Topic: Private sell value

[88BuckMeister]

I know many of you have followed my 1975 CB 550 build, since many of you helped me through it. I'm probably...#$%*...5 grand into it. It runs now, but a little rough because the airbox isn't installed yet, and the 61mm big bore high compression pistons and 650 cam upgrade, and Yoshi exhaust. So rejet? Who knows.

Anyways. This bike was built with my 2 hands, as mentioned above high compression big bore pistons, 650 cam, performance guides and seals, new motor gaskets, new plugs, chain tensioner, lash studs and nuts, racing springs, keepers, electronic ignition, chain, sprocket, cables, complete original oem candy jade green paint and stripe kit...if I kept writing, the list of things I've bought new for the build, installed, and or haven't installed yet but are in the brand new box of new parts, would be pages long. I have a new helmet with Bluetooth, ugh it goes on and on. I went OVERBOARD on this build, as if there was no spending ceiling at all.

Having said that, I hit a point where it was too cold to finish the build this year, so I prepped it for storage and put the trickler on the new battery. Now my wife and kids have an intervention with me saying they do NOT want me riding. "When the kids are grown, you can buy a new bike. For now, I know 3 people that were experienced riders who were killed because of another person's stupidity, and we have young kids" she says.

Look...I hate to even ask, but IF I sold it, what are your thoughts on ehat it'd be worth? I have hundreds of pics of the build too.

[69cb750]

When the kids are grown, you can buy a new bike.

Are you asking for advice?
If you like the bike and want to keep it then keep it.
If you think riding is to dangerous then do not ride.
A friend had a CB750 that sat in the garage and various other places for 20 years when kids were young.

[jlh3rd]

"Look...I hate to even ask, but IF I sold it, what are your thoughts on ehat it'd be worth? I have hundreds of pics of the build too."

The jist of it is that in practically every medium of rebuilding/ rescuing/restoring.....unless it is highly collectable.....you'll never come close to recouping the money spent, much less your valuable time.
I'd say your in the upper price range of whatever nice '75 550's go for with the right person. Custom work is in the eye of the beholder.

[Mark1976]

I know many of you have followed my 1975 CB 550 build, since many of you helped me through it. I'm probably...#$%*...5 grand into it. It runs now, but a little rough because the airbox isn't installed yet, and the 61mm big bore high compression pistons and 650 cam upgrade, and Yoshi exhaust. So rejet? Who knows.

Anyways. This bike was built with my 2 hands, as mentioned above high compression big bore pistons, 650 cam, performance guides and seals, new motor gaskets, new plugs, chain tensioner, lash studs and nuts, racing springs, keepers, electronic ignition, chain, sprocket, cables, complete original oem candy jade green paint and stripe kit...if I kept writing, the list of things I've bought new for the build, installed, and or haven't installed yet but are in the brand new box of new parts, would be pages long. I have a new helmet with Bluetooth, ugh it goes on and on. I went OVERBOARD on this build, as if there was no spending ceiling at all.

Having said that, I hit a point where it was too cold to finish the build this year, so I prepped it for storage and put the trickler on the new battery. Now my wife and kids have an intervention with me saying they do NOT want me riding. "When the kids are grown, you can buy a new bike. For now, I know 3 people that were experienced riders who were killed because of another person's stupiditMy, and we have young kids" she says.

Look...I hate to even ask, but IF I sold it, what are your thoughts on ehat it'd be worth? I have hundreds of pics of the build too.

   It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay.... these types of projects hardly ever return the investment from a financial/investment standpoint.

   Now my wife and kids have an intervention with me saying they do NOT want me riding. "When the kids are grown, you can buy a new bike. For now, I know 3 people that were experienced riders who were killed because of another person's stupiditMy, and we have young kids" she says.
 
