Future Collectible?

[Kev250R]

Yeah, I know, we're all going to ride the wheels off our Trails and they will probably outlive all of us and our off-spring...but at some point when Honda stops making Trails again will the value of used, low-mileage examples go up? We've all seen what some Dealers are charging now for new Trails. So five or ten years from now will we see a bump in value on our little bikes?

It was a topic which came-up recently at my local Cars & Coffee. The general opinion was to keep the bike nice and in a few years collect a nice payday. Then again I'm of the mindset that cars, trucks, MC's were made to be used so everything I own (even my legit collectible/valuable vehicles) see regular use.

Thoughts?

 

[dmonkey]

I think that compared to buying an index fund or real estate it would be a very poor return on investment if you're looking at it strictly from the perspective of a financial investment. If you have the storage space to store a bike for a decade or two though, sure, why not? Don't expect a nice payday unless they come out with a Christmas special edition like the Honda Z50 or the bike is grandfathered into being legal in a situation where nothing comparable to it is available on the market in the future. Honda CT90s and CT110s have fetched decent prices in the past 3 years or so, but they're likely held back by that you can just buy a new CT125 at a certain dollar value. Also keep in mind that many items on the bike have a shelf life, tires, seals, fluids, batteries, etc all go bad. Bearings and contact surfaces rust in one spot when they aren't exercised, modern brake fluid might cause damage to the system it's in after a decade or two. These are some of the common issues on "barn find" or "still-in-the-crate" bikes.

IMO it would be cool to collect one from each model year to hold value as a collection. Some Honda fans do that with other mini motos, owning just about every year and color option of the same bike. With limited production numbers, a collection would be more impressive and more valuable than a lone bike.

 

[Kev250R]

I think that compared to buying an index fund or real estate it would be a very poor return on investment if you're looking at it strictly from the perspective of a financial investment. If you have the storage space to store a bike for a decade or two though, sure, why not? Don't expect a nice payday unless they come out with a Christmas special edition like the Honda Z50 or the bike is grandfathered into being legal in a situation where nothing comparable to it is available on the market in the future. Honda CT90s and CT110s have fetched decent prices in the past 3 years or so, but they're likely held back by that you can just buy a new CT125 at a certain dollar value. Also keep in mind that many items on the bike have a shelf life, tires, seals, fluids, batteries, etc all go bad. Bearings and contact surfaces rust in one spot when they aren't exercised, modern brake fluid might cause damage to the system it's in after a decade or two. These are some of the common issues on "barn find" or "still-in-the-crate" bikes.

I agree. Although it's funny, I've had better luck 'investing' in old cars and trucks then I have in the stock market. I'm invested in the market (retirement stuff mostly) but I don't understand it as well as I do the classic car market (in my area). I have made money on most of the cars I've bought, then later sold. The problem is, the ones I could probably make some real money on I'm to attatched to, to sell LOL! I'll admit though, I doubt that I'll ever be able to sell my rolling stock and retire; besides if I did that, what would I have to tinker with.

Back to the topic at hand, I actually think that Honda releasing an updated Trail has hurt the re-sale value of the ones from the 80's (or earlier). Prior to the announcement that Honda was going to sell the CT125 here I had been kind of searching for an older Trail 110. Prices were pretty high at the time ($~3-5K) But once I heard a new version was coming from Honda, I decided to wait. That said, at least in my area it's still hard to touch a classic CT for less then $3K.

IMO it would be cool to collect one from each model year to hold value as a collection. Some Honda fans do that with other mini motos, owning just about every year and color option of the same bike. With limited production numbers, a collection would be more impressive and more valuable than a lone bike.

Growing-up the local Honda MC Dealer my parents bought a couple of Quads from and my Dad and I used parts and some services from had a collection like that. The dealership opened in 1946 (or '48, I forget) and the owner of the dealership stated he had one model from each year the dealership had been in business brand-new, stored in a storage area above the Service area. I thought it was a myth until one day the owner of the Dealer showed my Dad and the collection of dusty bikes sitting assembled under dirty plastic. This was back in the early 90's. The Dealership sold to a mega-powersports place maybe ten years ago. I never heard what happened to all those bikes.

My plans for my Trail are to maintain it, keep it nice but also use it. At the rate I'm using it I doubt I'll ever put more then 500 miles a year on it. Even if I had the means I'm not the type to buy a new MC and leave it in the back of my shed for 30 years or so.

 

[Dons Ruby]

Might have more chance in Australia, as they don't sell them here any more Not sure how many were sold in the two years we had the chance to get one.

 

[Kev250R]

Might have more chance in Australia, as they don't sell them here any more Not sure how many were sold in the two years we had the chance to get one.

Maybe. A few years ago I sold a VW Dune Buggy I'd rebuilt to a guy in France so stranger things are possible.

 

[NMCoyote]

To me it's about riding them instead of "collecting" them. I have a 89 Honda TransAlp and a 1978nKawasaki KZ 1000 I ride regularly and I would consider both of them as "collectables" Just Sayin!

 

[m in sc]

Its like keeping your GF untouched for the next guy. I am very deeply involved in the vintage community but making them commodities 1st and foremost IMHO kills the hobby and kind of the whole point, to me.

