S-22720-0-1

284Property of a deceased’s estate; one owner from new1977 Silk 700S Mark 2Registration no. PAU 413RFrame no. 700S/2/44Engine no. 500/SS/1X & 700S/2/46 (see text)Engineer George Silk turned motorcycle manufacturer in 1975 with the700S, a Spondon-framed sports roadster powered by his own Scottbasedengine. Production continued until 1980, by which time 138complete machines had been built, latterly as the ‘Mark 2’ with partlyblack-finished engine.This ultra-rare British two-stroke was purchased new by its late ownerin 1977. He received a sales brochure from Silk in January 1977,subsequently placing an order for the machine with a £100 deposit inFebruary of that same year. The balance of payment was invoiced inJuly 1977 and the machine delivered that month (see correspondenceand invoice on file).Following delivery, the Silk was used on the road and also extensivelyin sprints and hill-climbs. So much so that an exchange of informationcommenced between the owner and George Silk on the tuning andperformance of the machine. The culmination of this developmentwork was the provision of what is believed to be one of only twospecial 500cc short-stroke engines built by Silk. This short-strokemotor was duly installed in ‘PAU 413R’ and remains in it to this day.Used in competition, the new engine was believed to produce morepower with less vibration at high revs.As mentioned in the description of the owner’s 1916 Norton BRS(Lot 243 in this sale) he passed away in 1994. Following his deaththe Silk was kept on display inside the house and the engine turnedover at regular intervals. The machine has not been started since thattime and, in view of the lack of use in recent years, will require recommissioningand basic safety checks before returning to the road ortrack. With one owner from new, the Silk has covered only 5,720 milessince it left the factory.Accompanying paperwork consists of the aforementionedcorrespondence and original sales invoice; an old-style V5 document;an expired MoT certificate; two sales brochures; an owner’s handbook/file; and miscellaneous invoices/papers. The original 653cc engine isincluded in the sale also.£5,500 - 7,500€7,700 - 11,000Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the description and condition of each lotprior to bidding. All lots are sold “as is/where is” with all defects and faults.motorcycles | 65