Originally Posted by
dddd
In terms of "investment", it's not the MSRP price at the new-retail level that should be considered imo.
The investment opportunity with these old bikes is buying them when they are being sold used, for a small fraction of their original price, then holding them until they go back up in price, perhaps as high or higher than their original price.
The key pieces of information we have to guess at is 1) when will the price be lowest, and 2) which bikes are then likely to escalate in value within what we consider as a reasonable amount of time, with respect to competing investment opportunities.
Actually I don't even think this approach makes sense. Bikes are large, they take up space and they require maintenance and changing of consumables. Values can fluctuate. I'd never consider a bike an investment...I'd buy the ones that appeal to me and if they appreciate over time, bonus. The bike stuff that seems to really go up in value are NOS small parts collectors need down the road for maintenance and which are easier to store. I'd store up on hoods, barrel adjusters, etc. We all know of a few guys trying to make a business out of this and asking premium prices on eBay...I doubt those folks are getting rich.
Guessing which bikes are future classics is fun, but I draw the line at thinking about it as an investment. Bikes are something to be enjoyed...the gains and losses are so relatively small that you just buy what you like.