Thinking about commando prices , what’s your opinion ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Considering that many of my customers are 40-50 somethings I think the interest will remain. Gasoline going away could stop things, but short of that I believe that there will be a market. And even if gasoline goes away, they can run on alternatives unless the governments ban those as well.

It appears to me that somewhere around 45-50 those who have worked at it start to have extra money and can indulge themselves. I have one 40-year-old that got a divorce, had no children and always thought it would be "cool" to have an old bike. He bought a 100% stock and unmolested 69 BSA single and brought it to me to make run right. Later when he had more confidence riding, I built him a Triumph T100D. He rides it everywhere weather permitting. First his mother and then his wife forbid him a motorcycle - now no one can stop him.

Then there are people like me that could walk into any motorcycle shop and buy any motorcycle but don't - just not interested. I once walked into a Triumph shop and looked at the bikes. I rode there on a 74 Trident. Once the sales guy realized that I had lots of vintage bikes he knew I could buy anything he had, he started working me hard - making lower and lower offers - but I couldn't figure out why I would want one - they were for riding, not fiddling.

I bought out a guy who was retiring to Mexico. He only kept is dirt bike and the 16 British bikes he kept on display in his house. He had examples of Norton, Triumph, and BSA all fully restored to look at. He paid someone to take them out for a ride and clean every couple of months and very seldom would ride one himself.
 
Four or five years ago I did a valuation of my bikes for insurance purposes. I went on project prices for all of them & then did top prices I had seen. Average of both is what I should get if the market was in my favour. Real world I know I would get the project value. About the same time a bike came up for sale that was the sister to one of mine! I was asked what I thought it was worth. I gave him a price I would want for mine & he was horrified! He put his up for for 5 grand more. It never sold. I then began noting the price asked on bikes being sold that I had. Following loads of ads, then phoning up about three months later to see if they had in fact sold. I soon found out that very few top value bikes sold & more than half of them weren't readvertised. As in I'm not giving it away at that price. Eventually the market will catch up with some people's valuation.
I find it upsetting to think about a bikes value lol cos it usually means I'm going to sell it!
 
marshg246 said:
Considering that many of my customers are 40-50 somethings I think the interest will remain. Gasoline going away could stop things, but short of that I believe that there will be a market. And even if gasoline goes away, they can run on alternatives unless the governments ban those as well.

It appears to me that somewhere around 45-50 those who have worked at it start to have extra money and can indulge themselves. I have one 40-year-old that got a divorce, had no children and always thought it would be "cool" to have an old bike. He bought a 100% stock and unmolested 69 BSA single and brought it to me to make run right. Later when he had more confidence riding, I built him a Triumph T100D. He rides it everywhere weather permitting. First his mother and then his wife forbid him a motorcycle - now no one can stop him.

Then there are people like me that could walk into any motorcycle shop and buy any motorcycle but don't - just not interested. I once walked into a Triumph shop and looked at the bikes. I rode there on a 74 Trident. Once the sales guy realized that I had lots of vintage bikes he knew I could buy anything he had, he started working me hard - making lower and lower offers - but I couldn't figure out why I would want one - they were for riding, not fiddling.

I bought out a guy who was retiring to Mexico. He only kept is dirt bike and the 16 British bikes he kept on display in his house. He had examples of Norton, Triumph, and BSA all fully restored to look at. He paid someone to take them out for a ride and clean every couple of months and very seldom would ride one himself.
Click to expand...
It's very odd that people own a motorcycle and don't ride it!
I really don't get it
 
baz said:
It won't be long before lefties turn on motor sports of all kinds and liesure activities connected with burning fossil fuels will eventually be outlawed
Click to expand...
I can see it now…
You buy your incredibly expensive E track bike (shipped from the other side of the world and containing Li shipped from another side of the world again).
You transport it to the track and back in an old diesel van.
You carry a big f*ck off generator to keep it charged up.
And you can then ride around the track in Green virtuousness … posting about it on social media, which is itself reliant on massive power hungry data storage facilities…

I love progress…
 
marshg246 said:
So, I consider a beautiful, perfectly running, rust and oil leak free, but not concourse Norton rebuild to be worth about $13,000. When I've tried to sell for more than that, no interest was seen.
Click to expand...
If one was an original owner machine (with dealer papers), and had a cNw e-start would that make any difference? Just curious.
 
MexicoMike said:
...believing that all those people on your Facebook site are really your "friends."
Click to expand...
About 98% of my fecebook friends are actual friends that I've hugged, shook hands with, enjoyed a ride with, related to, etc.

I do not accept friend requests from people I've never met. Strange concept, really...
 
It's bound to be a bit strange.
Facebook was invented by an awkward nerdy University student who was so desperate to get laid that he built a computer program to make it happen.
Now we are all using his computer sex find program to host our own personal TV shows about our fairly boring lives.

Glen
 
The upcoming ban on fossil fuel propelled vehicles is a blunt instrument to drive change. If it does, won't it create space to tolerate the small minority of classic enthusiasts? When the shift finally comes (15-20 years?), there should still be enough demand from classic car / bike enthusiasts to keep fuel available. But we may need a storage solution and a method to remove water from ethanol and it will cost a lot more!

I wish decent 'classic' bikes were cheaper than they are (especially Vincent twins). There are probably a few chancers out there, testing what they might get, but it's hopefully, mainly a sign there is a lot of interest. Enough to maintain demand across spares suppliers and for fuel. So, the more Commandos in safe hands, used regularly, the better.

I hope to enjoy using my bike for some time to come, no intention to look on it as an investment. My goal is to ride mine across Europe in the next year or so. Just need to build up confidence in its reliability and my mechanical ability! Oh, and I need to better understand the various EU covid restrictions...
 
worntorn said:
It's bound to be a bit strange.
Facebook was invented by an awkward nerdy University student who was so desperate to get laid that he built a computer program to make it happen.
Now we are all using his computer sex find program to host our own personal TV shows about our fairly boring lives.

Glen
Click to expand...
Not me. Wouldn't know where to find Facebook. But I like the sex bit, so I may try and find it...
 
Zero active media presence or usage here. I remember talking to a friend who started with "NO! I HAVE ZERO FB INTEREST! DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT. I just suggested that he might consider a phony account where just having FB can be handy

Next thing he sez is if i say another word about FB he was gonna hang up! lol
 
Well the lorries plying their trade up and down the motorways will be the last to go EV so on that basis I have reverted to a Diesel car after 15 years of petrol cars.
 
kommando said:
Well the lorries plying their trade up and down the motorways will be the last to go EV so on that basis I have reverted to a Diesel car after 15 years of petrol cars.
Click to expand...
They are already working on EV semi-tractors here in the USA. Driverless too.
 
We live in interesting times , FaceBook not face to face , driverless trucks, gasoline now a poison, food comes to door , just needs prep , keep a safe 6’ plus from other humans , wear a mask , sanitize constantly , slow down , stay home , get 3 shots minimum , be nice , stare at little screens etc.
 
kommando said:
Well the lorries plying their trade up and down the motorways will be the last to go EV so on that basis I have reverted to a Diesel car after 15 years of petrol cars.
Click to expand...
They are being manufactured already and Trials ongoing in the UK. I have a mate who drives for Aldi. They have electric trucks from distribution centres to stores. Not many, but as the fleet is renewed they will be added. Looks like it's coming.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top