Guy I bought my FJ from told me to not to sell it as he heard values on them are set to start going up. I didn't ask why. Has anyone else heard anything like this any why that would be?
I put about $2500 worth of parts and modifications on mine since I bought it, so I'd say he is right, the value of an FJ often goes up after you buy one.
I don't know about going up in value but they are pretty much at the bottom of there price range. From here on it is mostly just condition. In my opinion it is one of the better values out there for a bike to ride daily considering that you can still get plenty of parts. They were sold world wide so information on maintenance issues is also readily available. There are other collector bikes that are good "investments" but keeping them running and restoration can be a lot more expensive.
I say smile, ride and enjoy not seeing yourself coming down the road all the time. :good2:
Thank god i got mine for 1500.I guess it will be worth more when i start tinkering with it.I have seen a few in my area where people are asking between 2200 and 3000.And i got to say they were not near as nice as mine..
Very ordinary bikes from the 70's and 80's that were once dumped on the trash heap are now getting silly money. Its very hard to get a CB350, RD yam, Z650 etc for a reasonable price now. I guess that guys who grew up in that era are getting all nostalgic and buying up these old dungers to relive their youth. The same will happen to the FJ in a few years. On top of that it is a hell of a bike for the money, best bang for buck around.
This is my theory and I'm sticking to it
I guess that TV shows like Cafe Racer contribute to the renewed popularity of the bikes of the 60's, 70's and 80's
but that applies mostly to naked bikes.
The thing with our bikes that prohibits them from being modded into Cafe Racers is the lateral frame.
I know of people who have tried to make something out of it without the fairing and resorted to putting the fairing back on again.
The FJ's are indeed great bang for your buck, but I doubt to see the values go up.
Quite often we see here in the Netherlands FJ's, offered for around 500 USD that simply aren't getting sold...
Quote from: stua1959 on December 16, 2012, 05:29:31 AM
Very ordinary bikes from the 70's and 80's that were once dumped on the trash heap are now getting silly money. Its very hard to get a CB350, RD yam, Z650 etc for a reasonable price now. I guess that guys who grew up in that era are getting all nostalgic and buying up these old dungers to relive their youth. The same will happen to the FJ in a few years. On top of that it is a hell of a bike for the money, best bang for buck around.
This is my theory and I'm sticking to it
I do a lot of engine work on SOHC CB750's 550, 400F's etc etc and there is definitely increased interest in those bikes. I port about 25 of those heads a year. I have sold over 20 billet 1000cc cylinders I make for the 750's to people all over the planet. They are not cheap either ....by the time you buy the pistons, Nikasil, gaskets etc it is almost 2,500.00. :yes: The one thing guys didn't have back in the day was money which apparently isn't the case anymore. The latest project is an 8 second NA CB750......that's a tough one. :scratch_one-s_head:
I paid $2200 for my 3CV with 33,555 miles. It had SS lines, fork brace and Givi monokey II rack. I since put on the Penske shock, GSXR 17" rear and blue spots calipers.
The market value of my bike here in San Diego is $1500-$2000. The value of my bike to me is far more than that.
I will always keep her, and when the engine no longer runs, I'll send it up to Randy to make it well again. Better that than buy a new bike.
Just my opinion,
CraigO
In the NW U.S. the sweet spot for price seems to be between 1000 and 2000 dollars. Under 1000.00 they usually need obvious work of some kind and above 2000.00 you have a larger selection of competing bikes to choose from. The production numbers of the FJ seems to be very high, keeping the prices down which is good for us. This also helps with the parts supply. I mean they made these FJ's for what, 10 years and sold them to almost every country in the world.
Right now the Honda CB's are going up in price due I think to the Cafe interest. I see "wanted" ad's for those often.
Even if I were to get another bike I would keep the FJ. I enjoy the FJ and like owning a pre fuel injection ,more basic style bike. I do not like being tied to a dealer for maintenance and wonder how long some of the new bikes with all the new features like auto ride height, active suspensions, cruse control, heated seats, tire pressure alarms, electronic maintenance alerts, complicated fuel systems tied to computers, computer aided braking etc, etc are going to fair after 10 or 15 years on the road. These bikes while among the best performers on the road today might end up in the junk heap quickly. I see a small trend of motorcyclist asking the manufactures for simpler more basic (less expensive) bikes which I am glad to see. Sorry about being long winded.... Winter is getting to me :)....
A lot of those bikes that are deemed not worthy of repairing or have actually been written off are being bought up by latin america and probably other parts of the world where the laws about such things are not as strict or unheard of. You can pick these bikes up cheap at auctions and have them shipped down to Mexico or further south, sell them and make enough money to make it worth your while.
It is popular here to buy a bike, ride it for awhile and then sell it once they realize there is something actually really wrong with it and realize they are way over their heads in repair costs. Bent frames, bent forks, huge wiring nightmares, etc. Personally, I would not buy a used bike anywhere down here. A lot of the bikes seem great until you look very closely at the lines.
