One way to participate in history is to have the great hobby of restoring and collecting antique motorcycles, whether you buy them in poor condition or already restored. Knowing the excitement of buying an antique motorcycle is a lot of fun, however, it is wise to make sure that what you are buying is the genuine thing and that you are purchasing your antique for a reasonable price. The prices of these older motor cycles can vary depending on many things. These factors include location, condition and provenance.
You do need to do your research before you head out to buy an antique motorcycle. There can be copies and forgeries. Find out what the original bike was like. See if you can get some old photographs, or even some with the motorcycles restored. You will be able to see how genuine it is from this.
Sometimes the chassis numbers, and engine numbers can be researched, so ask if they have them.
This helps when identifying the frame. The added value in doing this can lead to provenance as to whom the owners were. If the bike belonged to someone of a racing pedigree or they were famous, this can lead to increased value of the motorcycle as long as this information can be proven.
Know what you are willing to spend before you head out to purchase an antique motorcycle. Restoration is not cheap. A lot of times the amount you spend on this is more than you paid for the bike, especially if you are only using original replacement parts, and this can add to the antique value as well.
A good thing to do is to look into motorcycle clubs, as their wealth of knowledge is amazing. Bikes that are rare are ones they probably know a lot about and can give you great advice if it is worth restoring. The Antique Motorcycle Club of America is a great club to belong too. The purpose of this club is as follows: “preservation, restoration and operation of old-time motorcycles.” They consider any bikes that are 35 years or older bikes that are antique.
Another way to look into finding out information on bikes is to look online, and to go to auction sites. This will help you to see what other bikes are going for as far as price. It will also help you to see the condition of some of the bikes and beware of copies.
Have fun when looking for antique motorcycles and when you are looking to purchase, remember these things. Know what you expect to spend. Know what you are looking for and take pictures with you if you can. Remember to try and get chassis numbers and engine numbers and see if you can find out anything about whom the original owners were. Use the buyer beware rule, just like you would with any other purchase.