Cafe Racer pricing in todays economy
- Thread starter Skitzo
- Start date
Skitzo
New Member
LMAO! Ghetto Guzzy. Well, a guy came in last night took her for a spin and went home and put a bid in. I dropped it down to 3k, I'm not looking to get rich building bikes. I love building them and I love it when someone else appreciates my concepts. I have a full time job, this is all for fun. I'm happy with 3k, hell I'd be happy with 2k and recoup my money if it came to that.
I just sold mine for $4300 (pic below) and I wasn't even playing hard ball during negotiating...and that's after riding it for 3 1/2 years as a daily....and I believe its worth every penny.
You put your hard work and love into a bike...so its worth what you say its worth and what a buyer will pay...period.
Yes we live in Cali...and it is a different world here...but to say that bike is worth $2500 is just WRONG! I say hold at $5k...you'll get close. I've been looking for a badass CX...don't give it away till you call me!
This is why guys out here are getting rich reselling bikes they get cheap out east. People aren't getting the hint that they can demand more. We forums guys are cheap bastards...lets face that fact. But the rest of the world pays good money for cool custom work...lets embrace it. If you want someone else's hard work for cheap...well....
You put your hard work and love into a bike...so its worth what you say its worth and what a buyer will pay...period.
Yes we live in Cali...and it is a different world here...but to say that bike is worth $2500 is just WRONG! I say hold at $5k...you'll get close. I've been looking for a badass CX...don't give it away till you call me!
This is why guys out here are getting rich reselling bikes they get cheap out east. People aren't getting the hint that they can demand more. We forums guys are cheap bastards...lets face that fact. But the rest of the world pays good money for cool custom work...lets embrace it. If you want someone else's hard work for cheap...well....
Valuing custom vehicles is tricky. It doesn't follow any sort of standard model, because the value is not always the sum of the parts. Sometimes it can be more, and sometimes it's less.
That being said, I don't think $3-$4k is unreasonable. It would cost somebody that much to do it themselves if they factored in labor. The guys here may balk, but they're all builders. It's a safe assumption anybody who would buy your bike isn't, and therefore values it differently.
That being said, I don't think $3-$4k is unreasonable. It would cost somebody that much to do it themselves if they factored in labor. The guys here may balk, but they're all builders. It's a safe assumption anybody who would buy your bike isn't, and therefore values it differently.
Biggest problem here is that your asking the wrong crowd. The bike is worth what you can get for it. I sold my little cb200 last summer for $3500 and the guy told me that he would have paid a grand more. He's happy, I'm happy. The guys on this forum are builders and won't pay top dollar. fair enough. a lot of the guys are also pissed about the inflation in the market. Though I see that largely as "I'm punker than though" thing. or "Don't tread on my trend."
Your bike looks good and seems like you are on the high side of fair for your market.
Your bike looks good and seems like you are on the high side of fair for your market.
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
Ringo said:
Where did you come up with this formula???
R
Rocker
Guest
Hey Bryce Hi all! Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR to every one of you! Let' hope the coming year see's us all complete our projects and move on to better builds and also, may it keep you in good times, but also as safe as possible when out there scootin' aroundbrycegp said:
In the meantime, here in Oz, we have the exact opposite problem. People doing bugger all work, lest some rattle can paint and some drop bars, then asking ridiculous prices for them Now, personally, I have no qualms at all with people asking good money.. but let's face it.. you wouldn't buy a hunk a shit for GSXR1000 money. Well, here is Australia we have sellers selling BOG STOCK factory bikes and calling them "Cafe Racers" to capitalize on the phenomenom.
Here are some examples:
TU250: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/140683718750?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
It's completely factory! Sure, it has a "cafe-look" to it... but how is it cafe' racer?
Then there is this XS250: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270891471002?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
I will admit, it looks tidy.. but it's still practically stock except for the bars. Some fresh paint and a pair of low bars does not a cafe racer make :
Or this 32 yr old Z250 with some paint for $2000!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/170764393727?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
WTF? It's not even finished! The cost of the bike and sundries wouldn't be half of that.. and if he did pay that for it and is trying to get his money back.. well.. he got ripped in the first place!
So, you can plainly see that sellers are taking advantage of the "Cafe Racer" tag and exploiting it on anyone gullible enough to consider them cafe racers.
Then we have the other side of the spectrum.. home builders, like ourselves, making bikes not so much like the ones we build. For the most part, the majority of the guys on DTT build beautiful and original bikes.. with a certain amount of, shall we say, TASTE
But here we have people doing rattle can builds like I mentioned at beginning.. and some of them are horrendous! I offer you some examples:Yami SR: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220932615063?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Now, I can understand the soft pastel pink for a girl.. but a chrome Maltese Cross headlight.. and chopper grips? On a cafe' racer? I don't think so... and again.. rattle can paint, a hacked fender, and a new seat doesn't make it a cafe racer.. if that was the case we could all build a custom cafe in 20 mins!