That being said, it is a good place to send old and unwanted bikes because a bike that is completely written off is almost entirely unheard of except if totally destroyed in an accident. They will haywire it back together and sell it to the next sucker.
It's all relative. Yeah, FJ prices may be going "up", but how much? $200-300 on a bike that's only worth between $2000-3000 dollars tops? We're not going go make any money at this, but that's not the point, is it? We ride FJ's 'cause they're fun and damned capable for what we've put into them. If my bike ($1800) goes up, it'll give me a small warm & fuzzy, but it really means nothing. Ride her 'cause you love it, sod the "value".
Quote from: Vsekvsek on December 15, 2012, 07:54:45 PM
Guy I bought my FJ from told me to not to sell it as he heard values on them are set to start going up. I didn't ask why. Has anyone else heard anything like this any why that would be?
Hi I have heard the same. Mine is 25 years old next year and is eligible for club rego. It's a sixth of the cost of normal reg. 90 days riding anytime any day any state in australia. this a victoria state rego i have been told that because of the rego factor they are certainly going to go up but that rule will also apply to all other bikes the same age
Quote from: Vsekvsek on December 15, 2012, 07:54:45 PM
Guy I bought my FJ from told me to not to sell it as he heard values on them are set to start going up. I didn't ask why. Has anyone else heard anything like this any why that would be?
They are the best bang for buck on the planet but while there are so many around, that makes them desireable not necessarily valuable. They may well go up in price at some point but for now there are too many bikes with many good examples suffering only minor damage still going to the wreckers. Rarity is
one of the factors in older vehicle values rising.
The most likely reason for his comment would be he was trying to sell it, or he would have taken his own advice.
Noel
I paid $600 for mine with the crashed 87 thrown in. I ended up with about $4700 into it.
But one thing that may make them go up. Is the fact that I the legends guys are parting them out after they take the engine. I just got a corbin seat, complete upper fairing and the elusive chin fairing. From a guy doing just that.
This is interesting. I have zero buyers remorse grabbing mine off ebay for $3350, but since the discussion is running, tell me if you think I did good.
1989. Pretty damn clean.
20,000 + miles.
Recent valve job and carb rebuild.
jet kit
progressive springs
Penske shock
Engine guards
MRA windsheild
cobra exaust
Givi wing rack w three (chinese) boxes
FZR front rim
spare chain and sprockets.
Corbin seat
This is interesting. I have zero buyers remorse grabbing mine off ebay for $3350, but since the discussion is running, tell me if you think I did good.
1989. Pretty damn clean.
20,000 + miles.
Recent valve job and carb rebuild.
jet kit
Progressive springs
Penske shock
Engine guards
MRA windsheild
Cobra exaust
Givi wing rack w three (chinese) boxes
FZR front rim
Spare chain and sprockets.
Corbin seat
Forgot to mension
Steel brake lines
Brass bar ends w throttle lock.
Telefix fork brace
Sounds like you got a really good bike with a lot of the current goodies. Means less time and money on your end to mod her up yourself. The value is what that bike is worth to you. I have already put more into my 86' than I could sell it for, so my FJ is worth way more than the Blue Book value to me.
Like FJ Monkey said to you, I agree. We are lucky to have an interest in FJs and the difference in price between a normal FJ and one which is loaded with goodies like yours is not that much money. If you were talking about a Harley, a 1,000 to 1,500 dollar difference is absolutely nothing. For your 1,000 to 1,5000, you got a lot of good stuff. Congratulations and enjoy your new bike.
Greg
Quote from: ribbert on December 17, 2012, 04:52:28 AM
Quote from: Vsekvsek on December 15, 2012, 07:54:45 PM
Guy I bought my FJ from told me to not to sell it as he heard values on them are set to start going up. I didn't ask why. Has anyone else heard anything like this any why that would be?
They are the best bang for buck on the planet but while there are so many around, that makes them desireable not necessarily valuable. They may well go up in price at some point but for now there are too many bikes with many good examples suffering only minor damage still going to the wreckers. Rarity is one of the factors in older vehicle values rising.
The most likely reason for his comment would be he was trying to sell it, or he would have taken his own advice.
Noel
It is funny how some vehicles do not retain their value while others do. I drove a 95 Oldsmobile Aurora fully loaded and it was the same. Absolute dream to drive with a lot of balls from a Cadillac-based V-8 but resale value was for shit. Cadillacs are the same. Easy and cheap to find used and great cars for a small price. A Harley holds its value quite well in comparison but in my mind is only half the bike. It is fun to drive and the ladies love them but not in the same category as a good Japanese bike like the FJ. Oh, well, lucky us to be able to buy our favourite bikes cheap.
No matter what happens my FJ will never be worth squat since it has a branded (reconstructed) title.
I paid $1,500 for it nearly 10 years ago. Even with all the improvements I've made to it over the years, it still wouldn't be worth much more than I paid because of the title.
Doesn't bother me in the least.
Here's a Dancing Girl for you ,Old Bean.
(http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7ea_1329499962)
your honer, I object! Relevance?
