Race-winning Joey Dunlop bikes sell at auction for eye-watering sum

Two of late Isle of Man TT legend Joey Dunlop’s Honda bikes have sold at auction for over £200,000.

The Northern Irish racing hero was the most successful rider ever at the Isle of Man TT from his final win in 2000 until 2024, with Joey Dunlop scoring his first success at the event in 1977.

Often regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever, Joey Dunlop tragically lost his life just weeks after his 26th TT victory in an incident in Estonia.

Joey Dunlop’s racing exploits were also paired with his humanitarian efforts during his life, further cementing him as a hero in Northern Ireland.

The all-time win record at the TT remains in the Dunlop family, with nephew Michael Dunlop bringing it to 33 wins as of 2025.

Over the weekend, two of Joey Dunlop’s winning Honda bikes went up for auction at Bonhams.

The first was a Honda VFR750R RC30, which Dunlop rode to victory in the Formula 1 and Senior TT races on the Isle of Man in 1988.

He also raced this particular RC30 in several outings in the inaugural World Superbike Championship season, taking a podium at Donington Park in 1998 on it.

The RC30 was put up with an auction estimate of between £80,000 and £100,000, but far exceeded this when it went under the hammer on Sunday 12 October.

The bike fetched £132,250.

The second Honda belonging to Dunlop that went up for sale over the weekend was a 1999 RVF750 RC45 that he won on at that year’s Ulster Grand Prix.

This was one of the last machines Dunlop raced before his death in 2000.

It was also estimated to fetch between £80,000 and £100,000, and sold for a whopping £92,000.

Both bikes, until now, had been in the possession of the Dunlop family and had been on display at  Joey’s Bar in his native Ballymoney in Northern Ireland.