"Your restoration is my profit". We once heard a classic car dealer explain his pricing.
The merchant was right. With a few exceptions, the restoration of a classic car or motorcycle is still something the owner does for himself. And we explicitly make the difference between 'chaining up', 'preparing for sale' and 'refurbishing'. These are actions that cost much less than a real restoration.
Of course, a beautifully restored classic is worth more than a deeply lived through challenging project. But whether the restoration costs ever "come out?" Another plus: After the restoration of a classic, a piece of historical heritage has been preserved.
We only saw a wonderfully restored Yamaha YL1, an 100 cc two-stroke twin of the kind that was super fast (before its time) when tuned Kreidler cylinders including carburetors and exhausts were installed.
Purchase and restoration of this brave mosquito had cost the owner about 4.500 euros. When he offered his pride in the revision of his collection for sale, there was nobody in NL who offered above the 2.000 euro, and on Ebay nobody who offered above the 3.500 euro.
And that is not much for a motorcycle that was briefly shown in 1969 in the film 'Scream baby, scream'.
Fortunately the story ended well. The owner figured out how little space such a Yamaha YL1 actually needs and put it in the hall of his house.
But if you were still looking for a really cool YL1… Just send us an email and we will connect you.