Classic Bike Values - Will the bubble burst ?

A big problem and deterrent for owning a lot of older bikes and particularly restorations will be sourcing parts. Already a lot of Laverdas are kept on the road by a diminishing number of bikes being broken and the parts sold. A lot of early Jap stuff was upgraded annually by the big four and lots of parts are getting as rare as rocking horse poo. It means a lot of pretty ordinary machines will only be fit to trailer around between shows where no one is really interested in them that much.
 
A big problem and deterrent for owning a lot of older bikes and particularly restorations will be sourcing parts. Already a lot of Laverdas are kept on the road by a diminishing number of bikes being broken and the parts sold. A lot of early Jap stuff was upgraded annually by the big four and lots of parts are getting as rare as rocking horse poo. It means a lot of pretty ordinary machines will only be fit to trailer around between shows where no one is really interested in them that much.

That’s true enough
A lot of parts for 1990’s Jap bikes are now obsolete already so they are now ‘end of life’ in the manufacturer’s eyes
 
Low interest rates play a part. There's a fixed supply of classic bikes and the price rises over the last few years have been reason enough for some to 'invest'. I do wonder, like the OP, about the bikes that people are buying. There are a lot of bikes that were poor and cheap at the time that are fetching daft prices. Maybe it's more about nostalgia and ownership than the experience of riding them for some. There does seems to be a generational trend to price increases. The price of 70s 2 strokes has gone crazy, though I rarely see any of them on the road. 90s race reps may be the the next craze, as each generation ages and becomes more affluent. The money people spend on restorations may also inflate asking prices. Having invested lots of cash on restoration, people want as much back as possible when it comes go selling. At the top end, bikes like Borough Superiors, Vincents, and early bevel Ducatis have become the preserve of investors.

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People buy either , what they like or what they think will gain in value.
To talk of Vincents and Broughs as classics is wrong. They were wildly expensive when new and have always been aspirational for collectors , bit like Mil Sub Rolexes, very rare super expensive bonkers appreciation.

Then you have nostalgia, and nostalgia is linked to age , so regretfully British 50’s and 60’s bikes are becoming less desirable , because to own a 5 year old Ariel when you 16 in 1955 you are now 81. And not too many 81 year olds buy bikes, they sell up.

Nostalgia fuels the daft £7k FS1e’s we see. They were slow and ponderous in the 70’s. But in 1977 same 16 year old pimply youth, is 60 eg still buying bikes. And if they had a 5 year old then they are 65 and retired with a lump sum. How else as Honda Cubs hitting £2/3 K.

So I recon classic bikes cache will move with age. As has been said above Slabbies early Fireblades R1’s are climbing.

Did I hear “ I fancied a round case” thats a third dimension, something we have aspired to , but never owned and we buy totally for being inquisitive! I know I bought a mint C15 , it was a dog! But I allway was inquisitive as to the attraction of Brit singles.
 
Low interest rates play a part. There's a fixed supply of classic bikes and the price rises over the last few years have been reason enough for some to 'invest'. I do wonder, like the OP, about the bikes that people are buying. There are a lot of bikes that were poor and cheap at the time that are fetching daft prices. Maybe it's more about nostalgia and ownership than the experience of riding them for some. There does seems to be a generational trend to price increases. The price of 70s 2 strokes has gone crazy, though I rarely see any of them on the road. 90s race reps may be the the next craze


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Here you go a 70’s 2 stroke on the road last year and a 90’s both ridden last year
 

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That KR 1S looks lovely. I had an RD250E and an RD400C when I was younger. They were great fun, but they were cheap and undesirable at the time (1990s). I sold the 400 for £400.

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That KR 1S looks lovely. I had an RD250E and an RD400C when I was younger. They were great fun, but they were cheap and undesirable at the time (1990s). I sold the 400 for £400.

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My KH was bought by a previous owner in 1992 for £160! The constant changes of learner laws made them undesirable. He told me he bought two new nos side panels for £25. New nos rims £20. People pay £300 now for a front mudguard, full sets of re chromed exhausts nudge £800.
 