 

[NMCoyote]

Its like keeping your GF untouched for the next guy. I am very deeply involved in the vintage community but making them commodities 1st and foremost IMHO kills the hobby and kind of the whole point, to me.

Tru Dat!

 

[SneakyDingo]

I wholeheartedly hope to be among the people who define how far and how long these bikes last, thus adding to the vintage value of everyone else's bikes, rather than the guy that has one sitting pristine in a garage somewhere.

 

[dmonkey]

I ride my motorcycles... the ones that run , but I also appreciate the folks who keep them untouched or do a restoration only to display the bike. They are a key part of the vintage scene because at some point those bikes tend to get bought by people who will ride them. The 1988 Cagiva Tamanaco that I used to own was stored in its original crate in Italy until 2014. I basically bought it as a new-old-stock bike and used it as a daily rider. That, and the joy it brought to me and the next owner, wouldn't have been possible if someone hadn't stashed it. Many of the old motorcycles being run in events like the Motorcycle Cannonball are complete rebuilds on top of bikes that had been ridden low miles or were purchased from museums and private collections where they were mostly just stored. It's a "you can't have your cake and eat it too" situation. The good news is that many motorcyclists who age out of riding or end up with health issues can still enjoy the hobby through collecting and restoration.

 

[Low-gear]

Take care of it but ride the heck out of it. I’ve sold too many cars, bikes, etc that I babied and realized it was mostly pointless because the buyers didn’t care all that much. You reach a point of diminishing returns when trying to care for an inanimate object.

 

[m in sc]

there will always be bikes/cars that are left untouched with low miles for many reasons, usually the best ones are not because of speculation. They are out there but a really old bike that wasn't run in 30 years usually will need a full rebuild of most components if it is to be ridden safely. I see it a LOT, and have experienced it 1st hand many times. Not always, but usually, ....yes.

 

[m in sc]

I'll even cite 2 examples.

1 of 5 built (ever) saxon/laverdas. ridden regularly by Rick L. (local to me I took this pic)

How about a plated street legal TZ750? My friend mark owns this beauty. (Took this pic this year at deals gap 2t meet.)

sure beats looking at them sitting in the corner of a garage somewhere. and It doesn't get rarer than these 2.

 

[NMCoyote]

Sweet TZ, I remember them from the old flat track days, What about a Kawasaki Mach 3, the widow maker! Wish I had one of those in the garage.

 

[m in sc]

an H1? ive owned a bunch. had a few 750s too though. they pull stupid money for a relatively crappy bike, overall, but are neat. I prefer the S2 (350) and 400's, better bikes all around. I mean, a stock H2 only had maybe 70 HP. I rode one that was reed valved last may that dynoed at 139 RWHP and it really wasn't as enjoyable as you might think. Hell of a peice of engineering though.

this is the last h1 i had a few yrs ago. not stock by a long shot but fun. dynoed at 89 RWHP.

as far as stock bikes as 'collectibles' just depends... and the market moves preferences fast. wa sa time old british bikes were pulling a ton of money, now, not so much. so it ebbs and flows and also goes along with (in this order) sentiment, resale value, then useability. the 1st 2 don't mean squat to me personally, but its primarily what drives the market today.

for example, my old 74 morini 3 1/2 us spec bike only 176 or so made it in that year, and i loved it to death (also going to get it back soon). Not because its worth money, but its just a damn good bike. these pull bigger money in europe than here by a long shot. I saved this one from almost getting cut up into a chopper.

and some bikes IMHO DO deserve to be preserved and restored.

like my 70 r5. love this bike and i ride it a LOT

and is worth a decent amount of money to the right buyer. however, my 67 YL1E is more unusual and maybe best case worth less than half of the R5. yet rarer and older.

so, the 'collectable' bike market is fickle, at best, to say the least.

whats the point? buy what you like and enjoy it as you see fit. end of story.

 

[Kev250R]

Good points all! I'm not disagreeing, obviously I ride my bikes and keep them in good shape. It was just a curiosity is all. I will say, of my humble collection of unique bikes, my Trail seems to get the most comments when I take it places which tells me that it's popularity will likely help it's value. People tend to value things more which they remember from their past (usually their youth) or have positive memories of "My Uncle Blah, rode a bike/drove a car/owned a boat/whatever just like that when I was growing-up!"

Honestly, collector value is a small consideration when I buy a car/truck/motorcycle. I tend to gravitate towards unique vehicles people don't see very often. Sometimes that's a benefit and I make some money when I sell. Sometimes I'm left wishing I'd bought an early El Camino rather then an early Ranchero.

All a moot point since I have no plans on selling my Trail anytime soon; rather I think I was feeling a bit self-concious about how much more use my Trail has gotten this summer as compared to my other bikes.

 

[AZ7000']

As soon as I cash in my beanie babies it’s retirement time bitches!!

 

[Cpd419]

I don’t know if they will go up but going by the prices of the old CT’s I think they will hold their value percentage wise.

 

[m in sc]

maybe. maybe not. no one knows. the w650s were a nostaliga bike and resale on them isnt that great. however, the GB500 is unobtainium. no way to know.

 

[AZ7000']

Xr400’s are still worth $3000+