Collectability of stock Gen. 1 Busas...

[JINKSTER]

+ 1,000,000
As usual...You hit the nail squarely on the head

Mines a working girl and as she will always mean more to me than I can get
for her...she will be with me forever. Plan on at least 100,000 miles...then maybe
a rebuild. Have to see how she is running...just can't decide between big bore
or turbo (as long as we're rebuilding...) sitting on 35,000 as we speak so I got
some time

Justyn...good to see you still around bro...check it out...just got a voicemail last night (while i had the family out to chilis for dinner so i haven't responded yet) from an old close friend/riding bud of mine who lives up your way (wintergarden) who's name is Gio...i first met him through the FZ1OA...he's an old italian dude who can ride his azz off...literally started as a kid in the italian alps on moto-marini scooters and such..we once rode with chuck graves (and friends at an R1 Rally) from fontana village too CROT and hung with'em on our mighty highly moded and well tuned FZ1's! LOL! what a ride that was..anyways...long story short...after i sold my FZ1 to partly finance the purchasing of Oren?..Gio followed suit selling his FZ for a busa and logged on here as "Falcon"...and we sorta lost touch then he sold his busa...well?..last night he informed me he re-upped with a new FZ1 and wants to get together for a ride one of these weekends...i'd more than likely be staying the night at his place and he knows some great roads up that way...ride around lake apopka and all...i was think'in us Busa folk like myself, Laylas_Mom, Poppy, Blanca, yourself and a few others oughta meet-up and ride with Gio and some of the old members he and i know from our old FZ1 days/crew (that can ride their azz's off as well)...and?...well?...meet up for some good food and a great ride in the central fl area so we can all get a chance to meet/greet/ride together...whaddaya think?...LMK and i'll get ride info dates /logistics and post/organize a nice Busa/FZ1 Ride/Meet in Central florida.

L8R, Bill.

 

[JINKSTER]

Something is worth only the amount somebody else is going willing to pay for it. With the amount of production the busa has I doubt they will be hard to find. But the best chance would be the first two years. That would be because they were unrestricted and did sell as well as they are now. BUt still isn't going to bring in as much as lets say a 53 Indian. You might be lucky in 50 years and get twice your money.

yeah right?...look no further than some of the guys who are sitting on early '70's Kawi H2 750 2 stroke triples...new in the crate...never assembled...still packed in cosmoline...and still looking for that "One-In-A-Million" just right "Buyer" willing to part w/ a whopping $10K for one...to bolt-on three downchamber pipes...tote around a QT of 2-Stroke Oil and swap out 10 gagillion fouled plugs.

garage jewelery of this sort never sells well....or easy...and afterwards?...both the buyer and the seller wanna kick their own azz for be'in so stupid....it's like a curse in a crate...and it's the soul of the bike getting back at ALL it's owners who never let the genie outta the bottle!

jmho & L8R, Bill.

 

[JR'S BUSA]

Justyn...good to see you still around bro...check it out...just got a voicemail last night (while i had the family out to chilis for dinner so i haven't responded yet) from an old close friend/riding bud of mine who lives up your way (wintergarden) who's name is Gio...i first met him through the FZ1OA...he's an old italian dude who can ride his azz off...literally started as a kid in the italian alps on moto-marini scooters and such..we once rode with chuck graves (and friends at an R1 Rally) from fontana village too CROT and hung with'em on our mighty highly moded and well tuned FZ1's! LOL! what a ride that was..anyways...long story short...after i sold my FZ1 to partly finance the purchasing of Oren?..Gio followed suit selling his FZ for a busa and logged on here as "Falcon"...and we sorta lost touch then he sold his busa...well?..last night he informed me he re-upped with a new FZ1 and wants to get together for a ride one of these weekends...i'd more than likely be staying the night at his place and he knows some great roads up that way...ride around lake apopka and all...i was think'in us Busa folk like myself, Laylas_Mom, Poppy, Blanca, yourself and a few others oughta meet-up and ride with Gio and some of the old members he and i know from our old FZ1 days/crew (that can ride their azz's off as well)...and?...well?...meet up for some good food and a great ride in the central fl area so we can all get a chance to meet/greet/ride together...whaddaya think?...LMK and i'll get ride info dates /logistics and post/organize a nice Busa/FZ1 Ride/Meet in Central florida.

L8R, Bill.

