Rather than letting cash just sit in savings I'm looking at getting some bike or maybe bikes that will appreciate in value. The limited edition R variants have already shot up in value so they won't do. Ideally the £5k mark for the first dabble is my budget and I'd like something pretty to look at in garage. My initial thought was 916 or Mv F4? But good ones are few and far between at reasonable money. If the first one goes ok then I'd look to do more as can store as many bikes as I can buy. The money is needed one day to pay off the mortgage so needs to be safe bets. I've got other bikes so wouldn't need to use it and I'd probably not even service it until it gets sold in years to come. Does snyone have any advice? And also what is the best idea for me insurance? @Exige can you give me any advice.
With mine I had 2 self imposed rules, I had to like the bike and it had to be cheaper than current market value in my opinion. I ended up with quite a diversity but non of them were pre planned. There are bargains to be had, like a 94 916 Strada I passed on 6 months ago for £5200. Yes it needed a tidy but they are the safest 916 for uplift, deffo at that price. Funnily enough I have an MV 750 F4S and also a zero mile GSXR1000 K1, both mentioned above. My next purchase will be a 1098S Tricolore due, as you say, to the R's already shooting up. There's more scope for uplift if you catch the turn. Rarity counts but also cult status at a point in time, more than anything - the bigger the following the more potential as the 350LC's have proven. Laid up insurance circa £120 per £10k in value, or secure yourself dependant on your surroundings.
I ride bikes because I am a biker. If I wanted to invest money then I would leave it safe in the bank. I would find it hard to buy a bike and let it sit without being ridden.
Not when you have so many you wouldn't. Better than money in the bank and an art form too :smileys: I am not a 'biker' I manufacture bikes, ride bikes and collect bikes, I am a wiminiser though, not a biker :Hungry:
I would you know, my wife and I have 5 bikes between us and they all get ridden. I would not buy another bike if it was not going to get used, and I have no use for investments I have enough to live on and need no more.
I realise it always divides opinion when people mention keeping bikes unused and I agree to a certain degree. But I've got other bikes that her used loads so this is purely a better way to make a bit of cash for the future. If the first goes ok then I'd buy a few more. Better than getting 1% in a bank or the odd £25 off premium bonds.
Don't get me wrong, I am not criticising anything that others do, but I would think that investing to make money and buying bikes for that purpose is a very risky thing to do, if it was simple then everybody would be doing it. Only invest in a risky project if you can afford to lose the money in the first place. Making money is a very British hobby and people think that they have to go on making more and more when in fact they should go and enjoy what they have now, they will never have the time to spend all the extra that they are making, and you can't take it with you when you depart this life. I managed to break the money shackles 12 years ago and love getting up when the sun is shining through the window rather than when the alarm tells me too, it gives me time to offer help to others rather then worry what the value of this or that is doing.
I looking in to buying a 916 to stick under a sheet for a few years. There are plenty of shonky examples kicking around and anything that not been abused is IMO silly money. Unless your looking at SPS or a mint original Strada then personally I wouldn't bother. I'll stick to buying and selling cars
I have invested in circa 15 "investment bikes" over the last 5 years, all are now worth more, some a little more, some a lot more with 2 at least triple what I paid and one unknown quantity which is even more by far. Better investing in something you are passionate about. I agree with your sentiments and aim to leave the rat race in 3 years (55) with just enough to be comfortable to see me through to a £12k yearly pension at 66. Enjoying life more is my goal
If I could get away with it, I'd love to have an R or two stashed away on one side for future value... But if you can... And want to make decent money, a small house on the costa is the safest bet. Rent it out when you don't use it. Depending how much you put into it deposit wise, 1 week's rent could pay a month's worth of mortgage.
£5K - as a generalisation - and you like Ducati's - then a 916 with the early logo (pre 996). You can still get good ones for £5K if you're patient and they will rise well medium term
I would say you should be looking at anything that is either A) About to be featured by a magazine as a 'classic' as that tends to help, like in the case of the TLR1000 where they were offensively cheap and now they are pretty serious money... or B) is a bike that was quite popular but has a story, or they have all been smashed up, like early R1's. Personally the only things I think in this price range that are appreciating are MV F4 750's if you can get one, or perhaps early immaculate RSV's. I saw a RSV SP on eBay but it's 10k. There is an RSV Nero on ebay (or was last week) that was £8k and I think it will be worth more...
Mk1 Superlight, the ones with Marvic wheels. Been going up for a little while now & always going to be worth more than a comparable SS.
