[Closed] Classic motorbike market - any experts?

you can get a Classic Bike buyers guide from Sainsburys and what not, i picked one up just to look at the pictures, but they give you a good idea of what is a good buy. At the moment i would presume late 70's/early 80's japanese bikes:

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OMG - not a plastic maggot (cx 500) as a classic please.

I'm not an expert but from having the occasional look around there does seem to have been a slowing of the market. From what I've seen, prices for the most desirable models are still good and some acknowledged classics appear to go for silly money at the top end, as do vintage race bikes.

People are being a bit more choosy down the food chain and it's a bit odd for more modern 'classics' eg. I'm selling my '92 XTZ660 Tenere which seems to be worth considerably less than a '89 XT600 and XT500's from the 70/80's are going for thousands!

What sort of classic are you looking for and price range?

Edit: could be worse TJ - I've seen Honda Dream's touted as classics 😯

[url= http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/classifieds/ ]Vintage bikes for sale[/url] with some very scary prices!

[url= http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/classifieds/vincent-grey-flash-1-of-3-built/ ]Nice Vincent [/url] 😯

My father bought a 1953 Triumph T110 about six years ago for £4k. Last week he was offered £10k for it. Not concourse but in good usable condition.

The classic market is a fickle thing. Honda RC30 is a good expamle of a bike that would never go down in value because of its race heritage.

I kick myself that I past up a chance to buy one about ten years ago.

classic brit bike prices still soaring, esp. velocettes all of which now out of your price range for your 4k you should still be just able to buy a big banger but it will require work. you could of course stump up for some 80's jap stuff but buy wisely look at what everyone else is buying and play safe.
i collect and ride pre 65 trials i have some genuine bikes and some expensively modified specialst stuff the prices for all of which are rising very quickly and sustainably as they aint making any more of them

If you can try and get a good 80s-90s two stroke
they are rocketing in value and will prob continue to do so.

Me I'm still on the lookout for a mint Aprilia rs 250 Biaggi rep 😆

totalshell

Do you by any chance do the one at Beamish in the NE. Always meant to have a look as it finishes virtually on my doorstep?

not really too fussed what I get, as long as it is feaster than a bantam but slower than a fireblade.
Fancy an old brit, but a decent one is pricy. Probably a good investment though should I have to sell.
Woody, not a Tenere, but this dominator based flattie was in BSH a while back. Didn't cost much but looks just gorgeous
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Realistically a tidy early Jap of some sort is most likely.

To the OP. What are you interested in?

I'm interested in something like this ideally
[url= http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/classifieds/triumph-bonneville-2/ ]triumph bonnie[/url]
But don't have anything specific I'm hunting for.
Wouldn't mind a jap bike, would love a harley wla but don't have the cash.

This is a good website and the guys that run it know their stuff. I bought an 80s XL600 from there years back. They ain't cheap but good stuff never is
[url= http://classicbikes.co.uk/ ]classicbikes.co.uk[/url]

I've got a 88 RGV250 Wolf and I love it, a world apart from any of your modern motorcycles.

Oi TJ the maggot is a classic, amazing machine 🙂

GreaT! a chance to post a pic of my classic bike......

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I dunno what prices are doing, and I don't care, I paid good money for my bike and I love it and I ain't selling it.

It's the bike I dreamt of owning when I was 18, and when I ride it I am!!!! 😉

I was considering a classic bike last year as an 'investment' (money sitting in the bank making half of eff all in interest) My thoughts were that if it didn't make any money, I would still get the pleasure of owning/tinkering/riding it- rather than looking at a bank statement every now and again.

I had narrowed it down to a few bikes that i fancied - a Bonnie, Commando, Moto Morini 3 1/2, Laverda Jota. But when I started looking about & reading Classic Bike etc, I added more potentials every other week. CBXs, Katana, old beemers, moto guzzi etc. Eventually spunked my money on a ducati 2004 749r. I know its not a classic, but all bikes/cars become classics if you have them long enough 😛
As strato says'

I dunno what prices are doing, and I don't care, I paid good money for my bike and I love it and I ain't selling it.

It's the bike I dreamt of owning when I was [s]18[/s] a wee bit older

Bedmaker if you've got the money, do it and enjoy it. If you take into account running costs, repairs, insurance etc you might not make any money, you might break even or you might take a hit- but if you get the right bike for you- you'll have endless pride & pleasure.

I'm on the lookout for a red 1978 Mz 250 ts if anyone knows of a decent one 8)

http://www.route65.co.uk/416955/index.htm

Just like this please
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Reckon you head to 'New' Europe or Turkey you'll pick up any number of those, good luck riding them back though.

Anyone got a nice 400 Four?

I've already got one useable '80's classic, am XBR500 but quite fancy another - perhaps an NS400R.

