34L - £9,500 a record asking price?

[Scumfrog]

Looks nice, though I can't say I like the yellow zinc plating, the painted fork lowers or the black calliper.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/376398054758

[scottieh]

Anybody got $12,000 so i can make my Tenere look that good and sell it for $10,000?

[Peen]

They can ask what they want, doesnt mean they will get it.

It is very nice, but I wouldnt call it concourse condition like they claim, with the dodgy use of cable ties and cheap fasteners, rounded off bolt heads and chipped paint, that sidestand looks like its been attacked with a grinder by a blind man, I'd expect it to be as new for that money.

[cadno]

They also have a similarly priced 1VJ.
If you look closely at it there's a number of things that aren't quite right. Front mudguard for instance.
Is it worth it, that depends.
Take a half decent running complete bike, take it apart, down to the last bolt and if you do a competent job, replace all consumables including bearings etc, replace anything dodgy or not within tolerance and just put it back together, you'll be into £5K plus depending on availability of parts.
Do a really thorough job and vapour blast, shot blast, coat and repaint and you'll double it if it's done by the leading specialists and if you provide the labour.
Pay someone who knows what they're doing to do it all, and you're half as much again. In 600 Tenere terms that's easily £10K including the purchase of the bike and more like £15K if a specialist did it.
The issue is when it's described as totally rebuilt, concours, a guaranteed investment, down to the last nut and bolt and all the other phrases now used and it obviously isn't, then it isn't.
When I've read the 'totally rebuilt' description and the bike has any of the following...old tyres, grips, cables, chain, sprockets , chewed bolts, you have to ask yourself, was it really a total rebuild?

[cadno]

I've just had a quick look at that 34L
For me:
The gold zinc passivate plating looks totally out of place, but try to recreate the green passivate as original Yamaha, it's now impossible.
I'd say the side panels, headlight mask and oil cooler cover are the Australian after market ones.
The front end isn't correct, it's got the later twin piston brake caliper on it and fork legs. I'd want it original at that price.
The paint looks a little orange peel, but you'd have to see that up close to really judge.
The front brake line and speedo does look a bit unfinished and could be better done.
It looks to have an original exhaust which is good.
It's not an original supplied UK bike, and has a KM clock, if I was paying top money I'd want to tick both those boxes.
The tyres are good and look new, but I'd want to see at least 1000 miles completed after a full nut and bolt rebuild to be sure it's 100%.
Rear mudguard has been cut, again if we're talking top $ I'd want that perfect.
But.
Try finding a genuine 34L, then take it completely apart and rebuild it properly. I doubt you'll do it for under £9500.

[charliext1vj]

https://ebay.us/m/mFeiqt
Now also selling a 1VJ. But looks wrong. 2kf with a tenere tank??

[Peen]

My money is on it being a 3aj frame, certainly not an original 1vj with the rear disk and all the rear master cylinder and brake resevoir brackets, ad says its a 1989 model, which should be a 3aj. All the plastics look painted, even the disk guard, which is a bit naff on a trail bike and bound to crack and that gear lever... Youd forgive these things if they were being honest about it, but theyre asking silly money.

Definitely some jiggery pokery going on here and way overpriced again.

[cadno]

I've asked the seller if it really is a 1VJ?
Can he show a photo of the frame number or confirm that the frame number starts 1VJ, and do the engine and frame numbers match.
I sincerely doubt it, and then the market would view it as massively over priced for a bike made up of different XT600s.
Or is it the builders view of the perfect combination of the best bits of the various iterations of the XT600?

I'd like to build a 3AJ with a 1VJ tank and cockpit area, with a 3TB or later engine. It's the easiest way to get the more desert racer rear end and the cool 1VJ front, rear disc and a 3TB or later fork set up to get the two piston caliper. £10k+ to build and the market value of £5K to £6K

[cadno]

I got a reply from the seller saying that this was a 3AJ, and had a 3AJ frame number.
He also said that the other Yamaha listed was a 1VJ with kick start only.
OK that's me out

[Scumfrog]

So it's someone's technical exercise in making a 3AJ look like a 1VJ and a 1VJ look like a 34L? Strange choice, but each to their own I guess.

They don't claim the 3AJ is a 1VJ, but do state it's a 1989, and the rear disc brake is an immediate giveaway, so that's kind of fair enough.

However, if the 34L is actually a 1VJ, they're advertising it as a 34L and that's not OK, at any price.

Concourse condition - apart from mis-spelling concours; is usually defined as being in perfect condition, as close to how it left the factory as possible, so we're somewhat way off here.