Investment Bikes

[dayglo jim]

As others have said, they're a poor long term investment, short and medium term is probably better. I made a good profit on the kh250 because it was very cheap when I got it and the middle piston wasn't seized and didn't require a lot of time or money input (had it for ten years), both the rs250s were bought cheap and sold 3,8 years later. The price wouldn't have gone up much if I had held on for much longer and I can't have a bike just to look at.

[Scotsrich]

An investment bike only remains as such if there are the buyers for it.

Your typical RC30 buyer (I’m generalising here) is a biker or ex biker who has had a broad experience of bikes and has seen/ lusted over one of these for years. In the same way a car owner might buy a classic Triumph Spitfire. Partly as an investment but partly because they always wanted one.

With the younger generation increasingly using bikes as commuters and treating them as white goods will they be interested in buying the classic bikes of the future?
Would your Corsa driving chav ever think of buying a classic car?

[weeksy]

Depends what you class as classic, Focus RS I'm sure they will.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I honestly expected a Mk1 Focus RS to cost more than it currently does....they're about £25k for a good one by the looks of it, so even they have not outstripped inflation.

If you'd bought one about 10 years ago you'd have made a decent profit though.

[demographic]

An investment bike only remains as such if there are the buyers for it.

Your typical RC30 buyer (I’m generalising here) is a biker or ex biker who has had a broad experience of bikes and has seen/ lusted over one of these for years. In the same way a car owner might buy a classic Triumph Spitfire. Partly as an investment but partly because they always wanted one.

With the younger generation increasingly using bikes as commuters and treating them as white goods will they be interested in buying the classic bikes of the future?
Would your Corsa driving chav ever think of buying a classic car?

Dunno, give it time and I reckon Corsas will become a classic in the same way Escorts did.

I really don't want one mind but I bet a few young charvars will get all misty eyed over them when they've make their money.

[Yorick]

My pal has mint RC30 and also mint YPVS350 F2.
He keeps the PV in his huge kitchen and the RC30 in his lounge. He takes them out 2 or 3 times a year and always gets a crowd round talking.

So he can see them and ride them and they are making a few bob.

He's happy


PS, he might be moving over here soon, so I'll make room in my garage

[Mr. Dazzle]

Fully agree.

My daughter has cash investments with a good old fashioned multi trillion dollar fund management firm Rock n' Roll.

P.S. I can't imagine ever selling the Bonnie and sort of imagine baby D will inherit it one day. Quite what she's going to do with a fossil fuel powered antique in 2065 I'm not sure. She won't be able to get fuel for it and it'll probably be illegal to manually control your own vehicle on the road by then anyway. On the other hand, maybe she'll be able to do a cool Back to the Future style hover conversion on it.

[Whysub]

I have some investments that I do not have to garage, maintain or insure, and can access at any time instantly should I need to. But I can't really admire them visually either.

However, my mate keeps telling me that "Shrouds don't have pockets" but with nothing I desire to buy at the moment, the investments stay.

[Jody]

I can't help thinking that the " 90's sports bikes " bubble will burst before too long !!??

They are wanted by guys that were 18 in the 90's but couldn't afford the bikes at the time. Now these guys are pushing 50, they can spend £5 -£10K on a classic, but when they ride them they (or will soon) find them too uncomfortable and too fast. This would then lead to a glut of mint 90's sportsbikes and very few people that want them.

All that is to say nothing of electric varients coming in and ICE becoming less and less popular/viable.

A friend of mine has quite a collection, often clean "MK1" versions with lowish miles but also a 50K miles fireblade and a ZXR750 in need of thorough going over. He's already done very well investment wise as he's bought right and had them several years already (he paid less that £750 for the ZXR!). His thoughts are similar to mine and he's very close to starting to advertise the bikes, get out of it while the going is good.! ?

[Mr. Dazzle]

Yeah that basically ^^^.

Old strokers will be worth fuck all in not many years time 'cause no-one will remember them. People in their 40-50s trying to recapture their youth won't have a clue what they are. Ditto with R1s and Blades and what not a few years later.

A bike has to be very special indeed to transcend rose tinted nostalgia and become something 'the market' would still value IMO.

[Jody]

Yeah but using your logic, you'd have needed to buy 50 of them really.

But if he had, there would be 49 more "on the market" than there is currently, therefore they'd be worth less ??

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I like old bikes, I've got 4 of them, oldest 1982, newest 1991, none of them are investments, they're all money pits, but a bike because you want, not because you think you're going to make money on it - you won't, I know someone who spent £9K on restoring a 1983 RD350YPVS, ignore what people are asking on eBay, a realistic estimate of what it's worth is £6K, and it is immaculate.

[Scotsrich]

If I ever bought a bike to keep long term it would be one that I cherished.

And I suppose that also means it might not be quite the right model in quite the right colour but I wouldn’t care.

I’d never buy a bike that I didn’t like the look of for instance no matter it’s value or how much it would appreciate.

[Taipan]

A mint first edition, bog standard Duc 916.

[GuzziPaul]

I think first or last editions of any bike will have a value as long as they are standard or near enough.
Sold my RD250LC for £4100 a couple of years ago, completly standard apart from braided front brake line, got it for £700 in 1992.
My Tuono I got new in 2004, standard apart from double bubble screen and fuel exhaust (I have the originals still). I suspect the price of that has bottommed and may be starting to rise.
Le Mans. As it's a genuine Mk1 with paperwork to prove it, its currently insured for £13,000, a few £1000s more than I paid for it but did spend £2000 recommissioning it. MK1s are advertised between £10K to £18K although I suspect there are only about 10 years left before it will be meaningless.
DT175MX Last edition of this bike owned by friends before me. Given for free and fairly standard although no indicators and a bit rough although mostly orginal, prices for these are rising.

A mate has (last time he told me) 28 bikes, which includes I think, four Suzuki X7, and RG250 RG500, CX500, Honda Blackbird and last year bought an RC30 at auction. Not realy investments he just likes the bikes and can afford them.

[Whysub]

What about the first Zero EV's? First road legal model became available to buy in 2009. Claimed to have a 50 mile range and 70mph top speed from its (equivalent) 30bhp motor.

Not sure what the cost of the bike was then, or who on Earth would have lusted after owning an EV 12 years ago.

[KungFooBob]

There's a CX650 Turbo for sale near me on t'bay and they want £20k for it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Crackers.
I paid £2k for mine - I've spent a lot on it but nowhere near that much.

Just short of £18k...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-RD350 ... SwVrtgMSfx

I reckon now is the time to be getting shot of things like that ^^^^. Its basically people like you (affluent, middle aged, yoofs in the 80s) buying them isn't it?

Once that crowd has gone you need a very very special bike indeed to retain lots of value.

[weeksy]

Back 6-7 years ago, these MVs in this scheme were £5999 up at Ducati Aylesbury with 1000 miles. I almost bought one but couldn't as i had issues getting insured.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MV-AGUSTA-F4 ... SwiXpgO05q

[Yorick]

Crackers.
I paid £2k for mine - I've spent a lot on it but nowhere near that much.

Just short of £18k...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-RD350 ... SwVrtgMSfx

I reckon now is the time to be getting shot of things like that ^^^^. Its basically people like you (affluent, middle aged, yoofs in their 80s) buying them isn't it?

Didn't know Iccy was that old?