Why are bikes so expensive?

Anyone else been looking to get a new bike only to find everything is either 150 quid and FUCKED or like over 2 grand? What happened to the old, tatty, but slightly still functional motorcycle? Maybe I just got lucky last time, but I don't fancy buying something expensive that I know I'm just going to spill gas all over and have Nate hack to pieces.

Just me?

I reckon like you said, there are bargains to be had but there is an element of luck to it- not being in a rush to buy something helps, waiting 'til the right bike at the right price comes up is the key.

Spilling gas over it isn't the problem btw- allowing Uncle Nate to 'make alterations' to your baby is of huge concern though!

it's called Inflation!

20 years ago a house was £20,000 quid, a pint was 80p and a bike was £200 quid

now a house is £200,000, a pint £8 quid and a bike £2,000

this time next year we all gonna be millionaires! but a pint will be £8,000

Have Nate hacked to pieces and buy a decent bike. Problem solved.

You'd get a couple of decent bikes from the sale of kidney and Nate would still be around to spill petrol on your new bikes- WIN

Overhere you do notice the recession a lot... bikes that pre-corona used to be around 5 grand are now at 2500 to 3000 Euros and especially the really expensive stuff is almost impossible to sell. Guess a lot of people have to sell off their toys overhere at the moment.

Yes. Hacking will be done. I guess it is down to luck, but I get impulsive and once decided on a bike I'm so shit at waiting!

Good news is I did find a bike and bought it. Not too much money (but hell, not too little either). Going for it's MOT now and then let the fuckery begin! (I might as well just burn the money).

How much do you think I'll get back on the MT03? Engine is so lovely, and the rest of it is... SHITE.

Cool, when's the grand unveiling of the new Leigh machine then?

In it's current state you won't get so much for the MT but covering up the glitter with matt black and returning it closer to standard would help matters I suspect.

You wanna break it in and unveil it to us at the MBR doo you do.

theyank wrote:Yes. Hacking will be done. I guess it is down to luck, but I get impulsive and once decided on a bike I'm so shit at waiting!

Good news is I did find a bike and bought it. Not too much money (but hell, not too little either). Going for it's MOT now and then let the fuckery begin! (I might as well just burn the money).

How much do you think I'll get back on the MT03? Engine is so lovely, and the rest of it is... SHITE.

this post is worthless without pics!!!!!!

Bike that I bought (and will soon hack/slash):


Bike that I have that I will need to try to sell:

Good choice of bike I reckon and what a clean (by which I mean good condition) looking example, congrats.
The pipes look aftermarket, do they sound good?

Yeah they do, actually. They are highway hawks (as are the forward controls) which are apparently pretty nice? They def sound good, and make the engine sound much bigger than it actually is. Just went through the MOT yesterday, so it's onward and upward with the mods - tank and bars are first to go!

nates built a shiny, youve bought a shiny... these are harbingers of the apocalypse right?

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the handling of it, especially with the forward controls instead of mid-mounted pegs.

Always makes me laff why they called it a Virago:

virago
/vɪˈrɑːɡəʊ,vɪˈreɪɡəʊ/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: virago; plural noun: viragoes; plural noun: viragos

   a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman.

Quiet appropriate, I guess?

esox wrote:Always makes me laff why they called it a Virago:

   a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman.

BAHAHAHA! Yes!! Well, I guess it was fate then!?

Currently working out some of the issues with the bike. It's currently riding as a hard tail (fucked shocks?) and I've needed to mess with the bars quite a lot to fit me better and avoid looking like a total twat. Soon to mount an old tractor tank to give it some more fuel capacity and swap out the tires to go tubeless. Engine is lovely though, I have to admit. Lazy and steady - a nice change from the twitchy 660 single, that's for sure.

to go tubeless, you'll have to swap the wheel completely imo, something with spokes not being airtight connected to the rims and the wrong bead-shape of the rims.

>> to go tubeless, you'll have to swap the wheel completely
>>

depends on your sense of adventure.... cover the spoke holes with lots of electrical tape and the bead will usually hold good enough

then remain calm & await the FAIL

On the subject of expensive bikes; I like to have a Triumph Daytona from the early 90's (the T300 series), how are they pricewise in the UK?

voodoo wrote:On the subject of expensive bikes; I like to have a Triumph Daytona from the early 90's (the T300 series), how are they pricewise in the UK?

With or without a knackered sprag clutch?

If it's the just the T300 series you're bothered about and not so much the bodywork style Sprints, tridents and Trophys (especially) come up cheaper and more often than Daytonas.

I've seen a good number of Trophys for under a grand running, really tidy ones for a grand and a half.

I now about the sprag clutch, that's why I only want one with the hatch on top of the enginecasing.

But Trophy's and sprints can be found in ze netterlands for about the same price, so looks like there is no real advantage in brexporting one.

Ta for the info.