Scooter, moped, small old bike opinions/advice pls thxxxxxxx

[Bucketeer]

Because I trust a bunch of mingebags, perverts and masochists on the internet more than is healthy, I'd welcome any thoughts, opinions or advice on the following.

 

I've had a gestating plan for a while now to bring a few old mopeds, scooters and suchlike back to the UK to sell on for hopefully a bit of £MEAGREPROFIT.

There appear to be quite a few bargains here in Bulgaria, things that I think look cool and might sell relatively easily but I've been away for long and I'm far out of fashion so I have no idea about the market in the UK.

If I was a young exciting trendy Londonite rather than an old Northern lanky assemblage of disappointments I would love one of these to twat about on. Am I wrong?

 

1982 Sachs £425

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51431259028723621&slink=bjz21r

 

1980 Garelli £290.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51448090046019457&slink=bjz21r

 

1968 Vyatka £400

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51412866714030946&slink=bjz21r

 

This amazing 1960 Vyatka Tula has been for sale for ages at £740.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51366552089152523&slink=bjz21r

 

1969 Simson £290

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51426493207238434&slink=bjz21r

 

Or maybe even something like this 1970 Izh 350 £300.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51447258581001509&slink=bjz21r

 

I heart this but I'm certain the market for them is too tiny.

1959 Jawa 350 with (Velorex?) sidecar £815.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51371197063156860&slink=bjz21r

 

I don't want to get rich, if I get anything more than zero profit then I'll be happy.I can live off £100 for a few months here if I have to so every little bit counts. I don't want to make a business out of it, one or two trips would do I think. Get a van, chuck a few in the back, have a nice leisurely drive across Europe.

 

I discovered these following adverts though which threw a spanner in the works. The Spacy, first Piaggio and Motobecane are imported from Germany and the second Piaggio has been imported from Italy. Surely that means it's impossible to get a profit on a bike in the West that was previously bought at Western prices and now selling in the East?

 

1984 Spacy £460

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51442923593904626&slink=bjz21r

 

Blue Piaggio Ciao £200. Orange Motobecane £260.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51442222473764407&slink=bjz21r

 

1981 Piaggio Ciao £200

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51449061151199444&slink=bjz21r

 

So I need thoughts, info, advice, encouragement, discouragement or inappropriate touching.

Would any of these sell okay in the UK. Am I looking at the wrong kind of stuff? Are there enough people buying these to get a quick straightforward sale? Cucumbers, why? Many more questions? Etc?

 

THX 4 ANY INPUT XX

 

If anybody is particularly bored, this is a link to the search on Mobile.bg for motorbikes up to 1985. Holler if anything else jumps out as £KERCHING.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?act=3&slink=bjz21r&f1=1

[320touring]

If you needed a van driver to run them back I'd be game!

[wuvvum]

To be honest I think you'd struggle to make much of a profit on any of those here.  I certainly don't value my Spacy at any more than a monkey and that's T&T'd.  With the 50cc bikes you have the added issue that they've never been registered so will need assistance from a club or similiar to get them registered over here.

[barrett]

That £400 Vyatka is fabulous. In my experience odd old bikes don't really make much money here, everybody who likes scooters wants a Vespa or Lambretta and the lesser known stuff is fairly unloved. People who want the cycle motor type stuff know a Velosolex is beer money over the channel but might be tempted into weirder things of they are cheap enough. I'd be interested to see how/if this works out for you, but make sure anything you buy has at least a bit of paperwork or registering it here will be a total nightmare

[Bren]

Scooters are fashion accessories over here - lambretta or vespa.

 

Not sure in the eastern block ones would be popular. Maybe only if they are cheap.

[forddeliveryboy]

Just find an attractive young lady to ride round the more fashionable parts of London on the Vyatka and you'll soon have people wanting them. They'd be bragging about the totally amazing purchase price of £1200. Think you'd have to provide a link for them to order spares from, though, even if they were just going to hang it on the kitchen wall.

[Guest Messy]

Lov'in the Jawa 350 with sidecar, if its as good as it looks in the photos I'd have it just for the fun factor

[hairnet]

garelli ooof

 

stop posting cool tat

 

do the 50s get registered?

 

france and belge dont and theyd be hard to get in here

[djimbob]

When Strange Angel sees this thread I reckon he'll be able to give you an informed answer, from my limited experience those prices really don't look like there is any profit left by the time they get over the channel, probably for the reasons you mentioned re their countries of origin.

