Guido: The Bike Club

The widespread adoption of 30 years as the entry age for club rego has put some great bikes into the collectibles frame. Guido from AllMoto.com picks the gems from 1990.

Here’s a thought for you. With club plates and permits now pretty much universal across the country, there is a real spike in demand for bikes as they turn 30. In most states, that’s when you can ditch hideously expensive conventional registration — usually around $450-$550 — for a cheaper alternative — in most cases less than $100. Victoria is the odd state out here, as it allows a bike to be registered on club plates at 25 years.

What these club plate schemes mean is you can get to use the old toy and still enjoy it, without forking over hundreds of dollars a year to register something that spends most of its life sitting in the shed. Sensible policy from your state government — who knew that was possible?

For many of us, it means that collecting motorcycles is now actually affordable. You’re not wrestling with a stratospheric annual rego bill and can fritter away the money on far more important things, like more bikes.

Righto, now for the key question: what’s the pick of the new crop of thirty-something up and comers? Believe it or not, a motorcycle built in 1990 is now eligible for club or ‘classic’ plates. Who knew we’d all live that long?

To come up with a selection, we delved into a complete list of the models available back in 1990, whittled that down to an extensive list of highlights, and went from there.

Before we travel too far down the selection road, it’s worth understanding the background to what was happening back in 1990.

To use the correct economic term, the market was stuffed. From a high in the early to mid 1980s, the motorcycle market in the western world had slumped to around a quarter of its previous volume in some countries, Australia included. That was down to changing demographics – the late baby boomers were buying houses and having kids – reinforced by an economic slump led by a massive fall in the stock market in 1987. In Australia, this was infamously described by then Treasurer Paul Keating as the recession we had to have.

While most of the damage was done in the mid to late 1980s, there was a longer-term impact on the number of new models. Looking across what was in the showrooms in 1990, you can’t help getting the feeling there were pretty slim pickings. We’d been through the wild times when game-changer bikes like the Kawasaki GPz900R (1984) and Suzuki GSX-R750 (1985) were launched, but were still some years away from the next wave, when the new weapons such as Honda Fireblade (1992) and Ducati 916 (1994) were locked and loaded.

That said, it wasn’t a complete and utter desert when it came to the release of new toys. Here are the ones to watch out for.

BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar

Prices: $12,300 new; Circa $9000 now

For: Distinctive looks; Against: Big and heavy

BMW had already changed the motorcycle scene forever by more or less inventing the adventure tourer with its R80GS of 1984, and then the Paris-Dakar version a year later. That series is now an accepted collectible, particularly in P-D form.

Move on a generation and just a few years, and the company launches its Paralever articulated shaft drive along with a big-bore option of the platform.

Now you had the choice of an R80 or R100. The Paris-Dakar version of the R100 hit the market in 1989 and was infamous for sporting its own version of a bullbar. Lacking in subtlety, perhaps, but it sure as hell got your attention.

More on the R100GS from AllMoto here.

Second prize: R80 Monolever. This was never a headliner model for the brand but one of the nicest rides in the entire road range at the time and often overlooked. More powerful than the R65 and smoother than an R100, it’s one to keep an eye out for. Hard to find in original nick, though, because most have been butchered by hipsters.

Ducati 851 Strada

Prices: $17,000 new; Circa $20,000 now

For: Hugely significant model; Against: Maintenance costs

Massively expensive back in 1990, the 851 was the platform that set Ducati on the path to world superbike fame and eventually dominance. The liquid-cooled, four-valve and fuel-injected platform carried Ducati into the modern world and had a huge amount riding on its success or otherwise.

Fortunately, it and the company survived, even if sales volume was pegged back by the stratospheric pricing. Actually, the initial retail ticket did drop by a couple of grand in Oz, which sparked a whole different controversy.

Though the styling as very Eighties (think padded shoulders and big hair), the 851 sounded very sexy and performed better than its ‘mere’ 93 horses (68kW) suggested. Your biggest issue will be finding one, as they sold in tiny numbers.

Second prize: Paso 906. Though shunned by the majority of Ducatisti – mostly thanks to the oddball styling – the 906 gave its owners a lot of satisfaction as being a sorted version of the original 750 Paso, but with more grunt.

Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy (first Evo model)

Price new: $15,400; Circa $20,000 now

For: Iconic piece of design; Against: Not the best handler

While most makers were wondering where their next sale was coming from, Harley-Davidson was – in a modest way – bucking the trend and building. That was helped in no small measure by the introduction of a tariff barrier in the USA domestic market for 750cc-plus motorcycles.

However the company, which was on the brink of bankruptcy in the early Eighties, had pulled off some smart moves over the following years. The first was the development of the Evolution engine series, which was – particularly compared to its Shovelhead predecessor – smooth and (most importantly) reliable.

Plus, the Motor Company revived the whole riders group idea and as the Harley Owners Group (HOG) turned it into a massive sales force, alongside a burgeoning clothing and accessories business.

With Willie G now at the styling helm, we saw some iconic new releases, with the very first Fat Boy being a show-stopper, in part thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who rode one in Terminator 2. Good early ones are now hard to find, but well worth the hunt, even if that generation Softail was an ordinary handler.

Second prize: FXR Superglide. It was a better ride than the Softail and the pick of the litter if you just want a simple back-to-basics Harley experience.

Honda VFR750FL

Price new: $7300; Circa $4000 now

For: Great performance package; Against: Most are worn out

Right from its launch in 1986, Honda’s second major crack at the V4 road platform was a compelling motorcycle. With gear-driven cams, the ultra-flexible powerplant made some great noises and backed that up with performance that could keep most sports bikes honest.

Honda in fact threw a lot of engineering resources at this model and was rewarded with solid sales pretty much the whole way from 1986 through 1997. Oh, and it copped countless ‘best all-rounder’ awards from assorted magazines. Over that time it went through three major generations, and 1990 marked the start of the middle generation, aka the RC36.

That meant it scored a restyle to include twin headlights, along with a major chassis make-over that included wider rims to accept more modern tyre sizes. Somewhat cruelly, many people felt this and the last gen were superior to the 800 that followed. Your biggest issue now will be finding one that’s not worn out.

Second prize: ST1100. This time we’re talking a V4 laid along the frame, with belt-driven cams. This was a stupendous tourer – fast, comfortable, with a huge fuel range thanks to the 27 litre tank.

Kawasaki ZXR750H2

Price new: $9950; Circa $14,000 now

For: Fantastic looks; Against: Unmolested versions are rare

Welcome to one of the anomalies of the weird and wonderful organism that is the used motorcycle market. On the face of it, a humble 1990 inline four from Japan should not be attracting big money – particularly when it’s not a limited edition or something built by the factory’s race division. In other words, not an RC30.

But while Honda offered the RC30 and Yamaha the OW-01, both racer specials, Kawasaki was content to go with the budget version, a cooking model ZXR750. Budget it may have been, but the ZXR did run a pretty decent chassis for the time, hosting a warmed-up GPX750 powerplant.

The end result was a very quick road bike, a great basis for a track weapon, and one of the best-looking motorcycles Kawasaki ever made. It’s that latter point which has helped to make it a hot item among collectors.

Second prize: Kawasaki stuck with the theme right through to the mid-1990s and remained reasonably faithful to the original plan. So later models are worth a look.

Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 (first model)

Price new: $11,200; now circa $6000

For: Ultra quick and capable; Against: Early models are mostly worn out

The poor old Zee-Zee Top seems to have been forgotten by most folk looking at latter-day collectibles, and that’s a fate it definitely doesn’t deserve. Back when it was launched, this was a very quick and formidable motorcycle. It still is.

There were no great surprises under the paint with this one, instead some very carefully considered development. The factory had dented its high-performance reputation with the fast but flawed GPX1000RX and the subsequent ZX-10 only partially recovered it.

This bike comprehensively put the company back in the top-order sports-tourer game, with a claimed 147 horses (108kW) and a top speed over 280km/h. Not only was this thing seriously fast, but it was manageable and handled well for its day. A really well-sorted bit of kit.

First-edition models still haven’t made it to the collector radar, but they deserve to.

Second prize: ZX-10. The first-gen ZX-10 feels big and ponderous compared to a ZZ-R, but is a supremely comfortable cruiser that has brilliant eighties glam looks.

