Greeves prices

[Brian Thompson]

Good day sir!

Fair play Colin, understood.

Right, back to the banter then, and the topic in hand.....

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Repeats.....

You know chaps, it's been nearly twelve months now since the last one....We must be due another rant about eBay stuff posted on here....surely.....

Brian.

[John Wakefield]

Greeves prices

Judging from the Greeves listed in eBay & prices obtained it looks like prices have stagnated or maybe gone down as far as roadsters are concerned. Lots of bikes (mainly dealer listings on Buy it Now or Classified) have been on for months & have not found buyers. Many other (auction) listings have either not got an initial bid from the maybe optimistic starting price, & have been re-listed.
Projects though seem to have been selling.
There have not been that many Greeves in the 'real' auctions, Cheffins did not have any in their last Vintage Auction in October, & the Dave Scotney bikes the previous year did not make big money. Even non Greeves classics unless Vincent or Brough have not been selling well in the Cheffins, H&H & Bonhams auctions, many remaining unsold. So maybe the bubbles burst.

[Guest]

I have recently come under severe 'criticism' by some members over my comments on a certain Greeves recently on eBay. I think as a club the whole question of prices should be a concern to members of the club.
Whilst as others have said, the price a bike sells for is a matter between seller & buyer, & in most cases this is very true, but what we are seeing now is 'speculators' putting bikes on eBay (and in other auctions) trying to get 'over the odds' prices for bikes that just dont 'make the grade.
Whilst I am sure that those of us in the club who know a bit about Greeves would not be taken in by these 'chancers', BUT a newcomer to the marque may not have that knowledge to decide on whether the price is right.
Inflated prices have a knock on effect & put what would be an affordable bike out of reach for those wishing to get a Greeves to ride & hopefully join the GRA.
Do we really want a situation like with Triumphs, BSA's, Vincents, Broughs etc. where the prices are going sky high putting these bikes out of reach for anyone other than well healed collectors. Do we want to be a collectors club?
The indication at most 'real' auctions (Cheffins, Bonhams etc) is that at the moment Greeves prices are still down at an affordable level (ie Mike Jacksons Hawkstone @ £2200 & Gordon Farley's works Anglian @£4500 - Cheffins Oct 2013) Thing is prices only go up with classic bikes, with previous sale prices setting a precident.
I rest my case.

Well, the market will establish prices what ever we do. Just look at Ford escorts, crazy prices for a really average car. Greeves prices will vary all over the place but road bike prices will usually exceed all but the best off roaders. I would guess that road bikes will be the target for collectors whereas off roaders will be bought by guys who want to use them properly. It's always been that way.
Two stroke road bikes will always drag behind four strokes in value, they are still seen as commuter bikes and not sporting "mens" bikes.

I think that Greeves prices are undervalued at this time. So go and buy all you can, they will only go up in value.

I'm not a collector, I just want a nice bike to ride but there are plenty of guys out there who just like to own and admire their bikes but never ride them. There's room for everyone, at least the bikes are preserved.

It really doesn't bother me. I remember buying everything I could back in the 80s and most runners were about £100+. But then I helped form a club for Greeves and prices shot up ... It's all my fault ... :-(

Keith

[normanh176]

Hawkstone Greeves on Ebay

Dare I ask , is the bike on Ebay a Hawkstone? If so I emailed the seller to ask why there was no V5 and if the bike was as original, he didn't answer either question. I referred to the bike as carrying a hefty price but again received no comment only that he headed his reply Hefty Price!!

I am lookink for a Greeves Hawkstone, about 1960 in good condition so if you know of someone who is selling one please contact me.

Normanh.

[johnrunnacles]

The one with the blue tank isn't, Norman. The other one looks like it might be a converted road bike (?)
Good luck with your search. You're more likely to find what you're looking for within the GRA.

[Andy Z]

Dare I ask , is the bike on Ebay a Hawkstone? If so I emailed the seller to ask why there was no V5 and if the bike was as original, he didn't answer either question. I referred to the bike as carrying a hefty price but again received no comment only that he headed his reply Hefty Price!!

I am lookink for a Greeves Hawkstone, about 1960 in good condition so if you know of someone who is selling one please contact me.

Normanh.

Hi Norman,

Do you mean this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GREEVES-HAWKSTONE-SCRAMBLER-2995-PX-TRIALS-EITHER-WAY-/291363360973?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item43d69c10cd

If yes, then that bike is a perfect example of why its important to consult this forum before shelling out! Most motorbike traders don't know much about Greeves models, and what is original or not.

That bike is a right bitsa. The only Hawkstone parts might be the wheels!
The engine looks like a 250 Griffon, the gearbox looks like its been chopped off a 250 Enfield, the frame is possibly some kind of Challenger, and it could not be raced in pre-65 with a Mikuni carb and leading-axle forks!

Lots of "hawkstones" appear on ebay that are made from discarded bits of other bikes, so it might be better to place a wanted ad on here and the Leading Link, if you are a member of the GRA.

Hope this helps,
Andrew

[johnrunnacles]

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking, Andy ............. not that it needed much confirmation!
Take heed of Andy's advice, Norman. He knows what he is talking about!

[Andy Z]

Take heed of Andy's advice, Norman. He knows what he is talking about!

Thanks John, I'm truly flattered!

[John Wakefield]

Hi Norman,

Do you mean this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GREEVES-HAWKSTONE-SCRAMBLER-2995-PX-TRIALS-EITHER-WAY-/291363360973?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item43d69c10cd

If yes, then that bike is a perfect example of why its important to consult this forum before shelling out! Most motorbike traders don't know much about Greeves models, and what is original or not.

That bike is a right bitsa. The only Hawkstone parts might be the wheels!
The engine looks like a 250 Griffon, the gearbox looks like its been chopped off a 250 Enfield, the frame is possibly some kind of Challenger, and it could not be raced in pre-65 with a Mikuni carb and leading-axle forks!

Lots of "hawkstones" appear on ebay that are made from discarded bits of other bikes, so it might be better to place a wanted ad on here and the Leading Link, if you are a member of the GRA.

Hope this helps,
Andrew

The gearbox is AMC from Norton Navigator/Jubilee http://www.motorbikespecs.net/images...ee_60-66_2.jpg
Or Francis Barnett Cruiser 80 http://www.andybuysbikes.com/images/...50cc%20006.jpg
I am surprised it fits to Greeves crank cases. Not exactly the most robust gearbox particularly for scrambling. As you say Andy a right bitsa built up from discarded parts.