Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
Thomas Schmieder

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

13 photos

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
Thomas Schmieder

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Second, third, sold! A look at what’s going on in the classic market.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
Limbacher

2/13
Dreams of a whole generation: The classic dealerships have many beloved models under one roof.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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BMW R 90 S For a good copy of the Hans A. Courageously designed boxers, you have to reckon with five-digit amounts.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
Cathcart

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Brough Superior Whether SS 80 or SS 100 – the rare noble Britons easily achieve mid six-figure sums at auctions.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Ducati 750 SS The unmistakable Italo beauty is already expensive today – and will probably become even more expensive in the future.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
r-photography.info

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EGLI-CBX The Egli represents the special frame vehicle niche: low supply, increasing demand.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Munch If you want to buy one of the rare bikes from the legendary inventor Friedel Munch, you have to have good contacts or a lot of patience.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
bilski-fotografie.de

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Kawasaki H2 The sharpest weapon in the air-cooled three-cylinder series is torn from the hands of every supplier.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Kawasaki Z 1 / Z 900 If you have one today, you will hardly give it back. The range of examples of the cult Kawa is low.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Honda Gold Wing The original Gold Wing could gradually become interesting for a wider circle of classic fans.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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Norton 850 Commando The Norton is representative of the British Twins – demand and prices are more or less constant.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market
Suzuki

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SUZUKI RG 500 The classy two-stroke racer developed early on into a sought-after and very expensive collector’s item.

Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

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YAMAHA RD 350 YPVS The surviving copies of the 80s hit are now in demand and are becoming more expensive almost every day.

Price tendencies for classics

Motorcycles as an investment?

Content of

Record sales for classic motorcycles at auctions make headlines – is the market now taking off completely? Time to take a look at what is happening in the market as a whole.

E.a million dollars for an old motorcycle? Laypeople shake their heads uncomprehendingly, collectors and lovers of four-wheeled treasures will find nothing unusual at such prices. Is the two-wheeler market going in a similar direction, or is it impossible to compare it at all, given the significantly lower number of vehicles and potential buyers? Time to interview traders and experts who deal with market developments and price developments on a daily basis. Everyone agrees on one point at least: there is no talk of a boom, a strong increase in vehicles and those willing to buy, and a general explosion in prices. Rather, there is talk of constancy, and in some areas also of stagnation. In some areas and for special models, a price ceiling seems to have been reached at the moment, and individual bikes even seem to be slightly overrated. Other motorcycles, on the other hand, such as a large, international classic dealer, would be snatched out of his hands at almost any price, if he had any. Example: Ducati 750 SS. Like the round engine Ducatis in general.

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Price tendencies in the motorcycle classic market

Price tendencies for classics
Motorcycles as an investment?

Classic as a pure investment?

Unlike in the automotive sector, however, there are no pure investors who rely on value retention or increase in value (speculators), but collectors or enthusiasts who are passionate about it. Jochen Hack, an expert at the mega retailer Limbacher, sees this again & Limbacher, at least on this point a little different – he can certainly report on “agents” who are on the lookout for particularly rare, lucrative models for wealthy investors, regardless of brand or model. Here, too, and there is agreement, the prices for the very expensive exotic items such as Vincent, Brough Superior, Munch, MV Agusta etc. have reached such a high level that no further enormous increases are to be expected for the time being. In any case, bikes in this league are rarely offered. To make matters worse, the global market is gaining in importance. Medium and high-priced motorcycles are increasingly going to Asia. But not only the Japanese buy many of their classics in Europe, Thailand is also becoming increasingly important. Even in Europe there is a noticeable price differential – in England, for example, classics are offered and sold at significantly higher prices than in Germany. Yes, the British are often willing to blindly buy bikes at high prices and then have them delivered. Their own products, such as the British twins from Triumph, Norton or BSA, which are actually revered as cult bikes, lag a bit in terms of value development.


Limbacher

Dreams of a whole generation: The classic dealerships have many beloved models under one roof.

That is how classic analytics expert Frank Meibner sees it: “Many models have grown significantly in recent years, but have reached a level where they are stagnating. This can be seen in the high-priced Kawa two-stroke models, as well as in the very expensive noble bikes. The market is also saturated with machines such as the Kawasaki Z 1 / Z 900 and Honda CB 750 Four K0 and K1. The Ducati 750 SS and some Laverdas certainly still have potential. ”He also knows about cult models that still don’t achieve top prices – candidates like the Honda Bol d‘Or or the 1100 Suzuki Katana. “If you haven’t made it by now, when and why should the run on you begin?” The prices for the Bol d’Or are still in the basement or in the moderate range in some cases, an explosion is also by dealers -View no longer expected. “If a bike is over 30 years old and has not yet become a hit in terms of price, then probably nothing will come of it either.”

Almost forgotten sweethearts from their youth

The situation is different with the six-cylinder Honda, in whose shadow the Bol d‘Or has always stood a bit – the CBX has long been bargain and has been on the rise for some time. Even if the 29,000 euros initially charged online for a new vehicle that has never been driven, now 21,000 euros are still wishful thinking. Other motorcycles have only just reached the age of classic cars or are about to do so. It goes without saying that, as time progresses, the focus of interest is also on models that were still battered everyday bikes yesterday or that were too young and too commonplace. A good example of this should be the last versions of the Yamaha RD 350, those with the addition YPVS. The powerful two-strokes, which were very popular in the mid-1980s, are still very much present to many from their youth and today arouse the desire to buy – because they once owned them or could not afford them at the time. Today search queries in the classifieds portals are shooting up like mushrooms and isolated, promising offers are deleted faster than some interested parties could pick up the phone – sold. Other, meanwhile almost forgotten sweethearts could soon shake up memories of their youth and awaken buying incentives. Expert Meibner is thinking of 125 cc athlete Cagiva Mito: “That could be something …” He has long since seen clear opportunities for the large area of ​​sport bikes with verifiable racing history.


markus-jahn.com

Ducati 750 SS The unmistakable Italo beauty is already expensive today – and will probably become even more expensive in the future.

