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Post by mekon on Feb 19, 2021 14:45:35 GMT
I don't mind a scruffy 250 as they look a bit 'veteran'. Scruffy 250s are probably rarer than good ones now and if they do come up the owners think it's worth more than it is.
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Post by spuu on Feb 19, 2021 17:03:05 GMT
There is always a peak window for buying an old bike that had a following. Loads of Blades were sold in the 90's. They get old and a bit tatty and around 2010 they were cheap as chips to buy an old 92-96 bike. But then they start getting rarer as the really shitty ones got scrapped, crashed or parted out. This leaves the well looked after examples only and by the time the nostalgia bug hits you, they are a lot rarer and going for silly money. First bike I remember that happening to was the 350 LC. They were going for silly money as far back as 1996. Then it happened to the race rep 250 two strokes. Perfectly summed up. Tidy '98 R1's are getting valuable now. I still love that bike. I was too young for the original blade era, so for me that R1 was the equivalent. |
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Post by Droog on Feb 19, 2021 18:28:47 GMT
I can still remember seeing the spy shot of the then prototype yet to be released R1 in the magazines and papers. Back then I thought the frame looked all wrong for some reason. Also remember hearing talk that Scott Russell had tested an early version and lapped faster on it than his superbike.
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Post by mekon on Feb 19, 2021 20:45:51 GMT
I remember Shakey ringing the fuck out of it for those Fast Bikes videos. It was at that time stuff like the ZX7R was still being pushed as worthwhile buy and crazy shit like the TL1000R was about.
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Feb 19, 2021 21:31:18 GMT
There is always a peak window for buying an old bike that had a following. Loads of Blades were sold in the 90's. They get old and a bit tatty and around 2010 they were cheap as chips to buy an old 92-96 bike. But then they start getting rarer as the really shitty ones got scrapped, crashed or parted out. This leaves the well looked after examples only and by the time the nostalgia bug hits you, they are a lot rarer and going for silly money. First bike I remember that happening to was the 350 LC. They were going for silly money as far back as 1996. Then it happened to the race rep 250 two strokes. That pretty much sums it up! There's something nice about having something which is rising in value rather than falling, even though it doesn't happen often. I bought my 20th anniversary Gsxr about 4 years ago for less than 3 grand from a Suzuki dealership. These days over here you struggle to see one for sale privately at that price. A few weeks ago some guy was pressing me to give him a price to part with it, but the more he insisted the less I felt like putting a number on it, so I just said no, it's not for sale. I reckon he would have given me what I paid for it though. |
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Post by Droog on Feb 19, 2021 21:37:05 GMT
I remember Shakey ringing the fuck out of it for those Fast Bikes videos. It was at that time stuff like the ZX7R was still being pushed as worthwhile buy and crazy shit like the TL1000R was about. Our dear old departed friend Twiggy just popped into my head reading that. First time I ever saw him was at the Ally Pally in a little booth flogging Fast Bikes merch and videos. Would have been about 1998. Even though I'd seen him about in the paddock over the years we didn't actually properly meet until about 2007 when he paid me a visit in Brighton. I miss Twiggy. Used to call me up at very random times and chat about racing for hours. Glad I got to see him for a day out at Brands before he passed. |
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Post by mekon on Feb 19, 2021 21:45:35 GMT
Proper good bloke. One of the few straight talkers in the paddock. He did make a fuckup recruiting that lad for Krystal racing though. I think being fast on a 400 didn't translate to being fast on 1000cc superstock. We used to go through my pics of him corner by corner to judge how much effort he was making. Think he gave up racing to become a locksmith. PRobably a good financial move.
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Post by Droog on Feb 19, 2021 21:51:01 GMT
The amount of arguments we had over the phone about Crutchlow lol. I would say the lad is a dick but he will be our best rider and Twig used to tell me that John Kirkham was faster. I think he just didn't like Cal and his Dad. Always had some good intel though did Twiggy.
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Post by spentcase on Feb 20, 2021 7:43:32 GMT
I can still remember seeing the spy shot of the then prototype yet to be released R1 in the magazines and papers. Back then I thought the frame looked all wrong for some reason. Also remember hearing talk that Scott Russell had tested an early version and lapped faster on it than his superbike. Of all the bike articles ever written, the one I remember most vividly was when Performance Bikes raced a plane on a ZZR1100 and stacked it in at around 170. I was about 20 at the time and thought it was brilliant, as you do when you're that age. |
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Post by Droog on Feb 20, 2021 8:57:09 GMT
The one that sticks in my mind most is the Performance Bikes issue where they test loads of 125's. Load of readers with their 125's on the cover. Some bloke made his own front fairing on his RD125LC. It was what you'd make if you knew nothing about aero but thought you did. Think it was 1988?
EDIT
I just looked it up and it was the August edition 1987.
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Feb 20, 2021 9:24:23 GMT
I used to love the Steve Burns Spondon bikes from PB, the Monster (before Ducati used the name) and the Barge... wonder where these bikes are now?
Come to think of it, are Spondon still in business?
Is Steve Burns still around?
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Post by Droog on Feb 20, 2021 9:28:50 GMT
I'm pretty sure they both are. I think I looked up the bike and builder a few years ago and found a really basic website. Had the magazine double page poster of that on my bedroom wall as a teen.
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Post by Droog on Feb 20, 2021 9:32:01 GMT
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Post by mekon on Feb 20, 2021 12:59:25 GMT
The most disturbing thing was the 400 group test headline.....£6615 or less. That was 1992. I've just ran that through an inflation calculator. IT'S NEARLY £14000!!!!! Maybe those £4000 CBR400s on Ebay aren't really overpriced?!?  |
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Post by mekon on Feb 20, 2021 13:14:06 GMT
Performance bikes started to fall behind imo as they seemed to be stuck in that white and pink leathers period and certainly weren't 'cool' dudes like Fast Bikes that wore less garish colours. Performance bikes was all a bit Scott Russell rep mixed with shellsuit. They were also all a bit fat and ugly. Even the thin ones like Ronnie Smith had a good bashing with ugly stick.
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