Topic: wow 16K?

[oldhondarider]

ahhhhhh hmmmmmmm

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/944069680.html

[mlinder]

Im too lazy to figure out if its a sandcast. If it is, it'll fetch that easily.
If it isn't, yeah, thats a little steep. By about double, in my opinion.

[eldar]

I understand the whole rarity thing but I would never ride it! I would be afraid of something happening! Those bikes are at the point that you have to think "do I ride it or display it?"

[mlinder]

I would ride the hell out of it. Life is short, with a possibility of being shorter.

[eldar]

Maybe. It is like having a 1903 rolls royce or something like that. I suppose the occasional red line would be ok. They will only get more collectible as time goes on.

[greenjeans]

He's listing it all over the place...saw it on the Dallas craigs list this morning...   Sure looks good, but for that kind of money I could build a great early stocker, cafe, and a chopper.

[pablo78cb550]

question to the sand cast owners.
which front brake did the original sand casts have?
First:


or second:

[wiredbecker]

I swear that's the same bike I saw parked within an art gallery last weekend. Whatta beauty!

[GroovieGhoulie]

question to the sand cast owners.
which front brake did the original sand casts have?

The first pic is a VERY early Sandcast or Late Prototype, which was using a "prototype" front disc and brake.  The sandcast had the later one, as evidenced on the posted bike.  It was closer to the later caliper, but was silver and had different cooling fin arrangements.  The disc also had a different offset from the hub.  4mm more as I recall.

As far as the posted bike, it looks NICE, but agreed the price is high for a diecast, but I think not double.  A diecast in that condition should fetch 10-11K.  A Sandcast would be double, so 20K-ish.

My Sandcast, note the front brake.  All original:

[736cc]

  Finding fault w/ a bike that nice-looking is nuts, even if it is a diecast (10 hole clutch hub a dead giveaway). Only thing that bugs me is the background on the Honda logo should be black (alternator cover).

[Magpie]

+1
Cliff.

[pablo78cb550]

  Finding fault w/ a bike that nice-looking is nuts, even if it is a diecast (10 hole clutch hub a dead giveaway). Only thing that bugs me is the background on the Honda logo should be black (alternator cover).

I wasn't trying to find a fault, just clarification.

[JZEROE]

Looks like Charlie's work to me.

www.charlies-place.com/

If he did the resto, I would almost say it's worth $16k--not that I know anything about pricing old Hondas, just that he's an awesomely thorough mechanic.

[Swoop]

If yer going to try and sell a 69 or 70 ...non-sandcast fer $16,000......you better expect that the bike will be under heavy scrutiny.
Steve

[mlinder]

Hell, maybe I'll restore my 69 K0 so I can sell it for 16k then....

[johnyvilla]

For 16K the bike better restore its damn self after five Chicago winters.

[Kalamazoo]

Holy crap! Thats a lot of money!
I know a guy who just sold hist 74 CB 550, all original, 10,000 miles.  Mint condition, and I mean mint! For 1,300 bucks
I had no idea he was selling it until he told me that he had just sold his bike... I was extreamly angry when I found out he would have sold it to me for $900 if only he would have know I wanted another bike!  Not that I need another but at that price who can refuse.

[eldar]

You know what is funny, a lot of bikes out there are 16K new. Yet many of us would never bat an eye at that. Why?
How many new bikes have character? Not many. How many can be easily worked on in your garage? Not many.
16K for a bike that has made history, even if it is diecast, is not that bad. Give it another 10 years and lets see how much they cost.

[JZEROE]

I dunno. If I spent 16K on an SOHC4 I would never want to ride it—let alone work on it. Part of the fun, for me at least, is that there's always something to fix or improve. Buying a perfect bike would kind of ruin that. If I had $16G to spend on a moto, there would be a Ducati 848 in my garage next to the 550.

[tygrant]

i have that much into my harley... i would never spend that on an sohc4.

no matter what it is, its only worth what someone will buy it for. there are far more people who are willing to spend that kind of money on something newer, that holds its value better. im not saying its not worth 16k... some one might buy it but you gota find that person first.

[eldar]

For the average bike, that is true. The 69 however is starting to reach the high sought after market.