What's happening ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111216434798?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

email (option): ian@ian-richards.com

no, you have lost touch with the forum

Pretty silly don't you think? But I know what they are doing as I have done more or less the same to get these last hard to get parts.

Henk

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

If it's a new old stock part that you can't get anywhere else, it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it? The price seems ridiculous for a seat cover, I wouldn't pay it, but at least two people think it's worth that much. I'd love to know who the winning bidder is and what bike it's going on, if it's a money no object restoration, I'd like to see the finished result.

And the final bill.. ...

This approach lacks logic..The rest of the worn parts on the bike can't be replaced with original NOS parts, so even if it were a 'no expense spared' restoration it still wouldn't be 'original', only partially so...a point I have tried to make at length in previous posts...

Time for a reality check I think and a re appraisal of what something like this is really worth within the context of a restoration...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

A single auction result does not mean a new price has been set. It is a nice condition scarce part, if someone with lots of money wants to pay that much good luck to them, it hasn't made any difference to my hobby.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(at)yahoo.co.uk

I disagree..Nobody remembers the low e bay prices..only the high ones..
Anyone else with one of these covers will now be reassessing what they think it is worth and potential serious buyers what they are prepared to pay to get it...

You only have to go to a Jumble and have a seller say...'I could get more for it on e bay' after you have made an offer for something to prove the effect this sort of thing has...and that frequently happens...

To imagine these things occur in isolation only as the result of two over keen buyers and that is has no effect on the market or anybody elses view of the world seems to me to be an over simplistic view of the way human nature and markets function...

I think we have all used ebay because we know we will probably get the best price there for the parts we are selling.....We don't ignore it and sell our bike parts at 1940s prices and neither does anyone else...It has proved to be a VERY inflationary market place and one which, I suspect, a few of us are already having difficulty operating in due to the high prices...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Ian, as a trader, you're obviously very concious that you have to buy at the right price. As an unconvincing haggler, I always seem to have paid over the odds, even before the internet was invented !

Fortunately, there still seem to be quite a lot of traders who are not in touch with the internet.

If anything kills the hobby, I suspect it will be tight-wad punters rather than greedy traders !

as someone who has to travel long distances and hours to get to any jumbles, and having found nothing NOS or needed other than consumables at any of the last 4 i've been to it makes sense to me to pay " over the odds " for a part i need...but i'm not THAT desperate ! when i cost in a day off work, travel, beer money etc i must have paid a fortune for the odd bit i pick up !

email (option): chris.astinbarker at btinternet.com

Hinrik from Iceland is the only bloke I know who has gone very far towards a NOS bike in the last 15 years..

He shopped worldwide and very expensively in many cases to get what he wanted for the restoration of his M20...I have to say though...that didn't include a number of pretty major parts...

An M20 is probably the only bike that could be a candidate..however unlikely that actually is....

I remember back in the mid 70s when Russell Motors could and did supply pretty complete M20s, in limited numbers, from NOS...but even they didn't have it all back then...

I saw an M20 that the owner claimed was built many years back from NOS parts at Stafford Classic Bike Show about 5 years ago...It took me about 2 minutes to start finding various parts that didn't fit into that category...and that's without seeing inside the thing..(It did have a very high content of NOS parts though)

It's a nice dream but personally I think those days are long gone...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hi,there was a Lycette cover,ended today also 121217952189 that made only
£114.51
cheers Rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

My brothers WD M20 was made up of nearly all NOS parts, I know because I bought it initially for a reasonable sum of money, made my bit on it selling it to him and it still came in at under a grand to him. Most of it was still boxed and what wasn't was obviously NOS including the engine, perhaps he can tell you what actually was NOS and what was reconditioned, but at least 80% of it was NOS. Apparently it all started with someone buying a new headlamp to fit on a Triumph, but it wasn't the correct one so the guy thought, I know, I'll try to see if I can build an M20 from new bits.

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

['made my bit on it selling it to him and it still came in at under a grand to him'].....

That must have been a while back Dave..or you were doing your brother a big favour passing on a bike from someone who was ...er...slightly out of touch with prices.. ...

I'm not saying it couldn't be done in the past but what I am saying is you'd have to go back a long way to be able to build a complete NOS M20....and today?...I don't believe it's possible...

If I thought it was possible I'd have done it by now.... ....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I think you can pay a bit more on ebay for the part you need .If you go to an autojumble you have to pay to get in pay to get there .Then there is a good chance you will not find what you want.

True..but it's nice to be 'in the atmosphere' and you may see other parts you need...I still took my stall at Netley Marsh in September although a broken ankle prevented me taking any stock to sell...

I still managed to buy a few bits though, even some NOS bits and enjoyed catching up with the 'regulars'...It's not all about money after all..

Even Ron felt sorry for me hobbling about on crutches and made me a cup of tea...You won't get that on e bay!.. ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Bear in mind when Dave sold me this it was probably 20 years ago and you could probably have just about picked up a complete and running M20 for that sort of money.

We both realised, even back then, the uniqueness of the opportunity to acquire such a large proportion of a 'new' M20 - in those days he needed the money quickly, and I had the cash available at that time, but due to other projects and commitments it wasn't until 2003 that I finally got around to assembling it.

The remaining 20% of the bits I needed probably cost me over half the original purchase cost, but a lot of that was still available as NOS with a large proportion of that coming from Russell Motors. I can confirm that the complete motor, gearbox internals, clutch, both frame sections, girder fork links and spindles, both wheels, brake parts, petrol tank, rear mudguard, oil lines, crankcase shield, headlight, convoy lamp, toolbox, horn, some handlebar controls, speedo, exhaust system and rear stand were all definitely genuine NOS.

Inevitably there are a number of used parts in the mix and some pattern parts including a horrible pattern saddle, but I certainly wouldn't consider parting with over my weeks wages for a saddle cover! It also has a very good quality Dutch made pattern front mudguard though!

All this was done in pre ebay times, a lot of it was faxing requirements lists to certain well known suppliers, the rest was done with good old fashioned interaction with real people at various jumbles. It was surprising what little bits caused the most hassle and was irritating having to wait, maybe months, until the next jumble!

With an incredible amount of patience and a ridiculous amount of money it think even these days it MAY still be possible to get the lot, but I think any sane person wouldn't even try it!

Every now and again I'll replace a bit with NOS – but only when I pick it up at a sensible price!

email (option): steveplumb1@sky.com

Starting to be a bit of a rich mans game and we are still more than 6 months from Normandy.

email (option): Kit247@hotmail.com

collecting is always a rich man's game. if you need the prestige of originality you have a price to pay.there is the alternative of replica. when i hopefully finish my 16h it will be 99.99% original. the last major part i wanted was the rear carrier. when i found one (incidentally from george cohen) some 5 years ago i put a bid of 500 euros on it. i wanted it at whatever the price. i bought it for a 120 euros and i was happy with that but i did not want to say that all my bike is original except for the rear carrier, even to myself. my matchless will be 80% original and 0% replica but i won't mind as for it i didn't choose this prestige of originalty, the 16h yes. would it be worth? probably not but a hobby is a hobby not buisness and sometimes one tends to spend more money than he will ever fetch for it if sold. in this island were i live its been like that for about 30 years in military motorcycles.