It never ceases to amaze me the people you meet along the way buying selling and dealing in all things moto. Vintage and classic enthusiasts come out of the wood work when you least expect it. And they invariably have a bike or two or more with a very interesting history.
Most bikes will come with a story whether good or bad, partially or fully documented, acquired from a friend of friends dead uncle etc.
And the buyers and sellers are as diverse and interesting as their bikes. A lot of people own more than one. Many own few more, and a surprising number of folk have a quiver in the shed approaching double figures, and then we get into huge private collections.
The underlying narrative is a genuine interest in motorcycles that often sparked something in all of us back to our days as kids. Some riders come to it much later in life. All enjoying bikes and opening their interests to the world of older/vintage, rare and collectable bikes as the market is wide and varied and so accessible to view these days.
As we head towards some sort of future with a reducing internal combustion engine domination, the bikes we remember fondly are getting older scarcer and starting to attract big money and there appears to be a growing pool of enthusiasts with a dwindling pool of bikes to choose from. This has been the trend for the last 10 years at least. During the height of COVID there was an explosion in asset price coupled with high inflation and a lot of cheap money flying about which has sparked another level of demand for collectables.
As some normality settles the vintage bike market prices are still very strong for rare, limited editions, super rare etc. The more run of the mill bikes will settle down.
With a longer-term view there is an increasing demand and interest in vintage bikes and an ever dwindling supply.
What is classed as a Vintage Motorcycle?
Generally it will be over 30 years old. For example a 1994 Ducati 916 is a year away from being a vintage bike. As a 51-year-old that seems strange to me as I fondly remember seeing them when they first were released in Australia! They cost more than my entire years wages at the time. If only I had a few less vices at the time!
As people build careers, wealth, assets etc these bikes we wanted are possibly within reach. This hasn’t changed and is handed over from generation to generation. And these bikes are now sourced globally. It’s easier now than ever to ship a bike from overseas but if you don’t know what you are doing during the entire purchasing and shipping process you can get caught out. Plus you need to buy well, and if you haven’t had a solid finger on the vintage pulse spanning several years then the risk of a poor purchase increases.
Sellers will always focus on the best and buyers always focus on the worst. Hopefully somewhere in the middle there is a deal to be made.
If you have ever considered owning a vintage bike or require some help and advice, Salt Creek Motorcycles has over 20 years experience in sourcing, purchasing, shipping, and restoring motorcycles from Australia, Japan, USA and Europe. We also have the know how to access vintage parts and restore motorcycles back to their original glory. Which is also a skill as rare as the bikes we work on.
Get in touch with us and you could be riding your dream bike or watching it rise in value sooner than you think.