Motorcycle Investor mag
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What's happening
News Dec 2022
Bargain Duc, Dec
31
While bargains may be thin on the
ground in the Australian motorcycle market, the
auction scene in the UK and USA seem to pop them out
on a regular basis.
Take this 2007 Ducati 1098S, with a mere 1800km (1100 miles) claimed. It sold through Iconic in the USA for a mere Au$11,600 (US$7920, GB£6600). That's a steal.
Dill rage, Dec
27
The legendary Mr Smith on
the festive season and drivers...from Classic
Two Wheels.
A Christmas
wish, Dec 24
The cat's in charge and Hannibal has been
cut loose – welcome to Christmas.
Here's our
traditional festive season column...have a great
break, folks.
Ducati 750 F1, Dec 24
Ian Falloon unwraps one of Ducati's best
looking racer replicas.
Suzuki screamer,
Dec 24
Oddball for the day...we're pretty certain very few 1988
Suzuki GSX-R250s made it into this country as they weren't
a mainstream import.
The specs we have for it suggest the inline four makes 45 horses at a howling 14,000rpm, weighs 138kg dry and cam manage 180km/h.
This one is for
sale in WA, at $13,800.
Random shed shot
for the day, Dec 21
We have a 2022 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic in the shed at the moment. Long story, and the cat is optional.
Interesting bike and fun to play with. The H-D page is here.
More to come...
South America
adventure, Dec 21
Australian bike journo Peter Callaghan
is currently cruising the length of South America on a
2020 Yamaha WR250R, which he bought specifically for
the trip.
It's an interesting (and we suspect
perfect) choice of machine. He talks through the selection
process, set-up and shake-down here.
You can also follow his adventures,
which are entertaining, at his online blog. The
latest episurd talks about rolling up to a small town
in Argentina to watch the World Cup soccer final with
the locals in a service station lounge, as you do. See it here.
Live it
like ya stole it, Dec 21
Founder of Heavy Duty magazine
and former Australian Motor Cycle News Editor
Chris Beattie has published a book on his remarkable and
long-admired ability to skate on the proverbial thin ice
without actually falling through.
While in person he comes across as mostly
harmless, he's nevertheless shown an awe-inspiring
magnetism for trouble over the years. Fortunately, he also
has a real talent as a writer and we can recommend his
first book, which seems to involve more than its fair
share of high-speed chases and police.
Anyway, if you're looking for a
lot of fun without spending a fortune, it's
available by mail order for $26.95. See it here.
The shipping
news, Dec 21
Dave from Get Routed, the Aussie-based
motorcycle tour and shipping company, has announced
new dates for the upcoming year or two, including
Europe and New Zealand. Check it out here.
See our Isle
of Man feature here.
Cretin-free ad,
Dec 20
According to Classic Two Wheels: Most motorcycle advertising is juvenile rubbish written by marketing cretins who wouldn't know a good bike from a hole in the ground. There have been a few exceptions, such as this, from BMW.
Flashback:
Suzuki RG500, Dec 19
Suzuki's eighties stroker hero – see the
profile.
Dream Trails,
Dec 16
Feature for the day: A trio of USA riders built up three 'rat' mid-1960s Honda Dreams and took them for a 4600km (2900 mile) gallop across the Trans America Trail. Well worth a read, here.
Aussie factory
black MV on market, Dec 14
A motorcycle pitched as a one-of-one
factory black 1972 MV Agusta 750 S with a colourful
Australian history has popped up on the market via
Moto Borgotaro in New York...see the story here.
Early Harley
Sportster tales, Dec 13
Classic Two Wheels has put together a terrific batch of early Sportster road tests, starting in 1972. Well worth a look, here.
Yamaha XJ900,
Dec 11
Remember these? For a time across much
of the 1980s, this was the go-to all-rounder for a lot
of people. Yamaha's XJ900 was respectably quick,
handled reasonably well for the time and enjoyed the
benefits of shaft final drive.
Specs were respectable at 98 horses
(72kW) for a package weighing 244kg wet. See the
Motorcycle Specs backgrounder.
Now for a little trivia. This model
had a glory year in the Castrol 6 Hour production
race, namely 1983, when three examples were fielded.
