1943 Vard -- what's it worth?

[BoschZEV]

Someone in town died last year leaving his widow to deal with the garage. She turned over a bike to a friend to sell for her so my questions are how much is it worth, and who might buy it?

OK, you need more information than that. The bike happens to be the very first of only three machines made immediately after WWII by Vard Wallace, who made aftermarket telescopic forks for Harleys and Indians. An effusive article by Bill Bagnall in the January 1951 issue of The Motorcyclist touts its incredible performance, and laments the fact it never went into mass production. It says they were "designed, built, and tested back in 1944-45" and that the first one made was a flathead and the next two were OHV. The widow's bike is a flathead with an engine number "EX43 1. As a guess, Vard stamped his creation with EX, for experimental, 43 for 1943, and 1 for it being the first.

An article in September 1974 has an interview with Vard Wallace. At that time Vard 3 was the only complete machine (owned by former employee John Fairchild), Vard 2 was scattered around his shop, and "Number one was cannibalized to assist in building 2 and 3". With that as background, the two photos show the widow's flathead Vard and the OHC version from The Motorcyclist article.

Vard001.jpg
Vard002.jpg
Vard00.jpg

The widow has a photo of her husband with the bike c1960 and it looks the same as it does today, i.e. as cannibalized by Vard Wallace. So, to repeat the questions, how much is it worth, and who might buy it?

I should add that my friend is doing this as a favor for the widow so will make nothing from sale. Oh, and he has owned a motorcycle shop for 40 years so is unlikely to fall for "I'll take it off your hands for $100."

[fillibuster]

Another first (for me), an American motorcycle born post-1940, one I'd never known of. Thanks Bosch!

[hairynob24]

so are the motors made by him or ??? some other companys ? interesting stuff , more photos ,Rob

[Rubone]

My guess is that it isn't worth as much as one might think for essentially a one-off bike. Since it never got to production and is a lightweight it has more novelty appeal than anything else. I would contact the Barber guys and see if they have interest. It would fit in that type of collection, and they have the restoration skills to complete it.

[exeric]

I think you could safely say that Vard motorcycle has considerable historic value. How that translates into dollars is not one of my skills If I was a wealthy collector I would want it. I know it is an expensive proposition to take a motorcycle to the Las Vegas auctions for speculation, but I would think that is where Vard's widow could get the most money for it, and possibly get it into the hands of an appreciative new owner.

[BoschZEV]

Thanks for your responses so far.

The bike is located too close to some shelves to get good photos from the right side so the ones here will have to do for now.
Vard10.jpg

Extracting information from the two magazine articles, one of which is based on a 1974 interview with the aging Vard Wallace himself, the machine was designed by a team of motorcyclists/engineers working at Vard Engineering in Pasadena that included Earl Flanders. It and the two OHV models were 21 cu.in. but they designed it from the start to be increased to 30.5 cu.in. by substituting only the head, cylinder and piston.

Feature that were unusual for that time were telescopic forks, rubber mounted handlebars, 4-speed footshift, rear suspension, and unit construction of the engine/gearbox. Everything was made at Vard, including the Al casting, except for the rims, spokes, tires and lights. The mold for the iron cylinder also was made by them although that casting was poured by another company. There are only 2 gears in the engine that drive the valves, oil pump and distributor. The flathead was good for 68 mph and the OHV ones 80 mph.

They designed it toward the end of WWII when thoughts were turning away from war production and toward the post-war civilian market, and they expected a demand for a machine with these specifications. Vard Engineering had all the drawings and tooling ready to go, but a later market survey convinced Mr. Wallace that people would want cars, not motorcycles, so they started producing lawn tractors instead after the war ended.

As of the 1974 article Vard Engineering had been relocated to Newport Beach where the 2nd of the three Vards was strewn around the factory. A good guess is it ended up in the dumpster after Mr. Wallace died, but I don't know at this point whether it or the other one still exist. At most there are three, probably no more than two, and possible that the one now owned by the widow is the sole survivor. It certainly holds a unique place in the history of American motorcycles.

p.s. the front wheel is on backwards at the moment. It was off the bike, which was in a cramped location, and it was easiest to put it on that way in order to be able to drag it outside and load on the trailer.

[exeric]

I think the right side is better looking than the left side. Funny how most motorcycles look better from the right side.

[BoschZEV]

I think the right side is better looking than the left side. Funny how most motorcycles look better from the right side.

Which adds to the fun of restoring old motorcycles, because you can "never" find contemporary photos of the left side...

[BoschZEV]

I stopped by the shop on the way home tonight. Here's a better photograph of both sides, and a close-up of the engine:
Vard_engine.jpgVard_RL.jpg

[AFJ]

There was a write-up, description and pictures of the side-valve first model Vard in the October, 19, 1944 issue of the British weekly "MotorCycling". This was reprinted in Jerry Hatfield's "Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981" published in 2006 by Krause Publications.

As to value? In money terms, who can say? As a piece of American motorcycling history? Priceless.

AFJ

[BoschZEV]

This was reprinted in Jerry Hatfield's "Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981"

Fantastic. Thanks very much for this information. It's interesting that information on it made it across the Atlantic during 1944.

p.s. I don't have the time to research this further right now, but despite that I did look in one other book. Tod Rafferty's "The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles" (Courage Books, 1999) says "Vard (1944). Pasadena, California. A 350cc side-valve single, it is thought that only a prototype was made."

[BoschZEV]

Thanks to AFJ for pointing out where photos of the flathead Vard could be found, here is what the machine looked like when new:
Vard_flathead.jpg
Enough detail is shown that someone could do a pretty nice job of restoring it to original condition.

[AFJ]

Thanks to AFJ for pointing out where photos of the flathead Vard could be found, here is what the machine looked like when new:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]16361[/ATTACH]
Enough detail is shown that someone could do a pretty nice job of restoring it to original condition.

In looking closely, the gearbox has a sort of late-30s Burman look to it, and the oil tank on the ohv version looks like the AJS/Matchless/New Imperial ones of that era. The primary case also has a New Imperial look.
AFJ

[BoschZEV]

In looking closely, the gearbox has a sort of late-30s Burman look to it, and the oil tank on the ohv version looks like the AJS/Matchless/New Imperial ones of that era. The primary case also has a New Imperial look.

The Vard is sitting at my friend's shop next to a 1946 BSA B34 (500 cc single) with separate gearbox, rigid frame and girder forks. He said when he shows people the Vard most of them think it looks perfectly reasonable with its unit construction, rear suspension and telescopic forks. He then points to the BSA and reminds them that a bike of that era should look like it, not like a modern motorcycle. The Vard was way ahead of its time.