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Post by allspeeds on Oct 17, 2017 20:26:02 GMT 1
Been watching a few unrestored bikes showing there age etc but rideable fetching good money, got me to thinking are unrestored going to be rare in the future?
I have one thats been powder coated etc and another that only ever had maintenance from new by the look of it and the history that came with it.
I was going to rip the second one apart and do a full resto but not sure now.
I have an air-cooled part restored with shiny bits but the original paint and that has a kind of patina that I like ,its looks old but clean if you know what I mean.
Got to say though the restos I've seen on here are gorgeous.
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Post by kostas on Oct 17, 2017 21:31:00 GMT 1
If it's well looked after I would leave as is.
Once restored you can never go back to original
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Post by sbscnor on Oct 17, 2017 21:42:21 GMT 1
I have seen many excellent restored LC's, and fortunate to see first hand one of the NOS bikes Padgets have hidden away. All of the restored bikes including my own are over done compared to an original, don't forget these things were built to a price so build quality suffered. If I could find an original unrestored model anywhere near as good as a restored bike I would keep it that way, but based on current LC prices I would never be able to buy one in this condition.
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Post by eddyale on Oct 17, 2017 21:45:35 GMT 1
I personally wouldn't restore try to keep original as possible with nice age related patina once restored you can never put it back
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Post by hudtm60 on Oct 17, 2017 22:19:02 GMT 1
It makes me wonder too....I think if I had unlimited funds I'd much rather have a totally restored bike...but from someone I trusted such as the luminaries on here....on the other hand I've been seduced into thinking unrestored is the ulitmate homage to the model......hence I've left mine mostly as is...I wonder tho...and the other thing that's scary....and listen to this....once a lot of us have gone to that racetrack in the sky....who's going to want all these LC's....are we the only market?....will our kids want one?....I might be wrong but I don't think they care....meaning the window of the ultra value of these bikes is shrinking as one by one we start popping our clogs...or will they have some kind of curiosity value like the Vincent and bikes like that?
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Post by steven on Oct 17, 2017 22:29:20 GMT 1
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Post by reedpete on Oct 18, 2017 1:08:32 GMT 1
Dont think it matters to us what they are worth after we pop our clogs !
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Post by hudtm60 on Oct 18, 2017 1:55:49 GMT 1
erm...a point well made reedpete
I better stop smokin' that stuff
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2017 3:02:55 GMT 1
I restored my LC as it was rough as guts when i got it , so a no brainer. I have a few other bikes aswell from the 70's and 80's mainly.
I did buy them to park some money away , to look at and ride occasionally. I'd like to think when the time comes to sell i'll get my money back and
the return on my investment (HAHA) is the joy they give me every time I'm wiping the dust of them while I'm having a beer .
The wife and kids can't understand how I can sit there and just look at them.
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Post by Ozhammer on Oct 18, 2017 3:18:34 GMT 1
For mine, I think we can appreciate both sides of the coin, my RD400G is pretty original whilst my LC is a ground up restoration and I simply enjoy each of them for what they are.
With the way prices for some parts are going, the cost of restorations is only going to go one way and at some point it may simply become prohibitive.
My current RD400E project has been a wake up call for me on this, to the point where I am wondering whether buying a good or already restored bike is the better option. That said, that wouldn't be an option with a 400E, as there are so few here in Oz, so I was effectively forced down that path.
As to whether the bikes we love will continue to be coveted into the future, who knows? Let's just enjoy them while we can.
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Post by icarus001 on Oct 18, 2017 6:10:34 GMT 1
The arse will eventually fall out of it.
That's not to say prices will go down (although they might) but initially it'll be more like they'll stop going up.
Over the years I've kept an eye on the classic Brit bike prices, and whilst some iconic bikes will still hold a good price, the prices of some bikes have actually fallen since the boom days when everyone wanted a 60's classic.
Some owners got old and decided to sell at the same time as some buyers got old and didn't want to buy anymore because they were too old to ride them. The latest Hipster fashion has helped keep sales of 50's BSA bobbers moving, but it's still not like it was.
Some clubs are slowly withering away as owners pass away, I think most of the pre-war vintage bike clubs have seen membership decline and most of their current members are retired.
I think most people into bikes have a hankering for the bikes that were around when they were teenagers and they couldn't afford them, so once they get older they have a punt and fulfil a boyhood dream.
But there is obviously a shelf life to that, once we all get too old to ride them the boom will drop off and demand will decrease, with a similar effect on price.
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Post by 1966baz on Oct 18, 2017 7:17:47 GMT 1
Certainly for a few years yet RD's and Zeds etc. from the eighties in good original condition restored or unrestored will go for decent money. A wealthy collector often loves both. I've got a couple of Zeds still in original paint etc.I've had them so long I would find it very hard to part with them , then again I'm a nostalgic old git.
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Post by earthman on Oct 18, 2017 7:42:37 GMT 1
Personally I wouldn't mind finding/buying a bike in either conditions, the main thing for me, is not to be too scared to use/ride it on a regular basis as it were intended back in the day.
Got to enjoy riding/using one while you are still alive, that's the main thing for me.
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Post by reedpete on Oct 18, 2017 22:35:27 GMT 1
I was in a minority when I bought my 4l0 back in 81. For me it was my life, others just a curiosity , most of no consequence.
The refreshing thing about there current popularity is that it sugestbs that after time has gone by they have been recognised as being a little bit special. One of those things that puts a dot in the timeline of history. Their value is purely relative.
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begbie
Drag-strip hero
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Post by begbie on Oct 18, 2017 23:03:36 GMT 1
They're only original once !
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Post by markhoopy on Oct 21, 2017 21:29:19 GMT 1
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Post by allspeeds on Oct 23, 2017 20:33:07 GMT 1
Funny enough thats pretty much the same as the bike I was talking about in the first place similar condition as well. |
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Oct 24, 2017 9:17:34 GMT 1
Was watching that and was surprised how high it went I sold my fully restored one last month for £4.5k I thought that was on the money. Maybe not Steve |
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Post by rigga on Oct 24, 2017 10:24:50 GMT 1
I think most people into bikes have a hankering for the bikes that were around when they were teenagers and they couldn't afford them, so once they get older they have a punt and fulfil a boyhood dream. But there is obviously a shelf life to that, once we all get too old to ride them the boom will drop off and demand will decrease, with a similar effect on price. This pretty much ...... |
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