Classic old bikes

[Paul]

That would be all well and good if you could get them for about 5 grand, but 18K
Surely there comes a point where you have to say that charming as it might be, it just isn't worth that much over a more modern bike costing half as much

It's clearly the rarity factor which is driving the price rather than the inherant ability of the bike compared to modern machinery. If somebody wants one for whatever nostalgic reason, there is a finite and diminishing supply and also healthy interest in buying one from other members of the bike buying public, prices will naturally rise. They are becoming collectors items to be restored, polished and ridden once a year rather than used as daily transport. Nothing wrong with that if that's what floats somebody's boat.

[fontana]

le,

It's clearly the rarity factor which is driving the price rather than the inherant ability of the bike compared to modern machinery. If somebody wants one for whatever nostalgic reason, there is a finite and diminishing supply and also healthy interest in buying one from other members of the bike buying public, prices will naturally rise. They are becoming collectors items to be restored, polished and ridden once a year rather than used as daily transport. Nothing wrong with that if that's what floats somebody's boat.

Oh yes indeed.
It's there money, so let them spend it as they wish,
Nostalgia sells, but I maintain you'd have to be a bit screw loose to part with what some people are asking.
The bike that sticks in my memories from my early days of riding is the CX500.
I'm a big fan of that bike, and would dearly love to own a pristine example, but I'm not going to let emotion take over from common sense, and pay ridiculous money.

[oyster]

I left my job as workshop manager at Hexagon in London in 1978. I had the luxury of working on the upper end production bikes of the day. The full on Laverda Jota 3CE (wire wheels) was my favourite. An absolute animal, thirsty, violently beautifully loud, not the best handling, did I mention loud? Second, Mike Hailwood replica Ducati. Belonged to someone in the LSO! For easy, fast, reliable, any large Kawasaki. Except the ZR1. Which is why I like the R1100S. It harks back to those days, has modern technology (comparably) is cheap to run, and is great fun.

[slparry]

I left my job as workshop manager at Hexagon in London in 1978. I had the luxury of working on the upper end production bikes of the day. The full on Laverda Jota 3CE (wire wheels) was my favourite. An absolute animal, thirsty, violently beautifully loud, not the best handling, did I mention loud? Second, Mike Hailwood replica Ducati. Belonged to someone in the LSO! For easy, fast, reliable, any large Kawasaki. Except the ZR1. Which is why I like the R1100S. It harks back to those days, has modern technology (comparably) is cheap to run, and is great fun.

I loved my Z1R

[dave the german]

le,

It's clearly the rarity factor which is driving the price rather than the inherant ability of the bike compared to modern machinery. If somebody wants one for whatever nostalgic reason, there is a finite and diminishing supply and also healthy interest in buying one from other members of the bike buying public, prices will naturally rise. They are becoming collectors items to be restored, polished and ridden once a year rather than used as daily transport. Nothing wrong with that if that's what floats somebody's boat.

Oh yes indeed.
It's there money, so let them spend it as they wish,
Nostalgia sells, but I maintain you'd have to be a bit screw loose to part with what some people are asking.
The bike that sticks in my memories from my early days of riding is the CX500.
I'm a big fan of that bike, and would dearly love to own a pristine example, but I'm not going to let emotion take over from common sense, and pay ridiculous money.

Mate of mine had a CX500 and we travelled all over with it ( I let my heart rule my head and bought a 250 and was stuck with finance for 3 years so we used his "big" bike for race meets etc), Fond memories of early 80s race meets but it handled $hite and I wouldn't want one - having said that I've got an old SR500

[boxerscott]

Scarcity= Collectable, Fact. No matter how good or bad they were or are.

[fontana]

[b][b]

Scarcity= Collectable, Fact. No matter how good or bad they were or are.

Rarity does not always equal desirability, collectability.
Good example was my Yamaha GTS1000.
Introduced 25 years ago, there are about a dozen of them still registered in the UK.
According to how many left.com, most are sorn and about 6 on the road.
I can believe it, because Yamaha sold hardly any to start with.
Mine was a lovely example, which I sold for £2,800, £200 shy of what I paid.
No one really wanted them back in the day, and that is still the case 25 years later, and it has to be one of the rarest bikes on the road.
It is a great bike actually.
Rare, ground breaking, revolutionary, the first ever mass produced bike with hub centre steering, all the boxes for ticked for a sought after appreciating classic, but it hasn't happened.
This one has been popping on and off for the last year now.
About a grand over what it's worth.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-YAMAHA-G ... SwZ1BXckRJ