Over the past few months I have started to see late model (2003) Yamaha XT600E's being sold by shops and private individuals in the UK for increasingly silly prices (in my opinion)! Last week I saw one low mileage XT6E going for £2,300 in average condition!

I have even seen quite a few high mileage old dogs of bikes with a price tag of £1,500.

Last week I even saw a non-runner rust bucket (33K) being sold with an asking price of (wait for it)..... £1,300.

I can only presume that as the supply of good XT6's dry up, the prices being asked goes up. This is what happened to XT350's when they started to get scarce in the late 1990's. These little machines had such a good name yet they were discontinued.

The way things are going hanging on to a XT600E seems a pretty good idea from an investment point of view.

Perhaps the supply of XT6E's is now indeed getting low?

Or perhaps everyone is now getting plain greedy?

In my opinion a low mileage XT6E in mint condition is worth £1,600 tops as a private buy, a bit more (£1,800) for shop sold bike.

It's now possible to find early XT660's for just over £2,000. Are these shops really suggesting that earlier XT6E's are worth almost as much?

Wanted to ask you fellow XT lovers what's going on.....

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

Interesting.

But then, I like old school bikes, FI is not my thing. Personally I am willing to pay considerably more for a carbed bike in similar condition.

Maybe a growing group of riders have had their share of electical, electronics and computer related problems, and are willing to pay a premium for a carbed bike?

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Yamaha XT600E '01, Honda XR400 '03, Yamaha XT550 '83

It's a feature of bike pricing that is across the board.
Yep. as supply decreases over the years then prices do tend to rise, if only on the basis that there are enough people around who are genuine (by which I mean have had a long term interest and enthusiasm for a particular marque).
This becomes compounded by "external factors" which may be temporary or permanent in nature - for instance, a while back one or two UK bike mags wrote up the Africa Twin as the best thing since the proverbial sliced bread (compared with bikes that were about 10 years newer in design and manufacture) and awarded the AT "top of the class". Of course, that is all a matter of opinion, but it does tend to sell copy and, pretty much straight after that write up, AT asking prices rose strongly (it takes two or more individuals to make a price stick).

So, it happens with lots of bikes, which I suppose is why we end up with "classic bikes", not to mention such cars as the Bugatti.
IMO you should monitor the price of BMW Dakars to observe another example of this phenomena.

Then there is the seasonal factor: buy in the depths of winter and sell about now; but most of we consumers don't do that of course.

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Dave

I bought my xt 600 e approximately 12 months ago, I chose it for its simple proven reliability, less to go wrong compared to newer models. I liked the look of the new 660 tenere but this was out of my price range but may have been tempted otherwise. I suppose it depends what you want a bike for. I wanted a tall bike. I am 6' 6" that was reliable for a daily commute the xt 600e fits the bill perfectly. When I looked even twelve months ago there where very few xts under 2k and there are not masses of them about so it comes down to supply and demand. Good news if you come to sell The press reviews of problems with the 660 also had a hand in the choice.

I guess you guys are right - Supplies of good XT6E's are running low.

Come to think of it, whenever I read one of my regular bike mags, I always look to see if any XT's are up for sale. Recently I have noticed there aren't many being sold!

Interesting concept about the time of year - summer people want bikes v winter people want cars. I wonder if this rule applies to other places where the weather is fine all year?
That reminds me - what has happened to our bloody Summer this year?

The Yamaha XT600E used to be very easy to find in the UK but it's getting harder and harder to find a good'n.

I suppose that is good news for us who already own one, bad news for those who are seeking one.

In the UK at the moment you are lucky to find a bank savings account paying 2% interest a year, perhaps it would make better sense sourcing all the decent XT6E's and buying them all up as an investment instead?

It's a great pity this model was ever discontinued by Yamaha. I guess we have the damn "tree huggers" to blame for it's demise. I really can't see another bike taking it's mantle in the near future - it's replacement the XT660 although a good bike isn't nearly in the same league when it comes to simpleness and reliability.

It looks like a Yamaha XT660 will one day in the not too distant future be cheaper to buy than it's older sibling! Now that is shocking.

Anyone fancy a nice low mileage mint XT6E for £3,000? - only joking.

Neil

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

Brilliant, so my two in the garage aren't "clutter" anymore, they've just become an"investment".

Incidentally, my asking price for my XT225 now is more than I paid for it 4 years ago, (but not by a lot of £).

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Dave

I can understand a XT225 being sold for a premium because those things have always been like hens teeth to get hold of...

Great little gem of a bike and getting very very RARE.

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

Prices are high for mint xt600's in Denmark aswell, but they are for sale, but not being sold. Its the same ones in the adds month after month.