Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Are antique Jap Motorcycles restored worth much?

I like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles from the 1960s and 1970's and would love to restore one or two but not sure they are worth it.|||Only to someone who collects restored Japanese bikes.|||It absolutely depends on the model.





The thing to remember is that it usually costs nearly as much to restore a completely thrashed Honda Trail 90 as it does to restore a Vincent Black Shadow in decent shape.





Be sure you're picking the right bike to restore, and that you are starting with something that isn't in such bad shape it'll cost a mint to fix up.





Check out eBay - choose 'completed items' and see what bikes like yours are going for. Also check Cycle Trader in your area.





Rule of thumb is that for some reason vintage Hondas bring better resale than Yamaha, and both these marques sell much better than Suzuki and Kawasaki. There are exceptions, but this is generally true.





Also, unless it's pre-war, it's not an Antique, it's Vintage. Antique is generally described as a bike built before WWII, but in collectors circles, most don't call them Antiques unless they're pre-depression-era - 1920's, ya know.





Our 1950's era BSA's and Triumphs are still considered Vintage, not antique. Our Levis and Harley from the 1920's are Antiques.|||You can get a good buck for old unrestored Honda's. I had a bunch of '72, '72, etc Honda CB750's and sold them to people who chop them or restore them. If your thinking about doing this to make money or as a business it's really not worth it however who cares what it's worth if your just keeping it yourself and riding it for fun anyway. It probably will be worth more than what you buy the bike for and put into it though.|||Any old restored bike is only worth what a genuine buyer wants to pay for it - jap - british - hog - doesn't matter, the balls in the buyers court.





As for self satisfaction - rebuilding bikes is the best way to unwind and forget the f@#ked up world outside the workshop - go for it!|||What do you mean, worth it? Restoring motorcycles is a labour of love. You will go crazy trying to source just that one little part that your bike still misses, then you will spend a fortune on having it airfreighted from New Zealand. Your family will forget what you look like as you spend evening after evening in the garage.





It's all worth while if you like *riding* old restored bikes. Don't try to do it for the money. Keep your day job.|||Look in Classic Bike (or similar magazine) to pick the right model, some are not worth the effort, others are in demand, eg FS1Es, CB400-4s, XT500s, H1s, Z900s, etc|||a SANDCAST 1969 Honda C.B. 750 now goes for around 12,000 dollars.1969 is the first year for the C.B. 750 if you know what bike than yes its worth doing.|||it all depends on the bike and the market


a 70's honda cb750 4cyl is popular around where i am cause there is a big following to make choppers/bobbers outta them|||i bought a xl500s,79 for 拢200,restored it[which is what i do] and sold it for over 拢3000...nice little profit..if you want pics just email me through my avatar.|||yes they are and it's starting to catch on

No comments:

Post a Comment