Thinking about commando prices , what’s your opinion ?

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Atlas Commando said:
One thing that's changed, 50 years ago 'a lot' of people could and did complete their own maintenance and repairs. Fast forward (slow forward?) to 2022 and I know very few people who are competent on the tools. What's the impact on the value of our bikes? Does anybody want one just to prove that they can keep one going? Sort of a greaser status symbol?
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Lately I am dealing mostly with good people who want to flag me to compliment the bike. I have all the tools .
 
Time Warp said:
What do BMW's have to do with the thread ?
In saying that I rode a 1974 R90S ? (a few hundred kms) and a K100LT ? once ,it was the closest I came to being in a coma to date.
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What a Norton goes for & value in comparison to other options is exactly on point
 
marshg246 said:
Back to the original question. Worth: What a ready, willing, and able seller will take; and a ready, willing, and able buyer will give.
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With the right bike and the right customer? In the UK I would speculate that £9-10K for a showroom condition bike would be easily achievable, depending on time of year (a big consideration).

My last Commando went for £9k 3 years ago to the second guy who expressed an interest. The first one called me back and told me it needed an engine rebuild and it had 'other issues' (it didn't). As he was limbering up to give me a low-ball offer I told him the conversation was over. He seemed rather put-out.

Given that basket cases are going for around £5k and rising, I really don't think prices are going to collapse anytime soon.

The other question which has arisen is whether there's any profit in restoring and selling.
I think that if you can keep all the work in-house (within reason) the answer is definitely yes. If you factor in a modest hourly rate for the effort then it's a definite no!
 
worntorn said:
Modern BMW s are one of the most unreliable motorcycles produced today.
I'll stick with the Norton, I can fix it.
Glen
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Again, completely disregarding the other endless examples given, regardless,

neither you or Torontonian reflect how new folks look at bikes.

You said yourself that u get ragged on for oil leaks & i think it was on the Vincent

Finally, i am certainly not the only one questioning the values & todays interest in old Commandos.
 
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B+Bogus said:
With the right bike and the right customer? In the UK I would speculate that £9-10K for a showroom condition bike would be easily achievable, depending on time of year (a big consideration).

My last Commando went for £9k 3 years ago to the second guy who expressed an interest. The first one called me back and told me it needed an engine rebuild and it had 'other issues' (it didn't). As he was limbering up to give me a low-ball offer I told him the conversation was over. He seemed rather put-out.

Given that basket cases are going for around £5k and rising, I really don't think prices are going to collapse anytime soon.

The other question which has arisen is whether there's any profit in restoring and selling.
I think that if you can keep all the work in-house (within reason) the answer is definitely yes. If you factor in a modest hourly rate for the effort then it's a definite no!
Click to expand...
Whilst I agree with most of this, I would question if: 'time of year' is a consideration for our 'toy' bikes? Yes, it slows down the bike trade in general, but for those chasing their nirvana I don't think taking it home to polish, cherish and fettle for a few months will put them off a purchase?
 
I imagine a scene in the not too distant future…

A bike meet outside a cafe, a Starbucks or Costa (seeing as all independent establishments will have died).

There’s a crowd of immaculately clean, wealthy, middle class, mainly male (and some who prefer not to say), they’re all dressed in very safe, very bright, electrically operated active safety gear.

They’re with their bikes, all electrically powered, semi autonomous, totally silent and odour free. They’re all very expensive machines and their owners are taking it in turns to plugs them in to the charge points.

They’re discussing the latest downloads and apps for their machines with great interest and bold claims and the odd lively debate and bit of banter.

Then they all stop and stare in bewilderment, a noise, a smell, a sight… like folks today watching a steam locomotive pass by.

It parks up. It’s still making noises as it tinks and creaks as it cools. It’s still making smells as the hot oil and fuel vapours linger. Heck, it’s even leaking a drop or two of liquid fossils on the floor.

They stare in amazement at such quaint antique features as carberators, spark plugs, exhaust pipes, plus mysterious levers and pedals connected by cables all operated by the RIDER !?!

Our hero on the liquid fossil burning relic doesn’t quite get lynched, at least not today, not by this crowd, but he, and his clothing, and his oily hands, are certainly looked at with mystery and interest, and perhaps a little pitty…
 
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EstuaryBoy said:
Whilst I agree with most of this, I would question if: 'time of year' is a consideration for our 'toy' bikes? Yes, it slows down the bike trade in general, but for those chasing their nirvana I don't think taking it home to polish, cherish and fettle for a few months will put them off a purchase?
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Largely true, but there’s still a weather driven ‘impulse’ buying spike in the spring and summer.
 
Fast Eddie said:
I imagine a scene in the not too distant future…

A bike meet outside a cafe, a Starbucks or Costa (seeing as all independent establishments will have died).

There’s a crowd of immaculately clean, wealthy, middle class, mainly male (and some who prefer not to say), they’re all dressed in very safe, very bright, electrically operated active safety gear.

They’re with their bikes, all electrically powered, semi autonomous, totally silent and odour free. They’re all very expensive machines and their owners are taking it in turns to plugs them in to the charge points.

They’re discussing the latest downloads and apps for their machines with great interest and bold claims and the odd lively debate and bit of banter.

Then they all stop and stare in bewilderment, a noise, a smell, a sight… like folks today watching a steam locomotive pass by.

It parks up. It’s still making noises as in tinks and creaks as it cools. It’s still making smells as the hot oil and fuel vapours linger. Heck, it’s even leaking a drop or two of oil on the floor.

