Bike auction website dubbed ‘the future of vintage’

Motorcycle auction site targets bikes at least 25 years old

In the first three months since its launch in October, Motoauct.com has doubled its online membership. The brainchild of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts Jason Delacroix and Jason Williams, Motoauct is an online auction site specifically dedicated to vintage motorcycles.

“We began in October and so far, it’s been really good. We’ve grown organically to just about 500 members on the site and it’s still building,” said Delacroix. 

With more than 40 years of experience in the motorcycle industry between the two of them, the founders wanted to create a space for users to congregate, comment, share and sell vintage machines. 

“We really just want to provide a better way to be able to bring these bikes to people across the world,” said Williams. “Right now, we’re the only dedicated auction website for vintage motorcycles.”

One of the ways that both Delacroix and Williams believe Motoauct benefits those looking to sell their motorcycles is by charging less fees than traditional tent auctions. Potential sellers also save money by avoiding travel costs.

The tagline “Register. Buy. Sell. Socialize.” covers the site’s main functions. 

Users register with a credit card, which eliminates the potential for non-serious bids. Those who are interested in selling click the “Sell Your Bike” option and are prompted with instructions for posting photos, a thorough description and how to establish a realistic price. Each auction runs for seven days and once a successful bid is established, the buyer and seller are connected to work out payment and transport of the bike.

The website has only one stipulation: Bikes for auction must be 25 years old or older. There is no proxy bidding allowed and Motoauct.com users are able to vet bikes as they are posted. The seller pays a fee of $98 per bike listing and buyers pay a commission fee of 6 percent based on the final bid price of the bike. 

In addition to auction listings, the website includes pages for vintage motorcycles clubs and enthusiasts alike to come together. “We have social media pages that are attached to our website and we really invite people to go on there and share their experiences, videos, articles, tutorials and stuff they’ve picked up along the way with the rest of the community,” Delacroix said.

“This idea came from our love and passion for working with these old machines and we wanted to get something together. In doing that, we realized the community is out there, we just needed to find a way to bring them together,” said Williams. 

While the site doesn’t currently have a dealer base, both Delacroix and Williams said they are open to working with dealers in the future. “Motoauct would enthusiastically team up with a dealer who moves vintage motorcycles on a regular basis. We would offer them free listings, along with other benefits to be had as our site evolves into Phase Two,” said Delacroix.

Delacroix said that Motoauct is able to work with prospective dealers and help them by curating the dealer’s auction listings. “We can advise on the descriptive and photographic elements required for successful sales, as well as share our experience in determining fair and current market valuations,” he added.

The company knows that finding the right partnership is the key ingredient in any successful business venture and Motoauct welcomes dealer input to find tune its offerings and gauge dealer expectations.

Since its launch, Delacroix and Williams have each attended different industry events to raise awareness for Motoauct, such as the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, the 2017 International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, Las Vegas auctions and more. The company is currently in production of Phase Two of the Motoauct.com site, which “will offer users a host of new features to make the interface a more sophisticate site, without sacrificing the simplicity we have offered from the start.”

Delacroix said the response to this site has been overwhelmingly positive for the duo. One of the most memorable experiences so far happened at the IMS show in Long Beach. With so many OEMs exhibiting “throwback bikes,” Delacroix said younger riders are looking more into vintage motorcycles options.

“People had made comments that many of the motorcycle companies at IMS — like Moto Guzzi, Triumph, BMW, Kawasaki, Indian and Harley — all of their bikes are a throwback to these vintage bikes we have on our site right now,” said Delacroix. “A lot of the older guys are aging out, so some of these cooler retro bikes are being aimed at a different crowd. I don’t think we could have come in at a better time because we are truly vintage.”

“I don’t think we could be any more pleased with the way it’s progressing,” said Williams. “One thing that we’re starting to see, and we’re humbled by it, is that this community really wants to embrace this. People are excited about it, and they are excited to see the outcomes and what happens with it.”