Moto Guzzi 1000 Mille GT

Price new: $11,000; Circa $11,000

For: Does what Guzzi is good at; Against: Very short supply

According to one commentator at the time, this hybrid model from Moto Guzzi represented a time when it finally realised that competing with the Japanese on styling or technical grounds was a complete waste of time. Okay, that’s a little cruel and it was a commentary aimed at the late model Le Mans sports tourers, which were delightful but suffering an identity crisis.

Roll in the Mille GT, which was essentially an amalgam of the powerplant from the California tourer and the rolling chassis from the T5. Not rocket science, when you think about it and a sensible thing to try given how badly the marque was struggling at the time.

Though Guzzi copped a little flack for cobbling together a hybrid rather than a whole new model, there were some worthy updates over the T5 including sensible wheel sizes. It was far from being the quickest bike on the planet, with around 67 horses (49kW) on tap, but was a thoroughly enjoyable and undemanding backroads cruiser.

Price really killed this one, so very few were sold on the local market.

Second prize: California III. The bike the GT’s engine came from and one of the best cruiser tourers available at the time. They actually handle okay and have respectable performance.

Suzuki RGV250L (second model RGV)

Price new: $6300; Circa $8000

For: Quick and ultra sharp; Against: Very low survival rate

Back when these were new, your local racetrack would be infested with the things. In their glory days, 250 production races would feature anything up to 40 RGVs, sounding like a pack of demented hornets and showing every sign of being ridden by people who at best had a very tenuous understanding of physics.

The RGV and its closest competitors effectively took our understanding of what was a performance bike and turned it on its head. You didn’t necessarily need a giant four-stroke powerplant to do the job, when a 60-horse (45kW) two-stroke weighing a good 30-plus kilos less was more than up to the task.

Suzuki’s RGV really dominated the class for years and this era represents the breed at the height of its popularity and powers. And of course you could get them in race replica livery, such as the Pepsi-sponsored colour scheme.

The survival rate is low, which is driving up the prices, but they still represent a lot of thrills for the dollar.

More from AllMoto on the Suzuki RGV250 here.

Second prize: GSX-R1100L. By now the 1100 (actually 1127c) was middle-aged and more sports-tourer than sports bike, but was still a very quick and enjoyable mount. This model picked up 17-inch wheels among other useful updates.

Yamaha FZR750RR OW-01

Price new: $12,400; Circa $19,000

For: Exotic and cheaper than an RC30; Against: Hard to find in good shape

Though by now in their second and final year in the showrooms, FZR750RRs were still readily available in 1990, but were often overlooked in favour of something with more poke and less price. However that was ignoring the fact this was a premium superbike homologation machine that was, in hindsight, halfway reasonably priced.

For the money you got a powerplant that was around 20 per cent more powerful than a stock FZR750 with 88kW on tap. Plus you got the premium chassis sporting Ohlins suspension and full adjustment at both ends. Top speed was near enough to 260km/h – impressive for a 750 three decades ago.

Some of these things did in fact make it to the racetrack and the numbers still getting around in vaguely standard trim are very low. In fact they’re likely to be more rare than an RC30, which will command up to three times the price.

More from AllMoto on the OW-01 here.

Second prize: Look for the ‘plain’ FZR750, which is not common here but was sold overseas. It runs a dual seat and lower spec, but was the ultimate iteration of the FZ750 that began the whole five-valve line.

Yamaha XTZ750 Super Tenere

Price new: $8500; Circa $11,000 now

For: Important first model that worked; Against: Few brought in

The local launch of Yamaha’s big adventure touring challenger was one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ situations. Yes, there was a local media launch, but then the bike seemed to sink almost without trace. Which was both weird and hugely unfair to Yamaha.

The heart of the matter was the parallel twin engine, using five-valve heads, which on the face of it should have been a compelling offering. BMW’s R80GS Paris Dakar was more expensive (by around $1000) and lagged significantly behind when it came to power and straight line speed.

But it seemed the German marque really did own this big adventure tourer sector, which was nothing like the size it is now. The Super Tenere did go on to sell pretty well in Europe, particularly France.

As a package, the Super Tenere felt quick, capable and had a very distinctive growl from the big twin. While it may have struggled here when new, there are local collectors who’d love to have a good one now, thanks very much.

Second prize: FJ1200. There’s something hugely appealing about this big mile-eating air-cooled sports tourer. It and the FJ1100 predecessor were capable of huge miles at speed and would be a good choice if your club rides head for the horizon.

By Guy Allen from AllMoto.com