My KH was bought by a previous owner in 1992 for £160! The constant changes of learner laws made them undesirable. He told me he bought two new nos side panels for £25. New nos rims £20. People pay £300 now for a front mudguard, full sets of re chromed exhausts nudge £800.

After the law changed in 1983 you couldn’t give 250s away

Me and 2 school friends bought a Suzuki GT 250 between us with our pocket money and thrashed it up and down the slag heaps near our homes until it died, we were 15 years old :D
 
I have got a few "classic" BSA bikes of varying capacity. They are not worth a fortune and I rebuilt them all and it cost me a lot more than I will ever get back for them. They dont do a lot of miles; I got pleasure in restoring them and get pleasure in owning them. I often do wonder about selling them as no one may want them in the future.
A friend of mine has a business selling Bantam parts. He has never been busier and is amazed how many Bantams are being restored or worked on. Another dealer near me said he can sell Bantams and smaller British bikes very easily but the larger machines are becoming a problem. The older bloke struggles kicking over a large old Brit bike but can still manage one of the smaller ones.
Cost of restoration is also getting expensive if work has to be farmed out. This makes restoring a lower valued bike less attractive.
I think lower valued classic cars will also suffer. MGBs are common and are still relatively cheap still. But bodywork is expensive to repair and restoration costs will gradually push many to be scrapped. I think that is why bikes as an investment appear more attractive.
Future fuel issues may also be a problem in making them less attractive as an investment.
Enjoy your classics but dont expect to make a fortune from them. I know the total value of mine adds up to less than a year or twos depreciation on a new car which people just accept!
 
If the market tanks then I’ll just buy another classic that I fancy owning, I’d sooner spend £12-15k on a nice T160 Trident than a similar amount on a 3-4year old GS, at least it’ll make me smile every time I look at it :beerjug:

Then there's the definition of 'classic': as it left the factory or re-engineered using modern technology to make it everyday usable - do you want to look at it and smile or ride it somewhere?

Read a Classic Bikes article by a guy who had an open cheque restoration done on a T160, 3 pages dedicated to the 'as per the factory spec rebuild' then the last para with the owner becoming disenchanted as all the original short comings of the faithfully restored classic came to life. Having had a T160 new in 1976 I could sadly predict the outcome: the inconvenience of a thirsty bike with a small fuel tank, a clutch cable that couldn't handle the clutch (need for a left hand that could crack walnuts unaided), clutch prone to slip, starter motor unreliable, started to smoke on middle cylinder within 1000mi, spokes on rear wheel unable to hold tension, carbs going out of sync because they all had their own stretchy bit of cable etc. Oh how I laughed. I replaced my T160 with a Honda 550 Four K3 which suffered a filament failure in 36,000mi ~ and nothing else.

Want to smile and ride round Europe, then choose carefully or be prepared to own a stable of bikes!

I guess there will always be a demand for the 'right classic' so may be there will always be some form of bubble!
 
I have got a few "classic" BSA bikes of varying capacity. They are not worth a fortune and I rebuilt them all and it cost me a lot more than I will ever get back for them. They dont do a lot of miles; I got pleasure in restoring them and get pleasure in owning them. I often do wonder about selling them as no one may want them in the future.
A friend of mine has a business selling Bantam parts. He has never been busier and is amazed how many Bantams are being restored or worked on. Another dealer near me said he can sell Bantams and smaller British bikes very easily but the larger machines are becoming a problem. The older bloke struggles kicking over a large old Brit bike but can still manage one of the smaller ones.
Cost of restoration is also getting expensive if work has to be farmed out. This makes restoring a lower valued bike less attractive.
I think lower valued classic cars will also suffer. MGBs are common and are still relatively cheap still. But bodywork is expensive to repair and restoration costs will gradually push many to be scrapped. I think that is why bikes as an investment appear more attractive.
Future fuel issues may also be a problem in making them less attractive as an investment.
Enjoy your classics but dont expect to make a fortune from them. I know the total value of mine adds up to less than a year or twos depreciation on a new car which people just accept!