The lead bike was qualified in fourth place by Richard
Scott. He and former motocross ace Stephen Gall
finished in fifth place. That was the year when the
race was won by Malcolm Campbell and Rod Cox on a
Honda VF750F.
Back to the bike shown here: It's a
1987 model which the seller in Herberton Queensland
says has undergone an extensive restoration, 1500km
ago. It's on the
market via Facebook at $6200. Tel 0438 110 213.
Old Wings see
values rise, Dec 10
A few recent sales suggest that the market for early Gold Wings is showing signs of firming up.
We're surely but slowly seeing interest grow, perhaps overdue given their enormous influence in the touring market for nearly 50 years. An early one today makes a good strong and useable classic.
An H&H auction in the UK earlier this year saw the Honda GL1000 K2 above find a new home. It was listed as fully restored and looked like a good buy at Au$10,200 (US$6900, GB£5600).
Another is this, a 1981 GL1100 with a few accessories and a low 31,000km (19,500 miles) on the odo. It sold through Hemmings in the USA for Au$11,700 (US$8000, GB£6500). That's not a fortune, however it represents a significant rise over where they were. A couple of years ago, you would have struggled to get more than a few thousand.
That backs up our own experience,
selling a first-model
GL1000 K1 not so long ago. It was in largely
original condition with substantial miles, running
aftermarket mufflers, and sold for Au$12,500 (US$8500,
GB£7000).
See our first
model Gold Wing profile
Classic Two Wheels 1975 Gold Wing road test
Presley's
Motorcycles, Dec 9
Life-long motorcycle fan Elvis Presley
was for a time Harley-Davidson's biggest PR asset,
however he did of course play with other toys. Australian
Motor Cycle News has a look at his
bike bio...see it here.
Oh and look out for the mag's
yearbook, which has just hit the shelves.
Honda VFR750
survivor, Dec 8
If the ad is right, this Honda VFR750,
one of the last of the series, is a survivor in unusually
good shape.
At an advertised Au$6850 (US$4600,
GB£2700) it looks like
solid value and to our way of thinking is worth a punt,
if it checks out okay. This was an extraordinary
sports-touring series for the marque and this final model
may one day be a minor collectible.
See our
VFR750 profile for a backgrounder.
Speed is
Good, Dec 8
Speed is safety...from the inimitable Bernard St Francis Whitworth Socket (and Classic Two Wheels)...see it here.
Royal Enfield
1964, Dec 8
They don't make brochures like these any more...this is the 1964 Royal Enfield range, from when the company was still based in the UK. See the full brochure here.
Ducati 999R, Dec
6
While the
styling was controversial at the time, the 999 series
had a lot to recommend it. Ian Falloon takes a look at
the pinnacle of the series.
BMW flat-tracker, Dec 6
From our 'now we've seen everything' department comes this, a BMW K100-based flat-tracker, which was recently auctioned off in the UK.
We've come across plenty of K-based cafe racers over recent years, but this style is a little less common and we kind of like it. It sold via Car & Classic for Au$6000 (US$4000, GB£3300).
Flashback: Yamaha's RZ500 GP
replica, Dec 4
Yamaha's RZ/RD500 V4 two-stroke series is one of those models that's had a wild old ride across the decades. It caused huge excitement when first launched back in 1984, then seemed to disappear without trace, and more recently has seen a massive revival as a much-desired classic...see the story here.
Japanese Harley
relic, Dec 2
It's not every day you come across a
Harley-Davidson-based Rikuo V-twin on the local
market. The story for this model emerges in the 1930s,
when the Japanese maker was licensed by H-D to produce
flathead V-twins.
The history is somewhat convoluted and
seems to have a few gaps, but can be seen
in part here via Wikipedia.
As is often the case in these
situations, the adoption of the V-twins was driven in
part by the needs of the military. This article
from a 1978 Cycle World magazine is also
worth a look, as it in part credits the Harley-Rikuo
relationship for starting the Japanese motorcycle
industry..
Meanwhile the 1959 750cc flathead up
top is up for sale
through Brad's Vintage Cycles at Au$19,500
(US$13,300, GB£10,900)
MV Agusta's
speed king, Dec 1
Falloon on what went into creating MV Agusta's mighty F4 R
312...see it here.
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