Really... check out the orange peel on that tank! Sheez!TBH.. I really wouldn't mind handing over good cash for a good custom cafe... The bike is always worth whatever it is to the buyer... but the thing that gets my gripe about the above bikes is a). that sellers are actually advertising these as cafe racers, and hence exploiting the term, and b). people are making VERY dodgy home-builds then selling them and calling them cafes... AND, yes, they have the right to do so.. that's fine.. but as someone that is fanatical about cafe racers... well, things like the above are just embarressing :S
I would hate someone from another country to see that bike and think that's how Australians builds cafe racers :-\ It's a very poor representation of the theme and some of these bikes are honestly not worthy to be called cafe racers. That is just my opinion, I'm sure some of you will agree
R
Rocker
Guest
And now for some nice builds! I guess the following would fit into that "are asking silly money" category that you have been discussing in the thread... and again... "silly money" is determined by the person buying.. but I don't know many people that would bid on a 1973 CB250 with a start bid of AU$6,5000.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230731836360?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Sure, it's completely ground up resto.. it looks devine! I drooled over it myself.. but $6,500? to start with? Crazy. Someone will buy it though It's beautiful.. but @ 6,500 for a 250cc... the market will be narrowed down to some guy with too much money in his pocket... and let's face it... not too many of those guys around lately. You can get a CB750 for the same money... which leads me to this next build on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220932058347?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Now, that is lush CB750.. and the asking bid is quite reasonable for that model here in OZ, heaps of custom work... forks, swingarm, etc... but then there is that stop light ??? Don't get me wrong.. I love this bike... it's one of the best CB's I've seen done here in ages... but the light just doesn't work with the lines of the bike... it seems out of place... it's a shame such a small detail can have such an affect on the appearance. But, honestly, all said and done..? I'd buy it and just change the stop light ;D
And, last butnot least of some of the good builds... we have a GN250 bobber... rego'd and roadworthy... always a good start when purchasing a custom bike (so you don't have compliance issues).. but again, we have a high start bid of $3,200 ???
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270894663752?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
I think he will get it... but I personally wouldn't spend that much.. not when I can build one myself.. and that's the thing. When guys like us see old junkers for sale.. the first thing we compare it to is what we could build for the same money.. and that's why we often can't see the value in the prices some people ask. But there is a point where the asking price becomes silly. Things like collectabilty, performance, and uniqueness are all considered.. but when people start asking silly dollars for stuff that doesn't fall into one of those three categories.. what are you really paying for?.. A bike that someone bolted some bits to and gave it some paint and tyres..?
Oh... following on from my earlier gripe session... just found this straggler on eBay also.. apparently, this is a cafe racer..? Go figure ;D
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/250970171849?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
remove fairing... and custom mount some hardcore calipers? Not sure if that qualifies for "CafeRacer" status either... It's an old RZ! It would be worth the $4000+ he's asking if it were restored to original! but again.. removing a fairing and putting on some brakes... come-on... and even then.. does a 30+ year old RZ250 really need 6 brake pistons on the front? ;D
I guess the following would fit into that "are asking silly money" category that you have been discussing in the thread... and again... "silly money" is determined by the person buying.. but I don't know many people that would bid on a 1973 CB250 with a start bid of AU$6,5000. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230731836360?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Sure, it's completely ground up resto.. it looks devine! I drooled over it myself.. but $6,500? to start with? Crazy. Someone will buy it though
It's beautiful.. but @ 6,500 for a 250cc... the market will be narrowed down to some guy with too much money in his pocket... and let's face it... not too many of those guys around lately. You can get a CB750 for the same money... which leads me to this next build on eBay:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220932058347?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Now, that is lush CB750.. and the asking bid is quite reasonable for that model here in OZ, heaps of custom work... forks, swingarm, etc... but then there is that stop light ??? Don't get me wrong.. I love this bike... it's one of the best CB's I've seen done here in ages... but the light just doesn't work with the lines of the bike... it seems out of place... it's a shame such a small detail can have such an affect on the appearance. But, honestly, all said and done..? I'd buy it and just change the stop light ;D
And, last butnot least of some of the good builds... we have a GN250 bobber... rego'd and roadworthy... always a good start when purchasing a custom bike (so you don't have compliance issues).. but again, we have a high start bid of $3,200 ???
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270894663752?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
I think he will get it... but I personally wouldn't spend that much.. not when I can build one myself.. and that's the thing. When guys like us see old junkers for sale.. the first thing we compare it to is what we could build for the same money.. and that's why we often can't see the value in the prices some people ask. But there is a point where the asking price becomes silly. Things like collectabilty, performance, and uniqueness are all considered.. but when people start asking silly dollars for stuff that doesn't fall into one of those three categories.. what are you really paying for?.. A bike that someone bolted some bits to and gave it some paint and tyres..?
