Abandon the Quest?

If a '95 Royal Enfield in good shape would fetch only £500 in the UK
and yet can still command over Cdn$4000 here then obviously there's
more involved than a simple currency conversion.

One of the few things I retained from a (rather dry) economics class
is that price is the intersection point of the supply and demand
curves. Obviously vintage Brit thumpers are in very short supply here
and interest in them is keen, especially with people who don't mind
laying out big coin for them.

Some other considerations are that (1) the build quality of
Indian-made Enfields has apparently improved over the last 10 years,
and (2) if new ones become available here then the bottom would drop
out of the used market, so those reasons alone make paying 4 grand
for a '95 a bad idea.

OTOH when it comes to motorcycles (as well as other things) the most
rational reasons for buying or not buying aren't always the best
reasons. Last year I did a lot of calculations and decided that
the best commuter bike for my situation would be a Yamaha Virago 250,
so I got one. Well it did everything that my calculations said
it would, such as saving on gas, being nimble in traffic and easy
to park, but I more or less forgot to include the Fun Factor as well
as an even more elusive, hard to define quality I can only call
"character", and all the British bikes I've ever ridden had it.

So now while the Virago is in for repairs I console my disappointment
by commuting to work on my HD Ultra Classic. It's the most awesome bike
I've ever had -- as well as being far and away the most expensive.
It gets worse gas milage than some cars, can hardly be called nimble
or easy to park, but the ride is incomparable and it definitely
has character.

Sean_Q_

'99 FLHTCUI

 

<bites lip>

All bikes are fun in the right conditions, but no bikes are fun in all
conditions. If you provide some details of your
requirements/commute[1], someone may be able to suggest a bike that you
hadn't thought of, & which would be the best compromise.

[1] Budget, height, lenth of commute, type of roads, do you lane-split
etc.


--
Krusty.

http://www.muddystuff.co.uk
http://www.muddystuff.us
Off-road classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger (FOYRNB) '96 Tiger '79 Fantic 250

 

Yeah, we know Enfields.

But a '95 Enfield isn't a vintage Brit anything, unless it's 1895 so a'95
Enfield is an Indian built POS.

Hopefully, apparently isn't the word you really want to rely on.

Paying 4 grand for ANY '95 single cylinder bike would be a bad idea.

True, but a good reason helps.

Last year I did a lot of calculations and decided that

The Enfield has character, but is it worth 4 grand?

So you've not had many bikes then

-- as well as being far and away the most expensive.

They're called vibes.



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Why not just have a ride on the one you saw advertised and decide for
yourself? I'm guessing it's still for sale...

Martin.