(popcorn)
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
asked my friend again why he said that and he said it was because flat trackers are snatching them up and cannabilizing engines for racing. I guess his brother is a flat track racer and the fj motor is thee motor to get your hands on. Plus he mentioned everything 80's withr egards to bikes are coming back bigtime. I personally dont care. I have to say I bought the FJ from him thinking it wasnt for me and I would sell it this spring. But I just love the bike. the motor has me abolutely spoiled. Its pure magic. He got a new FJR and said the motors cool but actually misses the FJ.
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
Exactly
Quote from: JMR on December 18, 2012, 07:08:25 AM
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
Exactly
How else could you explain the ridiculous prices of old VW beetles? I lost all interest in what people pay for vehicles when I went to an exotic car auction and saw an old Dodge Charger go for more than $100,000 because it had defective rims that had been recalled but the owner had not exchanged them, therefore making the car more rare. In my mind, why would a person pay that much money for a car that is defective and not safe to drive when it was new, let alone more than 40 years later? A fool and his money are soon parted.
I am not so sure of so many being around? Mine is an 88 (CAN) paid 1700.00 with 17000 miles. Put in about 500.00 money well spent.
I live in the Northern NJ and do a few bike rallies, bike nights etc. and have only seen one other FJ on the road commuting to work. It's not uncommon to see four to six hundred bikes at bike nights and rallies in the tri-state area. I see tons of FJRs however there always seems to be one or two FJs for sale on Craigslist in my area.
What I have seen are Legends cars starting to show up at my local Yamaha dealer in the past year.
I also heard that my other bike a 1969 Yamaha DT1 are starting to go up in value. A bike that Yamaha was selling in the thousands per month in 69-70.
The quickest way to raise the value of our FJ's, is to BAN them...........................The value would go thru the roof!
Yes, I think the government should ban all FJ's in the US..............................Wait!........................................Did I just post in the wrong thread?.................Ooops
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
That was rather disturbing... Not entirely sure the dancer was a female...
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
I think you're right.
Let me know if you see any of those
750 Mach IIIs f/s, though.
I'd like to have one of those; it might be one of a kind. :good:
Quote from: not a lib on December 19, 2012, 02:01:16 PM
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
I think you're right.
Let me know if you see any of those 750 Mach IIIs f/s, though.
I'd like to have one of those; it might be one of a kind. :good:
See, Klavdy is right sometimes. Take a look at this modded out KH750:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/3488232881.html (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/3488232881.html)
If I were after the Kawasaki triples, this is what I would buy. But the budget and desire just aren't there. Maybe for you though,
Merry Christmas,
CraigO
That H2 is nice, I've seen it for sale before.
So, he used a FJ front end with 43mm stanchion tubes? He miffed that....
I wish I could come across it while out for a ride, seeing how it's local. Looks great and I do love the 2 strokes.
But for that money, I would love to see it with USD forks and something better to keep the top end cool. Especially that middle cylinder.
A beauty none the less,
CraigO
Quote from: craigo on December 19, 2012, 06:26:16 PM
Quote from: not a lib on December 19, 2012, 02:01:16 PM
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 06:15:20 PM
Bean knows.
But back to the value of FJ's going up.
Doubt they'll go up like a Crocker , or a Brough but they may increase a bit.
Still not icons like the Honda 750/4 or the Kawasaki 900.
They're not even as desirable or mythical as the 750 Mach III's
The original FJ1100 might be an investment but it would have to be dead straight OEM.
Look at the price of desirable machines from the generation before , say most of the Triumph twins.
They've gone up a bit but still not what you'd call a stellar investment.
One factor that seems to drive the prices up is demographics.
Whose got the bucks to spend on things?
The 45-60 year olds generally.
What was hot when they were young?
That's probably where the money will be, the lusted after icons of their youth.
I think you're right.
Let me know if you see any of those 750 Mach IIIs f/s, though.
I'd like to have one of those; it might be one of a kind. :good:
See, Klavdy is right sometimes. Take a look at this modded out KH750:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/3488232881.html (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/3488232881.html)
If I were after the Kawasaki triples, this is what I would buy. But the budget and desire just aren't there. Maybe for you though,
Merry Christmas,
CraigO
Wow, if that's what a plain ol' hotted up Mach IV 750 is going for, I can't imagine what a Mach III 750 would bring.
I do know that I priced my Mach IV engine too cheaply a couple of years ago. I coulda sold at least 10 that afternoon.
Meh, Mach III,Mach IV,whatever, the 750 jobbie,you pretty much knew what I meant.
It's a Kawasaki at any rate, who gets excited over them?
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/a4cbea07fe18fe12a5ba13efe489840c/tumblr_mf81wv0QoU1qdlh1io1_400.gif)
Sour Grapes :blum1:
CraigO
Quote from: Klavdy on December 17, 2012, 05:36:21 PM
Here's a Dancing Girl for you, Old Bean.
I wonder if the Bangles hit "Walk Like an Egyptian" had any influence on these guys:
Wilson and Keppel, Sand Dance. 1934
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq7DGvfnr3U)