Optimistic sellers

[Voltaire]

I don't think those bantams are selling because they're the wrong kind of old. They're too old.
They're the sorts of bikes old people would buy because they want to restore it (not chop it up and turn it into a bobber or something) and collect them.

Yobbo's like me want 70's/80's Japanese bikes (like my cx) that we can chop up and make it look somewhat cafe racer-ish but with a modern take.
Pity there seems to be a lot of people who are so bad at it, aka the last couple of listings posted.

One of the best bikes I have bought and sold from a percentage profit point of view.

Older chap next to me as swap meet made me take off it his hands for $150 ( Its was all in bits).

Took it home, loosely reasembled it for photo shoot, listed on TM and it went mad....sold for over $300

I've gone off projects as the time/money pendulum is swinging the other way now.

[roogazza]

that H2 at 30,000 , had long history with them , loved them to bits , but shit not paying that when you can pick up a top end Ducati and even a Senna for a bit more. They were great back then, but 75 hp and iffy handling would wear off compared with bangs for bucks now.

Funny story, I couldn't sell my H2 in about 74' But I traded it on a SL125 in Wgton at a Honda Dealer.The Sales Manager came back after xmas to find an H2 in the shop (not impressed) !!
He said to the salesperson,did you see Gracefeild the other weekend ??????
No , was the answer.
Well thats Gazza's bike and it was a winner there !!!!!!! lol

Race bikes had a bad rep in those days Thrashed etc etc ,which was bullshit cos they're often well sorted.
It was a bloody good bike. (think I got $1300 for it ? with cash my way?).
Only way to get out of it.
I was joining the Police and needed to move on.

[Grumph]

Snap !! I traded my Mach 3 in on an AC50 at Tommy's in ChCh. I needed a commuter that got better than 8 mpg....

And yes, it was another race bike....

[AllanB]

Snap !! I traded my Mach 3 in on an AC50 at Tommy's in ChCh. I needed a commuter that got better than 8 mpg....

And yes, it was another race bike....

Surely Tommy's took the Mach III and gave you some cash, then you rode away on a new AC50.

[Grumph]

Surely Tommy's took the Mach III and gave you some cash, then you rode away on a new AC50.

It'd been on HP for under a year. So, yes, I did get a little cash in hand. Not a lot....Tommy always was a tight fisted trader.

[tanken2]

Surely Tommy's took the Mach III and gave you some cash, then you rode away on a new AC50.

traded first Mach 4 at Len Perrys for CB750, traded 2nd one at Colemans for KZ900 , bought and sold Mach 3 Privately , none set foot on a racetrack.

[YellowDog]

One of the best bikes I have bought and sold from a percentage profit point of view.

Older chap next to me as swap meet made me take off it his hands for $150 ( Its was all in bits).

Took it home, loosely reasembled it for photo shoot, listed on TM and it went mad....sold for over $300

I've gone off projects as the time/money pendulum is swinging the other way now.

I bought a Suzuki 1999 XF650 (Freewind) for $3,300 in 2004 and sold it for $5,500 in 2007.

I knew I'd bought her cheaply, but that was far more than I was expecting to get from my Trademe listing, with $2,500 reserve.

Bike was Selling at $2,505, with just 2 minutes to go. Then at $3,001.89, with three seconds to go, and I went and got a beer out to celebrate.

And then the fun started, but I missed it all, as by then, I was watching the day's footy replays/highlights

[AllanB]

I Trademe searched 'Chopper' last night. A surprising number of big-arse USA choppers up for sale and some big budgets on some of them.

Also a bagger style ride with a 30 inch front wheel.

I wonder how that would handle - be different for sure. Plus thinking of the massive wheel with not significant brake upgrade the stopping power would be significantly reduced.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I Trademe searched 'Chopper' last night. A surprising number of big-arse USA choppers up for sale and some big budgets on some of them.

Also a bagger style ride with a 30 inch front wheel.

I wonder how that would handle - be different for sure. Plus thinking of the massive wheel with not significant brake upgrade the stopping power would be significantly reduced.

Surely the limiting factor is tyre contact patch size area.?

[AllanB]

Surely the limiting factor is tyre contact patch size area.?

The bigger the wheel the more it takes to stop it once it's rolling. ANd that 30 incher had a skinny tyre as well.

[F5 Dave]

And no doubt a shit tonne of weight attached behind via long flexible forks pushing it along.

[AllanB]

Here it is. Must be a wide front tyre looking at the rim width, just looks skinny due to the diameter.

I really want to ride it and see how it feels. I'd think changing from left to right would be a slow affair.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...cdf98e83a06dd7

[tanken2]

Here it is. Must be a wide front tyre looking at the rim width, just looks skinny due to the diameter.

I really want to ride it and see how it feels. I'd think changing from left to right would be a slow affair.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...cdf98e83a06dd7

not my cup of anything , but nice build if that's what your into.

[HenryDorsetCase]

These are my two favourites on tardme at present. The XLS is nicely done but hardtail and 4 speed iron head sportster. It would feel fast, and would sound fast, without actually being fast. Cool as fuck though. Probably too cool for middle age tiny fat guy to pull off.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...5fcf1006187bdd


The other one is this Sportster 72. Nowhere near as cool (and why is that girl perched on it with the Indian headdress ?) but a modern powertrain, EFI, and at least some rear suspension. Its got the look, too.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...5fcf1006187bdd

The 72 has been for sale for a while - if $11k bought it I might be in - except my CB750 is in bits again.

And I guess too that if I want something heavy, slow, with marginal brakes and that vibrates I have the CB750 for that....

[Drew]

These are my two favourites on tardme at present. The XLS is nicely done but hardtail and 4 speed iron head sportster. It would feel fast, and would sound fast, without actually being fast. Cool as fuck though. Probably too cool for middle age tiny fat guy to pull off.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...5fcf1006187bdd


The other one is this Sportster 72. Nowhere near as cool (and why is that girl perched on it with the Indian headdress ?) but a modern powertrain, EFI, and at least some rear suspension. Its got the look, too.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/mot...5fcf1006187bdd

The 72 has been for sale for a while - if $11k bought it I might be in - except my CB750 is in bits again.

And I guess too that if I want something heavy, slow, with marginal brakes and that vibrates I have the CB750 for that....

The hard tail is fucken awesome. The repowered 72 is just junk.