Massachusets VF500 $1500

How much would it cost to get the money those that sold got? That's the point of my post.

Let's say $1,000. So you buy the bike for $1,500....put another $1,000 into it. Now you've spent $2,50o. Now how much can you get for it if you list it on BaT?

 

Dont forget your time /labor


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I'm just assigning a value to things on a bike for sale. Of course I wouldn't buy a bike just if one of these values is met. It's just a way of giving a value to a bike for sale.

*Transport can run the cost of a purchase up, so should be considered.

 

Included in the $1,000 in my example. Of course you can come up with whatever you want. I was making a point of why looking at previous sold auctions/sales can factor in the decision making.

 

My point is, those BaT bikes were already nice original examples, that probably had serviced carbs, fresh fluids and new tires.

Put $1000 into that 86 and you are still MILES away. You probably couldn't even visually tell where the money went.

And then you still have shitty bodywork, a dented tank and rust.

You might refresh your memory what a BaT picture gallery and resolution looks like compared to these low res shots. It would not fair well.

 

How about the increasing rarity of these bikes? Isn't that worth something?

 

Absolutely. Which makes actual nice, original ones rare and more valuable. Projects are still just that, that need harder to find parts. But they are still not THAT rare.

Shit, Baz just listed a half dozen BaT listings.

I'm not saying this 500 is a lost cause. Not even close. But it needs A LOT, even if you can't tell from the crappy low res pics. Download one and zoom in. Can't see shit. Well, actually you can see shit.

 

There are those who do not restore these bikes to showroom (read: excellent) condition. Rather, solid reliable runners that look decent but are not show quality. I consider mine in this category & I'm fine with that. I want to ride it and it if gets a scratch here or a ding there I'm not going to flip my lid over it. After all bikes are meant to be ridden in the first place.

 

All good here. Like I said....everyone will have a different take.

I will say though.......without actual eyes on that bike in the listing.....we just can't adequately state what it would need to reach the same condition as those in the BaT auctions. I'm basing everything on the pics and description.

So not sure how much further anyone can state specifics. Too many unknowns and variables...

Just my opinion.

But I still think it's a KILLER deal!

 

I joined the Facebook VF500F group and posted 1 photo of my bike.

In just one day.......I've gotten over 50 likes....and some positive comments.

There's a cult following of this model, I tell ya! LOL.....and that's a GOOD thing!

 

Will do this weekend. I'll pull it out and give an update on where I'm at with it. I haven't had it running yet this spring/summer, but it fired up easily all winter while I was getting things going.

It's 100% the plan to spend this offseason bringing this bike up to speed along with my superbike SV. I am NOT buying a new project or taking on someone else's. I'm done doing that for a while. Got to get these going and the VFR looking good.

It's just gotten pushed to the side with so much of my time going to try to get competitive racing (competitive to my standards). I need to get better at juggling multiple projects at once since there are usually lulls, but I tend to focus on a single thing at one time. I did manage to pull off my first Expert ASRA podium this weekend at Blackhawk Farms and lower my PB another 1.3 seconds--so it hasn't all been in vain!

 

AGAIN..,

I do not have a problem with solid reliable runners that look decent. The idea that you think if everything that is not restored to, or originally in, excellent condition I'm repulsed by is ridiculous.

Ride, enjoy, repair, restore as wanted. That is fucking cool. But if I pick apart an ad about a not excellent bike advertised as such, don't take it as an attack on you or your bike. Is that your bike you are selling and your description? Nope.

Sorry if it hurts your narrative about how rare and valuable your bike could be. But it is on you. I can't make you feel anything. Only you can make you feel something. If you wanna feel good about owning an example of a cool machine we love, and keeping it running and performing... great. Ride the fuck out of it and then work on it. Post and talk about it. If you wanna feel hurt that somebody is picking out issues on a stranger's bike that is posted as excellent condition for potential buyers to evaluate and they could be similar to yours... your thing.

Create a thread about working on your bike. I'll think it is cool. You know why? Cuz I love them. Look at any real project / continued ownership threads and you will see genuine interest and encouragement from me, regardless of condition. If just the fact that other people can notice things is scary, forums can be hard.

Captain 80s out.

 

The issue buying one of these Interceptors or VF's is that the cost to restore or refresh them is outpacing most other bikes. A ton of the sources for buying parts is drying up or gone altogether. Billy's Outback carburetor kits used to be awesome and took all the guesswork out of tings--gone. Fairing reproductions from Airtech--just went out of business. Try to find a good condition fuel tank for a VF500F--literally not possible for under $900. If you're connected or a master internet scavenger, you can get get lucky or get costs down to an extent, but it's still difficult.

I honestly expect the prices of these bikes to start coming down for run of the mill examples as opposed to continuing to go up to stupid levels. It's a race between nostalgia buying impulse vs father time and the dust and elements further degrading the remaining barn/garage inhabitants. And judging by a lot of these craigslist posts, most people can't even bother taking high resolution photos despite the fact they have an 8MP camera on their phone at all times. So either the bikes are in worse condition than the seller is letting on or they actually have no idea about any of the history of the bike to begin with. I'm not sure which is worse.

The BAT-style good examples are going to keep going up. The day-to-day standard runners are going to level off as fewer and fewer people are going to want to try to bring a 40 year old bike back to life with a dwindling part supply to draw from.

I think I've posted at least one of these for reference before, but the last two bikes I've just tried to bring back to "running and safe" condition by replacing rubber and replacing fluids were more expensive than I thought they would be, and parts are both simpler and more plentiful for both these models. There are no aesthetic costs on here--if there were, things would skyrocket.

1991 EX500


1997 Harley Sportster 883


I think you could buy the bike in this post, put $1500 into it, and have a bike you could enjoy for many years. You'll have some headaches, and it'll be a lot of work. But you could have a nice bike with a couple blemishes. Or you could buy a 5 year old Ninja 300/400 for $3,500 and throw tires, oil, and gasoline at it and not worry about anything else for a decade.

This is what makes some of your guys restorations and projects so cool to follow along with. Once you start to get an eye for what you're actually looking at, you appreciate the work someone else put into the bike so much more.

 

This is what makes some of your guys restorations and projects so cool to follow along with. Once you start to get an eye for what you're actually looking at, you appreciate the work someone else put into the bike so much more.

Well written Devil

 

True that CD. Lets see some pics. I have janky solutions to race bike bodywork. lol
Nice work on the Podium!

 

I NEVER stated ANYTHING about your being 'repulsed' by any bike(s) that are not in excellent condition. If somebody stated that I didn't see it.
Neither did I take anything you stated as an attack on me or anything I own; I'm not that delicate. I've been around the block a few times.

I don't have any narrative about my sh*t being rare either. That isn't what I stated so I don't know where that came from. You don't & cannot cause me to feel anything so there's that. It's hilarious to me if you think I could 'feel hurt' over your scrutinies of another's machine.

So pick away, ride safely, race, or whatever floats your boat. It's all good.

 

Cool.

You have said that there's no way you're posting pictures of your bike now after some comments made about other bikes for sale.

I'm good and it sounds like you are too.

 

I saw that. That group is fairly active.

 

Ha ha, ok. Don't take it seriously.
Next time I'm in the garage I'll take some pics. You can pick away at it & it won't bother me in the slightest! There are things I need and want to do to it but I'm old and don't have the necessary skills and equip. So I mostly just ride it lol.

 

I don’t give a crap about what people think .. I get my fleet looking the best I can and rideable… that’s why I have them.
No garage queens here and from what I see everyone here is the same.


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