Sean
Another 602 fan
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Junk mate, ill be down next week to lift it for you , ill give you £60, that'll cover the scrap and as a bonus Ill not charge you for the Diesel!
- Thread starter waddycall
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JEZGUZ
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If you want to make any money from it you should have bought it 20 years ago. Buying something a bit rough will swallow any potential profit in restoration costs and once you have restored it, the minute you take it on the road it will lose value. I'd buy something like a mid range classic Jap and use it as it is and enjoy the bike and if it turns a profit when you sell it that'll be a bonus.
angellonewolf
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to be fair most classics will do better than 5000 in a bank over 5 years but as with classic cars if the bank rate goes up the cost of classic goes down as people then like money in a bank
daleyd
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The trick would be to buy something that’s not yet a classic but is likely to become one in the future.
Back in the late 80’s classic car prices sky rocketed, early 90’s they went through the floor - i guess same as any other investment there is an element of risk and good fortune.
Back in the late 80’s classic car prices sky rocketed, early 90’s they went through the floor - i guess same as any other investment there is an element of risk and good fortune.
keithski122
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I think with classic bikes as with classic cars as soon as the people that remember them from their youth become too old/pass away the value will start to drop.Scooters that in my youth I would have paid no more than a couple of hundred quid for now are thousands, look up the prices classic lambrettas are selling for.However the people that remember them from their youth are in their 60's/70's with me probably one of the younger ones in my 50's.Most people younger than me weren't really in to the "scene" as such.
daleyd
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I’ve got a very old t shirt with Giancarlo Fallappa doing a stand up wheelie on one - about as close as I’ll ever get!If only I'd bought a Ducati 851or 888 15 years ago like I wanted to...
lotus_esprit_s1
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I bought a few rd500’s in the early 2000’s, cheap performance back then. Quadrupled my money on them when I sold them all ten years ago. If I’d kept them they’d be worth ten times what I paid for them now!
winchman
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I agree I cant back it up with facts but I feel prewar stuff is not as popular as it once was, but loads of interest in 70's and 80's stuff
Cato
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Most 'valuable' classics are low numbers produced/survived, quirky looks/technology or the very common/ordinary as those tend not to be looked after and get scrapped. They need to be original UK bikes with as much of the 'left the dealership' parts still fitted as possible.
So something like the first run of Hayabusa, unrestricted in the bronze colour. As mentioned by others, loads wanted them, few could afford one. Lots got chucked at the scenery, more were customised and a lot got broken to use the engine in something else.
Avoid 'retro' looking bikes like the GSX 1400 or the new Z1000. They won't climb in value because enough of the originals still exist.
Finding the right bike (or car) is very difficult as there are people who make a full time living looking for them.
So something like the first run of Hayabusa, unrestricted in the bronze colour. As mentioned by others, loads wanted them, few could afford one. Lots got chucked at the scenery, more were customised and a lot got broken to use the engine in something else.
Avoid 'retro' looking bikes like the GSX 1400 or the new Z1000. They won't climb in value because enough of the originals still exist.
Finding the right bike (or car) is very difficult as there are people who make a full time living looking for them.
addjunkie
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I think classic bike market will dwindle in time…..look at biking demographic on this forum for example. Remember we-all want what we couldn't afford in our late teens early 20s. Go to any bike event now, the proportions of over 50s and over 60s are huge. So your potential market will decrease in size as time marches on. British bikes seem to have plateaued I think largely supported the last few years by the hipster!
Those of us who were 80s hooligans are the current buyers but only certain icons really hold great value. And based on experience restoring old 70s or 80s bikes is an expensive buisness.
An example that springs to mind..Rose tinted Glasses wearer buys rd 350 lc, a good choice, pay 2.5 k for a rider but non standard. Nice bike for a Sunday blast loads of grinnnnnn factor. 3 years and about extra 5 k in, he now has an almost perfect bike worth maybe 6 or 7k if he can find a buyer. As we all know asking and getting are two very different thing! Suspect his kids will flog it as quick as possible once his toes go up!
If they are an investement it has to be impersonal and you cannot have feelings for-the bike, once emotion gets involved, it becomes very hard to punt them on if the market begins to turn!
Those of us who were 80s hooligans are the current buyers but only certain icons really hold great value. And based on experience restoring old 70s or 80s bikes is an expensive buisness.
An example that springs to mind..Rose tinted Glasses wearer buys rd 350 lc, a good choice, pay 2.5 k for a rider but non standard. Nice bike for a Sunday blast loads of grinnnnnn factor. 3 years and about extra 5 k in, he now has an almost perfect bike worth maybe 6 or 7k if he can find a buyer. As we all know asking and getting are two very different thing! Suspect his kids will flog it as quick as possible once his toes go up!
If they are an investement it has to be impersonal and you cannot have feelings for-the bike, once emotion gets involved, it becomes very hard to punt them on if the market begins to turn!
More Amps
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Some excellent points made here and as far as the demographics go, you need to take a look at the age of people riding bikes - the average age of a biker has risen as the bike test has got progressively harder/complex/expensive. Gone are the days of reaching 17, swinging your leg over the fastest 250 you could find and then going round the block a couple of times while an examiner patrolled on foot. Nowadays you reach 17 get your provisional, do the theory test, do the mod 1, do the mod 2 and have to wait a year or two before you can upgrade your licence to full status. It used to be that a bike was a cheap alternative to a car, but when getting your licence is going to cost you a grand the result is that there are fewer youngsters taking to bikes which means fewer buyers down the line when you're looking to sell. Throw in the possibility of a recession caused by the cost of paying back the plague and suddenly bikes aren't perhaps quite such a secure investment.
I say all this as the owner of a 20 year old Africa Twin with 20K on the clock and one previous owner who would be very happy if it shoots up in price - but in the meantime I'll ride it and enjoy it (and keep looking for the next addition to the stable!)
I say all this as the owner of a 20 year old Africa Twin with 20K on the clock and one previous owner who would be very happy if it shoots up in price - but in the meantime I'll ride it and enjoy it (and keep looking for the next addition to the stable!)
8ob
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Thats a fairly balanced overview @addjunkie
My younger brother has built up a fair collection of ex works racers, he buys/trades them, they seem to do well. Last one I sat on and rode was a road registered TZ750,scared the life out of me.
Bob
Cato
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The only people who weren't scared on a TZ750 where either just sitting there making engine noises, or scantily clad models doing photo shoots.Thats a fairly balanced overview @addjunkie
My younger brother has built up a fair collection of ex works racers, he buys/trades them, they seem to do well. Last one I sat on and rode was a road registered TZ750,scared the life out of me.
Bob
8ob
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I should have rephrased that, it was road registered
It never had a speedo, I took it down the road and wound it up to a rev that induced a brown trouser moment, took it back and my brother assured me I hadn't even taken it into its power band. The guys that rode these things flat out must have had a screw loose.Bob
