Cyclerides.com Weekly
Update
2/1/17
Greetings Riders,
Well, it looks like prime riding weather here in the Valley of the Sun has
finally arrived. Sunny and in the 70’s for this week and even low
80’s late next week. Doesn’t get much better than that. These kind of temps will
also probably produce a record turnout for the Phoenix Open as well. If you are
riding in the North Scottsdale area, be extra defensive as there will be lots of
tourists and snowbirds on the streets with you.
I mentioned in the
newsletter last week that we
were going to Las Vegas for the Bonham and Mecum Vintage Motorcycle Auction.
The Bonham Auction was a one day event at the Rio where my buddy
Dale Walksler was selling a few bikes including the rare 1936 Crocker.
That was the first Bonham auction of any kind that I have been to. Even while
watching a few of them on TV, with the British auctioneers selling the vehicles,
I thought that it could not possibly be as boring as it was on TV. Wrong! It was
way worse in person. The older British auctioneer was really hard to understand,
and the lack of enthusiasm due to the “proper” delivery he had was seriously
boring. With the lack of information, promotion of the bike or encouragement to
the buyers, I don’t see how they sell anything there at all. That was my first
and last Bonham auction.
As a result, Dale wasn’t thrilled with his first Bonham auction either and
only sold 2 out of 5 bikes
that he brought to the auction. The
Crocker closed bidding at $370k, 130k less than the 500k it was projected at.
Glad we only invested a few hours there. The next day we went over to the
Mecum Vintage Auction located at South Point
Hotel in South Las Vegas. They changed the auction venue this year moving
it to the arena area instead of one of the ballrooms. I really liked the new set
up. The old saying “build it and they will come” must have worked in this case
as the new larger venue attracted over 1000 motorcycles for sale and
added one day to the event.
If you are looking for that one place to go to see almost every variety of
vintage motorcycles from the early 1900’s to 2000, this is the
place to go to see everything you could imagine under one roof. Buying or not,
it is a good time to take a walk down memory lane seeing those bikes that you
grew up with as a kid. One thing I noticed this year is that the market is
changing a little bit in the same way that I see the market changing at the car
auctions. 20-25 years ago the Pre-war Packards and Duesenbergs were the cars
bringing all the money. Now it seems to be the muscle cars of the 50’s to 70’s
that are the hot ticket.
Same seems to be true at the motorcycle auction as it is the 60’s to 80’s
light cruisers that are starting to make the biggest moves in price now. These bikes include the 60’s to 70’s Honda CB’s, BSA’s, Triumphs, BMW’s
and the big surprise for me was what the Ducati’s were bringing. Even the
smaller scooter style bikes like the older Vespa’s, Cushman’s and 70-90cc Trail
bikes were pretty strong. My takeaway from this past weekend is that it appears,
just like in the classic car market, that the age of the buyer is changing.
We all like to buy what we remember as we were growing up. For guys in
their 50’s and 60’s,
it is going to be those bikes in the 1960’s
and 1970’s that you might have ridden or owned as a kid. And since this was the
same timeframe as the Japanese invasion of motorcycles to the U.S., those likely
might have been a Honda CB, Kawasaki or some type of modern scooter. I remember
having a Yamaha Twin 100, a Honda Trail 90, and when I was 18 had a 1969 Honda
350 Scrambler. Back then the
Harley’s were not affordable and these were the relatively new kids on the block
that were cheap, easy to start and ride. So as a result, a lot of us in our 50’s
and 60’s have probably ridden some of these bikes somewhere along the line in
our youth. Now, they are being bought again and it is raising the prices.
The highest priced bike we saw sell was an unrestored
1912
Henderson Four that hammered at $490,000.
Rust and unrestored
was bringing good prices. The one that confused me the most was a 1975 Ducati 750 that Didn’t
sell, but was bid at $150,000. A lot of times I was left wondering why some of
these were bid so high.
