Tresette Sprint

Singles built before the Lambertini era
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

How much should I expect to pay for a Tresette Sprint in rough but original condition? What about a restored machine, how much is one worth?

Thanks David
morinipete
Posts: 166
Joined: 03 Jun 2007 08:45
Location: Rugby, UK

Post by morinipete »

Hi, difficult one this one. I've got 4 singles and the most I've ever paid is £700, but times were different then.

The first thing is it genuine ? 50%+ of all bikes advertised are Turismos. There's nothing wrong with them but £1000 is penty for a good one.
If you want to check if it's genuine look at the appropriate section in the last Mick Walker book (as I wrote it !) which highlights all the things to look for.

Under £2000 for a good Tresette Sprint is about right. Anything above this and it has to be 100% perfect. Don't be hyped up above this as they're nearly all owned by 'Giro boys' who just buy a different bike every year, and have no real interest in them..........so are happy to trade on

Get back if you have any specifc questions on ID, etc, or have a photo, etc..... They're really lovely bikes, but they made 1000s, and that means you shouldn't pay silly money

Cheers
Pete
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Thanks for the reply Pete. It's more or less the complete opposite of what Stuart at NLM motorcycles said to me today. He advised that it was almost impossible to find an unrestored Tresette Sprint and that if one could be found a few grand would not be out of the way. He also considered that a restored machine would cost between six and seven thousand! NLM have a cooking 175 for sale at just under a grand, but if I'm going to spend time and money restoring a machine it's got to be something with a decent market value at the end as I'm not rich enough to write off large sums of cash!

I've read the section of the Mick Walker book and have some idea of what I'm looking for, but there's no information on frame numbers or engine numbers (led to believe they didn't have them) or on what sort of volume the sportier machines were made in.

I've located a Sprint for sale privately for £3000, which seems rather steep from what you've said but about right from what NLM mentioned. The seller also told me that restored machines had considerable value (he would wouldn't he!) and pointed out one listed on Italian eBay with a BIN of 7000 Euros. However, I note the machine has not sold and I've always thought that all the classics listed on eBay.it had very high price tags. Interestingly, if you do a search for Morini on eBay.it and then look at completed listings (inserzione scadute) only a fraction of listings ever sell, most never even getting a bid, so it looks like Italian vendors have unrealistic expectations where it comes to value.

I'd be much more comfortable finding a machine for less than a thousand or even a nice one for a couple of thousand and riding it for a couple of seasons and then selling it on, but there doesn't seem to have been anything on the market for the last couple of years. If anyone has anything please let me know.

Best regards

David
tremoto
Posts: 22
Joined: 18 Feb 2009 12:53
Location: Londra

Post by tremoto »

Hello,

Pete is right, prices do seem all over the place. In my experience, looking for the right bits can be almost impossible if they are not there already, tinware for instance. ( I'm still looking with partial success after 2 years!). I dont think it would be easy to find a good compltete bike with all the correct bits for less than 1500 big ones these days, and yes the Italians do like a hefty price tag and most of them dont seem that original either when looking closely. Never mind though, plenty of nice settebello bodywork kits on the market if all fails!

Good luck.
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

I'm still looking for a sporty Morini single - if anyone knows of anything drop me a line.
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Just been offered this - what's a fair price?

It's a 1960 model Tresette and has had a complete engine rebuild including a new oil-pump. Any advice appreciated.

Image
morinipete
Posts: 166
Joined: 03 Jun 2007 08:45
Location: Rugby, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by morinipete »

Hi, I'd say if they'd accept 1,500 take it as it looks pretty OK (other than paintwork). 2,000 would be tops though. You could then sell it on to a Giro boy for 5,000 :D
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Thanks for the reply Pete. They were after 2750 Euro, which I thought was mad, so declined.

I'm still looking :)
SettebelloDoug
Posts: 15
Joined: 12 Oct 2011 19:26
Location: Newbury UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by SettebelloDoug »

Hi...................I'm not so sure that it is a mad price. You certainly won't get a good Tresette Sprint or that price.

I don't think anyone has replied to your question about frame and engine numbers. My early type Tresette Sprint (with the rear light in the body pressing) has matching frame and engine numbers of TS frollowed by 5 digits. I've recently seen one of the later ones (with rear light on numberplate) that had a frame number prefixed by the letter G followed by 5 digits, but its engine only had a letter and no numbers.................Doug
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

I'm not sure what to think anymore. NLM had a Tresette Sprint up for £6000 a year or so ago, there's a chap with a Sprint for sale in Cheshire at £3750 - but it's not sold yet. There's a world of difference between a Sprint and a straightforward Tresette. They never come up on eBay, the Italians seem to want mad money for everything and don't seem to be bothered about parting with it - hence most of their eBay listings end without bids. There's simply not enough of these things in the UK to determine a market price and I've still absolutely no idea what numbers these were made in.

I give up - I'm going to buy a Honda CB125S.
morinipete
Posts: 166
Joined: 03 Jun 2007 08:45
Location: Rugby, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by morinipete »

Hi,

I guess the truth is it's worth what you're willing to pay. I'm lucky. I have two complete ones, a Tressette Sprint and a Turismo. I also have a 250 Settebello race "project" and a Tresette in bits. 800 quid is the most I've ever paid (and that was for a complete MoT'd bike off the late Phil Smith, bless him).

