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HomeMediaBulmann, Smoker collections among those sending bikes to Mecum’s Las Vegas auction

Bulmann, Smoker collections among those sending bikes to Mecum’s Las Vegas auction

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Of the nearly two-dozen private collections sending vehicles to the 29th annual Mecum Las Vegas Vintage and Antique Motorcycle Auction, those from two such groupings earned special coverage in the Mecum Monthly magazine.

“A gearhead gone too soon,” was the title of an article about the collection of nearly 150 motorcycles going to the auction from the estate of the late Art Bulmann, and “The final journey” covered the life and 40-motorcycle collection of Stephen E. Smoker.  

From the Art Bulmann Collection: A 1937 Indian Chief
1951 Vincent Rapide W64
1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead W74

“Bulmann was gripped by the mechanical side of motorcycle ownership at a young age, having already learned the ropes of engine repair by the time he bought his first, and when health forced him into a soft retirement, it was an opportunity to pick right back up where he left off,” Mecum Monthly noted. “

Bulmann owned the historic Jebens Hardware and Supply, founded in 1876 in a south Chicago suburb. 

His interest in motorcycles traced to his grade-school years, when he spent his lunch periods at a machine shop near the school instead of going home to eat. 

He bought his first motorcycle, an Indian Chief that didn’t run and had a frozen transmission, when he was 13. Soon, he had the motorcycle back in running condition. 

Though he always had a motorcycle, Bulmann didn’t start collecting until after having heart surgery and being forced into a “soft retirement” in 2001. He turned an old cattle barn into a museum-quality home for his motorcycles and would use it to host fund-raising events for a local charity that helped children and adults with developmental disabilities.

From the Stephen Smoker collection: 1946 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead
1928 Terrot HSCI Single

Stephen Smoker also became fascinated by motorcycles at an early age, and in his case, it was despite the fact he was growing up in a conservative Mennonite community. He built his first motorcycle by adding a motor to a pedal bicycle. 

His father bought him a small motorcycle so that Smoker could get back and forth to his first job in construction, and Smoker eventually became the builder of custom homes, churches and commercial buildings. 

He also built what he called his “Hog Pen,” to house his collection of nearly 50 motorcycles. But while named for the nickname for Harley-Davidson machines, Smoker’s collection comes from an amazing variety of manufacturers. 

He was known for planning extensive motorcycle rides, both in the United States and throughout Europe. He brought home several motorcycles that he purchased while in Europe.

A diagnosis of brain cancer in August triggered his decision to sell his collection, and he hoped to be present at the Las Vegas sale, but he died in November, two months before the auction.

Mecum’s annual Las Vegas motorcycle auction is scheduled for January 21-26 at the South Point hotel and casino.

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Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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