Hi,
I think that lots of bikes and parts seem to be over-priced, also I think it is part of the same symptom that caused the housing market to collapse and the banks to go to the wall, Greed & Speculation, sorry but the truth often hurts, values and costs are often over-inflated. I do not think that the auction houses hype policy helps either, the more something brings the more money those that market it and sell it make, the more everybody else believes/thinks they can get in £'s for things and this endless speculative cycle goes on & on eventually hurting and killing off a hobby and an interest that many people enjoyed across the class-divide; because in the end it all goes the same way, "titsup". When money dries up as more and more of it goes to fewer and fewer people, then all kinds of things and motorcycles too, will become in time, valueless.
For most real enthusiasts, values is secondary to the pleasure derived, eventually over-confident sellers and investors will be left with egg on their face and probably be deeply unhappy, and why because, there mistaken "pots of gold" machines can/will wear out, they rust externally and internally, (condensation see) and if not used seem to deteriorate but now far worse is somebody trying to tell me that a "so & so" the pinnacle of British engineering is worth some inordinate extraordinary price, which a "pleb" like me no longer can afford.
If you put all the bikes in safe-storage then in theory prices will go up as there aren't any around any more to buy, but this is often a ruse to increase values, race bikes are different, road bikes are much more of a risk, money does seem to become increasingly valueless, but so can investments overnight, this last trend in speculative values, I find more galling than those experienced in youth, just look how football fans have been ripped-off by the same trend, investment & speculation in that sport and unless the tide turns, the same thing will happen in the motorcycling world, I fear its almost too late, to stop this Lemming- like activity, real Gold doesn't rust, bikes do, simple as that really!
If you want the "real-thing", a good experience, buy a replica, engineered better than the original item and R&Ded over & above the Real-Thing, with five years plus of improvements built in, that the factory never got round to doing, because the bean-counters and Management didn't think at the time they were necessary, still an expensive route but....
Cheers
JBW
