Investments !

[Dodgy69]

I got made redundant 18 month ago and put money into premium bonds, gets a bit back and it's safe. Mate of mine bought a couple of old Triumphs a TR6 trophy and summot else. He says it's a good investment.

So should we buy a nice clean old bike to make us money ? Something like this.


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1955-TRIUMPH ... 635-2958-0

[Dodgy69]

Chris used to race, Tonfanau was his club track, went very well and shared the lap record. Got a nice collection aswel and another 6 somewhere.

[KungFooBob]

We did the investment thing on another thread, I think it was decided that all the people who have fond memories of 60's bikes will be dead soon, so no one will want to buy them and prices will drop... where as 70's and 80's bike will go up... until those people all die too.

[Cousin Jack]

Buying any 'antique' stuff is a risk. If it is 'in fashion' the price rise can make you a tidy sum, but if it goes 'out of fashion' it can lose you a fortune. Bikes and cars are no different than any other old thing.

The other thing to realise is that the price you see on something for sale is not what you can sell it at. Most stuff is bought by dealers of some sort, some of them amateur but still dealers. Dealers like to buy at a fraction of the price they sell at, and by the .time you realise the price is dropping they have stopped buying and you may have an expensive lump of iron that no-one wants to buy at any price

If you are keen to dabble, feel free, but don't bet you life savings on it. Buy something you like, enjoy it, and if it makes you money that is a bonus.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I can sell you an investment bike, you'll need to invest a whole load more in it to end with something worth less than the money you've spent.

By a bike to ride, not to make money out of, because that won't happen, that ship has sailed.

[Dodgy69]

I get what @KungFooBob says, but when you look at ancient 1920s, 30s, 40s bikes in tidy condition, there fetching plenty and original owners are under the turf.

[G.P]

I'd sink money into an early 30's Henderson, I reckon it would be better than money in the bank

[Mr. Dazzle]

Out of curiosity I've just done a quick check on the BoE's inflation calculator.

My FiL paid £375 (plus road tax) for his/our 1970 Bonneville in 1972. That's now the equivalent of about £5k now. A really nice, totally stock 1970 model year Bonneville - which is peak Bonnie to alot of people - would be about £11k. The one I've got is a very long way from stock and is probably worth loads less.

So maybe £5k return in 50 years of ownership if you squint at it a bit. I've spent nearly that much just fixing the damned thing

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1417544

original owners are under the turf.

Well yeah there is that, before repairs I didn't spend a penny to get this bike. Not the ideal way to claim ownership of something though.

[Rockburner]

The only people who make money from classic vehicle investments are the auctioneers.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Or people buying $12 million Ferraris that have never been driven.

[Dodgy69]

Out of curiosity I've just done a quick check on the BoE's inflation calculator.

My FiL paid £375 (plus road tax) for his/our 1970 Bonneville in 1972. That's now the equivalent of about £5k now. A really nice, totally stock 1970 model year Bonneville - which is peak Bonnie to alot of people - would be about £11k. The one I've got is a very long way from stock and is probably worth loads less.

So maybe £5k return in 50 years of ownership if you squint at it a bit. I've spent nearly that much just fixing the damned thing

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1417544

original owners are under the turf.

Well yeah there is that, before repairs I didn't spend a penny to get this bike. Not the ideal way to claim ownership of something though.

If you own a bike from new, the early year's are depreciation year's and value drops, then after a time the opposite applies and it goes up in value. So maybe, if you buy on the upturn, it can be a good investment.

[Skub]

Used bike prices are so silly now,I see folk selling my model of bike for more than I paid for it in 2020.

Outside of Harleys,that's pretty unusual.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I know a good way to make money, it's low risk and all you have to do is spend some time on it, get a job.

[Count Steer]

Risk is probably the main factor, that and liquidity. How much can you afford to lose and how quickly can you turn stuff into cash? I suppose, with some things, you need to factor in how much it costs to turn them back into cash too. Not to mention on how long you're prepared to wait before things show a profit. Oh, and how much do you have to spend on things while you own them? That and how do you actually buy things without a premium already built in? Then, how well do you know the market? Does the market depend on 'fashion' ie do things go from 'hot' to 'cold' - like some antiques.

For me, bikes fail on almost every point.

[Dickyboy]

Think you'd need a time capsule & pop yerself back to 2000 & pick up some nice late 70's early 80's bikes.

[GuzziPaul]

My Le Mans is worth more than I paid for it, including what I have spent on it (£2k ish), it was a non runner when I got it. I suspect it will continue to go up in value for a while yet, currently they are going for between £10 - £17K, for a MK 1. My 2004 Tuono which I've had from new, has possibly bottomed out and may be rising.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My Le Mans is worth more than I paid for it, including what I have spent on it (£2k ish), it was a non runner when I got it. I suspect it will continue to go up in value for a while yet, currently they are going for between £10 - £17K, for a MK 1. My 2004 Tuono which I've had from new, has possibly bottomed out and may be rising.

Does your wife read this forum?

[Mr. Dazzle]

If you buy a bike for 10k and 20 years later its back to being 10k again you've lost money. They're a shit investment.

[Taipan]

A self-made, wealthy man once said to me about investments, it's just another form of gambling, so don't bet more than you can afford to lose! As I can't afford to lose anything, I've never bet!

[GuzziPaul]

My Le Mans is worth more than I paid for it, including what I have spent on it (£2k ish), it was a non runner when I got it. I suspect it will continue to go up in value for a while yet, currently they are going for between £10 - £17K, for a MK 1. My 2004 Tuono which I've had from new, has possibly bottomed out and may be rising.

Does your wife read this forum?

No, but I do mention the odd comment I read on here. When we were on holiday several years ago, she mentioned ( after a bit of wine) "if you get another Guzzi, I might go on the back of that" , she's not been on the Tuono. Within 3 months I'd got the Le Mans