   Been there done that, 35 yrs ago. When I married my wife, then had two kids, I had 5 bikes, then over the next 5-6 yrs it got whittled down to two, life as a husband and parent can and will upend things for a while. As a result I took up other more acceptable endeavors for a while (I've spent more money on race bikes than I have on cars and motorcycles combined), I never stopped riding entirely (still worked on them) just much more selectively (a hanful of times a yr). Did I think that the request to drop doing something that I had been doing since before I met my wife was unreasonable, yup.... And that's just the way I put it, she knew all about my riding,  it wasn't a secret or anything. It was a part of me, so yeah we discussed and discussed and discussed etc,etc.......
   Fortunately some compromises were made, it was a good thing, the last 13 yrs have been the reintroduction to it (riding) fully. The intervening 22 yrs I did what I was supposed to do, be a good husband and father for my wife and 2 sons. Like I said, it was a good thing. It is what you guys together make it. Take some time, think it through, have discussions about it.
   And another thing, unlike the motorcycle project, keep it reasonable..

   Get the airbox on it, put some 110 mains in it, then drop the needles a notch. Set the mixtures to 1 turn out and resync the mixers and see what ya got... I know, I know, its not like you're in a situation to do it, but if things change for the better ya got a good place to start.

[rotortiller]

Don't expect to get large money out of it. I'd guess at 2 or 3 grand tops especially so with the non OEM exhaust. Those bikes are plentiful and do not have a large foolish following willing to pay extra for that privilege. Bigger bucks wanted, maybe fix up a two stroke V4 or say the H2 triple.

[CycleRanger]

Imho it would bring more money as a finished project.

[Don R]

 Tinker with it when it makes sense, get it finished and park it for a while. Call it an investment.
   I was in that boat, smaller garage and shop truck to drive to work, and sold my K3 750. 25 years later I made up for it by owning at least one of every model and year single cam 750. Recently I think we counted 16, mostly 750's but a Yamahopper, GL1000 and a GS1100E. 1 pit bike, 2 grandkids bikes, and 4 with license plates.

[Mark1976]

Tinker with it when it makes sense, get it finished and park it for a while. Call it an investment.
   I was in that boat, smaller garage and shop truck to drive to work, and sold my K3 750. 25 years later I made up for it by owning at least one of every model and year single cam 750. Recently I think we counted 16, mostly 750's but a Yamahopper, GL1000 and a GS1100E. 1 pit bike, 2 grandkids bikes, and 4 with license plates.

+1 to that, cause ya just never know how it'll all turn out.....

[Flyin900]

Unless you need the money keep it. If not you will take a loss for sure. They don't take up much space in a garage if properly oriented space wise and stored away. The point about getting it sorted if your selling is a very valid one. Taking over another persons project is an unknown quantity and discounted heavily in my world.

The future is also unknown! You may never get another bike or opportunity 20 years down the road.

That opinion and 20 cents used to get you a cup of Java. 

[craz1]

For comparison my 74 went for $6,000 and everything was gone through

[newday777]

For comparison my 74 went for $6,000 and everything was gone through

Very nice job on it.

[Stev-o]

Look...I hate to even ask, but IF I sold it, what are your thoughts on ehat it'd be worth? I have hundreds of pics of the build too.

The pics are not good but what is not finished? [other than final tuning].  It looks pretty nice but what is the condition of the paint?   If you have $5K in it and you fell the pressure to sell it, list it for $5K.  It prolly wont sell for that and then you can tell the wife bikes dont sell in Winter.

And BTW - I share the situation of having a wife that hates motorcycles.  I cringe when my wife is wathing the news and there is a report of a fatality of a motorcyclist.

[RAFster122s]

Fatalities happen every week on motorcycles here, and many are occurring in cars too. Life isn't guaranteed, your next breath even. What risk is acceptable? I ride because I enjoy it and it helps with my mental health. I am ready to die, I don't fear death. I don't want to be a paraplegic, I would rather die than live that way.
You probably have more than $5k in the bike, 5k in spring with lots and lots of photos wouldn't be an unreasonable price...but the economy will need to improve a bit as I am seeing some signs of pullback on luxury spending in US and a bike is a luxury.
Fall and winter is not the time to sell bikes, they don't sell as well or for nearly 1/2 as much money. Finish sorting the bike out, or expect to be severely disappointed in the price.

[PeWe]

Here were I live.
The CB's people want to pay for are more or less 100% stock with stock 4-4 and paint. Plus all stock parts.
Modified engine will most likely not increase value, opposite.

My K6 has got lots of investments that   I'll never can get back.
Can be better to sell it with a stock engine. Save the modified engine for something else.

But I built it for me.  No plans to sell it.