Cars and bikes depreciate with age both in terms of value as well as functioning. While there are many factors that affect the rate of depreciation, some of the major ones include make and model, service record, accident history and distance covered. However, there are some scooters and motorcycles which age beautifully and are seemingly inversely proportional to the rule of depreciation. Let’s take a look at five such two-wheelers that have shown age is just a number for them.
Royal Enfield Cast Iron 350/500
Royal Enfield as a brand has been popular in India for several decades. While some of the latest bikes by the company are on-par with other modern bikes, a large section of RE bikes still use old school design and technology and that’s probably the reason behind their popularity. After the brand was bought by Eicher group in 1994, the model lineup was given a boost while the brand image was also improved.
Many people still remember the Bullet 350/500 Cast Iron (CI) as one of those bikes that had a character of their own. The old cast-iron block engines had a rather distinct thump and buying one now would cost you over around Rs. 90,000-1 lakh. Well-maintained examples are priced even higher and difficult to find.
Yamaha RD350
The Yamaha RD350 was among the most desirable bikes of its time. Now remembered as an icon, the RD350 is still a collector’s delight still. Several celebrities like MS Dhoni and John Abraham are proud owners of an RD 350. The bike was powered by a two-stroke engine that produced 31 Bhp of power, detuned from the original version’s 42 Bhp.
Before launching the bike in India, Yamaha made several equipment cuts like disc brakes so that the prices don’t skyrocket. If you plan to get one now, be ready to shell out around Rs. 1.50 Lakhs or even more if it is in very good condition. During its days though, the RD350 didn’t perform well in sales mainly because of its high price among other factors.
Yezdi
Ideal Jawa started operations on our shores back in 1960. Come 19673, the name was changed from Jawa to Yezdi but the motorcycles by the company continued to roam the streets. Yezdi bikes were cruising oriented and a hot favourite among rally enthusiasts. For the same, they were a regular sight at National Motorcycle Rally Championships.
However, all this came to end in 1996 when the Ideal Jawa group had to close its factory and operations amid strikes by workers and new stringent emission norms. Buying a Jawa bike now can set you back by around Rs. 50,000 for the Classic/Jawa. The Yezdi Roadking has a higher asking price in the open market. Jawa made a comeback in India last year and it is being said that Yezdi will follow the suit.
Lambretta & Vijay Super
The Government of India bought the Innocenti group in 1972 and shifted the operations of the Italian brand to Lucknow. This was followed by the start of a new manufacturing plant under the name of Scooter’s India Limited (SIL). This was the same company which manufactured popular models like the Lambretta and Vijay among others. These iconic scooters are a collector’s delight now due to their timeless cool design and Nostalgia factor. A fully restored Lambretta scooter could cost you anything from Rs 50,000 to Rs. 80,000. Unrestored models can be had for a lot less at around Rs. 10,000 but a lot of time and money would be needed to restore them properly.
Yamaha RX-Z/ Suzuki Shogun
The 90s were ruled by lightweight, two-stroke bikes and enthusiasts remember that period to even this day for the sheer fun elements those bikes had. During that time, the RX-Z and the Suzuki Shogun were fierce rivals as well as popular. As was the case with most of the similar motorcycles at that time, these both were quite affordables and had great acceleration. To let you know, the RX-Z was a successor of sorts to the iconic Yamaha RX-100. The 5-speed gearbox equipped RX-Z is among the most sought after motorcycle by enthusiasts now and well-kept pieces at least fetch Rs 50,000.
Coming to the Suzuki Shogun, the bike quickly became very popular thanks to its minimalist appearance and power-packed performance. Though the Shogun was less powerful than the Yamaha bikes, the bike gained cult status during its production run. For those who own the Shogun even now, lack of spares is a common issue.