‘I see a growing demand for unrestored bikes’

By the time you read this, the dust will have settled on our first classic bike sale of the year on March 14. Another auction season is underway and, while it’s impossible to predict the future, I’ve been thinking about what the coming year will bring for the classic bike auction market.

The market for pre-war bikes – veteran and vintage – seems to be holding pretty steady and I foresee that continuing throughout this year. There seems to be a hard core of people who are into these bikes and their number seems to be fairly constant. As older riders drop out of the bike market, I’ve seen a number of 50-something-year-old collectors coming in, adding older machines to their stables. And I definitely see a growing demand for unrestored bikes – though there are fewer and fewer of them. Originality is king in this sector but, overall, I see prices for pre-war bikes roughly tracking inflation.

The post-war, 1950-1970 bikes seem to be the toughest market sector at the moment. A lot of owners of traditional, big British classics are getting older and maybe struggling to enjoy riding their bikes as much as they did. A lot are coming to the market at the moment – though lightweight

British bikes are enjoying a resurgence. A good Tiger Cub will make £5000, for example. But we sold a 1960 Clubman Goldie in March last year for £27,000. In October, a very similar, 1959 example, went for £17,000. This year, sellers will have to be realistic with their pricing in this sector.

Where I can see prices continuing to rise is in the 1970-’90s era. The right bikes – like Yamaha RD500LCS, Honda RC30S and even Yamaha FS1-ES – are still on the up. We’ve got a low-mileage RD500 in our March sale which I expect to make £17,000; 18 months ago, we sold the same bike for £14,500.

The market for post-1990 machines is developing, too. First-model Honda Fireblades and early Hinckley Triumphs are becoming genuine modern classics. I wonder how new Nortons will fare over the next few years, too...

As an auctioneer, I’m going to have to keep my finger on the pulse of the classic world this year. I’ll be watching what other auctioneers are doing closely, keeping my eye on the ball to stay ahead of the trends. The future will be intriguing whatever...

Andy is the Director, Valuer and Auctioneer at Spicers Auctioneers spicersauctioneers.com