I randomly met an older lady a few weeks ago and we started talking about motorcycles. She said she and her husband used to ride, but he passed away and she didn't have any interest in riding alone. She asked if I was interested in buying both of their bikes for $250 each. She said they'd been sitting in the garage for the last 35 years, so I was expecting rusty old trash. To my pleasant surprise what I found was two dusty, but very well preserved bikes that were worth far more than their $250 price tags.
Her husband's bike is a '73 CL450 Scrambler that he had bought used in '75 when he and his wife decided to start riding. It happened to be the exact bike my buddy's dad had owned when he was a kid, and was the first bike my buddy had ever ridden on the street, so I thought he might appreciate it more and let him buy it. The fuel system on this bike was partially disassembled, which I'm guessing is why they parked the bikes back in '82, and there are a couple very small dents in the tank. We also opened up the air filter housing to discover a very old rodent's nest. It's pretty nasty, but overall in really great shape.
The bike the lady used to ride, and the one I'm keeping, is a Varnish Blue '75 CB400F Super Sport and looks like it was better cared for. She bought it new in '75 and it has 10,900 miles on it now. She had drained the fuel tank when she parked it so the inside is shiny bare metal, without a hint of rust. The air filter housing on this bike is apparently more difficult for rodents to find their way inside, because the filter is still shiny and looks like it was replaced yesterday. After cleaning off the dust I can't help but just stare at this bike in awe. Partly because of how few flaws it has, but partly because I own it, and partly because I can't believe it was only $250! I can't wait to show you all pictures!
Of course $250 seems cheap, but I've spent well over $500 replacing parts that I wouldn't trust after 35 years. Namely new tires, tubes, plugs, fuel lines, oil+filter, etc. Also, the clutch lever was broken, it was missing its mirrors, and she had installed an aftermarket handlebar that did not hold up to time very well at all (seriously it looks like it was sitting outside, while the rest of the bike stayed inside). So I got new levers, mirrors, and a stock handlebar.
I haven't tried to start it yet, but it appears there is some corrosion on electrical connectors somewhere. When I turn on they key I get some dash lights, and the taillight, but no headlight (starter button?). Also, the turn signals light up, but don't flash.
The biggest issue it seems to have is that the front brake fluid didn't get drained when it was parked. The whole reservoir was a crusty, crystallized mess, so I disassembled it and honed/rebuilt it. I then replaced all three hoses and their banjo fittings, and the outside half of the caliper (since I couldn't get the old piston out).
I'll try to get some pics up asap! PICS ARE POSTED BELOW!
