Extortionate price of second hand motorcycles

[Angus]

Why is the price of second hand motorcycles so high in this country? I'm just looking for a second hand trail bike -something like a Honda XL250 , Baja or similar,- and I'm having difficulty finding one for less than £1500. This seems ridiculous considering the amount that have been manufactured over the years.
Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place EBay Gumtree Autotrader?
I remember a few years ago you could pick up a 20 year old Suzuki 750 for next to nothing.
Where have all the decent cheap old bikes gone?

[StromGeeza]

The short answer is 'the economy'. With high inflation and lower wage growth everything costs more in real terms.
Anything imported from Europe is also more expensive due to the new trade arrangements...

[crump]

Old rich people buying the bikes from their youth, they're all classics now.

[Mark Shelley]

I picked up a really tidy TTR250 several years ago for £1200. That same bike now would be £2500.
The main problem is the price of new bikes I reckon.

[Brockett]

The "elephant in the room"  :- the £ isn't worth what it was.
Check out the Bank of England inflation calculator   
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator
Goods to the value of  £10 in 2002  were at £17.87 by December 2022.

[crump]

Old Japanese stuff is through the roof, anything 60s, 70s, 80s,even 90s now is mad money. I've even seen old commuter style bikes like Honda CD175s going for over 2000.....I mean they were never sought after bikes.
If you're looking for summat like a Z1 or Kettle in decent order, you're Going to need 8-12000 quid

[Brockett]

New Z1 in 1973 was about £1000 and that equates to £10,000 now.

[Steve T]

Reasons as above plus -

You have Scottish blood or your Scottish and you always want to pay less     

[tonkie]

Agree with the above comment about us sad old men trying to relive our youth 

I had a new Fizzy back in 76 and was then about £430 with HP, I bought one 7 years ago for £2500 it’s now worth about 6K 

So blame us sad old men

[kwackboy]

Nice ...

[endintears]

@ Brockett 
Fings definitely ain't what they used to be 
Not easy trying to get a handle on relative prices.
Back of the envelope stuff I know but I get somthing like this.
So JIB rates for an electrician in 73 probably a quid an hour as against about 15 quid now.
So that puts in relative terms the Z1000 at £15000 for todays Sparky and even allowing for a couple of years early seventys inflation a pint at a rather favorable sounding   £1.85.

[TLPower]

Interesting that "Ladies beer" (lager), isn't available on draught. The mere mention of "Magnet" conjures up recollections of beer farts that would wake the dead and wishing they still were.

Luckily it wasn't a "Wards" pub.

[Barbel Mick]

Your 'ladies beer' (lager)  is on sale as Harp from the Keg. An Irish lager brewed in Dublin I believe.

Edit, I misread Magnet for Magners (cider) but although I have consumed a good few different beers over the years  I had never heard of it. I Googled it & find it is a John Smiths beer....... I doubt I will ever try it now!!