Yamaha GTS1000

Had one of these about ten years ago. Bit heavy, but great for touring. Rather expensive when new which put a lot of people off, so it wasn't the success that Yamaha were hoping for. The main feature that makes it stand out from the crowd is, of course, the hub centre steering which does away with conventional front forks. Makes for a very smooth ride and means you can brake in corners without affecting handling (no forks to compress under braking and wheelbase doesn't shorten when braking). Low slung engine and underseat petrol tank lower centre of gravity which further enhances handling (traditional petrol tank area houses airbox). Engine is basically the FZR1000, but slighly detuned and reset to provide greater midrange, housed in an 'Omega' frame. Altogether a fine machine which one bike mag recently voted 'coolest bike' (or some such title). Few were produced in the years '93 to '96 so those that survive are a rare breed. Spotted a one owner example recently that's only done about 7000 miles priced at a very reasonable four grand. Bargain. And surely a future classic. (Photo 'borrowed' from some other site.)

 

Honda CB1100RD

Favourite bike?  Tough question. I'd be hard pushed to narrow it down to six, but the question demands just one. Er..., umm..., I give up! Too tough to answer.

Okay, put it another way..., with a budget of five or six grand, what road bike would you actually buy, given that you can only have one...? Right..., tricky, but I'll go for Honda's superb CB1100RD. There, I've said it.

Prices are on the up, but I reckon a buyer could be lucky and find one for around the £6k mark. Or maybe not! Recently saw an RC advertised for nearly twelve grand! Silly money. Same for the CBX1000, RD500 and RG500. All four bikes are now collectors' classics and are consequently going up in value almost daily. But I'd only go for one of them!

29 Dec 2020  - Just spotted a 1982 model on eBay (see below) being advertised by a Sheffield classic bike dealer. Has the 4-into-1 exhaust fitted, one owner, 41616 kms, price £19,999. Wow! Yes, they do seem to have shot up in value, but the asking price ain't always the selling price. 

 

Then spotted a very similar model for sale in France (see below). Same year, 44930 kms, all standard with original 4-into-2 exhaust, price €15,390 (about £15,150) - about £4850 cheaper, but still pricey to a tight-fisted, elderly biker such as moi. Lovely bike though. Good investment.

MZ ETZ250

MZs - you either love 'em or hate 'em. Personally, I love 'em. They're simple, basic and honest. And, if properly serviced, they're reliable and capable of high mileages. What's more, even though some ill-informed bikers regard them as a joke, they actually make pretty good racers. Indeed, there's an MZ racing club which runs a series devoted entirely to MZs. And..., not that long ago, the engineering genius Walter Kaaden developed a grand prix bike which took on, and beat, the Japanese works bikes. And..., the great Mike Hailwood raced one, as did Bill Ivy (unfortunately Bill fell off one when he was pootling back to the pits without his helmet on - died from his head injury... very sad). Anyway, MZ works rider Ernst Degner (an East German and Kaaden's trusted jockey) defected from behind the Iron Curtain and resurfaced as a Suzuki works rider. Having gained Kaaden's MZ engineering secrets, Suzuki then began winning world championships with bikes that bore an uncanny similarity to Kaaden's MZs - take a look at Barry Sheene's Suzi for example. Then Honda and other Japanese racing factories followed suit. Thus, it's widely recognised that Japanese race brands owe a big debt of gratitude to MZ and Walter Kaaden in particular.

Anyways..., having owned five MZs in the past, I regularly keep a lookout for any good 'uns that come up for sale. Spotted this one the other day - a 1982 ETZ250 that's only done just over 4000 miles. Up for grabs at £800. Seems a good deal to me. Am trying really hard to resist the temptation to buy it, but I feel myself weakening...

Dammit! Someone beat me to it!

P.S. I've also included a photo of one of my fave MZ models, the TS250 which was produced from 1973 to 1982 (it's the blue one).

CCM 350

These magnificent thumpers now rarely come up for sale and good 'uns are increasing in value. Not long ago the top price was around £5000. However, I've just seen one being advertised for £6500. The ad unfortunately didn't have a photo but I imagine its condition is not unlike this fine specimen...

24/12/2018 Just spotted this one (see below) on eBay for £10,500

30/11/2019 This one (see below) on eBay £10,895

eBay Feb 2020 £12750

repeat of the above bike, eBay April 2020 £10750

eBay again Sept 2020 £10500

Ducati Montjuich 750 F1

I was lucky enough to own a couple of Ducati F1's and a Laguna Seca back in the '80s (not at the same time though!). As with many of my old bikes I regret selling these excellent Dukes, but they weren't exactly ideal for touring and 'er indoors reckons Ducati pillion seats aren't exactly the comfiest. Anyway, I still keep an eye open for any F1's that come up for sale. Not to buy, but just to see what prices they're going for. Trouble is, they're now regarded as collectors' items so they rarely come up for sale. And when they do, they're all a bit pricey. For example, this Montjuich has just come onto the market at an asking price of £16,999. It's apparently in immaculate condition, with 20,000 miles, and has been renovated. Looks gorgeous. I'll keep doing the lottery.

Fab FireBlade

Just spotted this on eBay. A 1997 FireBlade that's only done 518 miles. Priced at a very reasonable £3995. Apparently its only owner works abroad and rarely gets time to ride the thing. Been SORNed (I presume) for 99.9% of its life. Looks good as new to me and hasn't even been run in. Bargain. And a great investment.
P.S. - Sold after just one day. Not surprising really.