I like this idea

 

[JINKSTER]

I like this idea

cool JR...then i'll bring that idea into reality for us...cause i'm going to see and ride with him regardless..matter fact?...right after i post this?..i'm calling him to initiate arrangements...also?..i might mention for the benefit of others that i have a family member who gets huge friends and family bene's (one of the best parts about her job) on discounted marriot hotel/resort rooms...like $300per nite joints that can be 2 floor condo's and sleeps 6 for like $69 per nite...that could come in handy and i'm certain baby girl wouldn't mind do'in dear old dad and a few of his friends a favor

L8R, Bill.

 

[E-RACER]

Doubt a Busa will ever be!!

see a few coppers on ebaY one with the plastic still on the seats and I think it went for $10k or so??

when I was young I had a 1980 Suzuki GS1000S pretty rare bike I think they only made like 500 of them..I also had a GPZ750 turbo..those may be worth a little something now,but who's going to wait that long to see!!

jap bikes and all bikes for that fact to Me are meant to be ridden!!

 

[jdbrown12]

jdbrown12-If you go back to the dealer, please take some pics...I'd live to see them. The 99 copper busas show up on ebay 3-4 times a year, so they are not that difficuly to find.

Does anybody know the production numbers of the 99 models? Just wondering how many of them are out there.

I'll get the pics when I pick it up here in the next few weeks...need some nicer weather.

I dont think Suzuki has ever released the production numbers for any bikes...all numbers are speculation from what I was told.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

My 1985 RZ350 we bought for $2000 OTD.
I recently saw same yr but yellow version sell on Ebay for almost 9k with under 2k miles !
I wish I still had it.

I also wish like you say I could buy 5-10 bikes and store them like 'Red Barchettas' in a barn for 50 odd yrs.....

My uncle has a country place that no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm before the Motor Law
And on Sundays I elude the Eyes and hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the wire where my white-haired uncle waits

Jump to the ground as the Turbo slows to cross the borderline
Run like the wind as excitement shivers up and down my spine
Down in his barn, my uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty-odd years, to keep it as new has been his dearest dream

I strip away the old debris that hides a shining bike
A brilliant red Busa from a better vanished time
I fire up the willing engine responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime

Wind in my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge

Well-weathered leather, hot metal and oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Suddenly ahead of me across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air-car ahoots towards me, two lanes wide
I spin around with shrieking tires to run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley as another joins the chase

Drive like the wind, straining the limits of machine and man
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I've got a desperate plan
At the one-lane bridge, I leave the giants stranded at the riverside
Race back to the farm to dream with my uncle at the fireside

Exit stage left tour...takes you back...Rush knew what they were talking about !
Dude I was there...
This is exactly the show..same effects we all got then...
Imagine yourself on your Busa........

We will be lucky if not arrested for possesion of something like these in the future....but they will be worth alot of $ in prime condition.

 

[BA BUSA]

The original '99 Copper, 0 miles in the crate would really be worth something someday...all the other Gen1's with average miles and mint condition are only worth what somebody is willing to pay for the particular bike.

Modern day sport bikes are all plastic (no chrome, no steel...just common materials)...they are massed produced and are basically 'dime a dozen'...mabye a few decades down the road, if there are no more 'sport bikes' the market will improve...if you are thinking a "used" bike is a GOOD investment, think again.
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[Blanca BusaLess]

If this was 40yrs old do you think it would be worth anything ?
Ba Busa you are correct a dime a dozen and disposable but if you could keep a few like this for many yrs and then pull them out I think a few would fall over backward..


ps.no offense to Gotbusa for borrowing his pic..

 

[Narcissus]

Unless you're talking about a limited edition, extremely rare vehicle, it's not worth collecting. A mint condition F40... about what it was worth... a Hayabusa with several thousand produced in a year, not so much.

Look at the used market for Lamborghini's for example. You can pick up a used Gallardo with low miles for under 100K. Factor in inflation and it's even more of a loss.



Vehicles will never be an investment. Wait a year or two, and who is going to care about your mint-condition, yesterday's technology?

 

[blusmbl]

I don't even think the collector car market will rebound like it once did. There were just so many fools out there willing to pay $1 million for that special Mopar. Now a few years later they're worth just a fraction of that price.

The Mopar market is still pretty strong. The 1 of 1 cars, and almost anything with a Hemi still draws ridiculous money. You can't even touch a real hemi b-body for under $100k.

I agree with most everyone here, these bikes are far too mass produced to be real collectors items. The collectible bike market pales in comparison to automobiles.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

But you may need one to outrun the Terminators.....?

 

[ike]

I love my ride but with the new liter bikes putting out so much more power to weight ratio then a gen 1 busa what would be so special about one in the next 20 so years? My guess is they wouldn't be worth much... I keep my 00 because I love the thing and it's bought and paid for. Other than that it's just an old bike that's not going to be worth much in the future to me...

