The flood of imports

[zorroz]

Has anyone noticed the sheer amount of import of older dirt and road bikes on the market? There are so many CR500's, KX500's, CB750's, Z900 bikes, its amazing. What will it do to the price? They all command premium top dollar but whether they actually get the big bucks is another matter.

[Hoony]

yes , lots of them, shit loads easier to find a particular model now than 6 years ago.

much more supply than demand now.

[evo550]

I think prices overall have dropped, not just because of flood of imports (they don't seem to be selling either) but people just ain't spending any money, well they are but it's just to pay off past indiscretions.
I think though a local bike will still either fetch a higher price, or sell quicker than it's imported cousin.
The dropping prices means it's a buyers market  it's been a sellers market for long enough

[firko]

I think Hoony's hit the nail on the head with his observation that supply now overtakes demand. I've seen container loads of Evo-Pre 85 bikes coming in but the importers haven't understood that the market has a finite number of potential buyers. I've been bringing bikes in for 15 odd years but my imports are usually obscure stuff that was either never sold here or only in limited numbers (and they're mostly for my own amusement anyway ) . When I see a container full of 1980-1990 Japanese motocross bikes and 490 Maicos I can't help thinking that the importer's going to have a tough time getting rid of them.

[crash n bern]

I think though a local bike will still either fetch a higher price, or sell quicker than it's imported cousin.

I wonder about that.  I can understand if there is a difference in the models.  Like Z1900 as compared to KZ900.  But for dirt bikes some of the imports haven't been flogged into the ground like local bikes.  Although as the U.S. usually got them first you can get low serial numbers, if that matters to a collector.

[evo550]

maybe it's just my sentimental side, but it's something I always look out for. Maybe it's because I have a pre conceived notion that all imports are attached to someone just trying to make a quick buck from a sport they may not even have a passion for, whereas a local restored/raced bike is part of the Aussie vintage scene.

[Slakewell]

Plenty of CR500 , plenty of CB 750 etc , but the one I am looking for still is very rare . The  Kawasaki H2 , where are they ?

In a shed a Brookvale

[tony27]

H2s are bikes that even the yanks still lust after meaning very few leave the country, the guys I know that own them all seem to own more than 1 as well which is probably another reason why finding 1 is so hard

[crash n bern]

I thought most H2's were written off back in the day.

[JohnnyO]

There used to be a guy here on the Gold Coast that had a factory jammed full of Kawasaki triples, there was at least a hundred of them. He used to drive all over the country buying them and rarely sold any.
A few years ago he went for a little holiday inside and the factory full of bikes dissappeared.
Collectors like him make it hard for others to get hold of such bikes.

[Tim754]

"I thought most H2's were written off back in the day."
Crash and burn ..I though most H2...riders... were written off back in the day