Speaking of sport: Tobias Aichele from PREMIUMMOTORRAD breaks a lance for the sporty spearheads from the era of powerful engines and overburdened chassis. He sees the special frame vehicles from Egli, Rau, Martin, Eckert, Rickman etc. as sought-after exotic vehicles. But you can also look at the whole thing as soberly as the retailer quoted at the beginning, who deals with prices every day and lives off profit, but focuses on having fun on the bike. “Away from monetary thinking – the most worthwhile classic, regardless of the purchase price, is the one I buy today and which I have fun with for years.”.

Interview Jochen Hack (Limbacher & Limbacher)

MOTORCYCLE Classic: How do you assess the situation and the development on the classic market??

Jochen Hack: Basically there is no great movement, neither down nor up. At the moment, the situation can be described as constant, but both supply and demand have reached a certain level. So no boom, but no slump either. Only the focal points shift, inevitably and naturally. Some models move into the background, others into the spotlight.

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Which areas or specific models are currently significantly undervalued or greatly overrated?

Jochen Hack: Difficult to say. When is a model overrated? Sooner or later someone may come who is willing to pay the price asked. But you can already see that in the area of ​​noble conversions from Egli, Rau, Martin, etc., sometimes exorbitant prices are charged, but the group of interested parties is very special and very small. Maybe there is a small disproportion. Even with icons like the BMW R 90 S, I see the end of the flagpole reached, if not exceeded. This also applies to the Kawa two-stroke H1 and H2. Perhaps a Ducati 750 SS is still undervalued – it is sure to increase further. But even a comparatively down-to-earth Honda GL 1000 is not yet traded at prices that do justice to its status. There could still be a jolt.

BMW R 90 S For a good example of the boxer designed by Hans A. Muth, you have to reckon with five-digit amounts.

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Can you see purchases in the motorcycle sector with the aim of pure investment or appreciation, keyword speculators?

Jochen Hack: I can only judge and affirm this from my experience. We always have people here who sound out the offer and look for worthwhile properties, whereby they do not act as buyers themselves, but rather act as agents. So it’s not about special models or preferences, but actually only about worthwhile vehicles, in financial terms. But that only happens occasionally. Most interested parties simply want to fulfill their childhood dream or have their moped from back 30 years later. And here money or appreciation usually does not play a role.

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Where can increasing demand be observed – which types and models have clear potential in the near future?

Jochen Hack: Of course, that is constantly changing. In the course of time, other, younger motorcycles become attractive – we were talking about the dreams of youth. And the guys who are over 50 today and rave about the bikes from the 1970s have usually already stocked up. So those who want something like that already have it. Of course, the 1980s are increasingly coming into focus. I see clear potential here in the Yamaha RD 350 YPVS models. They are wanted. But I also consider the BMW RT models to be misunderstood, and demand for them is increasing. Interest in the Honda CBX Pro Link, once little loved by purists, is also increasing significantly – and so are the prices. 

Interview Tobias Aichele (PREMIUM MOTORRAD)

MOTORCYCLE Classic: How do you assess the situation and the development on the classic market??

Tobias Aichele: Fortunately, the interest in classic motorcycles remains high. Surprise results at auctions are also making collectors of classic cars increasingly aware of classic motorcycles. Since many high-priced icons are now in the hands of collectors and are no longer offered on the market at all, interest is shifting to other areas. Almost forgotten motorcycles or those in the shadow of their prominent sister models are attracting increasing attention, such as the Ducati 750 GT, which incidentally also drives superbly. 

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Which areas or specific models are currently significantly undervalued or greatly overrated?

Tobias Aichele: The law of the market, i.e. supply and demand, actually determines the price. In this respect one can hardly speak of undervalued or overrated. However, it is true that astronomical prices are repeatedly achieved, for example, with the Brough Superior and Vincent specimens. Munch Mammut also achieve consistently high prices. Top models are never officially offered, but modified vehicles are. With the Italian top models Laverda 750 SFC and Ducati 750 SS there are hardly any vehicles to be found “without question marks”, that is, with dubious origins or at least dubious components. The price development of BMW vehicles is difficult to understand. The prices quoted for R 69 S models are rarely achieved. For example, I think a R 75/5 is currently still undervalued. Their importance in the model chronology with significant innovations is not yet reflected in the prices. 

Honda Gold Wing The original Gold Wing could gradually become interesting for a wider circle of classic fans.

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Can be seen in the motorcycle sector purchases with the aim of pure investment or appreciation, keyword speculators?

Tobias Aichele: I hardly see this tendency in motorcycles, which has been observed for a long time, especially in the automotive sector and is now cooling down again. The number of vehicles and interested parties is too small in comparison. The market is dominated by bikers who choose the vehicles with passion and expertise – in order to finally realize an unfulfilled dream from back then or to buy back a piece of youth.

MOTORCYCLE Classic: Where can increasing demand be observed – which types and models have clear potential in the near future?

Tobias Aichele: Here I think that, for example, the exclusive special frame models, i.e. the bikes from Egli, Seeley, Magni, Rickman and all the many other conversion pioneers are on the rise. They now not only receive the attention they deserve, but are also increasingly sought after and thus increase in value. I especially like the trend towards vehicles with patina. These are now valued more highly than top restored, but often soulless Condition 1 motorcycles.

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