It seems they are going for about that sort of money, the most expensive one was almost £11000 but that was a dealer price so warranty cover etc. could be a factor in that sale. They are not especially comfortable bikes but a lot of that can be alleviated by small mods. What makes a more desirable bike is a subject of personal taste, it would seem that the price of these would indicate they are high on some people lists despite some of their shortcomings.
Hmmm it is getting a bit silly on the pricing front. My guess that the Portugese chap wanted 12,000 Euros on his reserve (about £10,300 roughly)...just because that is neater when you think in Euros - I could be wrong. Whatever the chap is being greedy no doubt - I bet a Lisbon local would not have considered anywhere near that and that the UK is getting a name for paying top prices...for instance the Classic bike market has gone a bit nuts too...I can expect a premium price on a BSA Spitfire,Triumph Hurricane,RocketGS,T120 Bonnie etc but asking £6000 for a very average and ordinary early 60's 500cc AJS is just potty in my book.
Mervyn, I think the problem is that Ducati SCs have stopped being motorcycles and become 'trade-able commodities' judged in price by their investment value and more importantly their year-on-year price increase. Seen in that light it doesn't matter how desirable they are (or even if they have square wheels) it matters how much money you can make from them in the long term. It's a disastrous turn of events for those of us who want to use them and enjoy them as motorcycles. They will now begin to be bought and placed straight in a heated garage (along with the E Type and the MV Agusta America 750S), dust cover on and will be lucky to cover 10 miles a year. Reminds me that I had a neighbour who had a beautiful MV Agusta F4. I offered to go out on a few ride-outs with him but he always politely declined saying... "I don't want to put many miles on it" I give up...
True but I think the reason why SCs are fetching such high prices at the moment is because of the cafe racer craze that started recently. It's a fashion and it will pass and their prices will drop down. TBH given the prices standard SCs are going for, I think I would rather go for Paul Smart or GT and turned it into a cafe. At the end of a day cafe racers are meant to be built not bought right? :smile:
I am lucky enough to have an MH900E-I take it out on the road as much as possible.I get a lot of enjoyment owning it,but loads more fun riding it.If it appreciates in value,fine.I am not going to mothball it.I'll have fun with it while I still can.
Thats the spirit Of course the trouble is the 'mothballers' push the prices up until those of us not on mega salaries (and the ones who would use them as they should be used ) cannot afford them. That's why I have never owned an E-Type, or an Aston Martin DB4, or a Ducati 750GT, or a Hurricane etc etc
Very true.I have a friend who is a biker from the days of mods and rockers.He has some nice old bikes which he takes to shows and charity events.Last year he rode his lovely BSA Rocket Goldstar along to a show.First prize in the show went to another Goldstar,which turned up on a trailer.The price of Goldstars has now reached such a high price that there are bitsa fake ones appearing on the market at astronomic prices.Just ready to catch out the gullible "investor". As you say this ruins things for everyone especially the guys that want these old bikes for riding and possibly re living their youth.
Agreed. Although I can't use the bike for work, I ride my GT1000 whenever I can. It may appreciate in value, but that's not why I bought it. I just enjoy riding the bike & Mrs H also enjoys riding pillion as she finds the GT more comfortable than most other bikes I have owned. I'll keep riding the GT - how many other alleged investments can you have so much fun with?
I bought my Paul Smart a couple of years ago for what (now) would seem to be a very good price for a mint bike with only 900 miles on the clock. I could probably sell it now for a decent profit (ignoring what it has cost in servicing & mods) but I don't think I would sell it even if I was offered double what I paid for it. I don't ride it very often (I also have an ST4S) but when I do take it out the grin factor is immense and the attention it receives is remarkable. More importantly, I bought it with some of the money my dad left me after he died and although we were not close and he would probably have disapproved, I do think about him at times when I ride it. Impossible to predict what will happen in the future but it is a keeper until I am too old & knackered to swing a leg over it. Even then, my daughter has her eye on it so it may become a family heirloom in years to come.
Yes, I suppose the other side of the coin is that, if you buy a bike it's up to you what you do with it. I'm not knocking the enthusiast who only rides a few miles a year - rather the person who buys one solely as an investment ( and trailering bikes to events is a whole different kettle of fish - why don't they buy a fiberglass model of their bike and have down with it?) ps Am investor in bikes meeting a true enthusiast at a bike event would make a great subject for an Ogri cartoon - probably ending with Ogri jumping on the pride and joy and taking it for a 100 mile 125mph thrash!