 

Now if there is a product made in Bulgaria, or perhaps refurbed/restored in Bulgaria via dirt cheap labour, then you may be onto something!

 

Take something needing a ton of rust busting and bodywork, respraying and upholstering to Bulgaria, get the work done, drive it back to the UK and flog it to a collector - maybe you can make decent money??

 

What do the Bulgarian Military knock about in? If there is anything really cool you could flog to the overland expedition crowd, then that might be a goer - The principle of buying low and satisfying a market demand in a richer market is a solid business principle, so go for it

[fairkens]

I've been after a simson like that for ages, love all of these

[panhard65]

I have brought a few over from France and there is profit in it but buy unusual looking stuff that is original and unmessed with. The Vyatka's and simpson will sell. The sidecar outfit looks good as well but there might be issues with the side the side car is on. The motobecanes aren't really worth bothering with. Paperwork is handy but not critical the last 3 bikes I have sold had none. Most collectors will take a punt on stuff that looks "right" up to a grand easily. Pre 1960 means no mot which makes things easier but for maximum profit don't try to register them in the UK just get the NOVA done and the forms ready for the new owner. I am off to France again next week and hopefully will bring a bike or two back with me.

These sold well I had 3 of them and nearly doubled my money just selling the first one. The other 2 made an extra couple of hundred profit.

The Monet goyon gave me a 250 profit

and hopefully I will see another couple of hundred out of this Peugeot

[Fabergé Greggs]

Not sure if this helps but I'm a trendy Londoner and I'd like them all please. 

[garethj]

Forget about selling to scooter riders who just love Vespas and motorcyclists who are very conservative, ship them over and sell them to trendy pubs and boutiques as dressing.

 

Doesn't matter if they don't go, as long as they look cool.  There are plenty of antique traders who sell stuff for shop dressing, get in with them.

 

Oh, and gis a go on the fastest one, mista!

[UltraWomble]

That Sachs is the sex..... But a bell???? 

A flipping bell!!!!

[Cavcraft]

Pretty much anything with a Lambretta badge us going to be good news, ditto Vespa if manual not automatic.

[messerschmitt owner]

I love the 1968 Vyatka £400

[Barry Cade]

I've been looking at stuff like that here for ages now, and the prices you have posted up is really what a registered,running one would make here. I sold a restored Balkan 250, which came out a museum in Sofia to a very knowledgeable collector who recognised its rarity , but it was worth 1200 quid. He was the only interest I had.

 

Its all bloody cafe racers now. And beards. Bah.

 

Buy an old UJM. hack it to bits, make it not work very well and you'll make a fortune.

[strangeangel]

Some of those would be OK, the 60s Tula would probably make a grand, maybe £1200? Iron Curtain shite is on the up these days, after being worthless for so long, so the Jawa, Vyatka and Izh could turn a (small) profit. I reckon you'd double your money on the Simson. The others are about what they'd go for in the UK IMO.

 

If you do bring that turquoise Vyatka over I would happily take it off your hands as long as the asking wasn't too outlandish

[Christine]

I've been looking at stuff like that here for ages now, and the prices you have posted up is really what a registered,running one would make here. I sold a restored Balkan 250, which came out a museum in Sofia to a very knowledgeable collector who recognised its rarity , but it was worth 1200 quid. He was the only interest I had.

 

Its all bloody cafe racers now. And beards. Bah.

 

Buy an old UJM. hack it to bits, make it not work very well and you'll make a fortune.

 

And bobbers !    

Can someone find me a Raleigh Wisp ,very cheeep...

[Barry Cade]

And bobbers !    

 

and scwambwers.. to me a scrambler is summat you take down the bing when you are 12, not a 14 grand Ducati...

[Jerzy Woking]

I still love the modern sportsbikes I ride and own (186 bhp bikes are mental) but my interest currently is with old bikes, preferably two stroke, and not British. My Monet Goyon is so much more beautiful to look at and own. I'd like some other older east/central European stuff before prices get daft. My CZ250 was cheap 6 months ago-non running heaps are now fetching more than I paid for a solid,taxed and tested bike. I'd be interested in any of the over 100cc bikes you may be getting.

 

And if anyone going to France sees a Monet Goyon Starlett for sale and wants to buy it and bring it back to make a profit, I'd be very interested in it.

