Matching numbers?

[slowpoke]

I can see a couple of ways of looking at this:

1. You just want an old bike to have a bit of fun on, something with a bit of "character", so you don't care about matching numbers as the actual riding experience is much the same.

2. You appreciate that your, bike is largely intact after 30-40-50 etc years. That's kind of a cool thing too, rather than just a collection of various parts, it is actually almost as it was when it rolled off the assembly line. It's a survivor. That's nothing to be sneezed at, and like it or not does make a bike or car more valuable.

[RDjase]

Really? If you were trying to sell (for example) an XY GTHO, do you reckon it's worth more as it left the factory, original 351 and running gear or with a late model FPV OHC motor?

Original and looked after is always more valuable than fucked with.

+1 Jimmy, I think your MVX has matching numbers too mate.
2 of my LCs do and I have the right cases for another 250 I have got stashed away for when my son wants to rebuild it
The race bike is just made up out of the left over scruffy parts

There are lots of 250/350 conversions and dodgy repairs done when your mucking around with 30 year + old bikes

Originality goes a long way on a restoration

[pete376403]

There is somewhere in NZ (or was, it was a long time ago) a BSA Spitfire with a very odd engine number - I recall it started with ZB31.... A FOAF took a BSA B31 (350 single) to England, picked up a factory racing Spitfire motor which had no number on the cases, used a set of letter and number punches to add the B31 number and bought the bike back to NZ. Customs were happy that this was the same bike that left NZ - had to be, the numbers were the same - and the engine was later installed in a Lightning frame and made a hell of a road bike (for the day).
So sometimes matching numbers (or even *any* numbers) dont mean diddly squit

[EgliHonda]

Suppose I can see both sides. Prefer mumbers that match the model/year myself, so you know exactly what you have, but also have a couple of old mismatched Trumpy's put together from odds and sods. Somehow it seems to be Triumphs that are predominately bitsa's...?
Interestingly, I have a 32 BSA that was stamped wrong in the factory (engine number refers to a V twin, which it definitely isn't) and have been told this adds value? Bit like a wrongly printed stamp I s'pose (talking of anoraks)...

[toycollector10]

Some classics are worth "big bikkies" so why would you want, say, a 1970 frame with a 1973 engine stuffed into it. Modified. Ruined.

Think about those classic RX3's on trademe and the odd RX2. Lowered, chopped, later engine installed, puke paint job, blow off valves, etc etc, and the knob who improved (ruined) the vehicle is looking for $30,000 and it isn't worth $4000 even on a good day.

Originality is the key to value. And matching numbers, or in the case of a Japper, within 200 or so, is the indicator of value and collector interest.

Search eBay. A survivor muscle car from the 1970's will be worth 5-10 times the value of a "restored" POS. "Frame off restoration and powdercoat this-and-that modifications" equals.............Who gives a sh*t.

Some people never learn to just leave things alone if they want to retain value. Some people need to learn if you want to mess with a ride and customise it as an interest that's OK but just don't expect anyone else to want to buy the result. Which I would liken to a badly decorated Christmas tree. And also realise that for every modified bike or vehicle (having had it's resale value destroyed) only increases the value of the survivor unmodified bikes or cars.

Demand is inversely proportional to supply (I think I got that right) especially if the vehicle or bike is rare and unmodified. Think Ducati 750SS.

[PeteJ]

Ah, "..matching numbers or...within 200 or so..."

Now I can see some sense in it. Exact matching in the case of most Japper models I've owned would be an indicator of lack of authenticity ie a cheat as I outlined in my other post on this thread.

[Motu]

There is somewhere in NZ (or was, it was a long time ago) a BSA Spitfire with a very odd engine number - I recall it started with ZB31....

There was once a Commando restamped with Triumph engine numbers....