We all have dreams of finding an old bike with very few miles – or even zero miles – on the clock, but what about a 40-year-old Yamaha XT500, still in its crate with all the original wrapping and padding intact? That’s what RM Sotheby’s is offering at auction on 18th October in Munich, Germany – they’re expecting it to fetch around 25,000 euro (£21,500).

The XT is a 1986 model originally built for the French market and was supplied to Leuridan Motos et Cycles, a dealer in Paris. It’s a late example of the 500cc single – the XT was first launched in 1975 and production ended only three years after the crated bike was made – but it’s become an iconic early Japanese machine, a pioneer of big four-stroke singles for the modern era.

Although the bike is obviously pristine, the XT500’s new owner won’t be able to just add some petrol and leap on board. Being crated, the bike is still in its original knocked down state, so front wheel, handlebars, headlight and indicators all need to be fitted before it can be ridden.

Mind you, will the new owner sully the XT by actually taking it on the road or trail?

Jim Freeman, chair at the BMF thought it was, on balance, unlikely. “ As with other ‘from the factory’ old bikes the minute you assemble it, the depreciation starts. If you compound that by actually firing it up and riding it, you can chuck half the cost price in the bin. An analogy would be a crate of black market sardines during the Blitz, which got traded from one Arthur Daley to another , as a ‘make weight’ in numerous dodgy deals, until someone was foolish enough to open a can and found they were revolting, when they complained to the seller they were told , ‘Crickey, you’re not supposed to eat them, they’re just for trading!’ If you want an XT to ride, get a nice, restored model. ”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Images courtesy of RM Sothebys, Loic Kernen