Investing in cars and motorcycles is a tricky business at times, and it can be difficult to know where to put your money in order to get the best return. For example, nobody could have predicted that a pair of Ford Capris – a car which you can find in scrap yards across half the world – would sell for over $75,000 last year, so strong is the nostalgic appeal of these models. The finger of fashion is a fickle one, indeed.

The car market is in an unpredictable place right now, and many experts are predicting that this will lead to a rise in interest when it comes to investing in motorbikes. On top of that, there’s something wonderfully fun about bikes that is drawing the attention of investors – there’s an element of recapturing some sense of youth, as well as a renewed appreciation for some of the designs of the past twenty or thirty years. Here’s our recommendations for three affordable motorbikes to snap up now, whose value is almost certain to appreciate considerably in the coming years.

 

Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa

Image:Suzukicycles.com

In the mid to late nineties, this bike was highly sought after for one key reason: speed. It was, and still is, the fastest standard production motorbike on earth, and Suzuki were forced to put a restrictor on the motor in 1999, meaning later models had a top speed of 300 kmh. However, the original motors could top that, and hit around 320 kmh with the wind behind them. As such, those are the ones to look out for, and some are still available for less than $5000. If you’re going to go for this beautiful bike, try and get on in the classic bronze colour for the soundest investment into a real icon of the road.

 

Ducati 996

Image:autoimages.org

One reasonably surefire way to detect future classic motorbikes is just to take a look at the model’s awards cabinet. The Ducati 996 picked up a nice handful of World Superbike trophies at the turn of the millennium, and is already starting to appreciate for those savvy investors who picked one up during years when they’d lost most of their value. Easy to maintain, and beautiful to look at, this is a bike every collector should be keeping their eyes peeled for.

 

BMG R1100GS

Image:archcars.net

These BMW adventure bikes were made famous by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s round the world escapades. They’re superb all rounders whether you want one for investment reasons, or just for the joy of owning one and getting it out on the open road. Similar Honda models such at the Africa Twin are already starting to rocket in value, so expect this BMW to bring a solid return over the next decade.