Market is strong on nostalgia bikes like mini XR's and JT-1's, also Yamaha and Kawasaki street going 2 strokes but man I was bummed to see what the XS-1 pulled down. 
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Anyone been watching Mecum Vegas M/C Auctions?
- Thread starter Vincenthdfan
- Start date
I've been watching it via Mecum's website...live streaming for free
The big money for many auctions was fetched during Covid peak years. Prices have come back down now. Iāve noticed that with bikes, cars , tools etc. Those who sold in the past few years make some good money. Those who bought may have paid a bit too much (like me - buying a small aluminum fishing boat a couple of years ago).Market is strong on nostalgia bikes like mini XR's and JT-1's, also Yamaha and Kawasaki street going 2 strokes but man I was bummed to see what the XS-1 pulled down.
View attachment 260431
Man, two strokes are booming... 
If you buy a rare bike and either you or an expert don't verify the VIN... you're an idiot, plain and simple. Even a cursory look would have revealed it was ground off and restamped.
I posted that elsewhere... Lots of questions on that one...
I do not know auctions like this but, is there significant time to inspect and examine the product? From the video, it seems Mecum honored the buyer's recant. I was humored at how knowledgeable those guys were on how a number boss was finished!!! When our XS650s are in the $80k range we will look at those details too?
Regarding the Kawasaki debacle, the level of restoration the bike went through is quite impressive. I can't imagine the seller was trying to pass it off as a fake, especially at Mecum. As they state, so little is know about the Japan only released bike. It sure raises some questions, and at that price i think i'd walk away from an unknown answer too. I think the only way to rectify the situation would be for Kawasaki to confirm and document it somehow. And at 80k, I think it would be worth the effort to the seller.
Seems like a lot of people who buy really high dollar bikes buy them cause they have money to spend not really cause they are obsessed with them.
Vins on that bike are like something off craigslist haha.
If it was such a ārareā bike, with a bike like the one in question, all those details would be well documented.
There are define people out there that will try to do the ol swaparoo on high dollar bikes. Or just play dumb. See it with cb750 sandcasts and K0s which can bring some good money.
Vins on that bike are like something off craigslist haha.
If it was such a ārareā bike, with a bike like the one in question, all those details would be well documented.
There are define people out there that will try to do the ol swaparoo on high dollar bikes. Or just play dumb. See it with cb750 sandcasts and K0s which can bring some good money.
Back when BSA was competitive in flat track racing, they did the same thing Yamaha did with their 650 parallel twin, they made a small number of 750cc street bikes, just to qualify the motor for flat track racing.
This was the bike, the 1971 A70.
About 20 years ago I went to go look at an advertised A65 for sale, and it was cheap too. What I found when I got there was the bike above, fully restoredā¦ā¦but with a story.
The man selling it was big into buying and selling vintage British bikes, him and his business partner traveled all over the country picking up and flipping bikes. They found this bike, it was presented as an A70 and they knew how rare it was.
These guys werenāt dumb and they were smelling a big payday, so they popped to have the bike professionally restored by Baxter Cycles in Iowa. For some reason they began to have doubts about the providence so they tore the motor down and measured the bore and stroke and sure enough it was just a 650. The frame appeared to be correct but the serial numbers on the motor had been altered. Now they were trying to sell this bike with a funky title and wanted the buyer to sign a statement saying they knew the vin number was wrong.
As nice as the bike was, I just couldnāt do it. It just smelled like a future headache for me when I wanted to sell the bike.
This was the bike, the 1971 A70.
About 20 years ago I went to go look at an advertised A65 for sale, and it was cheap too. What I found when I got there was the bike above, fully restoredā¦ā¦but with a story.
The man selling it was big into buying and selling vintage British bikes, him and his business partner traveled all over the country picking up and flipping bikes. They found this bike, it was presented as an A70 and they knew how rare it was.
These guys werenāt dumb and they were smelling a big payday, so they popped to have the bike professionally restored by Baxter Cycles in Iowa. For some reason they began to have doubts about the providence so they tore the motor down and measured the bore and stroke and sure enough it was just a 650. The frame appeared to be correct but the serial numbers on the motor had been altered. Now they were trying to sell this bike with a funky title and wanted the buyer to sign a statement saying they knew the vin number was wrong.
As nice as the bike was, I just couldnāt do it. It just smelled like a future headache for me when I wanted to sell the bike.
Yes to that ..pretty much the first thing a street cop would look at . And if the angle grinder marks are there
Something would be hauled to the police station.
Most likely the frame has been stolen at some point in time. 80 k is a lot of money and when the money enters the tricksters comes .And they can be clever.
This will be legally interesting
My father once bought a used car at the Volvo dealer .Not knowing the odometer was on the second lap.
He called a previous owner got the paper work and help from a lawyer where he worked slammed the documents at the dealers desk.
And got another deal on another car . They worked out a solution.
Well, my overall takeaway after watching and perusing the results from all 4 days of auctions was that prices were all over the map....literally.
Probably one of the strangest years I can remember, results wise.
There were some incredible bargains to be had and some, not so much.
Like I said earlier, 2 strokes were pretty consistently high across the board.
Probably one of the strangest years I can remember, results wise.
There were some incredible bargains to be had and some, not so much.Like I said earlier, 2 strokes were pretty consistently high across the board.
Back in the early 90's, my boss bought what he thought was a 1963 1/2 Ford Galaxie 427. I don't know what caused him to question the authenticity, but I was told to remove the LF fender and put it on jackstands. He flew in an expert on those cars and sure enough, it was a fake. It had a repopped VIN plate, but there were several tells. It had 5/16 steel fuel line, 427's had 3/8. IIRC, 427 cars had 7 leafs out back and all others had 5. And most importantly, there was a "hidden" VIN stamped into the side of the cowl/firewall, hidden by the fenders. It was the nicest 20K Galaxie money could buy, too bad he paid 40K for it. He got his money back, BTW.
In MD, the Odometer is on the title. But it was not always like that. Not sure when it started. But depending on how many miles, you never know how much they put on it.
Example, my '78 XS was an original title from 1978 so back then, they did not and if they did, it would have been a couple miles.
First XJ650 I got, I could tell owner only put 250 miles on it (he then got a newer bike)
Second XJ650 he put 850 miles on it in 3 years (he lived in the city and just took to work 5-10 miles away)
someone keeps a title a long time, lots of ways to fudge things. I feel I would not spend a large $ on an auction bike cause I want to talk to the owner. I personally feel that as an Engineer who talked to component salespeople over 30 years, I can smell BS pretty well. I just have to ask the right questions.
Example, my '78 XS was an original title from 1978 so back then, they did not and if they did, it would have been a couple miles.
First XJ650 I got, I could tell owner only put 250 miles on it (he then got a newer bike)
Second XJ650 he put 850 miles on it in 3 years (he lived in the city and just took to work 5-10 miles away)
someone keeps a title a long time, lots of ways to fudge things. I feel I would not spend a large $ on an auction bike cause I want to talk to the owner. I personally feel that as an Engineer who talked to component salespeople over 30 years, I can smell BS pretty well. I just have to ask the right questions.
I am glad that the bikes I buy are with a handshake, a personal check and a smile. I maybe paid a little much $ for my Blue Tracker if you look at it in a pure financial viewpoint, but the joy of riding again with such a fun bike is priceless. My "Red Bike " purchase was pretty close to the going rate in my area (cheap) and that too has brought priceless joy and experiences.