I think a lot of ‘older chaps’ like to have a project on the go and the smaller bikes are more affordable, both to buy and restore. The bigger bikes (A7/10 for example), especially in rstored condition are way overpriced and hard to find as projects.

Then there's the definition of 'classic': as it left the factory or re-engineered using modern technology to make it everyday usable - do you want to look at it and smile or ride it somewhere?

Read a Classic Bikes article by a guy who had an open cheque restoration done on a T160, 3 pages dedicated to the 'as per the factory spec rebuild' then the last para with the owner becoming disenchanted as all the original short comings of the faithfully restored classic came to life. Having had a T160 new in 1976 I could sadly predict the outcome: the inconvenience of a thirsty bike with a small fuel tank, a clutch cable that couldn't handle the clutch (need for a left hand that could crack walnuts unaided), clutch prone to slip, starter motor unreliable, started to smoke on middle cylinder within 1000mi, spokes on rear wheel unable to hold tension, carbs going out of sync because they all had their own stretchy bit of cable etc. Oh how I laughed. I replaced my T160 with a Honda 550 Four K3 which suffered a filament failure in 36,000mi ~ and nothing else.

Want to smile and ride round Europe, then choose carefully or be prepared to own a stable of bikes!

I guess there will always be a demand for the 'right classic' so may be there will always be some form of bubble!

I get the impression that, whilst the media advises otherwise, there are lots of peeps out there that think they can make a profit on a restoration. I’m the sort that would much rather have a T160 rather than a Honda 550 in the shed although well aware that I need a garage full of other bikes to actually ride!
 
That’s what I’ve got modern reliable bikes in my garage as well.

British bikes ( and classic cars) have a reputation for not being very reliable.
They say about Land Rovers; If you want to go into the desert get a Land Rover, if you want to come back, get a Land Cruiser.
 
I sometimes fantasise about modernising (SRM oil pump, multigrade oil and filter, Electronic ignition etc.) my A10 to make it reliable enough to take it on a long trip, then I see sense!
 
The only good thing I can say about British bikes we rode it made us fairly good amateur mechanics and auto electricians thanks to the prince of darkness:D
 
I sometimes fantasise about modernising (SRM oil pump, multigrade oil and filter, Electronic ignition etc.) my A10 to make it reliable enough to take it on a long trip, then I see sense!

Back in the early 80's the local BSA club branch decided to go on a group trip to Belgium I think it was and asked me if I wanted to go on my A10. I didn't take them up on the offer but the talk at the next meeting was mostly about who broke down where. The first one apparently was before they'd even got out of Kidderminster. Not my idea of fun, but they seemed to think it was quite normal to break down and took it all in their stride........
 
I sometimes fantasise about modernising (SRM oil pump, multigrade oil and filter, Electronic ignition etc.) my A10 to make it reliable enough to take it on a long trip, then I see sense!

I've got an A7 Shooting Star that has been in my parent's garage since I got it in 2009 and has not been used that much. It had a full SRM rebuild, just before I 'bought' it from my brother-in-law, but sill need kicking over, and I am now wondering whether I should keep it or sell it... The garage at my house is only big enough for my two current bikes.

The only downside to the bike is a dented fuel tank after I ran out of road and rear ended a car in 2010, fully rebuilt and passed several MoTs, but the replacement front mudguard still needs painting!
 
The only good thing I can say about British bikes we rode it made us fairly good amateur mechanics and auto electricians thanks to the prince of darkness:D

My wife says to this day , the time I owned a Beeza was the quietest time she ever had. Many many nights in the garage , chasing earth faults, fixing wiring, repairing silencers and of course polishing the bike to within an inch of its life.

See below for evidence
 
Sort of sums it up..............
 

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