Utterly gratuitous commercial post

Ladeeeeez an' gennelmen

It is my pleasure to inform you that Classic Spares Recycling Limited is
now incorporated and open for business.

Aythangyew.

 

(The Older Gentleman) wrote in

Rag & Bone Man. Suits you.

 

In communiqué <1jto0nx.z8w9kbpxkhpiN%>,

<Googles>

Wot - no web site?
--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

You've just posted on it.

 

Ebay is quite big enough, shirley.

 

Ah, I see a sort of UKRMbay.
I'm having a certain amount of success selling Morini coals to Newcastle
myself.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Good luck with that.

Hmm. Maybe I should have another look for ShiteOldJapaneseBikes out
here, someone's got to have an empty container that's UK-bound...

 

Christ, what's kept you? I'd have thought you incorporated eons ago.
(Must be a tax advantage, somehow.)

 

Why? Is it because ebay has started clamping down on business sellers
who don't describe themselves as business sellers?

Fiona has had problems; she wears a lot of designer brand clothing and
rather take them to the dress agency she puts them on ebay but they have
now started limiting the number of sales she can have in a month.

 

It was a lucrative thing to do twenty years ago, when ultra low mileage
bikes could be picked up for a song. I suspect too many cottoned on to
it since and the market for it in the UK might not sustain it.
However, best of luck - if you find ones cheap enough you know will
sell/break for a worthwhile amount.

 

Ding

 

Well, it started with me just busting bikes and taking what I wanted and
getting rid of the rest. And then I started doing it for the dosh. And
it's been sporadic. I might not be arsed to do anything for a couple of
months. Just playing, really.

However, I've noticed that the supply of spares for a lot of bikes is
getting much tighter, and there are still people restoring them. So
people are prepared to pay quite staggering amounts for the bits they
want, be they new or used.

So I've decided to take a proper run at it. If it proves more
interesting and lucrative than the day job, then the next step will
probably be to ditch the day job, or at least wind it down to part-time.

Also, having taken a very long hard look at what others are doing, I
reckon I know more about classic Jap spares than just about anybody in
the market, with the exception of the acknowledged specialists like
Z-Power and Dave Silver, and they only deal in one marque any usually
only new stuff anyway.

There's nobody doing it properly, by which I mean people who really
*know* what they're doing, punting out *good* stuff, accurately
described, not priced at silly levels, and despatched very fast. My
feedback shows that I do.

There are plenty of people punting out Jap classic bikes, but some ask
utterly ridiculous prices: £13k for an H1, anyone? And there's a
depressing number of rogues flogging utter crap, described as 100%
original, or totally restored, when I can see the bikes are neither of
these things.

Also, crucially, there seems to be a complete lack of people buying
complete restored (or really nice original) classics and deliberately
busting them for the parts. Yet the maths is obvious. We all know that
you can easily throw £5000 at a bike in new paint, chrome, engine
rebuild whatever, and at the end of the day, the bike is still only
worth £2000-2500. But take it down to its components, and suddenly it's
worth £5000 again - or more, if you restored it a couple of years ago,
the way parts prices are rising.

I can't think of anything else in the bike business that offers that
sort of margin.

And finally, people seem to think that eBay is the only source of stuff.
I've bought bits from 'established' sources, and re-sold them on eBay at
a profit.

I've had no problems with eBay themselves, not at all. Fiona must be
punting out a helluva lot of stuff.

 

Did you ever get that 400/4 pile of bits?

--


Nige,

'Candygram for Mongo'

R1

 

Not all of them.

 

Oh yes, indeed, and I still owe you a beer or five.

The engine and frame are still at Bonwick's due for collection in late
Jan, probably. I've just bought another similar pile of bits. That one's
in Newcastle....

 

hahahahahahai'll let you know if i ever get up that way....

--


Nige,

'Candygram for Mongo'

R1

 

Nice. Have you thought about getting the unobtainium bits
remanufactured? Kickstarts and tool boxes spring to mind.

 

Careful, you'll have dumpy birds from Derbyshire encouraging the
workshy to wander around your shop, not buying stuff.

That'll teach you.

 

Well done that man. (and so you should be).

 

A surprising number of classic Jap parts are being re-made these days,
for all sorts of things.

Problem is the cost of tooling. You need to have a guaranteed sale of X
number of compnents to make it worthwhile, which is why so many people
will not start work until they have payment in advance, or at least
deposits, from a viable number of punters.

Frankly, it's easier and more lucrative just to break decent running
classics. Or, better still, to buy people's failed restoration projects.
The 400F I've just bought has got NOS forks, exhaust system, guards,
seat, the clocks have been professionally restored to as-new by one of
those specialists. The engine is stripped but the barrels have been
re-bored with four new first o/s pistons and rings.

That's probably two and a half grands' worth just there, and then
there's the rest of it.

OTOH, there was this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/180599302080

This has been repainted in the wrong colour, the frame has been
hammerited, the wheel rims painted silver, etc etc etc and it's worth
sod all.