American Pickers: The Most Expensive Motorcycles Sold From Mike Wolfe's Collection

Mike Wolfe is a man of many hats. Though he's known to most of the world as the creator and host of History's long-running reality series "American Pickers," he's also an ace antiquer, an avid collector of rare and unusual artifacts, and a low-key historian with a seemingly boundless trove of knowledge encompassing any number of historical periods. He's also a full-blown motorcycle guy who has been known to pony up some serious coin for vintage bikes he finds in the antiquing wilds.

Many of the motorcycles Wolfe has come across on the series were purchased as short-term investments he hoped to fix up and flip for a profit. However, quite a few of the bikes seen on "American Pickers" have gone straight into the TV star's personal collection, occupying space alongside dozens of other rare and vintage models he has accumulated both on and off camera.

If you've ever caught a glimpse of Wolfe's extensive vintage motorcycle collection — largely housed in his vast Columbia Motor Alley facility in Tennessee – you know it would be the envy of virtually anyone with an appreciation for things that go "vroom" on two wheels. And yes, some of those bikes are worth thousands of pretty pennies. Here's a look at a few of the more expensive motorcycles from Mike Wolfe's personal collection. 

For the record, we couldn't find a list of every motorcycle in Wolfe's collection, or a list detailing the actual value of each bike he's accumulated during his decades of collecting. Wolfe has, however, sold a few bikes from his collection in recent years, putting a relatively accurate market price on some of his most prized motorcycle possessions. The 1941 Indian Four he recently unloaded at auction ranks high on the list of top-priced sellers.

Indian motorcycles are about as coveted among collectors as any name in the game. So when Wolfe curated his "As Found" collection of rare bikes for a special 2023 Mecum auction, he made sure to include several of his Indians as part of the inventory. Among them was the 1941 beauty that Wolfe reportedly found wasting away in a barn somewhere on the border between Nebraska and Colorado.

The bike had clearly seen better days — and suffered more than a little dust, rust, and decay — when it made its way to the auction floor. It did, however, boast many original parts and a stunning two-tone paint scheme, not to mention a punchy 1265-cubic-centimeter inline 4-cylinder engine. Despite being in less-than-mint, unrestored condition, when the gavel fell, Wolfe's '41 Indian Four had secured a $115,500 winning bid.  

As respected as Indians are among American motorcycles, Harley-Davidsons are, perhaps, held in even higher esteem. That's because these bikes have been in constant production throughout Harley-Davidson's over-120-year history, so it's hard not to attach some unbridled reverence to the brand. Vintage Harleys are, fittingly, as sought-after as those fronting the Indian badge, even though there are, in general, more vintage Harleys available.

And there are some antique Harleys that are hard to find even on the auction circuit. Wolfe offered just such a build during the Mecum "As Found" auction, putting his 1936 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead on the block. If you fancy yourself a Harley fan, the name Knucklehead no doubt carries considerable weight, as the engine — nicknamed "Knucklehead" due to its then-radical rocker-cover design — was a staple for the brand through the mid-to-late-1930s and much of the 1940s.

In fact, the engines — and the distinctive bikes they powered — hit the streets in 1936, meaning Wolfe's Mecum offering was a true original. First- gen Harley-Davidson EL Knuckleheads helped the brand survive the Great Depression, and they'e sought after by Harley diehards. Though Wolfe's wasn't quite pristine, he'd kept the largely original bike in better-than-fighting shape, as he'd ridden it on the regular for several years. And it turned out to be top seller from his Mecum "As Found" lot, pulling in a reported $132,000.

That brings us to the 1922 Ace Four motorcycle, which may be the most famous bike that ever occupied a spot in Wolfe's collection. The bike first appeared during a Season 17 episode of "American Pickers," with Wolfe and longtime co-host Frank Fritz uncovering the super-rare bike while picking the garage of a deceased collector (with permission from his wife and son). The pickers were stunned to see the Ace among the motorcycles there, and ended up paying $45,000 for the chance to take it home.

It was a mammoth investment, but the Ace is easily one of the best motorcycles ever found on "American Pickers." It turns out that it was also one of the most valuable. That's due in large part to the scarcity of Ace motorcycles for sale on the vintage bike market. As Wolfe detailed during the "American Pickers" episode, Philadelphia-based Ace only existed for a few years, but in that time, it produced some of the better 4-cylinder bikes of the day, and that alone makes collectors want them. 

The Ace Wolfe scooped on that pick was also in remarkably good shape for a bike that was, by the time of the episode's 2017 airing, almost 100 years old. Given all of those factors, it's not entirely surprising that the Ace pulled in a big number when Wolfe sent it to auction in 2023. But we'd wager even he was surprised by the winning $198,000 bid.