I heard a rumor, and it could be just that, that a local Baton Rouge dealer that has been around for many years, still had unopened crates of new bikes from as far back as the 80s. The idea of gettng my hands on a new 1986 350x would be awesome. If you could get a new, old stock bike, what would it be? How much would you pay to get a brand new, un-riden 80's
era bike?

 

That would be neat. I seen a 1977 Polaris snowmobile that was found crated and but together a few yeas ago, it sure was something. Restored is on thing but 100% original is another.

Only thing that may be bad would be the tires after sitting a long time maybe , could they dry rot? Some seals may need help since they are crated dry with no fluids I think.

This guy bought a 1971 crated AMF Ski-Dattler and did not but it together until lately .http://www.vintagesnowmobiles.50megs.com/PP9801.html he called it a un crate party. LOL its neat.

 

The "rumor" part of this story makes me doubt you're going to find a hidden gem. I can't imagine there being dozens of them hidden in a warehouse somewhere. Maybe one or 2, I might believe that. That new/old sled is pretty cool. But that's more likely, you might find ONE crated up somewhere that didn't sell. With 3 wheelers and their bad reputation for safety in the 1980's, it is entirely possible that dealers just quit selling them to avoid getting sued and simply left them crated up.

 

85 or 86 atc 250r, or any of the final year 250 trikes really. I couldn't bring myself to ride it, so hopefully I won have enough cash left over to buy a rider as well. 88 trx 250r and a quad zilla would round out my collection.

 

I agree with you in it being doubtful. I said its a rumor b/c it was not 1st or even 2nd Hand info. Was told to me by my bro in law who was told by a friend. That said, the part you mentioned about the liability of selling 3 wheelers in late 80's is what made it plausible/ intriguing to me. I know when I bought my 4 wheeler (400ex)from there in June of 07, I was looking at 07s and contemplating waiting for an 08. They had an 06 that had a sold sticker on it for $1000 less than the 07s. I asked the guy if they had another 06. He said he didnt think but he'd check. He came back and said he didnt have another 06, but did have an 05. They had the 07s listed for $6099. He said he'd sell me the 05 for $4599 but they'd have to put it together. I bought the 05 for $1500 less than the current model at the time. 2 years old is alot different from 25-30 yr. old, but that situation makes me question if this info coild be legit. Like I said though, definitely not 1st hand info

 

There is a big dealer near me that buys all their machines outright. They tend not to put them on sale or knock a ton off the price, and as a result they sometimes have new units 4 or 5 years old still crated. I saw an xr650l brand new on the floor that was 5 years old once. Crazy.