Topic: after looking hard for a week...

[goldarrow]

after looking hard for a week... i'm almost coming to striking a deal on this

1973 honda cb450 for $1600   is this good?  i know this is not sohc/4 and don't belong in this forum...but   please advise.

seller claims it leaks a little bit of oil
some cables may need replaced
tank looks like needs to be restored

i just don't want to waste that much of money on something i can't enjoy, or could it be cheaper?

thank you for your help

[sopo400f]

I picked up a "non-running" 74 450 in the fall for $350. Rusty spokes, patch of rust on header, and some sun burn on the tank, 7k. Didn't take much to make it run.

The bike you listed is in much better shape than mine. For that price I'd expect a daily rider that really shouldn't need much more work to be done.  Maybe theyd take a couple hundred off.?

[goldarrow]

No the guy is firm and he said he just had the out of state license transferred over to CA with new plate and title is coming in about 3 weeks

[sopo400f]

Well, cables are cheap and if the tank needs to be de-rusted inside Thats also cheap.
What are other 450 in the area going for...

[Stev-o]

Personally, I would not buy it. I have recently bought better bikes for less. Keep looking.

[754]

 People always get worse bikes for less..or maybe a nice one.
 You got to decide if its what you want..it does look pretty good .. what does 1600 bux get these days.. I will tell you..it buys an undertaill exhaust for a new Ducati.. thats part of the exhaust.. not even the whole thing..

[Johnie]

My 2 cents...keep looking. $1,600 is WAY to much for a bike that is not currently running and leaks oil. How much oil and from where??? You will not know for sure and it could be the head gasket. "Tank needs restore", "cables need replacing", and the carbs probably need a rebuild too. And if you can not do all this yourself it will cost you about $75 / hour labor which is the going rate here. You can get a pretty decent CB750 for under that if you keep looking. I had that same bike for less than a year. My CB450 was brand new back in the day, but the vibration was very bad at highway speeds. So I traded it for a CB750. Do not get hung up on this bike...keep looking for a 750. You will be happy you did. Heck, by the time you get it ready to roll you will have over $2,000 in it. Way to much for a CB450. Even if you decide to buy it, do not give any cash until the owner has the title in hand.

[hoodellyhoo]

Hard to say if the price is worth it...only you can answer that question. I see you're from LA and I hear these older bikes command a premium over there.

[754]

 How can you compare a 450 to a 750, there is 750s around every corner..  If what you are recommending was true, then nobody would ever buy a 400 four..
  Its apples & oranges.. and what you would like to have, and supply and demand..and what you would LIKE to pay vs what you have to pay IF you find what you like..

 Its getting easier to fix a motor than to find a fairly decent ORIGINAL paint bike... its not the number on the price, its how long it takes you to get that figure that really matters..