SUPPLY AND DEMAND?

Where have all the cheap motorcycles gone? That’s the question I’m asking myself as I dive into the search for ‘another’ project, or regular ride.

With £3000 burning a hole in my pocket, you’d think I’d have my pick of something suitable for CMM and the VJMC’S ’15 year or older’ rule: sure, I can still get a smattering of Yamahas such as old EXUPS and some ZX-6R/7R Ninjas and a few Honda VFRS, but that’s about it.

Five or six years ago the world was my oyster: I snaffled up a CBR900RR-V Fireblade for under £2k and the same for a Suzuki GSX-R750 W-T SRAD for the same. Sold them for a few quid more a few years later…

So what do I want for £3k? Well, a Kawasaki ZRX1200R would be nice – but no chance to find a decent one for that. Have you seen the prices recently? Same goes for most UJM naked muscle bikes, sportsbikes too – and adventure bikes.

What’s done this to prices then? Is it some Brexit/ Covid thing? Cap hpi predict that we will continue to see strong used bike prices in the short to medium term? Reasons are many. People seem to want to avoid public transport, so learner bikes are in big demand, as are scooters for commuting, and the knockon is post-test bikes are wanted too. Sounds like dealers will be competing for good stock, too. Sports and customs from the 1980s and 1990s also are increasing in prices, as well as machines from the early noughties. Let’s see what happens…

In this issue we’ve got a mixed bag: two Suzuki specials (one a legendary two-stroke, one with a legendary name and a turbo attached) and a classic ride on Aprilia’s Tuono… a version of which I’ve just bought with my £3k! Well, it seemed rude not to…

Once more, if you like what you see in CMM, simply scan that weird box thing on the ‘Next Month’ page or go to: https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/ issue/preorder.