EBAY??? Golden Treasures or Gone for ever?

[Guest jedione68]

 

Hello all me fellow Guzzi's.

 

Here is some thing thats been nagging at the back of my

mind and cyclist soul for a while now... And now I must

atleast get it off my chest.

 

Like many of us, I surf E-Bay for Guzzi stuff all the time.

And have scored some great parts and one of a kind things over

the years, even my v11. Like fiding a set of Agustini rear-sets or pair of Conti's.

 

But, lately I beginning to question whats being offered for sale.

Am I helping mankind kill off the last great White Rhino?

 

What I mean here is this:

 

Those golden days of meeting someone, who knows someone with some old bike in a barn. We're curious, so we take a ride and look. Turns out to be a complete, but unrestored 1972 M.G. 750 Sport with a faded red frame. Holy smoke.

One of those great campfire biker stories.

 

But considering evertime I search Ebay these days. It's like guys are finding

these golden treasures (granted there probly only T-3 or police specials, but still treasures to us). Then they tear them apart, down to even the inner hub bearings, offer them for sell, peice by presious peice. Destroying none running bikes for a penny today... yet gone for the tomarrow.

 

Does this road lead us away from lets say a "matching number" 1956 Chevy or

1952 Vincent Black Shadow or 68 BSA Spitfire. The future riders looking at

our ride, saying "Wow, is that a 1991 Daytona???" and we just grin back, yep.

 

A little history:

In the late 80's (my wee teenage years) my friends and I caught the British

Bike craze. And we'd find those diamonds in the rough with the hay still on them.

We'd pick them up cheap, but being mir teenagers with no money for gas and a date, let alone custom parts. We'd trade all our stock parts for "cool" custom cafe racer stuff. Stuff we'd now toss in a trash can. Needless to say, there went a few more classics to Davey Jones Locker. Then not five years later in the mid 90's you couldn't touch a British "project bike" for less than $2500.

 

I'm not sure what I'm stating or whats the right thing to do. But even with a

nice stable of new to old bikes in my garage, I'd like to still be able to

find a diamond in the rough, or atleast know our sons will be able to fine

the art of classic motorcycles.

 

It just been making me wonder alot, when I find a guy selling a crank, his next post a con-rod, his next post the other con-rod. Maybe he could atleast sell the whole engine?

 

Glad I got that off my chest. I now fell like Andy Runie of 60 minutes.

And still want to find parts, but maybe it's time to go back to the good old cardboard boxes at your local swap-meets. Oppossed to the WORLD WIDE WEBB.

 

So to all my fellow Guzzist and bikers, spell your guts, let me know if

I'm just going soft or something.

 

Peace and keep the rubber side down,

Jedione68

[g.forrest]

the way of the world, everyones going for max profit. and want to buy diamonds for sixpence!

 

Hello all me fellow Guzzi's.

 

Here is some thing thats been nagging at the back of my

mind and cyclist soul for a while now... And now I must

atleast get it off my chest.

 

Like many of us, I surf E-Bay for Guzzi stuff all the time.

And have scored some great parts and one of a kind things over

the years, even my v11.  Like fiding a set of Agustini rear-sets or pair of Conti's.

 

But, lately I beginning to question whats being offered for sale. 

Am I helping mankind kill off the last great White Rhino? 

 

What I mean here is this: 

 

Those golden days of meeting someone, who knows someone with some old bike in a barn.  We're curious, so we take a ride and look.  Turns out to be a complete, but unrestored 1972 M.G. 750 Sport with a faded red frame. Holy smoke.

One of those great campfire biker stories.

 

But considering evertime I search Ebay these days.  It's like guys are finding

these golden treasures (granted there probly only T-3 or police specials, but still treasures to us).  Then they tear them apart, down to even the inner hub bearings, offer them for sell, peice by presious peice.  Destroying none running bikes for a penny today... yet gone for the tomarrow.

 

Does this road lead us away from lets say a "matching number" 1956 Chevy or

1952 Vincent Black Shadow or 68 BSA Spitfire.  The future riders looking at

our ride, saying "Wow, is that a 1991 Daytona???" and we just grin back, yep.

 

A little history:

In the late 80's (my wee teenage years) my friends and I caught the British

Bike craze.  And we'd find those diamonds in the rough with the hay still on them.

We'd pick them up cheap, but being mir teenagers with no money for gas and a date, let alone custom parts.  We'd trade all our stock parts for "cool" custom cafe racer stuff.  Stuff we'd now toss in a trash can.  Needless to say, there went a few more classics to Davey Jones Locker.  Then not five years later in the mid 90's you couldn't touch a British "project bike" for less than $2500.

 

I'm not sure what I'm stating or whats the right thing to do.  But even with a

nice stable of new to old bikes in my garage, I'd like to still be able to

find a diamond in the rough, or atleast know our sons will be able to fine

the art of classic motorcycles. 

 

It just been making me wonder alot, when I find a guy selling a crank, his next post a con-rod, his next post the other con-rod.  Maybe he could atleast sell the whole engine?

 

Glad I got that off my chest.  I now fell like Andy Runie of 60 minutes.

And still want to find parts, but maybe it's time to go back to the good old cardboard boxes at your local swap-meets.  Oppossed to the WORLD WIDE WEBB.

 

So to all my fellow Guzzist and bikers, spell your guts, let me know if

I'm just going soft or something.

 

Peace and keep the rubber side down,

Jedione68

63492[/snapback]

[dlaing]

In some ways it very sad.

Obviously it would not be ethical to part out your wife when you get tired of her and the extreme makeover with liposuction, etc. just seems to pricey. Divorce is more ethical.

Me, I am married to my machine, and it would take some serious infidelity for me to sell her, and parting her out at this point would be unthinkable. Resurecting her as needed into some Frankenstein Bride...sure thing.

But I am obsessed with my machine.

Other people might not be, and they may be able to get a lot more money and make a lot of people happy by parting out.

I know every car I ever owned I could not sell without taking a great loss.

I once shopped around and bought a pickup with 30,000 miles on it for $3000. I thought I got a great deal. I put a $1400 shell on it, drove it 5000 miles, and sold it for $2000 after three months of ads.

I suck at sales.

I could probably part my 2000 Guzzi with 29,000 miles for about $10,000....but I'd have trouble selling my bike for more than $5000.

So, I understand how the part brokers are practical.