Classic bikes crossing the Atlantic

davido wrote: At the end of the day its keeping the old bikes on the road is the important thing. Wherever they are. Here in Amsterdam they have announced plans to get rid of all petrol vehicles by 2030. So the days are numbered. Make the most of them while you can.

But if they aren't here, they don't do me any good. I'd rather see them sent to Amsterdam than see them scrapped, but there's another option: keep them here. In the last week I've seen one 70's Honda sell in 3 hours, before I could even call them, and another 70s Honda sell overnight. This is suspiciously quick for actual local riders, and smells like someone scooping up everything they can find to resell. I'm seeing "I buy old motorcycles" signs popping up everywhere too, with non-local phone number

Here's a craigslist ad: I want to buy old Honda, Suzuki Kawasaki and Yamaha road bikes,
like the old bikes you may have collecting dust and taking space.
Trying to keep busy this winter, wanting projects to make spring come faster.
No title, or not running is no problem.



Bullshit! He's not looking for projects and its not winter any more. He's a lying thieving wholesaler shipping bikes out of the country.

BOTTOM FEEDER

Well we cant save them all . .

riturbo wrote: Well we cant save them all . .

No, I'm only worried we're going to lose them all, or lose so many that even pieces of junk become expensive and unavailable to the average (or below average :lol:) rider like me who has been looking for a cheap rideable bike for a year! We may already be there.

70's bikes have been increasing in value for 15 + years now, if you want cheap and ridable you need to look for year 2000 bikes. Nostalgia costs. Hope you like plastic!

82KZ305Belt wrote:

riturbo wrote: Well we cant save them all . .

No, I'm only worried we're going to lose them all, or lose so many that even pieces of junk become expensive and unavailable to the average (or below average :lol:) rider like me who has been looking for a cheap rideable bike for a year! We may already be there.

Not sure where you live but theres still a few in my area . You might have to travel a bit but .
Heres a few with just a quick search .
If you are looking for a 1000 or 900 you will have to pay but the smaller bikes are still out there .


worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/d/grafton-1...-750/6922525176.html

boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/d/newbury-...z750/6910113975.html

vermont.craigslist.org/mcy/d/pownal-1980...-ltd/6904400113.html

hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/d/bristol-ka...-550/6907879699.html

boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/d/derry-19...1000/6918111291.html

Actually I want a smaller bike, I don't need anything bigger than 350-450 for my size and the riding I do, although I'll go up to 550 if I must. I'd even go to 650 if my friend who has had a perfectly good KZ650 sitting in pieces for 30 years would give it to me. But 350-450 is my preference.

I have been told a lot of the bikes going back to Japan are specifically due to pollution restrictions. The loophole apparently is if the bike is mechanically original (engine displacement etc.) that they can get around the laws that tend to only allow newer fuel injected type machines. The clubs abound there where tons of 900/1000 bikes are ridden around basically stock but with lots of cosmetic (sometimes cheesy) mods done. the aftermarket scene in Japan is now obviously huge and many of these parts are available here.
David

Oh man, I found one in my price range and it has a good front tire! All it needs is, well, everything else. :lol: :lol:

up.craigslist.org/mcy/d/houghton-1980-kz...ject/6924433285.html The good, engine ran strong before the wiring harness fell apart, every gear felt good.

The bad... Wiring needs to be redone, clutch as well. Fork seals on the front need to be redone, no instrument cluster or seat.
Comes with a new front tire. $350 obo

Think I would pass on that one .

This one looks like a good deal greenbay.craigslist.org/mcy/d/green-bay-...-440/6900021592.html

riturbo wrote: Think I would pass on that one .

This one looks like a good deal greenbay.craigslist.org/mcy/d/green-bay-...-440/6900021592.html

Huh, that one didnt come up on my northern WI craigslist search but its a month old and is probably gone now anyway. I like it and I would LOVE a 440, but after driving to Green Bay and back I'd end up spending as much as it would cost to repair my 305....if that came up closer to home I'd probably jump on it.

Well if anyone else is concerned about this trend having an impact on the availability of classic bikes, as I am, I encourage you to flag all the "I buy classic bikes" posts that are wrongfully placed in the for sale section of Craigslist. The more I look into this, the more of those ads I see and they are always in the For Sale section. According to Craigslist rules, those ads should be in the "Wanted" section, where nobody will ever see them. But if I'm the only one flagging them they won't get moved...