Classic for me means 80's bikes, because that's when I was a teenager just starting out with motorbikes, and those are the bikes I lusted after - even mundane bikes like Z400J's.

Also wouln't mind getting one of the bikes I had as a teenager - Suzuki X1, Honda CB125TB or Kawasaki AR125LC.

Strato - cool Kwacker. Are they as mad as their rep says?? Rode a 250 once, couldn't get near a 500 or 750 when I was first on bikes....

That RD350 looks ace. What are they like in real life?

Reckon you head to 'New' Europe or Turkey you'll pick up any number of those

Reckon you head to 'New' Europe or Turkey you'll pick up any number of those, good luck riding them back though.

Going to see a CB400 today. My old physics teacher had one for commuting and ruined it with a big screen and top box. There was always a nice wee bike lurking under it though.

anyone know Greek? Reckon a look on gumtree Greece might be a good idea 😆

Trick is to buy before it becomes [b]really[/b] collectible rather than just a good used bike - so either raved about at the time (usually expensive and hold their value), or didn't sell too well at the time for whatever reason due to market trends/fashion/cost...................or odd looks. My 'investment', which happens to be wickedly fast and seriously underrated 😉

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Is that an RF900? In which case I'm not convinced it'll ever be a classic...

😀

With performance like this for less than the price of a middling mtb, who cares 😉

[url= http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/Bike-Reviews/Suzuki/Suzuki-RF900R-1995-99/ ]MCN 5 Stars[/url]
[url= http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/reviews/rf900r12_96.htm ]Reviews[/url]

I've just paid £900 for a 74 RD350B in bits

It's going to be my retirement project in 3 years or so

[b]Reckon you head to 'New' Europe or Turkey you'll pick up any number of those
[/b]
I'm not sure you could - Japanese motorbikes were practically not sold in the Communist countries (don't know about Turkey) and motorcycling was never as big as it is here, so the only ones they have of that era will have been imported used from W Europe since 89 anyway. You'd find a few Soviet/Jawa/MZ etc but they'll have been binned for being crap ages ago.

I meant the MZ

I meant the MZ

I'd buy this and put it in the living room -

[url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YAMAHA-R6-TURBO-AWD-/280695282526?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item415abe1b5e ]Niche[/url]

Can't really see it depreciating.

Apparantly there's money to be made in old sheds. I know of a guy in North Yorkshire who's a garage full of old Capris, Cortinas, nothing mega expensive in their day but now they make him money when he loans them to TV and film studios. The Royal, Heartbeat etc

Konnabunny the lc's are the best bike that Yamaha ever made, the sweet smell of two-stroke in the morning.....the joy of spending a couple of hundred quid to get a huge increase in power...The 500 was scary though.Get a later one with the ypvs. However they have ALL been messed with. (mine,bored out to 388,micron,carb,filter all messed with and I was skint at the time of owning one)

Plastic maggot is,was,always be gouping.

I'd like an LC but I think it'd have to be the 500.

firefly anyone 😉

seen a couple of Suzki GT750's for less than 4grand that with attention would be worth much more prices of them seem to be going up. My old man had ones years ago so I kindof look out for them.

he's currently got one of these which seems to be going up in value nicely
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'Found' one of these today[img] [/img]
under a cover in a farm shed where it has been since 2008. Exactly like that one minus the screen.
Casually asked the owner (who I am working for) about it. Serious badgering to commence tomorrow.

I've got an original brochure somewhere for the California

Remember reading PB at the time the RF900 was launched and the quote that has stuck with me is 'it has a brake light from a Klingon Battleship' 😉

Oh if I was buying it would be an RGV and one of the banana swingarm versions.

love RGV s but that is a proper fast bike (until it seizes obviously) I couldn't really trust myself with a fast bike.

rgv ain't that fast - 50 ish BHP?

Jap classic I'd go for an original katana

British go for a BSA twin - still undervalued or a BSA single

something like this http://www.cotswold-classics.co.uk/viewitem.php?currency=gbp&list=stock&id=2011

Tehrea re specialists who do engine work - SRM and spares are available.

@konabunny the RD350 I rode in the 80's was Terry Beckett tuned and below 6k rpm was as quick as a supermarket trolley then dead on 6k all hell broke loose and I was screaming down the road on the back wheel. The sweetest bike I ever owned was a '78 Suzuki GS750 I absolutely loved it, drove from Gothenburg to Hamburg (500 mls) in one day. Borrowed a BSA A7 500 for a weekend back in the 60's, it was pants.

TJ - it is very light though, the Schwantz/Rainey bikes aren't particularly high in modern 'bhp' terms but still quick I would say 😉

RGV

This motorcycle's engine performance is not very inspiring at engine speeds under 7,000 rpm, due to the two stroke engine power delivery of a relatively narrow power band. However, once the engine is revved over 8,000 rpm, the power delivery characteristics effectively doubles

A laid back plodder is what I'm after really.