Very interesting thread this, I've always ridden whatever bikes (mainly Monsters) I've had in all weathers, to be honest mostly for a filtering cummute through London every day but its the only riding I really get these days with having a young family. I've had a GT since September, I worked and saved really hard for it and I love riding it but I find it gets absolutlely wrecked if I use it in the wet, the stainless steel is dreadful and rusts if you so much walk past it with a glass of water. The thing is half of me thinks I should flog it to somebody who will keep it in a heated garage and only use it twice a year, it almost feels like that sort of bike, the other half of me can't wait to get on it in the morning and ride to work, it is just beautiful to look at, sounds like a chinook with the contis, is great fun to ride and goes like stink. I usually only keep my bikes for a year as I get bored with them, however I can't see this happening with the GT, I've already spent a few bob on sorting the forks and bits and pieces out. I suppose we'll see in September if I still feel the same, I think only silly money would tempt me to get rid of it at the moment...actually looking out the window this morning I'd swap it for a mars bar and a skidoo.
Which stainless steel components are you having corrosion issues with? I use ACF-50 on the engine cases, frame, forks, electrics on my GT1000 & it seems to work well in keeping corrosion at bay. The bike isn't used every day, but still gets used all year & the roads round here are treated with huge amounts of salt.
When I bought my PS which had only covered 900 miles, not been used in the wet and kept in a garage, the chrome spokes were still beginning to rust & pit. Unless kept in a heated/insulated garage bikes get wet from condensation if a mild period follows a cold snap. Last year, I decided to get the spokes replaced with stainless steel ones as I knew I was fighting a losing battle with the chromed steel originals. I have bikes purely for fun and get zero pleasure from riding in the wet or cold. I did that when I first started work in 1977 & couldn't afford a car.
Thanks Rudolph, I use WD40 mainly, I think I'll give ACF50 a try, got to be worth it, it is kept outside but under an Oxford Stormex cover which is pretty good but does trap a bit of moisture, really I don't think the problem would be anywhere near so bad if I was able to get outside and sort it out properly, as soon as it gets warm I'm going to go for a whole weekend's detailing, get it to how I want it and try and stick to it. It does get a weekly wipe down to ensure that no corrosion ever remains.
As Bigredduke says, the original spokes on the Sport Classics are prone to corrosion. In fact the original GT1000 wheels are chromed steel wheels & these could also corrode in a salt-laden British winter. My bike had Sport 1000 alloy rim wheels when I bought it, but I replaced these with 5-spoke Marchesinis (as found on the ST4S). This enabled me to run tubeless tyres (without inner tubes - easier to plug a puncture) and reduced the unsprung weight of the bike. I did perceive an improvement in turn-in & a quicker response in flicking the bike from side to side after changing the wheels, although it has to be said I also changed the OEM Michelin Pilot Classics for Dunlop RoadSmarts when the wheels were changed. The 5-spoke Marchesinis are also easier to clean (IMHO). Granted some people prefer the look of classic spoked wheels, but I think the Sport Classic range looks good with either spoked or cast wheels. If you're spraying ACF50, it's worth giving relays & plug leads etc a light covering. The electrics on our bikes are greatly improved since the Ducatis of 20-30 years ago, but every little helps.
This Ducati bug has bitten me hard - I have now bought a second one as a stablemate for my SC - a 1977 860 GTS bevel. In my defence I have (for the last 15 years) ran a classic and a modern side by side and enjoyed their different qualities. The GTS has been a working bike most of it's life - non standard switchgear, non standard seat material etc - but the basics , mechanicals , electrics,frame,wheels etc are all sound and apart from some rusting on the chain guard which can be quickly sorted...NO corrosion!:smile: Not a sign of 'whiting' on the alloy bits either. It's a credit to it's previous owner of the last 20 years (but I doubt if he pampered it - he had never hear of ACF 50 or Scottoiler anti corrosion spray).
Good for you Triang, that's a beautiful bike. Hankered after one during my late teens, but all I could afford was a 1968 175cc BSA Bantam.
Thanks Rudolph - I could not afford one either and when I could stretch to buying a secondhand one I gave in to the siren voices that said "they have weak bottom ends - once you rev hard they explode!" and "they blow top gaskets all the time"... Anyway it scared me enough to turn to Moto Guzzi and a Ex Norfolk Police Californian , first of four T3 based Guzzis including a 750 S3 and a MK2 Le Mans - don't regret any of them but I did not look at buying a Ducati until January this year - what a waste of 30 years!
That 860 is lovely, a guy wandered up to me the other day when I stopped the GT and siad he used to have an 860, I'd never really heard of one before, love that paint scheme, what does it go like?
Very well...bit of a shock stepping off the SC onto it but the Ducati "DNA" is very evident between the two, It feels a lot heavier than the 20kg difference and you get to appreciate why sidestands were adopted instead of centerstands (obviously it has maintenance advantages but I have yet to master the "stand down and roll backwards onto stand" technique so am in danger of a hernia (unlike a Guzzi T3 there is no grab handle to help get it up), Goes like a slightly strangulated SC...noise is very similar on Contis... Kick start mastered though ...usually one kick is enough :biggrin:
