SCOOPERMAN!

The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’S Steve Cooper

Many of us are on some form of social media, forums and the like.

Such set ups can facilitate an instant fix of best classics in less time than it takes to make a morning cuppa.

We’re also quite likely to post a reply or comment to a post along the lines of, ‘No one will pay that for one of those!’ Do you think not? Do you reckon the guy who is asking

£20,000 for a Yamaha RD500 is a foolish dreamer? What about the dealer with the

Suzuki RG500 up for £40,000? Scoff as much as you like, inhale sharply through your teeth and then shake your head.

Why? Because the reality is that someone, somewhere, may be seriously considering making a half sensible offer – irrespective of whether you think they are mad or not.

Without question the classic scene is getting more expensive and some will argue it’s taking many bikes away from true enthusiasts… whomever they are. If your expectation is that Z1s, CB750S, Kettles and the like should still be under £5000 then sorry, but that particular boat sailed more than a decade ago.

Likewise Gixxer 1100s, early R1s or Hayabusas are no longer just ‘old sports bikes’ – they too are, and will, continue to rise in price. Why are the prices rising? Because people (well, some people) are willing to pay prices others consider to be obscene.

Before firing off an angry-gram at the editor, ask yourself the following: ‘What do I want a classic bike for, how often will I ride it, am I prepared to make a few compromises and, most importantly, am I willing to make an effort?’ If the answer to the last one is a resounding ‘NO’ then be prepared to pay in excess of your initial expectations. Alternatively, if you’re up for a bit of a clean and fettle, are willing to take a slight chance and don’t want a trailer queen, there are still bargains to be had.

A friend of this column bought a Kawasaki KE175 for £2000 and no, he wasn’t cut a deal. The power of bike clubs is phenomenal and simply by putting out the word eventually found the right bike at the right price.

Another mate recently picked up a Suzuki TS250 for almost silly money from a dealer on ebay. The bike looked a like a dog and the vendor had made no effort to clean it or fire it up. A deal was struck, the bike delivered and a few evenings of cleaning and sorting had the machine running as it should. Throwing a few more quid at the paintwork saw a stunning trial iron looking pretty and on the road.

The KE was sold at ‘club rate’ where both parties came away from the deal happy, whilst the TS was simply down to a mardy dealer with a bad case of ‘can’t be arsed!’ Not all classics have to be icons and nor do they have to be expensive. An ear to the ground and/or the willingness to look beyond some surface dirt confirms bargains are still out there to be had. www.vjmc.com ❙ 01454 501310