classic motorcycle forum

If your mum's garage has a reasonably dry atmosphere then pick your favourite, sell the other two and mothball the good one there.
For Japs to fetch the often-quoted money they need to be pristine and original (green painted speedo dial screws come to mind here) and year-correct. Get a bit of rust on the pipes or rims and the value(?) drops like a stone.
It's a dilemma (that is, clearing parent's possessions) most of us face at some point, but storing three (later) bikes in his memory wouldn't be for me.
Seems to me like the bike market is teetering a bit, so if you don't ride them then maybe it's time to get rid?

MM is somewhat correct,the hysteria about climate change could overtake us all a lot sooner than many think.........but not in the USA,I  think.......Anyway,if you plan longer term storage ,preservation is essential,or chrome will rust quite quickly if unattended,and early Jap bikes also had thin (very) paint .........IMHO ,longer term they would need to be coated ,and the sealed in the plastic bags you can get for this purpose,with some vapor inhibitor.........even classic japs generally need to be original finish to fetch much dollars,because they were made in millions.....Selling the car and storing with your mother is probably the best option,at least you retain some controll there....dont forget modern cars detiorate quickly if let stand.......six months unused is often enough to wreck the fuel system without using preserving fluid throughout.......and if the computer goes dead,then there is more expense.

first question to ask, are you a motorcyclist?
do you have any interest in motorcycles?
If the answe rto either or both those questions is yes,then its down to you

Lots  of us here have the same problem, my advice to my daughter has been to sell them and enjoy the cash.

It's possible that in a few years they'll all be forced off the road, especially two strokes. Then all you will have is scrap metal ornaments

They are after just ordinary  road bikes. Nothing special.

As some one who at 73 has more dead relatives than living there is nothing worse than inheriting piles of stuff you don't want/need/like, don't let the dead leave you guilt.

Hello there,


I am a 22-year-old guy in need of some advice:

Nine months ago my father passed away and left behind three classic Yamaha motorbikes (two TDR 250s and one custom R1Z). I am now studying in China (and I plan to stay here), but I worry about the bikes all the time.

The bikes are in very good condition - they all start, even though they need carbs cleaning, etc. And my father left spare parts - carbs, panels, exhausts - for all the bikes.

The bikes are being held onto by various family friends in relatively secure locations, as I have my car in my mother’s garage and do not feel that her home is secure enough.

I want to keep the bikes because they have sentimental value and they are rapidly appreciating in value, but I do not know how I can store them long-term, and I do not know how quickly they will deteriorate cosmetically and mechanically if left untouched (the bikes are all covered, sprayed with WD40, fuel turned off). 

The way I see it I have three options:

One: Sell the bikes and regret it for the rest of my life.
Two: Sell my car, secure my mother’s garage, store the bikes there and worry that they will be stolen.
Three: Pay for professional storage and insurance.

I think the most sensible thing would be to sell them, because I assume they are going to deteriorate, they have already cost me a lot of money in transport fees, and I am probably never going to be able to ride them.

What do you think?

Hi Jean Luc,
Is the filler cap threaded or bayonet fit?
If threaded is the thread metric or imperial? Same questions about the other threads
The tank has some resemblance to my 1932 OK Supreme Especially the cutaways underneath

John