 

[bjewell]

Thanks. I bought the Busa because I'm 64, sold the Softail and wanted one more real bike before I start drooling and peeing my pants in the old folks home. I don't expect to ever sell it, I like it -- no love it -- that much.

But just as old Impalas are HIGHLY coveted by the lowriders I think a Gen 1 will always be a hot ticket. You say they made alot of them? Sorry, but compared to Harleys they made zip... :- )

 

[AJAY]

Just because a bike is mass produced and sells very well does not mean it won't someday be collectible. Just look at the prices of Honda CB350's from the 1969-1971 vintage. I'd like one, but even worn running versions are bringing in around $1200-$1500. Why? Nostalgia. I want one because I had one (1969) and now I'm old enough to want another one just for grins. (but not for that kind of money!)

Hypothetical situation: Hyperbikes get outlawed. The son of a major politician gets killed or some beloved American icon and we all finally "sober up to the ugly truth of these killer sportbikes." The NHTSA gets involved and the insurance companies agree. MADD joins in to protect "America's youth" and Ralph Nader goes on his last crusade. Nancy Pelosi champions it, laws are passed and new bikes are limited to 100HP, just like France. Harley says nothing, but secretly celebrates. We think it can't happen here, but I wouldn't bet against it if the right situation presents itself. Heck, they just banned bitty ATVs and off-road bikes for kids because there was lead in the product! (BTW, did that get lifted?) So what do you think that would do to the value of our Busas?

 

[Laylas_Mom]

Justyn...good to see you still around bro...check it out...just got a voicemail last night (while i had the family out to chilis for dinner so i haven't responded yet) from an old close friend/riding bud of mine who lives up your way (wintergarden) who's name is Gio...i first met him through the FZ1OA...he's an old italian dude who can ride his azz off...literally started as a kid in the italian alps on moto-marini scooters and such..we once rode with chuck graves (and friends at an R1 Rally) from fontana village too CROT and hung with'em on our mighty highly moded and well tuned FZ1's! LOL! what a ride that was..anyways...long story short...after i sold my FZ1 to partly finance the purchasing of Oren?..Gio followed suit selling his FZ for a busa and logged on here as "Falcon"...and we sorta lost touch then he sold his busa...well?..last night he informed me he re-upped with a new FZ1 and wants to get together for a ride one of these weekends...i'd more than likely be staying the night at his place and he knows some great roads up that way...ride around lake apopka and all...i was think'in us Busa folk like myself, Laylas_Mom, Poppy, Blanca, yourself and a few others oughta meet-up and ride with Gio and some of the old members he and i know from our old FZ1 days/crew (that can ride their azz's off as well)...and?...well?...meet up for some good food and a great ride in the central fl area so we can all get a chance to meet/greet/ride together...whaddaya think?...LMK and i'll get ride info dates /logistics and post/organize a nice Busa/FZ1 Ride/Meet in Central florida.

L8R, Bill.

Im in! Let me know!

 

[BA BUSA]

If this was 40yrs old do you think it would be worth anything ?
Ba Busa you are correct a dime a dozen and disposable but if you could keep a few like this for many yrs and then pull them out I think a few would fall over backward..


ps.no offense to Gotbusa for borrowing his pic..

They would be worth more than when they were first released for sure...but 40 years = BAD investment.

What is it gonna cost you for storage and insurance...in the long run do you profit ANYTHING ???

 

[BA BUSA]

Unless you're talking about a limited edition, extremely rare vehicle, it's not worth collecting. A mint condition F40... about what it was worth... a Hayabusa with several thousand produced in a year, not so much.

Look at the used market for Lamborghini's for example. You can pick up a used Gallardo with low miles for under 100K. Factor in inflation and it's even more of a loss.

Vehicles will never be an investment. Wait a year or two, and who is going to care about your mint-condition, yesterday's technology?

The Hayabusa never has been released in a "Limited Edition"...don't kid yourself guys.

A few hundred bucks for a different color scheme...and it was NOT limited...they sold as many as they could. Some people bought the "LE" for the same price as the standard bike. Used bikes are not a good investment

 

[Commuta_Busa]

as mentioned already, if there is a collectors market waay in the future I would think the 1999 copper would fetch the most. After that it might be a LE or the first year of the white busa. The 1999 year will probably be the most desirable.

 

[edouble88h]

ok so what your sayin is that i shouldn't give up on the copperhead i have!!!! sweet!!!