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I have noticed a Ducati single-price reduction recently. Has anybody else seen the same thing? In the last 60 days, I have picked up two Mk3 narrow case bikes and a barn find scrambler from 1964/65. I paid less for the three than the last basket case I purchased a year ago. Are the core enthusiasts for these bikes stopped collecting? I have also noticed more hard-to-get parts available at reasonable prices. I am curious about what others are seeing in their markets.

Aye Kreece,

All depends where you live in the world and if you're viewing motorcycles as an "investment"?

Even Broughs, Vincents and Velocettes are levelling off in price or reducing. If it is a Japanese bike, with an electric start and you are in the 50 to 60 year old age range, then money still seems to be no object for specific models.

However, if the bike requires engineering skill to maintain, a kickstart, or run and bump to start, multiple levers to juggle, then only the die hard enthusiast, rather than the "bean counter", appears to be still in the market. Hourly rates for skilled labour are increasing, as they become more scarce and many Japanese machines over 30 years old, have few OEM spares readily available, as they have been discontinued. Also, the EU requirement to not hold stocks of spares for any machine more than 10 years old, contributes to the inbuilt obsolescence process.

Personally, my machines are to be used, worn out and maybe rebuilt. My 450 MKIII that is part of the family, has been on my life's journey since 1976. My wife's Bros 400 has likewise been with us a long time. I also have SRX600's and a Moto Morini all have been refurbished in part or whole, and had money spent to keep them in running order. There comes a price when I will cry "'nough!", I haven't reached there yet for my motely acquisitions, but haven't bought anything for over 10 years now and if I did it will have to be for less than £2,000 for a good runner. Also, when I pass, my machines are to be sold, not hung on to and corrode in storage.

Restoring a motorcycle to hang on your living room wall and corrode internally has always struck me as "oddball", as does paying over £100,000 for a decrepit Brough that is more iron oxide and fresh air than motorcycle!

Wear them out and encourage the iPhone generation to give the phone a Whee! into a loch and swing their leg over something analogue rather than digital, although I would make an exception for ignition systems!

Good health, Bill

Definitely! Prices for bevel Ducatis were like houses in the UK, always rising, but not now. Made in Italy Motorcycles knocked £10,000 off of the price of a restored 750GT recently, and they have a 900SS similarly reduced that this still to sell, and there is a Hailwood Replica on sale for £13000 that has had no takers for months. As Bill says, this applies to Gold Stars, Velocette Thruxtons and the like too, they are no longer investments.

I think that there are two reasons for this; one is that there is a decent amount of interest available now for those with money to invest, and two is the age of motorcyclists. My brother-in-law predicted this ages ago, saying that when old guys are too old to ride their classics, nobody else will want them, because younger riders hanker after the bikes that were cool when they were young, but could not afford, and now they have a bit of cash, that is where it is going. At the moment it is Z1 Kawasakis and Honda K1 fours that are the money spinners.


Cheers,

Colin

Of course, there are some positives to this. I recently paid just over £10k for a very decent 750 GT and I can't imagine I would have got it for much less than £20k just 12 months ago.

Ian

Lucky you Ian, my favourite bike of all time.



Colin

Yep, one of mine also. Couldn't wipe the smile off my face when the bid I made was accepted (although my long suffering better half wasn't that pleased that another machine would be occupying floor space)

Hello, I am not sure that the price evolution will depend so much on the age of people. I've had an experience last year when I participated to the "distinguished gentlemen drive" in Toulouse (south of France, 1,2 millions unhabitants with its suburb). There were 140 motorbikes, and the oldest was my Ducati 350 Scrambler 1974, anyway, my motorbike was the only oldtimer ! In addition, I was one of the oldest bikers, there were a lot of young people who were not born yet during the seventies. And when I arrived with my Ducati, poum poum poum, it was an attraction. I've noticed that, of course, for young people, such bikes represent nothing from their past. But such bikes are so different and amazing that they are not indifferent to them...

I suppose there are numerous reasons for the decline in value of classic motorcycles, not just Ducati. As said people tend to want machines which they had in their younger days, or lusted after.
This is a continuously moving period in time. Owners of fifties and sixties motorcycle in general, are unfortunately becoming physically less able to deal with them, or sadly dropping off the perch, thus there is a greater number of machines coming onto the market, and a dwindling number of potential buyers for that particular period of machine.
Personally I have never purchased a motorcycle as an investment.

The monetary value of 'anything' is always about supply and demand, be it 'classic' motorcycles or eggs, demand is driven by need, greed,aspiration and desire, supply is driven by demand. In a very generalized sense a classic motorcycle is the model we lusted after as a teenager but couldn't afford, be it a ktt velocette, international norton, gold star, square four, or bonnie to name a few for the now 70/80 year olds, then we have the ducati's, laverda's, guzzi's bmw's for the 60/70 year olds, then of course the universal japanese motorcycles from the 'big four' for the 50/60 year olds, you could add in a bit of diverse interest from the 40/50 year olds. Realistically anyone younger than this has only a curiosity interest and certainly is not going to spend lots of money on something that may well be outlawed from the public road at any time in the foreseeable future on the whim of some possibly well meaning but ill informed politician. Back to supply and demand with supply exceeding demand as the 'classic motorcycles' of each previous generation flood into a largely non existent market equaling a very real drop in monetary value. Just go to any 'classic motorcycle' show.....its full of pensioners......whatever kids are there its only out of curiosity.
We have got to face it we have had the absolute best of this, no future generations will ever have the fun and danger we have experienced on the public road, it simply will not be allowed, and money has nothing to do with that (maybe votes but not money)
Cheers,
George

Maybe now's the time to look for a bargain!
With elderly owners dropping off the perch, alongside dwindling numbers of new enthusiasts for "classic" (old) things, we can look forward to falling prices, for better or worse.