Nose Bleed Classic

[bodgerbloke52]

There is a Classic on fleebay with nose bleed numbers.Starting bid 12000. Buy it now 16000. No bids so far, DUUURR.??? Any bets on it selling or not??Roger

[Richard Negus]

Roger, I seem to remember seeing it for sale a month or so ago. Didn't sell then, so trying again at a higher price is a really good move .Ebay isn't like a live auction, no mates nudging your elbow, whispering 'Go on!', no adrenaline rush.R.

[gripper]

But you can get your mate to bid to get the ball rolling and push the price up. Bit risky if you have to sell it to your mate. My guess is it will still be there at the end of the auction and will continue to pop up every now and then. The problem with rotaries is estimating how much they are really worth. They are only worth what you can get for them. The F1 is a special case, though why anybody would pay those asking prices is beyond me. They are not very nice to ride But then not many people who have them, ride them, and then not far.

[bodgerbloke52]

My assumption is that the owner is REAL proud of it and really does not want to part with it unless he gets his nose bleed price. Problem with these ultra low miles "queens" is that riding and enjoying them slashes the market value as each mile is put on.Roger

[rustynuts]

I remember coming across one of these low miles "queens" back when I was about 20. I knew a girl who showed me the secrets of her fathers garage. Under dust sheets were his Commando which had not been used for many years and a two year old Classic with delivery miles, destined to never be ridden. They lived in Farnham, Surrey and were, I think of Palestinian descent. Anyone know of the bike or the owner?

[johnbirchjar]

"Queens" is a new terminoligy to me,please explain,J.B.

[bodgerbloke52]

A "Trailer Queen" is a term givern to bikes that are over restored for show only and extreemly low or no miles factory new museum pieces that are habitually trailered to shows etc instead of riding. Many show bikes never have fuel or oil put in them, certainly never to be started, let alone ridden. That is my understanding, any one got any other description?Roger

[Charles Wilson]

Right on target.One variation: "Garage Queen".CW

[Malc]

exactly why I have no interest at looking at bikes at shows and also why I have never released any pictures of the RC588 I have had for 20 years.As I can't ride it, I sounded out a prospective rider but he wasn't as enthusiastic when i told him it would run with Kawasaki bodywork and he wasn't to let on what it was. I think he thought he would lose his bragging rights.So if anyone wants to offer 'nose bleed' money for it, please contact.I will also be selling the other air cooled bikes I have, all with mint engines, some stripped for inspection with frames and v5s as I probably wont use them now.All were just spares for the 2 race bikes.Again, dont know what this sort of price to ask, so at moment open to very realistic offers.Malc

[gripper]

In the RAF a "hangar queen" is normally an aircraft that has a long list of faults for rectification and as such becomes the queen of the hangar. ie never goes anywhere under her own steam. At the NOC Devon rally two years ago. the "best single" award went to a flat tank that was wheeled out of a camper van and never turned a wheel all weekend. (I bet it didn't even have a piston in it)

[johnbirchjar]

Your comment on the "Flat Tanker" reminds me of an incident some years back(also in Devon) when a biker I knew had trailered his 16H to Devon, poodled round the local by-ways,put his bike in a local bike show and got the prize for the furthest traveled bike ,('cos of his post code)to say he was embarased would be putting it mildly. I think that in the UK we should adopt the system they(I think) use in the US of A,prizes for trailered bikes and prizes for those ridden,(and I don't meen a couple of miles )J.B.

[bodgerbloke52]

Over here (Pacific NW) some clubs have got a grip on the show only situation by insisting that all bikes entered in the conkers must have completed the road run first.Another idea is for the judges to narrow their choice down to a three or four bike short list. The owners then are called to start the bike and ride it round the ground. Markes are deducted for poor starting and disqualified if the owner refuses to attempt a start. Unfortunatly the over restored show only queens still predominate, they are also called "Cheque book restorations" as every single stage, or the complete bike is farmed out to hideously expensive experts in the field. It is common to hear a owner bragging how much he spent on the so called top experts expertise. As I do all my restorations myself, I am not impressed.Roger

[Hunter]

On the same theme, I do enjoying seeing great bikes in museums, BUT I am so dissapointed they are not or cannot be ridden.

[Nortonash]

I understand what you are saying but I have a Norton race bike I am (slowly) restoring but I know I could never ride it in anger, possibly a few laps of a track but it is irreplaceable so it is just too much of a risk.

[gripper]

A couple of my friends have racing Nortons on the road. You could get a daytime MOT and a civilised exhaust and have some fun, otherwise what is the point?

[Nortonash]

The point is it is a piece of history, it has nothing to do with the legalities. There are less than half a dozen in existence so the thought of chucking it down the road and doing irrepairable damage far outweighs the pleasure of a few rides on the road. Every bike doesnt have to be ridden, some are destined to be museum pieces.

[Wayne]

Hi allany one at mallory festival of 1000 bikes would have seen i had my f1 on track in the rain, the rain started while queing for the session of which half pulled out. it was the best standard of riding all weekend.I bought the f1 with 600 miles on it in 92 , as i have a few bikes my milage is spread across all of them, now i have a 4yer old son the sidecar does the most.on ashes point pottering about (though my comments are not directed at ash), I do remember seeing a f1 at dononington, it was been riden so slow i thought the es2 behind it was going to pass it, commandow were flying passed it, the f1 rider will have been bucked about due to hunting. If you pull up on a f1 and thers no oil driping from the gearbox breather your not riding hard enough, on track this can be dangerous unless its a speed controld lap and (ash those kehlins on the nrs are a on off switch due to the carbs built in accelarator pump i bet you will strugle to ride it slow).I do find it rediculase people are teryfied at droping bikes but have old tyers, brake pads and fluid, never seviced the shock or forks in the last 10 years, ( i boild my f1 and sport rear brake in every session at mallory on new dot 4 fluid @22 stone you can use the rear brake). I will be Riding my Rc and Rcw with the same ethos, and theres only 3 unmodified rc bikes left and to my knolledge all were three were broken down and rebuilt from parts or being built from parts (i don want to make any faulse claimes on what my bikes are see other thread)on malcs pointi have had no choice but to advertise and go to shows with the race bikes to try and find spair parts a there no longer in just a few peoples hands, however after listening to parish an whitam on tt radio talking about themselves and Grant and nation doing parades on othere peoples bikes, worse lauffing about crashes they had on sutch machinery, i will be riding my bikes my selfOn valuesIt dose grate me when people say this is worth this or that whenA the dont have and never had the item inquestion for sale orB bought the said item. for example i have a F1 aluminum clutch basket, another member has the same unit but his is annerdised how mutch are the worth? another example My blue F1 sport mollyed and rebuilt by Norton motors its in as new condition with 4000 miles on it, to me the answer is what someone will pay at the time of saleRegards Wayne