More Praise For The Gen 1

[nick crisp]

Very few dealers will keep much more than air and oil filters, spark plugs etc in stock for older bikes, and then only if they have regular customers who own specific models that use those parts. Manufacturers want you to buy their latest models, and aren't overly keen on maintaining supplies for older bikes indefinitely - production costs. Dealers are under pressure from the manufacturers to support the new. Once manufacturers stock has gone, that's it, and you have to source aftermarket parts. Dealers are unlikely to junk old parts stock that they already have, but generally, they won't add to it either.

If a dealer were to collect stock because he thinks a particular bike is a future classic, then he is likely to add to the problem of over-inflating the value of those models and parts in the future. He won't sell them cheaper because he has more of them, unless he got them cheaper in the first place - he'll just look to maximise his profit. If he thinks people are dumb enough to pay way over the true value, then that will influence his pricing.

My point is that speculators are getting involved in 'classic' motorcycle sales and artificially pushing the prices up to beyond where simple demand would take them. This makes it harder for the average enthusiast to afford, and they become the preserve of the wealthy.