They stare in amazement at such quaint antique features as carberators, spark plugs, exhaust pipes, plus mysterious levers and pedals connected by cables all operated by the RIDER !?!

Our hero on the fossil burning relic doesn’t quite get lynched, at least not today, not by this crowd, but he, and his clothing, and his oily hands, are certainly looked at with mystery and interest, and perhaps a little pitty…
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Nooooo.... They'll all scratch their goatees, rustle in their manbags for their phones, then scroll down to their personal 'civil rights' app to find out how they can sue him for impinging on their clean air/noise free 'personal environments'...
He WILL get tazered :-)
 
Fast Eddie said:
I imagine a scene in the not too distant future…

A bike meet outside a cafe, a Starbucks or Costa (seeing as all independent establishments will have died).

There’s a crowd of immaculately clean, wealthy, middle class, mainly male (and some who prefer not to say), they’re all dressed in very safe, very bright, electrically operated active safety gear.

They’re with their bikes, all electrically powered, semi autonomous, totally silent and odour free. They’re all very expensive machines and their owners are taking it in turns to plugs them in to the charge points.

They’re discussing the latest downloads and apps for their machines with great interest and bold claims and the odd lively debate and bit of banter.

Then they all stop and stare in bewilderment, a noise, a smell, a sight… like folks today watching a steam locomotive pass by.

It parks up. It’s still making noises as in tinks and creaks as it cools. It’s still making smells as the hot oil and fuel vapours linger. Heck, it’s even leaking a drop or two of oil on the floor.

They stare in amazement at such quaint antique features as carberators, spark plugs, exhaust pipes, plus mysterious levers and pedals connected by cables all operated by the RIDER !?!

Our hero on the fossil burning relic doesn’t quite get lynched, at least not today, not by this crowd, but he, and his clothing, and his oily hands, are certainly looked at with mystery and interest, and perhaps a little pitty…
Click to expand...
...He goes into the cafe and comes out with a plain black filter coffee (he had to explain how to make it) and a Danish pastry. Before he can take a sip, he's arrested by the Environment Control Officer, for depositing prohibited substances on the highway. He's marched off so swiftly he leaves his dentures in the Danish."
 
Mart UK said:
...He goes into the cafe and comes out with a plain black filter coffee (he had to explain how to make it) and a Danish pastry. Before he can take a sip, he's arrested by the Environment Control Officer, for depositing prohibited substances on the highway. He's marched off so swiftly he leaves his dentures in the Danish."
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C'mon, Mart.... If the guy's happy to burn fossil fuels at least let him order a dead animal (bacon butty) :-)
 
I think you guys are living in the present. Put your minds forward 50 years. All the motorcycles will probably be electric. What will your commando look like then ? If I take my Seeley 850 to a race meeting, many of the young guys come and go all over it, because it is fairly authentic. One of my mates said 'at least your bike looks right' - what he did not realise is that it could not be built any other way ans still function correctly. How many ways can you build a road-going Commando ?
If you have got one -do not sell it.
 
EstuaryBoy said:
Whilst I agree with most of this, I would question if: 'time of year' is a consideration for our 'toy' bikes? Yes, it slows down the bike trade in general, but for those chasing their nirvana I don't think taking it home to polish, cherish and fettle for a few months will put them off a purchase?
Click to expand...
Marketing prices due to supply and demand have always been affected by the seasons. Sell a bike in spring, buy one in the fall. One influence on that is the college kid buyer. In summer they can commute on a bike, but come fall they need a car (weather dependent of course).
 
Time Warp said:
What do BMW's have to do with the thread ?
In saying that I rode a 1974 R90S ? (a few hundred kms) and a K100LT ? once ,it was the closest I came to being in a coma to date.
Click to expand...

I once thought I'd had it with bikes, finished for good, no interest left at all. I sold the bike and was instantly cured.

Thinking about commando prices , what’s your opinion ?
 
I've seen some prices as high as £12,000 but I'm guessing it's because the seller is thinking that they will only be able to sell it once!
If I thought that I could get £12,000 for mine I'd be adding a post to the "What did you do with your Commando today" thread.
 
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Dommie Nator said:
I've seen some prices as high as £12,000 but I'm guessing it's because the seller is thinking that he will only be able to sell it once!
If I thought that I could get £12,000 for mine I'd be adding a post to the "What did you do with your Commando today" thread.
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People do ask ridiculous prices for some of these classic bikes but it's what they actually sell for that counts
I don't actually know what my commando would sell for
It's not for sale so it doesn't really matter
 
74ok said:
Again, completely disregarding the other endless examples given, regardless,

neither you or Torontonian reflect how new folks look at bikes.

You said yourself that u get ragged on for oil leaks & i think it was on the Vincent

Finally, i am certainly not the only one questioning the values & todays interest in old Commandos.
Click to expand...
That was on the Commando. The young guys don't know what the Vincent is or what century it came from.
Nonetheless, for every old Vincent owner that tips over there is a younger guy waiting to buy the bike from the heirs. The selling prices make the Nortons look like a giveaway.
The point is, the specification of 5 year old bargain BMWs or Hondas is not even on the radar for these buyers. Those bikes could have a thousand HP, weigh 50 pounds and cost $50, it doesn't matter.
They want a Vincent or a Norton and that's that.
One day it will change , but that is the market at the moment.

Glen
 
maylar said:
Marketing prices due to supply and demand have always been affected by the seasons. Sell a bike in spring, buy one in the fall. One influence on that is the college kid buyer. In summer they can commute on a bike, but come fall they need a car (weather dependent of course).
Click to expand...
This I'm not disputing, but do the current crop of college kids buy Commandos ??
 
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