I've said this in the magazine before but the big influence on price are the "Giro boys". May be things have changed now but a few years ago there were a lot of rich kids (OK 55 year old, midlife crisis, bankers) buying a different bike every year. Perhaps a Morini, but then moving on to a Bianchi or a Mondial or what ever was fashionable next. I had several of them pestering me for parts and labour and I told them to join the club or bugger off (I doubt any joined the club ? For rich kids they all wanted something for free) ! I know Dave Knibbs (who bought a lot of the 175 Morinis into the country in the first place) similarly fell out big time and refused to have anything to do with them. They had no interest in Moto Morinis what so ever.

Anyway. History. Hopefully this is all over now, and the bikes have moved on to people who actually want them. However some bloody silly money was spent at the time by people who had no understanding of the value of it, nor the fact that Moto Morini made bloody thousands of these things. They are not rare bikes and never were. Morini 175s were THE bike to have in Italy for nearly a decade. The thing is I guess some owners may now have a lot of 'negative equity' wrapped up in their 175s, hence the reluctance to drop prices ? By the way in Italy I think bikes don't sell on ebay as they are specifically targetting overseas buyers who they regard as "dim' and "loaded", in that order (notice how many english transaltions/shipping details ?). I don't think Italians have got into ebaying domestically quite like we have in the UK ?

The fact is they are good bikes and they are not an Italian Tiger Cub. The engineering is supurb, they look great and can be thrashed (which a comparable British light weight can't). Cubs can go for 2 grand now (why ?) so a Morini 175 has to be worth more, but how much more is anyones guess. Also everyone wants 'original/restried' so prices for anything less are a lot lower. That red Tressette would be good at 1,500 quid I think. For 2 grand it should be all correct and oringinal and UK registered.

As people watching this thread must all be interested in 175s it's perhaps telling that no one has asked you for the sellers details. Too much wonga...............

Pete
PS. I am notorious for being tight with my money though :D. May be a mass produced 175cc pushrod single is worth 4 grand these days ? Strange times..........
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Thanks for that response Pete. Of course, the worth of anything is what someone is willing to pay. Certainly, I'm not willing to pay £14000 for a 900ss Ducati, but some people are and it's easy to research the market price.

The fact that NLM had a Tresette Sprint for £6000 recently doesn't mean anything. I note that they have a nice early Strada at the moment for not much less, but when I advertised my early machine for sale at £1500 last year I had very little interest at all. I also had a nicely restored Motobi 125 which just needed finishing at £1250 which again drew very little interest. I guess these less well known bikes just don't have the cult status that the Ducatis, Laverdas and Guzzis have.

I'd still really like one of these little gems as I think they're one of the most desirable lightweight machines out there. Ultimately though I'm not prepared to spend more than a couple of grand. In the unlikely event that you become aware of something let me know.
tremoto
Posts: 22
Joined: 18 Feb 2009 12:53
Location: Londra

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by tremoto »

Hi all,

Wish I could locate a morini single for the price Pete pays - he must have the tenacity of a spider. It is true though if you want one you will have to pay what is being asked. Either that get to Italy where they know a fine thing or two about extracting euro's out of your hand and into their palms as quick as you like. On the pleasureable side of single ownership they are as Pete points out in no uncertain terms indestructible (almost but I am still smarting from rebuilding a rebuild). It ran ok'ish but being a tinkerer as you know curiosity gets the better of you and before you know it its been split - they had'nt even cleaned the oil pump which was so full of gunk and swarf I was supprised that it was effective.

Havent seen a sprint advertised in the UK for a while but in Italia they are VERY pricey. If their prices were paid you would want to expect everything correct, to a high standard and ready to roll. Still, that barometer of English prices the Commando would set you back around £5k now for a runner so things aint cheap over here these days.

Biggest gripe -they know that we know they have spares but are not interested in listing them.
Second Biggest gripe -its extortion when they do - I Cite 80 euros for a petrol cap and if thy keep up with that type of pricing they'll clear the national debt in no time!
Attachments
My '58 Sprint
My '58 Sprint
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dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Thanks for the input Tremoto. I've seen a sprint requiring restoration in Italy for 2500 Euro. If you look on a site like Subito there's loads of 50s and 60s lightweights for sale, but I suspect that the stuff just isn't selling. I'm sure that the Italian domestic market must be pretty poor at the moment and I'm not convinced that they have "baby-boomers" retiring with huge lump-sums wishing to relive their youths - I might be wrong. So, as you say, all this stuff must be priced to overseas buyers. I'd love to have an inside view on this.

I think the bike that's currently for sale in the UK at £3750 isn't a bad price if it's as good as it looks and you have to have one. Personally I can think of lots of other machines for that sort of money that I'd rather have and three grand would be enough IMO. A couple of grand is all I'm prepared to pay for a glorified 175 commuter that needs work :shock: - lots of lovely OHC Hondas out there for very little money :wink:
dsamways
Posts: 71
Joined: 01 Dec 2008 22:55
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: Tresette Sprint

Post by dsamways »

Meant to have added:

Love you bike, out of interest what did you have to give for it?
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