about bikes.

And your point is?

But I apologise for my previous post (#2), as it breaks a cardinal rule of civilised discourse: if you don't care about something, don't tell people about it, just STFU.

**sAsLEX** · 28th January 2009, 14:25

Originally Posted by jonbuoy

Umm New Zealand was "stolen" by the brits from the maoris - glass houses.... Cheers Bob, at least your posts are always about bikes.

and the Maoris stole it off each other and ate the victims...... the original peoples of some of NZ are probably sitting in the bottom of a hangi pit some where

**NordieBoy** · 28th January 2009, 16:07

Originally Posted by sAsLEX

and the Maoris stole it off each other and ate the victims...... the original peoples of some of NZ are probably sitting in the bottom of a hangi pit some where

......mmmmmmm hangi........