What's your take on this,(skyrocketing $$)!!

[sandpuppi101]

Well I know that I have certainly noticed,and I am sure most ,if not all of you have also noticed! What is it? The skyrocketing prices of trikes nowadays! I have been messing with Honda ATC's for 30 years now and selling -swaping -and restoring them for a solid 10 years ,and have never seen the market for trike parts go up as much as it has lately.It is not uncommon to see a nice 85 or 86 ATC 350X to exceed $5000.00 anymore!,or a beat up half ars 85 R to get $3000.00 or more! I think that the popularity of trikes is great ,and we all know OEM is not only hard to find anymore but is also pricey.Take this for instance-Last week on e-bay a set of OEM rear fenders for a '86 350X ,used I mite add- goes to over 700.00.For used plastic!! I can see alot of people actually getting there nice machines and parting them to simply make a buck.The facts are that certain machines seem to be selling very good ,as others are either stagnant or going down.I enjoy seeing quality original or restored machines and I myself am glad too see that those machines are getting top dollar,I would gladly pay top dollar for a top notch machine that is original or restored,and I am glad too see that-but I have also noticed common - everyday -too mediocor machines sliding under the radar -trying too get the high dollar prices also.So what I am getting at is this:We all love our trikes,and we all love seeing them- I just think that with these skyrocketing prices we have to be a little more aware of what it is we are looking at.We are all family here on 3WW ,and we all have a common goal!! To ride our trikes or restore them,etc! And we all need to look out for one another as far as false advertisement and the difference between buying quality or junk! Some of us on the forum have years upon years of knowledge with trikes and some of you newbies have very little experience,Bottomline we need to be looking behind eachother's backs,because I am reminded of the surge in fuel prices this past year.The fuel companies have broken all kind of gains !! Why? Because they took advantage of hurricaines and the war in Iraq! And who paid for there surge in $$'s.You and me!! I just wanted too bring up something that we all know is going on ,yet is not talked about much here on the forum! What do you all think of the skyrocketing $$'s going on with our sport? I viewed my thoughts,Lets hear yours!!! Sandpuppi101

[grundlegrabber]

Pup,
I think alot of what we've been seeing as far as the restored or mint trikes selling on ebay is not all that it seems. Ther is a lot of false advertising and price tampering going on. Still, there does seem to be a market all of a sudden that is willing to pay high prices for perfect machines. Naturally as supply goes down and the classic trikes become more rare, prices will creep up, but things have been going crazy lately.
I have a 350X and 2 250Rs (one complete and one in the works) that I have been trying to get into as close to restored condition as possible. I have noticed within the past year that prices of the nice OEM and NOS parts have been skyrocketing. I have pretty much not been able to acquire any of the parts that I need for months now. Just don't have the $$ to compete. My theory is that, partially because of sites like this one, there has been an increased awareness that there is a large interest in three wheeler collecting, and more people have begun to look for them. America is generally a wealthy country, and I guess lots of folks have disposable income to spend on stuff like 3 wheeler parts.
I have noticed that in the past 2 years (this past year especially), good buys on local bikes, trikes, parts, etc have become almost extinct. I no longer see any good deals in the local papers, it's been at least a year since I've scored anything. There hasn't been anywhere to ride around here for years now, and I also feel that most of the bikes people had sitting around are now long gone. It seems just about everyone has heard that stuff is worth money on ebay. With the explosion in trike and parts prices, those who have the stuff stashed away have begun to sell, and that's why we are seeing so many now.
There does seem to be an enormous gap, however, between nice or mint stuff and average, beat up, salvageable, restoreable stuff. I used to be able to part out a carcass, sell everything, and get a few extra bucks to put toward a project, but anymore it seems like 75% of the parts don't sell at all, and the ones that do don't bring much. I guess with the nicer parts surfacing nobody wants to deal with refinishing or reconditioning used parts. Well that's my take on it. Let's hear from the rest of you.

[atckowalski]

The oil industry has set a new record on profit margins. In the past year a record of 14 BILLION dollars I guess my 350x just went up in value too , because I just filled the gas tank up.At this rate, in 2 years 75% of all Americans will be broke and apparently nobody gives a f@@@

[chris200x]

i was thinking about starting a thread about this myself. I think grundle grabbed it pretty good.

it seems like in the past you couldn't give one of these trikes away now all of a suddun (in the last couple months anyway) all these mint trikes have been showing up and people are paying through the nose for them.

I think the publicity too has alot to do with it. wheather its trikefest and how thats been growing, in dirtwheels, or this site itself. it seems like there's been alot of new members lately. Did any one happen to notice on the mainpage of the forums... most users at one time??? thats an incredible number. I think last time i noticed it it was around 300 or so users. now the number is over 1000.

Or it could be that people are just now realizing that

[dvalley]

Well I am one of your newbies. After years of asking Dad to buy me one, I finally got old enough (27 yrs old) and bought one myself.

I guess I always wanted one. With the 4 wheeling getting more popular, I think the 3 wheeled machines have become more popular too. Don't get me wrong, I have NO desire for a 4 wheel ATV.

I am not a collector and I am not a restorer. I just keep my eyes open for what I want, and try to buy it. I bought my first 200 in Oct. 05 and have since bought others, namely a 350X that needed a lot of work and $$$$. I love it.

I do wish the parts weren't going for so much, and I wish I could find a "steel" out there, but I am delighted to see the other 3 wheeled enthusiasts out and about.

Sorry to be a bit off topic.

[jason85atc250r]

grundlegrabber

you 'll have to copme up here to Harrisburg to ride with us we have a couple different places to go.

