Kicking myself | GTAMotorcycle.com

Kicking myself

N

nobbie48

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
8-9 years back ai had a chance to buy a 1976 Goldwing Limited. Very low miles and all original and clean $3500 CDN. One just sold at Mecum for $30,000 USD.

My logic back then was I didn't want to run a museum. The rest of the auction was a mixed bag. Older unique Ducs were well into 6 figures.

On the bright side I didn't have a custom chopper built. They were seeing bids for just the price of the wheels.

www.mecum.com

Saturday Motorcycle Lots for Las Vegas 2020

Consignment List Page 1 of Motorcycle lots running on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Mecum Las Vegas 2020 in Las Vegas, NV.
www.mecum.com www.mecum.com
 
I owned a "collectible" motorcycle.

Made the mistake of actually riding it and putting kms on the odometer. So it was worth nothing when I sold it.

If you had bought that Goldwing back then and actually rode it the way Honda intended it to be, it wouldn't be worth $30K USD today.

I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.

I buy vehicles for me, not for the next owner.
 
Last edited:
I get it.
But hindsight is always about kicking yourself in the A__.

When Ducati came out with the Sport Classics I seriously looked at them. The one without the clip-ons was $13995 (as a left over) and a used one was $10995 at GP when they were on Harwood. I liked them but the space between the rear wheel and fender was "wrong" so I moved on.
The prices they're asking for them now is astronomical.
 
nobbie48 said:
8-9 years back ai had a chance to buy a 1976 Goldwing Limited. Very low miles and all original and clean $3500 CDN. One just sold at Mecum for $30,000 USD.

My logic back then was I didn't want to run a museum. The rest of the auction was a mixed bag. Older unique Ducs were well into 6 figures.

On the bright side I didn't have a custom chopper built. They were seeing bids for just the price of the wheels.

www.mecum.com

Saturday Motorcycle Lots for Las Vegas 2020

Consignment List Page 1 of Motorcycle lots running on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Mecum Las Vegas 2020 in Las Vegas, NV.
www.mecum.com www.mecum.com
Click to expand...
That's an factory original condition bike with all the delivery kit. You can get a nice GL1000 for $2500, and unmolested one for $5-6K CAD, the LEs have a small premium. The big dollars for the one in the auction has to do with the provenance and zero miles.

Good luck finding an unmolested bike, virtually everything you find will need a seat ($800), exhaust ($1500), and grabrails ($200) to make it worth more than $2500.
 
Mad Mike said:
That's an factory original condition bike with all the delivery kit. You can get a nice GL1000 for $2500, and unmolested one for $5-6K CAD, the LEs have a small premium. The big dollars for the one in the auction has to do with the provenance and zero miles.

Good luck finding an unmolested bike, virtually everything you find will need a seat ($800), exhaust ($1500), and grabrails ($200) to make it worth more than $2500.
Click to expand...

That's a good point.

If we all had left our toys unused and in their original packaging we could be rich(er) too.
 
quit your dreaming guys and gals.
That $30,000 Wing is a limited production, 2000 units 45 years ago, that sold THEN for $3500. Do the math, doesn't beat inflation by much, about $10000... and you had to STORE the thing for 45 years, in a climate controlled environment.
... AND you had to know it was going to be THAT bike 45 years ago.
Take that $3500 and invest it in 1974 at a modest compounded rate and the returns will buy you all the old goldwings your heart desires in 2020.
If you go through the Mecum results, there were plenty of "limited edition" bikes that were losers.
There was a BUNCH of brand new, still in the crate Bimota, that sold for less than their inflation adjusted prices, A LOT LESS.
There WAS some real deals. Who ever got Les's racers got their monies worth. Two RS125 for around $2000 each, his TR3 (mis labled in the description as a TA) went for $6500... the wheels on that bike sell for $4500

Most of the bikes sold for about what I thought they'd go for... except those couple of bevels that sold for STUPID dough. (Which helps drive the mean price of bevels up, I think this a GOOD thing, I own three bevels. My friends own bevels. The problem being is people see this, then think that their 1979 GTS is worth something. NOPE still a piece of crap that we use for parts for our DESIREABLE bevel bikes. There was at least one GTS in this sale that was at about $9000 and the bidding was kept open, trying to get MORE MONEY. It's not worth $9000 on the open market, "...BUT IT'S A OLD DUCATI!" Yep, it was a POS when new, it's still a POS today).

The Indian Larry bikes sold for STUPID dough too. Who ever bought those up 10 years ago is laughing all the way to the bank.

Investing in bikes, as an investment, is stupid
Investing in bikes to RIDE is fun and rewarding and EXPENSIVE.
 
