In the final moments of last August we showed you this incredible Yamaha XT500 unit from the late eighties. The reason was none other than that, in addition to being in its original box, it would be auctioned through RM Sotheby’s in Munich, Germany, a few weeks after publishing the article.
And if we talk to you about it again today, it is, quite simply, because the final price for which it was sold is truly exorbitant.
A “simple” Yamaha XT500 that is highly desired
Reviewing a little about the history of this example in question, as we already told you then, this XT500 was supplied at the time by the Japanese factory to the Parisian motorcycle dealer Leuridan Motos et Cycles. At the time of the bid it was in NOS (New Old Stock) condition, as it was never even assembled, keeping it in its original box to this day.
The theory being considered about this exceptional example of the XT500, according to a letter from the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of the United Kingdom, is that “the bike was probably manufactured in 1986, specifically for the French market and for the 1986 model year. It was subsequently registered in September 1988”since its odometer, without yet mounting the motorcycle, shows zero kilometers.
The fact is that, paying attention to the valuation carried out by the experts at RM Sotheby’s, everything suggested that the final price for which it would be sold would be in a range between 15 and 25 thousand euros. These figures are already high, although understandable, taking into account that we are talking about a totally new motorcycle with almost forty years of history. However, we suppose that on the day of the bidding someone had to end up totally falling in love with this XT500.
This idea is based on the exorbitant pasture that was finally raised for it: 84,000 euros. An amount that, in addition to being very far from the initial estimates, is surprising given the type of motorcycle we are talking about. That is to say, beyond the iconicity that an
These crazy figures are understandable when the protagonist is a coveted limited series or some truly unique gadget; whether derived from competition or representing the technological peak of the brand in charge of its design and manufacturing. This is not the case of the XT500 that stars in these lines. In any case, beyond each person’s personal tastes, we have the unquestionable fact of how these types of motorcycles have become mere investment products.
A matter that we discuss in detail in this article, where we explained the details of how we got to this situation. A trend that, although it benefits those who have the financial capacity to undertake financial operations of this magnitude, distances the true fan, in an incontestable way, from those iconic motorcycles that most of us have once dreamed of.
