The market, the split

Auto Motor Klassiek » Engines » The market, the split
Purchasing classics there

There is one thing that binds us right now: our surprise at the classic prizes. We read what they brought in at the international auction houses. And at Chasing Classic Cars we see how double thick glossy painted cars and some engines go to… Bored rich men and cold investors for hair-raising prices.

Add to this the general idea that not perfect or not driving classics for the market are apparently not worth spitting up and you have a few good reasons to get seriously depressed as a true enthusiast.

Asking too little is cowardly

If you then see a Honda CB750 K2 offered for € 8.500 again, you will drop out. All the more because the engine of the previous century is not right in terms of color, has a drop-eared handlebars, a four-into-one exhaust system and an atermarket sports seat. You only really notice that the prices all come from cowboy country when you see one (1) cylinder head of a Russian side valve offered with the slogan 'RARE!'. The asking price is a stiff € 350. If you have lived under a rock that could be acceptable. But for 'woke' enthusiasts of Russian free-range animals it is to giggle: Richard Busweiler supplies such parts for € 80-100 from the Genemuiden attic stock. Per two. On the other hand: We know a satisfied classic dealer who says: 'Few questions is cowardly'. He always has ample space to negotiate.

Find another bubble

But if you get stuck in the high price world, it is again because the damned internet has maneuvered you into such an algorithm-controlled 'bubble'. The market for incomplete and / or defective machines only exists when those two-wheelers are very old or very rare. But there's more.

The new trade

In the meantime, a new generation of dealers has emerged who have based their existence on the aging of the motorcycle world and in a way to acquire their business that is amazing even to me. Apparently a lot of us have stopped riding a motorcycle at some point. And those people did not say goodbye to their last motorcycle for 'their own reasons'. And apparently there are still countless classic motorcycles abandoned in countless barns, garages and sheds.

Just know where to find them

Experience shows that these are motorcycles that have just been put down ready for use once. Set up and then remain standing for decades. And that segment is the playground of men like Alex Janssen, Anne de Leeuw and a few others. They are traders. And their specialty is the purchase and sale of barn finds and motorcycles from collections that are skimmed.

Fast trading, you buy for what it is

Their earnings model is aimed at a (very) rapid flow of their trade. The margins they use are extremely tight. Their offer usually consists of motorcycles with something like 'Has thick compression and sparks' or' Has already been running for a while on start pilot. The delivery generally consists of dusting or 'mopping' with a greasy cloth.

There is a certain risk

The purchase of such a thing can turn out 100% well. But if it turns out after the purchase that such a complicated Honda CB 450 block is in need of overhaul, the cost could be significantly different. But as said: If such a classic was put away while driving twenty-thirty years ago, it can be nice and tidy again a party.

With a little luck, you can still score a nice classic for little.
And isn't that a nice idea? (photos Alex Janssen, DP)

 

REGISTER FOR FREE AND WE'LL SEND YOU OUR NEWSLETTER EVERY DAY WITH THE LATEST STORIES ABOUT CLASSIC CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

Select other newsletters if necessary

We won't send you spam! Read our privacy policy for more information.

If you like the article, please share it...

5 comments

  1. Well, you should also be able to let go, I think. Cherish what you have and accept what you don't have, you can enjoy even if you don't necessarily have it, right? Sometimes owning the business is the end of the fun… I often look with admiration and pleasure at the things of fellow enthusiasts…. have a good motorcycle year all!

  2. That is Hans.
    Nice that it is written about it and that we can also give our opinion.
    That I'm in for something more imaginative stuff, that's my own thing. Hi!

  3. Yes “” unfortunately ”” we live in 2021, scrap metal piles are bought sold “” trade ”” that's how it goes.
    Suppose it remains scrap metal and you wait a while then everything is gone.
    Chasing Classic Cars, is also nice to see all those models, another program, where they build a Bugatti from a Coupe American now for me.
    Nice to read about the past, and to watch, prices yes that's trade.
    We can write about it and give an opinion, right?
    Greetings Hans

  4. Prices are skyrocketing and increasingly become the caliber of 'what a madman gives'
    It has already been mentioned: Chasing Classic Cars.
    There, things go through the hammer of the 'auctioneer', which often seem in a far-reaching state of disintegration and then also for astronomical amounts. An American Yale motorcycle was recently auctioned.
    The condition the thing was in earned the predicate 'scrap heap' and changed hands for no less than $ 23.000 (!!)
    Is this still about something? The new owner wanted to put a few new tires on it right away. Beautiful! He had certainly not seen the bigger dent in the front wheel in all his buying emotion

Give a reaction

The email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

Maximum file size of upload: 8 MB. You can upload: afbeelding. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here