Here's one for you purists too check out

[neilg]

Wasn't me who brought age into it

[royhall]

Wasn't me who brought age into it

Nor me.

[royhall]

The point is a simple one..... You will not find a bigger bunch of Honda fans than on this forum, but unless a member has owned a "Sandcast" for some time the vast majority will never own one as speculators (and thats all they are) have driven the prices through the roof. And due to that it is no longer a bike it is just "property" that is now denied to all the true fans...... This is nothing to do with the average owners getting old and wanting to hold on to treasured bikes that they have loved for years, I will be just the same. My widow will be able to sell them for the money....... In a nutshell these things are speculated just for money the same way art is sold. And true it's their property to do what they want with, but good luck selling your non running £50k bike.....Shows how genuine they are when it wont run correctly and they put the video in the advert. You couldn't make it up.

[neilg]

Yes I agree it was perhaps the poor choice of words used that generalised and alienated a large section of people and on reflection I apologise for my reaction.
But back on the subject, I believe that we will soon see the bottom fall out of the classic bike market. The market place for these is at the top end of the age range as we don't seem to get the interest in classic bikes, or even bikes in general from many younger people. Hence we find fewer people are owning more bikes and because of this each bike is doing less miles. We are in the last of the golden years for petrol heads as pretty soon the self driving electric powered plastic bubble will become the form of transport. Just to back this up the French are proposing the end of petrol and diesel driven cars by 2040 and that's not far off. No doubt others will follow and we'll be back to buying petrol from a chemist soon. (Wonder if my prescription pre payment certificate will work for that).

[Nurse Julie]

We have covered the subject of the demise of the Classic Bike market previously, excellent points of views from many members. Makes interesting reading.
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,11791.0.html

[MarkCR750]

Eh?what?pardon?, were there cross words on our genteel little forum?, missed it, oh well I'll go back to sleep 😞

[MrDavo]

A collector who buys a rare and expensive watch doesn't necessarily need to know what time it is.

[Tomb]

A collector who buys a rare and expensive watch doesn't necessarily need to know what time it is.

True, though he'll wind it up and look at the hands to see if it holds time occasionally, same as an exotic classic motorcycle owner doesn't own it to ride to work but it should be fired up, run well and be ridden occasionally.

Just my 2p 

[Seabeowner]

As I started part of this explosion. Great to a inject a lively discussion. Thought I'd just say that with four bikes I spend vastly more time cleaning than riding. And certainly more time rebuilding.
And yes rare bikes are being pushed as investments, fact. Not that I believe most Hondas qualify, but the one for sale may. Painting/works of art?/cars/watches/star wars bits/pop stuff/everything over 40 years old.
Down in the New Forest last year I was pleased to see a Brough Superior chug by with a load of other vintage stuff on it's way to Sammy Miller. But probably most never run and the prices are sky high because of speculation.
Just like the recent tragic fire in London where it transpires that large numbers of luxury flats just down the road are not for living in.
The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed, Gandhi.

[royhall]

A collector who buys a rare and expensive watch doesn't necessarily need to know what time it is.

Why's he need a watch then?

[Sgt.Pinback]

Because he can?

[Laverda Dave]

I agree with Royhall, the bottom will fall out of the market, it has to and economic history from the 80's proves it.
Back then I worked for a high end coach trimmer and when house prices went through the roof (pun intended) and property became unobtainable as now 'investors' turned their attention to buying classic cars and this forced the prices for classic cars like E-types into the 100k territory. Aston's were going for half a million+. Everything became a 'classic' and everything went up in value overnight and just kept increasing. Eventually all the good cars dried up and the 'investors' starting buying old wrecks for silly money and having them restored knowing they would get more then their money back come sale time. 
I worked on 80k Jag XK120's, E-types and (this is true) one of Adolf Hitlers Mercedes SL500 Supercharged staff cars imported from South America as a total wreck, it sold for over a million when it was finished. 
What happened next, interest rates went up and up and up peaking at 15% thanks to black Monday. The bottom fell out of the housing market, nobody was buying and nobody could sell. Bank repossessions were the new in thing and people gave up the keys to properties they could no longer afford to pay for. All the 'investors' who had borrowed money to buy and restore the 'classic' wrecks to get rich couldn't pay their bank loans and the cars left at the workshops for restoration became worthless overnight.  The banks repossessed the cars and the companies that were in the middle of restoring them including the one I worked for were left with unpaid bills and went to the wall as a result. 
History tends to repeat like a breakfast kipper.  How much longer will interest rates stay at 0.25% with 2 bed terraced houses in outer London selling for 500k? Can the market continue to support 50k barn find 'bitsa' Vincents and 350k Broughs or is the classic bubble about to burst once more, its becoming unsustainable.

[MarkCR750]

The bottom will fall out of the UK motorcycle market period in 10 to 15 years time, look around you next time your with a group of bikers, how many haven't got grey hair?, there just aren't enough younger people getting into biking and with the exception of a few iconic classics that have become investors pieces (Brough and the like) everything else will plummet in value, the U.K. Will become a source of cheap bikes for other countries where legislation hasn't stopped younger riders taking up the hobby, imagine yourself as a 17 year old today, would you want to take multiple tests costing £££ or just pass your car test?, anyone relying on selling their collection in 15 years time to boost their pension will be disappointed IMO.

[royhall]

The bottom will fall out of the UK motorcycle market period in 10 to 15 years time, look around you next time your with a group of bikers, how many haven't got grey hair?, there just aren't enough younger people getting into biking and with the exception of a few iconic classics that have become investors pieces (Brough and the like) everything else will plummet in value, the U.K. Will become a source of cheap bikes for other countries where legislation hasn't stopped younger riders taking up the hobby, imagine yourself as a 17 year old today, would you want to take multiple tests costing £££ or just pass your car test?, anyone relying on selling there collection in 15 years time to boost their pension will be disappointed IMO.

I already started that bunfight a while ago. http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,11791.0.html

[philward]

I agree with Mark - in addition to the point you make Mark, human decision on the road will be legislated off the road by the insurance companies in an age of driverless electric vehicles. The vast majority of classics are at the moment owned and ridden - albeit not very often, and so when they can't be ridden, there will be a glut of bikes coming on the market leading to a fall in values.
What timescale this will happen in is the unknown but its defo on the way. (Except the museum piece classics that are rarely if ever ridden now and so will end up in rich peoples collections for looking at only - like they are now).