[Eddie Honda]

The sidecar outfit looks good as well but there might be issues with the side the side car is on.

I don't think it's an issue as the cut-off date for right-hand sidecars was 1st August 1981. (That date is either the first registration date on the foreign paperwork or the date of manufacture.)

[strangeangel]

Buy an old UJM. hack it to bits, make it not work very well and you'll make a fortune.

 

Or butcher a perfectly good Honda 90, the beardy hipster types seem to lap those up too.

[castros_bro]

The smaller stuff would sell slowly and if cheap enough as these people NACC ( http://thebuzzingclub.net/ ) are like the moped branch of Autoshite and also authorised to do DVLA dating service for registration purposed. The profit margin would be small. Bigger and obscure stuff like    http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51444901497732131&slink=bjz21r

 

would sell if complete-ish.   All the BMW singles and AWO four stroke singles would sell if priced right as would any scooter style small bikes but same needs to be  completeish and the priced right.

 

Stuff like that orange Motobecane would be in competition with ones already registered here (I sold an orange Moby  via Autoshite  

and another by Evilbay but neither made a profit if cost of transport, time and MOT are added. I have seen some  for sale adverts here but the bike is in Eastern Europe but this doesn't work well as most buyers ant to see the item before buying.  CZ 175's sell but £250 for a complete and registered one, JAWA 350s and the older or fours stroke make some money, JAWA cars make serious money is "original" and complete.   if you PM me I'll send you a PDF of the Jawa owners club mag.

 

The sachs (mopeds) I have sold struggled to find a buyer as they were never officially imported and 3X Motorcycles, who were the  official Sacks "importer", couldn't supply any parts. My Motorcycle Sachs B-805 are coming up for sale at ridiculously low prices as few people what they are, £2k for an immaculate sub 5000km example.

 

 

These sell http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51447053552887624&slink=bjz21r but not in that condition for that price, the round rocker box cover type with correct half width steel brake drums  (which this is) make better money.

 

 

 

 

This (or similar)

 

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51443714509125334&slink=bjz21r

 

I'd buy for £200 (think that's about the exchange) mainly as I know what it is from running round Turkey, If you are bringing some over I'd like to discuss this (or similar). Could you do a check on the price of this and possibly translate the ad?

[panhard65]

I have found that if you offer a bit of spares back up and hold the buyers hand that helps. Finding parts for the French stuff I bring over is quite easy but you will be surprised how many "normals" get put off a project due to the fact that they might just have to put a bit of effort in to translate stuff and deal with "Jonny foreigner". I actually enjoy the challenge of finding stuff. Anyone can restore a Ford Escort or an MGB if they have deep enough pockets but where is the fun in that, it's just too easy. I love the Silver scooter with the hammer and sickle badge. If it is clean and tidy it will be perfect for window displays etc and some trendy interior designer will fall over themselves to pay strong money for it. Transport costs are what kill the profit but if you are coming over anyway and have space in the van the "profit" helps pay for the cost of the trip.

[Cavcraft]

'Bobbing' is just the modern equivalent of street fighter.

Basically, just buy a rusty bike, hack a few bits off and wreck it's appearance in the name of being 'cool 'when it actual fact they look incredibly shit.

[New POD]

Because I trust a bunch of mingebags, perverts and masochists on the internet more than is healthy,

 

If I was a young exciting trendy Londonite rather than an old Northern lanky assemblage of disappointments I would love one of these to twat about on. Am I wrong?

 

1968 Vyatka £400

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51412866714030946&slink=bjz21r

 

This amazing 1960 Vyatka Tula has been for sale for ages at £740.

http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=5&act=4&adv=51366552089152523&slink=bjz21r

 

 Are there enough people buying these to get a quick straightforward sale? Cucumbers, why? Many more questions? Etc?

 

 

 

Because I'm a not very trendy Northerner (Does being from Miseryside Count as North?), I am loving these 2. There are 60 Million people in the UK, many of whom are very stupid.  So yes you'll be able to find a buyer IF and only if the price is HIGH enough. Because as people from Yorkshire say, "You can't get Owt fur Nowt" which marketers have taken to mean, "It's expensive therefore it must be cool"

[garbaldy]

My Motorcycle Sachs B-805 are coming up for sale at ridiculously low prices as few people what they are, £2k for an immaculate sub 5000km example.

sachs10.JPG

that is nice I want one