Oh... following on from my earlier gripe session... just found this straggler on eBay also.. apparently, this is a cafe racer..? Go figure ;D
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/250970171849?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
remove fairing... and custom mount some hardcore calipers? Not sure if that qualifies for "CafeRacer" status either... It's an old RZ! It would be worth the $4000+ he's asking if it were restored to original! but again.. removing a fairing and putting on some brakes... come-on... and even then.. does a 30+ year old RZ250 really need 6 brake pistons on the front? ;D
^Are you fucking kidden me that rz is hands down the fastest bike you pictured way more deserving of break up grades than that park bench with wheels cb750. plus the rz can (with the right bits) make well over 100hp and oyea its 800 pounds lighter. But the 750 is well done, and you roll you eyes at the track and time tested yamaha. where do you come up with this shit! Was there not enuff school books to go around when you was a kid or something
bradj said:
Yah, I don't think that you are going to see a 100 hp RZ250 on this planet.
I had a lot newer 1998 Honda RS250 GP bike that made 80-ish wheel hp running race gas.
And as you said, it is lighter and won't need the same level of brakes as a heavier bike.
It is also not a cafe bike in any definition.
R
Rocker
Guest
Well, it might be the time I spent working at the local Honda motorcycle workshop as a general wrench and INSURANCE assessor...bradj said:
OR
....it could be the years I spent working as a parts interpreter for a custom chopper parts wholesaler/importer... oh.. and the 400+ bike shows I've been too.. Oh.. and possibly the 13 years I've spent riding and building bikes.
Or possibly the shelves of bike literature or 10's of thousands of photos I have collected over the years out of sheer obsession with cafe racers and motorcycles... It could be just a hunch.. ;D
And for the record.. I was more or less simply stating that here, where I am from.. an RZ250 is not a cafe racer, nor does it require 6 brake pistons... NOR does removing a fairing give it instant value of $4,000+ LIKE I SAID, as a resto.. it would easily fetch that money.. but I was more concerned about the guy calling it a cafe..
so please, kindly pull your head in before you go around dising me mate. You don't know me, and you don't know how crazy obsessed about bikes I am. I know whats what in my country. And I know what stuff is worth here on the market. It used to be my business to know. What I said about the bikes had nothing to do with insulting you, nor did I say anything that warranted your tanty at me. Now, I'm all for a friendly banter over some BS that might come out of our keyboards from time to time... but when you insult me directly, you make it personal, and that's just not cool man
R
Rocker
Guest
Thought I might add.. If we were talking about a RZ350 or RD500 Gamma, I might actually agree with you on your comment... But, seeing as I've ridden the RZ250 in race trim, as too all of the bellow mentioned bikes throughout my time (plus probably 100 more other bikes) I feel that I'm in the place to say what I said. And I guess that's where I really "come up with this shit" as you so eloquently put it ;Dbradj said:
Skitzo
New Member
To stay on track, I guess we can say that builders should put a reasonable price on their bikes, if it sells for what your asking then good on you, but if it doesn't then obviously one would need to reevaluate their price.
On a different note: Oily, that pink bike made me throw up a bit and is that bed liner on the tank & fender? Good god!
On a different note: Oily, that pink bike made me throw up a bit and is that bed liner on the tank & fender? Good god!
bradj said:
And that motor is going to be good for less than 10 miles (1/4 at a time) before it needs new rings, runs on $30/gal race gas and has a 300 rpm power band. Still not a cafe racer motor.
I had my KZ out there for awhile at a crazy high number. I was really just seein' if there was any serious interest. I didn't really expect to get that number and I didn't really even want to sell, but...
Surprisingly to me, there was some interest. The poor economy was definitely a negative factor though.
There's always gonna be an "expert" out there though, who will tell you you're nutz and that he could build the same bike for 500 bucks. :
It's already been said. Anything is really only worth what someone is willing to pay. That value will vary from person to person. 8)
Surprisingly to me, there was some interest. The poor economy was definitely a negative factor though.
There's always gonna be an "expert" out there though, who will tell you you're nutz and that he could build the same bike for 500 bucks. :
It's already been said. Anything is really only worth what someone is willing to pay. That value will vary from person to person. 8)
biker_reject
Over 1,000 Posts
Ringo said:
Ahhhh... I get ya! :-D Thought I was out of the loop or something. Derrr
Coincidentally, earlier this week I was wondering how many of a given model were produced by the Big Four. In the course of my interweb searching, I learned that the MSRP price of a new 1970's cb750 adjusted to current rates is about $8900. So to me, it is not outrageous to ask $5K + for a comparable machine, customized well, mind you. I agree that this site is for builders and that we are cheap bastards! :-D
oil rag rememder a few weeks ago when you thought a honda 4 stroke was a yamaha 2 stroke was that befor or after your 13 years experance and million bike shows. im over it just dont start sending me three page pms crying about hurt feeling like you did swapmeat lou