Once again, if you just want to go and see 1000 vintage motorcycles
of all brands, years, types and sizes, put the Vegas Mecum Auction on
your calendar. The 2018 auction will take place on January 24-27. If you want to
get a little taste of it before that, Mecum also has the same auction planned
for June 1-3 in Vegas that they say will have 750 motorcycles. Go to https://www.mecum.com/motorcycles/ for more information.
Tidbits and Updates:
*Enjoy this 3 minute video of flying over snow covered Sedona Red Rocks.
This is something that not many people get to see as it only
happens a couple of times a year. Go Full Screen and HD for best viewing with
music. Click Here to View. To see the
photos of the same area, Click Here to
View.
*
SAVE THE DATE:
Cyclerides.com Bike Night at Westgate
Entertainment District date changes!
This
year I am excited to announce that we will be starting bike night on
FRIDAY, March 3rd. Yes, you read that right, Friday, at least for a
while. We will do the first 4 Fridays in the month of March, and then go to
Thursday nights starting on March 30th for the rest of the season. Live Music
begins with the 74th Street Band followed by the Broken Toys Band. Vendor
requests email info@cyclerides.com .
This Week
Every Thursday Through February 23rd.
Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson Bike Night Series. Let's paint the town chrome...the Harley
way!
Cruise around town with Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson for our Paint the Town Chrome Bike Night Series. We will be at a
different location each week with onsite raffles, games, and AHD's latest
inventory! Each week, you will have the chance to enter for our badass grand
prize raffle, an $800 H-D Addition Craftsman Tool Box Set! Winner will be
announced on the last night of our bike series at AHD! Must be present to win.
*Thursday, Feb. 2nd – Red Line Grill - 15332 W
Bell Rd, Surprise, AZ 85374. 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
*Thursday, Feb. 9th – The Moon Saloon -
Arrowhead Fountain Center, 16554 N 83rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85382. 6:00 p.m. - 9:00
p.m.
*Thursday, Feb. 16th – Slicks Garage Bar &
Eats - 8350 W Paradise Ln, Peoria, AZ 85382. 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
*Thursday, Feb. 23rd - Cucina Tagliani - 8349
W. Bell Road, Peoria, AZ 85382. 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
*Saturday, March 4th – Arrowhead
Harley-Davidson - 6130 N Arrowhead Fountains Center Dr, Peoria, AZ 85382. 12:00
p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Our final event on the town will take place at
Arrowhead H-D with free music, food, raffles, games and much more!
Saturday, February 4th
B.Y.O.B. Bring
Your Own Bike. Thinking about buying or selling a motorcycle? Bring your own
bike to sell on our lot from 9AM – 2PM.
Join us for a FREE Grilled
Cheese sandwich while you are there. There will be:
*Dealer financing available for qualified buyers.
*Expert sales staff to provide help and info.
*Exposure to lots of potential buyers.
*All makes, all models, two wheels only.
*Free pre-sale safety inspections.
Chandler Harley-Davidson is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd.
in Chandler, AZ. 480-496-6800.
Next Week
Saturday, February 11th
Desert
Wind Harley-Davidson Sweetheart Fashion Show and Party on the Patio. Ride
into Desert Wind Harley-Davidson
to see the latest in
Harley-Davidson fashions as well as our famous Party on the Patio. See the
latest Motorclothes from HD as they are modeled for you. Enjoy FREE BBQ provided
by the East Valley H.O.G. on the patio. Fashion show takes place at 1PM. Desert
Wind Harley-Davidson is located at 922 S. Country Club Dr. in Mesa, AZ.
800-831-0404. www.desertwindhd.com.
Extras
Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com Facebook.
New Easy to remember Facebook address.
Go to www.facebook.com/cycleridescom. Over
6000 FANS! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the
wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the
page, but you will not be able to post. There will be a
link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE
button!
Video of the Week.
Good Mercedes Super Bowl commercial with Peter Fonda.
Click Here to View.
Click on the
Video of the Week graphic on the page.
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
Click
Here.
Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,
Barry
Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
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