Club Tour - surplus to requirements

[peter jenkins]

I know this borders on sacrilege but my Club Tour is spending a lot of time sitting unused and I am thinking I should rationalise the fleet in my garage.

I will be visiting The U.K. for about 6 months from April to October and am considering bringing it along on a one way journey. I think trying to sell it here in Australia would be a lengthy and frustrating process as the typical English tourer style of bike is just not popular. Add the fact that it's a small bike (517L) and the number of potential purchasers is really not that big.

It just happens that some friends are relocating to England and sending a container of household goods (including a VW Polo), which will arrive at about the same time that I do. I can probably get the bike delivered in their container, but I need to act quickly as it leaves in January.

So... before I rush off and do summat stupid, I thought I'd bounce this notion off the Forum.

Any and all advice is appreciated....

Best regards and all the best for 2014.

pj

[jags]

Peter your talking to an expert here when it comes to selling things off because (a sure i don't really need it) ,so might as well sell it off.
big mistake you will end up selling it for little or nothing and believe me when its gone its gone AND THE MONEY YOU GET FOR IT WONT LAST JIG TIME .
it wont matter to the buyer if the bike is in pristine condition as long as they get there price on it your goosed.
so my advice for what it's worth , keep it look after it ride it use it as much as possible and then some.
but whatever you do do not sell

i was reminded today  that it would be the perfect bike for me but now that i'm after digging a hole for meself i can't really ask how much you want for it..

anto

[onrbikes]

Hey peter

I looked for a long time to replace a thorn Raven and found one in the UK! And it was a Sport tour 486, so yours is larger again.

Because the Aussie dollar is slipping against the pound you may have luck.
Try Ebay, and you can always remove it free if it doesn't move. Up to 24 hours before the end. Ebay has big fees though.
Gumtree is good too. Its free.

Also BNA Australia and crazyguyonabike or even Lonely Planets 'on your bike' thorn tree

The main thing is to get it out there so people know its for sale.

Our bikes rarely get ridden properly. That always takes an overseas tour, like next year.

[Danneaux]

Hi Peter!

I'll offer a middle-ground suggestion between jags and Fred's and ask if a complete reconfiguration of the bike might result in more use.

Sometimes, repurposing a bike can make it seem entirely new and will result in more use than imagined. I'm not sure how yours in configured, but swapping 'bar types (straights or comfort for drops or vice versa), changing postures, choosing a new direction (say, a semi-porteur with front platform rack or basket for urban shopping) can make a world of difference in how one views and uses a bike, and for little additional investment. The option to sell always remains, though in this case, things are in rare alignment for you to move the bike on elsewhere.

Lots to think about, and I've been there myself. 'Trouble is, one takes a big hit on depreciation compared to the price, so one has to figure the difference is the cost and pleasure of enjoying it. I've sometimes thought about moving-on one or another of my fleet, but when I considered how little I'd get for them, I declined.

Very best of luck on your sale if you go that way, and -- yes -- I'd suggest hitting the classified boards before eBay. Best way to reach a  motivated buyer. I'm about to do the same in selling a 25 year-old car, figuring clubs are full of people who are already interested in the marque and know what they want and I'll likely get closer to true market value without having to give eBay a commission. Have you thought of posting it to the Thorn Forum private-party classifieds? Sometimes people are willing to wait a bit for delivery if they can get what they want from a known owner and at market value.

EDIT: Maybe the timing will be right for a good match: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=7945.msg51749#msg51749

All the best,

Dan.

[rualexander]

The CTC forum would probably be a good place to advertise it, if there are no takers on the Thorn forum.
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=40

[ians]

Hi

perhaps you should talk to Dezza in the Wanted thread, now you're thinking of sending your Club Tour to the UK

[hutzelbein]

I'm in the same boat (too many bikes, Club Tour not getting any exercise); actually, my Club Tour is the exact same size I'm still very hesitant to sell. If I were you, I wouldn't try selling under pressure (= to sell it while you're in the UK). I'd put it up on sites like Gumtree and wait until somebody is willing to pay a fair price. I'm selling a lot on eBay and elsewhere, and I usually wait for free listing days and then put the stuff up for a fair price. It takes a while, but usually somebody comes along who is willing to spend the money. Yes, maybe there's not a big market for classic bikes in Australia, but on the other hand: if somebody is looking for a bike like that, they are probably happy to pay your price instead of importing.

Whatever you decide - good luck!

[onrbikes]

Why not consider leaving it in the UK and going over regular for a ride.
A great way to fly is without the bike.

[peter jenkins]

Hi Everyone and thanks for the advice.

All the advice is sound..... which makes my decision even more difficult.

I know what Jags is saying has merit but I'm earmarking the proceeds for another possible project so hopefully would not regret selling as long as I can get a fair price.

If it doesn't sell, the idea of leaving the bike with family in U.K. for future use has a lot of appeal too, as does Dan's suggestion. Maybe I will leave a repurposed Club Tour there.

Thanks in particular to those who PM'd me. I will get back to you with up to date photos and other info in a couple of days.

Cheers everyone,

pj