Future Collectables


You Should Buy Right Now!

by Stanley J. Shenko

I think it would be safe to say that we all want that pristine example of the vintage 1960's Japanese Super-Duper X5000-GT-CA/R of our dreams sitting quietly in our garage right now. It's natural -- we're vintage Japanese bike freaks and heck, we wouldn't be reading this in our web browser if weren't. The problem is that we probably have owned, or at least had the chance to own, one of the bikes we so dearly yearn for today. However, whether it be the ravages of time and rust or the constraints of the wallet, there are a number of reasons that prevent us from enjoying the privileges of owning one of these ancient beauties right now.

Well, what about those bikes sitting right in front of us every day? You know, the ones we see all the time in supermarket and high school parking lots, or listed for sale with sometimes ridiculously low prices in the Motorcycle For Sale ads in our local newspaper. If you haven't seen them its probably because your eyes keep scanning for anything built before 1970. Shame on you... you vintage Japanese bike dude!

What is a vintage Japanese motorcycle? Well, by definition it is a Japanese (natch) motorcycle at least 15 years old or older. What year it is it now? Performing a little RMA (rapid mental arithmetic) yields the following definition:

"A vintage Japanese motorcycle is a Japanese motorcycle built in 1983 or before."

Recently I asked the gracious members of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle List to render their biased opinions of what the Top Ten Bikes of the 1982 and 1983 era are -- the bikes we should be scouring the countryside for today. Knowing what a great bunch of guys they are I didn't think they wouldn't be shy about sharing their thoughts. Well, guess what? They weren't!

Here in their learned judgement, in no particular order:

Kawasaki GPz750
650 Yamaha Special
'82 Yamaha XJ 650 Seca
'82 Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special
Kawasaki 1100 LTD
'82 Suzuki 650
Kawasaki 550 GPz
Honda VF750S/M
Suzuki GS 1000S
'83 Honda CB1100F
Honda CX 500/650 Turbos
Suzuki Katana
'82 Yamaha IT465J (pictured above)
Any Honda CBX
Any Kawasaki KZ 900/1000
Any Kawasaki GPz Series
Any Honda XL 250
Any Japanese trials bike


What surprised me was the number of votes for the Yamaha 650 inline twin. The Suzuki Katana was a milestone and deservedly belongs on the list. The Kawasaki GPz series are well represented. The Honda inline six cylinder CBX is a given as well as the Kawasaki Z series. The Honda CX turbos, although complex, are dear to some. Unusual is the Honda 250 and Japanese trials bikes. The Yamaha 1982 IT465J most definitely belongs on the list.

If any of the above bikes appeal to you and you are just starting out, remember to try and buy an example in the best condition you can afford. Nothing is worse than buying some clapped out basket case and then finding out, after spending over a thousand dollars in parts and untold hours of labor, you could have purchased a pristine example for hundreds of dollars less and been riding it instead of repairing it. Once you have made your purchase, please remember to do all your maintenance.

One big advantage to purchasing future collectibles is the availability of parts, both across the counter from your local dealer and from readily available junk bikes. If you're just starting out you don't want to learn the arcane art of vintage motorcycle part locating at the same time.

This above list is by no means an exhaustive one. If any of our readers would like to include their own choices please drop us an e-mail and let us know which bike should be included and why. We'll share your well reasoned and thoroughly biased opinion on this thoroughly biased VJMC website!
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