Mr. 66

I have to admit, I've got a little likin' of Univega, and Nishiki these days.

texaspandj

Don't know much about collectable Japanese bikes but I know what i like. And I likeS' this a Whole lot!

bikemig 

This bike is hot. I like it. I'd like it even better with suntour parts though!

johnnyace 

Yup, Campy gets all the attention and glory, but Suntour is arguably better!

robertorolfo

I think we agree on a lot of stuff. A Ford Model T is pretty cool to look at, but I'm not hankering for one. And as cool as I think some of the cars from the 50's and 60's were (are), I'd probably take something from the 80's if I had to pick one. I happen to really like your era of Camaros and Firebirds, and you should definitely hold onto it. I had an '89 Ford Thunderbird Super Coup that came down with a serious engine issue and, long story short, I was essentially bullied by my family into getting rid of it. I don't think it would ever have become particularly valuable, but it was nearly priceless to me.

But yeah, I don't think the people paying huge amounts at these classic car auctions necessarily think about it, but their purchases will probably lose a ton of value by the time they get passed along to the next generation.

As for my personal bikes, I also put some fenders and wider tires on my vintage wet weather bike, and then enjoy rotating between the others when the pavement is dry. Working on these bikes is great, and riding them is even better.

TiHabanero

Collectables tend to be volatile in value over time. One generation they are hot, another they are not. The only way to make it an "investment with a payoff" is to flip them.

KonAaron Snake 

I think this really depends on your definition of collectible, and your definition of too pricey. The Japanese bikes that are desirable are already relatively pricey...Miyata 1000s, the other grand tourers, Miyata team. As far as good bikes at good value, the Miya 900 series, the Panasonic DX 3000+.

I really like some of the Lotus models, and, IMO, their aero pro truly represents the era.

cycleheimer

Buy 'em to ride 'em. Invest elsewhere. Too much maintenance (rubber and grease need replacing over time), and they require too much storage room. Better off with savings bonds. However, if you see a high-end Japanese road bike in good shape at a tag sale for $10 .... buy it!

since6

I have so far collected 6 Japanese bikes having started with an early 80s Nishiki Professional w/ all Campagnolo gruppo. At the TOL and/or grail/dream bike you will find IMO little more than race history/tradition to distinguish these bikes as they copied/re-visioned (LOL) the master designs of the European bikes. They were mostly built using tubing made in Japan that equaled or exceeded that of the European tubing, but because they often lack the race history/tradition they can be found at considerable discount. Most of their parts share a comparable discount to that of European parts and are mostly widely available, though some things, brake hoods, are unobtainium.

And they all have the ride of a well made steel lugged frame.

For me it will always be about the ride and moments I have had on rides when the hair stands up on the back of your neck and you realize a moment out of history, you understand those black and white pictures of the hard, hard men who raced these machines over roads we would hardly call roads in conditions where rain, mud, snow and terrible heat were just a given. It only takes a couple of such moments to turn a bicycle from a thing into an experience to be recalled for a life time.

I wish you luck in your journey.

dim

Miyata One Thousand (if you can find one in your size)

dim

here's a link to the collectable Japanese Bikes

The Lightweight Vintage Bicycles of Japan

rccardr 

fify

tsmorr

I have the track version of this frame.

I doubt many parts of the collector bike market bear comparison to the collector car market. Maybe at the super high end (e.g. Kalavinka).

On the other hand, they are alike in that the golden days for buying seem to be past us, for now (like in the early 90s when you could get lucky and buy early 80s Italian bikes for $300-400 - if only we'd stashed E-types, 912s, and 914s, and 944s).

BikeWonder

On a somewhat related note, speaking from experience for those aged 22-30, I seem to be noticing a lot of interest shifting from road bike to touring bikes and vintage MTB. The trend for touring bikes is growing because many of us millennials are into the whole traveling/ "wanderlust" mentality as it was for other generations, however with the access of Instagram openning up new horizons for travel, bikr touring has become more appealing.

For vintage MTB, the new trend is converting them to drop bars (I know,not a new concept here) and referring their ride to "26inchlifestyle/26inchlife", which has a growing following. What many do for the latter is to get a late 80s/early 90s MTB with wide enough spacing for 26 x 2.1-2.3 tan/skin wall tires and high end components. Can't say the website here, but on the forum /xbiking, the bikes that commonly show up as desirable are:
Specialized Stumpjumper/Rockhopper/Hotrock, GT,Bianchi, and other high end frames from the era, including (and especially) Japanese made frames.

So the interest is still there, but the niche has moved for sure

aprieto28

microcord

Yes, see for example "Can’t help falling in price: why Elvis memorabilia is plummeting in value".

brodycycle

I had a Centurion I got in 1981 and loved it. Unfortunately, I had a bad crash and destroyed the frame. A few months later I was looking at the manual and saw the frame was made by H. Tano and son in Kobe, Japan. Since I was in Korea at the time, I wrote them to see if I could get a one-off custom frame. Long story short, yes I could but had to go to Kobe to get it. I went there and got my new Tange Champion tubed frame in pearl white. The added a nice SunTour headset, and two matched chains/freewheels, and Gran Comp brakes and levers. I was soon on the bullet train going to Tokyo with my new boxed bike.

I still have it and ride occasionally. and it rides beautifully.

Don't know if it is worth anything, but it is essentially in very good to excellent condition. 23" frame with Shimano 105 biopace crankset.

ramzilla

Shogun Samurai

ramzilla

Centurion Elite

ramzilla

Fuji Club

ramzilla

Centurion Lemans

ramzilla

Centurion Ironman

twagster 

I would love to find a 70s Fuji "The Finest" in my size/price range.

dim

A 1987 Koga Miyata Randonneur currently listed on Ebay Germany ....

casanewt

It would be great to get production numbers for some of our favorite Japanese builders. They definitely manufactured less of the top of the line models. That is what I think we all focus on. I now have (2) 1984 Fuji Touring Series IVs, a 1985 Club Fuji, a 1986 Bianchi Sport SX with a nice Tange Japanese frame, and a 1984 Lotus Unique. To me I look at collectibility a bit differently based on the fact that you can still pick the Japanese framed bikes up for crazy-low prices if you keep watching. I am simply investing in these for myself because they are so undervalued these days. The investment for me is buying an old bike for $50 that is currently worth $150-$200, or buying one at $150 that is worth $300-400.