250r and 350x's are going for 12 to 1500 in the paper. theres usually a couple atc a month in the paper around here.

+ i bought the 2 9" honda rims you had on ebay.

[chris200x]

why dont you all come to hazleton to ride with me. i can keep us busy for the day.

[jason85atc250r]

i go to Paragon Adventure Park alot with my toyota trucks and the atv's

[ChrisD]

I usually ride at Tower City. I'd be willing to ride with anyone in the spring.

I agree with the problem of skyrocketing prices. I have some cool nice condition parts in my inventory, but I have a never sell policy. I'll sell something and then need it two days later....stupid Murphy's law!

I used to like the fact that I truly enjoyed something that noone else liked and liked finding parts at cheap prices. I guess I should have bought everything I saw at the time, but I'm not like that. I'm glad to see everyone have the chance to build the bike they want. I'm just taking my share to ensure that I can continue to ride my R's until I'm an old fart. I'm still buying parts, but they are more like bearings, grommets, and bushings to maintian my bikes for years to come.

I was lucky to buy the parts I wanted when I did....and have spares to carry me into the future. I'll be that guy you see in 30 years and you say...wow! I remember those bikes....I used to have one of them....

[750fl]

Me being new to three wheelers myself I'm getting sick of the skyrocketing prices. I grew up riding dirt bikes but alway wanted a trike well i had my chance a few months back' and i jump right on it. Then a few days after i got my first 200x i found anouther one that i got for almost half the price of the first one. After getting them home and ridding them i then knew what i was missing out off all theses years. Seems that all of a sudden there has been a surge of popularity in trikes. I see this as being a fad like most any thing else just think maybe in a year or so we will be able to get a 250r or 350x for around 5 or 6 hundred bucks. I hope. Atleast there are still some trike lovers like us out there to save some of these trikes from the junk yard

[N5HNY]

Let me try this again.

The prices around where I live are cheap. Three wheelers are still seen as junk around here. The used prices are not bad at all.

Not to be rude but I wonder about someone who would pay $5k for a three wheeler. If I had $5k I would be looking at newer quads.

I own a lot of old stuff and I got it all cheap. I will admit that I have noticed a spike in the prices lately on some items. Plastic mostly. But the rest is not priced bad at all.

A lot of this is being driven by things like Barrett Jackson, Antique Roadshow, E-bay, etc. People see others paying through the nose or hear a "speculative" appraisal of their junk and people see $$$$. Ka Ching !

Remeber that all this stuff is speculative. That is, it is market driven and can collapse at anytime. Ask anybody who bought cars and bikes back in the 80's during that reccession. Most of them lost their shirts. A lot of those vehicles were running in the millions and over night they went to 50% or less of their purchase price.

One thing about E-bay. I joined when it first fired up. I notice that there are not near the items that used to be on there. I learned like others have that E-bay's prices are inflated and that you can buy new or used at other places much cheaper.

I will have about $500 or $600 in my Big Red before it is over and I thing that is waaaaaay too much. Am I missing something here ? Do I need to go around and buy all the junk around here ?

[dreadhed]

I am new to atc's my self. I have only got into them a couple of years ago. I use to do more with old hot rods before that. I thougth that it cost alot. It seems it is getting cheaper to buy a 2000 4 wheeler than some of the atc's(on ebay). I still find quite a bit locally. I got 2 350x's for $600 not to long ago, only one ran. A guy who own's a motor cycle/atv salvage/repair shop told me there has been a huge incrase in atv's and mc's. He thinks that it has alot to do with the shows on tv & how they are bringing in the cheap atv's & selling them every where. I see them at the flea market I go to. They look like a cheap pos. They also sell they at alot of auto parts stores too. Just my 2 pennys.

[82300R]

i grew up riding atc's. starting in 1980. i can remember when used trikes were rather cheap and a dime a dozen. we rode and trashed them and just went and bought another one when that one was wore out. to me they seemed disposable,kind of like todays quads. well now you have people like myself that are willing to pay high prices for certain parts etc. that they need because of the lack of availability. the way i am is if i want it and can afford it i will pay. i think that is true for whole trikes also. it is people that want it and can afford it. as time passes it will be harder to get these parts and whole trikes. but the average joe would just go buy a new quad. my self i have a attatchment to three wheelers cause it was a large part of my past, i know that one day they will be very hard to come by, you can't just go buy one and it was something taken away.(like they would like to do with firearms).so i think these prices are driven by supply and demand. but alot of the high prices on ebay I THINK can be attributed to monkey business and non paying jackasses that just run the stuff up and don't pay. leaving a false sense of what those things are actually worth.

[3Razors]

Good post 82300R!!

It seems to me that ebay is a blessing but also a curse for atcs! Meaning sure its great to find parts but it also means nice bikes are being destroyed for dollars......

[N5HNY]

I guess there are places here and there where the high prices are not a factor.

Before I am taken wrong, I know if you have to have a part, you have to get it. If you can afford to restore a three wheeler or buy one at a $5k price, then that is OK buy me. I am not one of these people who bash others who can afford what they want.

However, I bet most of the folks on here can not afford to pay that much for a trike. Also, the folks that will pay the asking prices for this stuff just drive it up for the rest of us. But it's just the way it is, the old supply and demand thing.

I have been known to be behind the times on stuff though. Maybe this is another case of it.

Amen to the E-bay stuff. There are folks that get on there and run the prices up for their friends. There is all kinds of crap going on and you have to get burned a time or two to figure it out.