If I was in a position to own one of those or similar (and I'm not, or at least not in a position to justify it), the last place I would be posing about it is with my golf mates as the vast majority are utterly clueless about bikes.
My amateur hour investments in a SIPP and stocks & shares ISA have been pretty rubbish - mainly because I made some basic mistakes. There'still a bit of time for them to come good hopefully once Putin stops being such a t***. However, I look back at my 1973 Z1 that I sold for about £1850 in 1986 and my RG500 that I sold for about £3100 in 1988 and wish I had hung on to them... let alone my DT400, Triumph T150V, RD350B, S1c which have also made good gains (but probably wouldn't have covered the servicing and insurance costs). Still love the smell of 2 strokes... ahhhh.....
Very true. I did a double take when I saw 50 years ago and thought "Surely, I'm not that old?" - I bought it in 1978 I think... very pretty bike mind.. wouldn't mind one today for bimbling around on. The RG500 was (IMHO) the most over-hyped bike of its time.... not that fast, suspect handing, rubbish brakes and drank petrol... £17k now
I did recently see a stunning (restored) Z1 go through an American auction at ~$50k. It was particularly lovely mind….
The biggest winner when considering such bikes must be the manufactures themselves ... if you're paying top price for a special model then you expect full manufacturer service history and as Ducati owners I'm sure we all know how painful that can be to the wallet. There servicing costs far exceed any investment gains, so the real gains are those in the pleasure of ownership so it's best just to buy to ride and enjoy.
Technically speaking, any collectable is not an "investment" as it's not a financial instrument, it's simply a store of wealth - at best. Its fiat currency value on any given day is driven by demand and inflation, not the financial markets. Zero-mile bikes are no different than a gold coin or a painting. It's just another hard asset class that some see as a store of wealth only so far as they believe it's a safe bet that it will not lose them the amount spent if it keeps up with inflation. You know the saying, buy what you love and enjoy. For some, it's cars, others bikes, antique firearms, clocks, the list is endless. Of course, then you have the pure speculators. Those out to only profit. Those I suspect are the recipients of most of the hate in this thread, and rightfully so - from the enthusiasts' perspective. But these are found in all markets and asset classes. As an enthusiast, I'm glad there are people who stash a few of these away for whatever reason. For one, it means there will be at least one for future generations to see in its original condition. This is also extremely helpful to restorers who need an original example as a reference. We all have our reasons we may want to own something and we all have different circumstances in our life dictating those reasons as much as taste. As a personal example, I bought the lowest mileage 996R I could find/afford. I did so because I've always wanted one since new and I'm thankfully in a financial position to have done so. To me, it is the most beautiful motorcycle ever designed and a legend in my mind due to its wins in competition had by bikes based on it. For me, a zero-mile bike works and I would love to be the caretaker of one because due to a health issue, I can longer ride - at least not in a meaningful manner where I would enjoy the bike on the road. I've ridden Ducati SBKs my entire adult life so it's not like I'm missing out, I have the memories of every smiling mile So I'm more than content to simply admire it, and owning it is a dream come true because I am a true enthusiast. Money buys you happiness = check! We all have our reasons and circumstances.