The mecum auctions are a bag of fun, I've attended a couple and its an exciting day. Investment bikes , if they bring you joy and satisfaction are a great investment. In joy and satisfaction. Theres a 50/50 shot at value going anywhere but sideways .
But you'll never get around those that think because there are so few 40yr old bikes around thiers must be worth a bag full. Not so much sometimes
 
40 year old bikes are worth something? Jeesh,i just gave one away.
 
Robbo said:
40 yr old two-strokes worth even more


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I put it in my daughter's garage last week and told her she couldn't start it till spring because i cleaned and drained the carb. Do you think she will wait?
 
Wingboy said:
I put it in my daughter's garage last week and told her she couldn't start it till spring because i cleaned and drained the carb. Do you think she will wait?
Click to expand...

First warm spell and she’ll be smokin’ out the neighbours lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Robbo said:
First warm spell and she’ll be smokin’ out the neighbours lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It was a snowmobile instead of a bike but a friend once commented "If it doesn't snow soon the lawns are going to be a mess."
 
crankcall said:
The Mecum auctions are a bag of fun, I've attended a couple and its an exciting day. Investment bikes , if they bring you joy and satisfaction are a great investment. In joy and satisfaction. Theres a 50/50 shot at value going anywhere but sideways .
But you'll never get around those that think because there are so few 40yr old bikes around thiers must be worth a bag full. Not so much sometimes
Click to expand...
Robbo said:
40 yr old two-strokes worth even more


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
There are lots of 40+ year old bikes around, unfortunately they aren't typically worth all that much. I have a bunch of them, I only have one that would return my purchase price, and that's only because it came to me road ready and cheap. I couldn't get back the money I have into any of the other bikes.

Don't buy old bikes as an investment unless you really understand the game. It might look tempting to pickup a cheap 70s era bike for restoration, buy know ahead of time there is almost zero chance of breaking even let alone making a profit. If you want to speculate on rarity, be prepared to hold your 'investment' for 10 years just to have hope.

I buy and restore old girls because of a love for the bikes. I really don't care about the value, I pick bikes that I dreamed about or had and enjoyed a long time ago. My return comes in smiles only, if I use that as my only metric I'm a pretty good motorcycle investor.
 
Mad Mike said:
There are lots of 40+ year old bikes around, unfortunately they aren't typically worth all that much. I have a bunch of them, I only have one that would return my purchase price, and that's only because it came to me road ready and cheap. I couldn't get back the money I have into any of the other bikes.

Don't buy old bikes as an investment unless you really understand the game. It might look tempting to pickup a cheap 70s era bike for restoration, buy know ahead of time there is almost zero chance of breaking even let alone making a profit. If you want to speculate on rarity, be prepared to hold your 'investment' for 10 years just to have hope.

I buy and restore old girls because of a love for the bikes. I really don't care about the value, I pick bikes that I dreamed about or had and enjoyed a long time ago. My return comes in smiles only, if I use that as my only metric I'm a pretty good motorcycle investor.
Click to expand...

Restoring to a running bike is bad enough but converting a cafe racer back to showroom is a financial disaster. Price an exhaust system for starters.
 
was just looking at an auction in the UK, an 'original' monkey bike, a 1963 Honda CZ100, which I think was 50cc and predicesor to the z50 miminbike sold for $12k cdn. For an odball minibike.
But a 1927 sunbeam 1cyl sold for 25K which is also a lot of dosh for what it is, went to Hungary
A 50's Vincent comet went for 115k cdn , which was considered a GREAT deal . Because Vincent....

But Mike Hailwoods '73 inscribed Heuer wristwatch sold for 90k cdn so theres that.
 
You can say that about so many things. If only you hadn't played with your GI Joes or Ninja Turtles and kept them pristine in the box they'd be worth X. Imagine hanging onto a Goldwing in the corner of your garage for a decade and not riding, just keeping it nice so that "someday" you could sell it for a profit. Seems silly unless you are wealthy enough to have the extra garage space for this kind of thing.
 
Indeed it can be anything, and some collections just take up more space than others. My probelm was never space or indoor storage, mine was cash LOL.
 
I had a landlord who owns an 81 z28 with 1800km on it, he's the original owner. He also has an 85 rg500 gamma with 1200km, original owner again.
Both are in amazing original condition and have been properly stored from day one. I have no idea what he is saving them for.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
Morrissey said:
You can say that about so many things. If only you hadn't played with your GI Joes or Ninja Turtles and kept them pristine in the box they'd be worth X.
Click to expand...

.. or kept your 1st release of hard bind copy of Harry Potter's 1st novel in prestine condition.. worth a cool $58K !
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom