Why two-strokes are proving to be a really strong market
Gary Mitchell of Fastline Superbikes in Preston, Lancs, has been in the import/export motorcycle business for 31 years. In fact, he imported this very TZR250R 3XV from Japan back in 1992.
“Back in the late ‘80s there was only really us and Bat Motorcycles down south importing stuff from Japan. A few more came along quite quickly like West Coast and Seastar, but we were definitely one of the first in the game. We stuck with it and I’m still going out to Japan, probably two or three times a year.
“Back in the early ‘90s we were doing roughly 1000 bikes a year. In a good week it wasn’t uncommon to see 40 bikes go out of the door.
“The market’s changed now, but we’re still flat out. People don’t visit the shop in the numbers they used to. They see and buy bikes online and want stuff delivering, in fact, I’m sending an RG500 to Boston US this week, and I’m just crating up an NSR250 that’s bound for Bilbao.
“The low mileage two-stroke stuff is going massive in Japan again, so that’s affecting supply over here. It’s getting to the stage at the moment where I can buy stuff cheaper in Europe than I can in Japan, such is the demand over there, but finding really good bikes anywhere is always difficult.
“There are a lot of fiftysomething blokes buying stuff as part of an investment portfolio, seeing as cash is worth nothing in the bank at the moment. There’s also a fair amount of younger lads that know their bike history getting involved in that game, too. In terms of values, we haven’t seen the peak yet I don’t think, because demand is outstripping supply still. Really nice stuff is getting much harder to find, so prices are going up accordingly. We’re paying more for stuff as a result, but we keep our margins keen and we sell bikes quickly because of that.
“We’ve got lots of old contacts in Japan and through my brother Kevin, lots of European race contacts and plenty of good people in the States, too. Our guys in Japan are really good, and that’s a situation we’ve built on over the years. I wouldn’t like to start from afresh now, that’s for sure.
“Two-strokes are still a really, really strong market and I wish I had more. I never have a problem selling them.
“The 3XV is a good, strong engine with no serious faults that I know of. Some people say crankcase seals are an issue, but they’re pretty good, really. On the whole they’re really reliable. Good oils and careful warm-ups are the main ingredients to a long life. Values vary according to condition and mileage, with the rarer SP versions holding greater prestige and values.”