How much is a 1981 Yamaha SR500 worth? How about $12,000?

That might sound crazy, but in case you haven’t noticed, old bikes have gone up in value. A lot. Vintage British and American machines are selling for six figures at auction, and it’s only a matter of time before phone-book price tags are regular occurrences. Throw in a celebrity connection—Elvis? Or the pinnacle of moto desirability, a former Steve McQueen bike?—and you’ve got guaranteed big money.

But you’d expect that, with famous names involved, or even famous models like a particularly fast Brit bike or a rare Harley-Davidson. How does a 1981 Yamaha SR500, which was never a performance machine, bring in more than $10k? Even during its 1970s/1980s production run, the SR wasn’t very fast. About all it had going for it was was the fact that it was basically the same package as a classic British single, but a lot more reliable.

Two factors drove this price up to $12k. First, it was still in the original crate, and second, it was up for auction on Bring a Trailer. BaT always seems to bring in top dollar for these machines. Here’s how the advert described the machine:

This 1981 Yamaha SR500 has remained in its factory shipping crate since initial delivery to a dealership in metro Detroit, Michigan. The bike is finished in silver with gold accents and is equipped with a 499cc four-stroke single paired with a five-speed transmission. Equipment includes a black half-duplex cradle frame, chrome fenders, a black two-up seat, a front disc brake, a kickstarter, one-piece cast alloy wheels, and both center and side stands. This SR500 H was acquired by the selling dealer in June 2022 and is now offered at no reserve with its original shipping carton and a clean Michigan title.

Judging by the comments, many BaT regulars actually expected the bike to go for more than $12k, but they figured the Labor Day weekend kept bidding down.

The listing is here; it closed on September 5. The YouTubers from the srkcycles channel bought the bike, so we’re sure to see this machine show up again in their content soon.