Topic: General CB550 Questions

[Pelikan]

So I'm looking for my first bike, and found a completely reconditioned 1974 CB550.  It looks brand new, and is from a shop that does only vintage Honda CBs.  Absolutely beautiful bike.  Is this a good model to start out on? 

The asking price is $3600.  Is this reasonable for a completely restored bike, or is there some latitude for negotiation?

In general, any links, info, thoughts, etc, on the CB550 are welcome and appreciated 

Thanks for your time.

[thehammer]

winter is coming. you could buy a cheap one and fix it up. spend $500.00.

[fmctm1sw]

I'd use a price guide (NADA lists $1650 for that bike in excellent condition) or eBay to determine a starting point and go from there.

[Stev-o]

The 550 is a great "starter" bike. The shop could of easily spent $2500 in parts restoring it and wants to make a $1000 profit, but I wouldn't pay that much for it.
Hard to say how much it's worth w/o seeing it and knowing exactly what was done to it, but it's in the $2K range. Keep looking...

[bwaller]

It's worth what you're willing to pay for it.

Ask to see the workorder listing parts and what might have been done engine wise. Ask if they will offer some sort of quarantee of their work.

Offer them something less than asking to "break the ice".

There may be a whole lot of reasons why someone wouldn't pay $500 for a beater. No place to work on it, no time, not mechanically inclined, no tools, let alone the cost to restore it to the condition Pelikan describes.
 

[Stev-o]

Here are four for sale, including one that has 6500 miles for $2K:

http://motorcycles.yakaz.com/cb550-exhaust

[Stev-o]

Or this one for $2500, only 1200 miles!

http://catskills.craigslist.org/mcy/1900694028.html

[Pelikan]

Wow, only 1200 miles.  How is that even possible

I like this particular CB primarily for the peace of mind factor.  I'm mechanically inclined, but working on cars and bikes can be tedious.  I like knowing that any job that comes up will be small.  And the guy has a warranty and unlimited technical support.

After speaking with him, it seems there's some room for negotiation, so I think i'll make a move on it if I can get him down a few hundred.  Here's the link to the ad and his website...what do you guys think?

1974 Honda CB 550

vintagehondacb.com

[bender01]

Well for general It should be Orange or green for 74!/75! Price is what I would hope for here in the SE.(If I was selling) Research a little more and bring the wrong color scheme up to offer less!

[dave500]

its just a cleaned up one,missing the chain guard,fuel tap?,tell tale rust on the rear brake lever return and stop light switch,aswell as rust on various engine mount bolts,it could be a hodge podge of parts put together,all in all it looks good,but way too much money,i doubt any real engine internals have been done,going by the list of parts its just enough to bring it back from a long sleep.and lots of elbow grease and brillo pads.,beware of shiny.click on the 550 model guide and get the frame numbers etc,it might even be a 550 motor in a 500 frame?the speedo could have come from any bike,or wound back,never believe the indicated miles.

[bwaller]

Now I'll change my opinion to say this one is nice but not a $3600 example. 

If you're not concerned about model correctness then make sure the missing parts are installed and make him an offer.

I doubt the shop has much money tied up in this bike.

[Stev-o]

It looks nice, but the wrong/missing parts would concern me. Plus the price is too high, but it's your money.

Go test drive it for 30 min, that will tell you a lot. He probably bought it for $1000 [or less] and has tuned and shined it up for a flip.

Good Luck.

[Duanob]

It looks nice, but the wrong/missing parts would concern me. Plus the price is too high, but it's your money.

Go test drive it for 30 min, that will tell you a lot. He probably bought it for $1000 [or less] and has tuned and shined it up for a flip.

Good Luck.

Not in LA he paid a lot more than that in crappy condition. There seems to be a hefty west coast tax for some reason. I envy you midwesterners and southerners you can find ncie bikes for dirt cheap, but not so here. I got into an online pissing match with some guy that was selling a non-titled 550 parts bike for $1000. It didn't even run! He was pretty damn proud of it and was firm on price. No thanks. I paid $1000 for mine it was no where near what this bike in question is. To get my bike in this condition it will cost me a factory paint job and body work for the tank ~$800, matching side covers with emblems ~ $250, a nice seat ~$200, a new OEM exhaust ~$800, and so on and so on. Either you buy cheap and dump money and time or you spend the money for something to go out and ride and show off today. If that's what Pelican wants then I say go for it but negotiate a bit. $3200 isn't out of line for a super nice 550 that needs nothing in LA, SF, or Seattle.