‘You absolutely will not lose money’

A while back I focused on bikes that were cheap but about to soar in value. Most were small-capacity things that had escaped the inflation seen in old Honda and Kawasaki fours and all the two-stroke triples. Sure enough, small two-stroke singles have since risen in value, two-stroke dirt bikes are now silly money and mint early SOHC Honda 125s are two grand and up. But there are still gaps in the market. Moto Guzzi’s recent resurgence has renewed interest in their older models. The original 850 Le Mans and California have long been prized but the later 1100 fuelinjected Californias can still be found for around two-and-a-half grand. The charming V50 has been stuck at about £2000-£2200 for years, too. They’re simply undervalued. I’d also be looking at the last Mk IV and V Le Mans; not as pure as the early ones, admittedly, but faster and much cheaper and values can only go up.

I’d also tip Honda’s VFR750 and 800 (but not the VTEC); especially the final carbed models. I don’t think Honda have made anything to the same quality since, with the possible exception of the last steel-framed CBR600s, so they’re worth a punt, too. Both are ridiculous value for money right now. More recent bikes? Kawasaki’s W800. It’s just been brought back, albeit in lowhorsepower A2 mode, but that’ll just make the earlier full-fat ones more desirable. Good ones start at about £3500 and you absolutely will not lose money.