Terry you need to go to Sydney, it's huge there. Deus seem to have done it all on their own.
Having been rebuilding a CB400F down here in Australia for the past two years, I can see why this guy is hoping to get $15,000 it. That's about what it would have cost him to get to that point. He's probably just looking to get what he put in.
If the engine was done by Andrew Pud from Pud's Parts then he's not cheap, I can imagine that that would have cost $3000 at least. He probably got the bike as a runner for anywhere between $3000 to $8000, as you know, that's what a decent CB750 goes for down here. So conservatively he's already getting up around $10k.
Does that mean the market will pay $15k for essentially a tricked up black CB750? Well as I said, go buy a cafe, bobber, flattracker etc already built from Deus and you'll pay close to that. Or a new Hinckley Triumph for $12k - $15k for a similar look. If you want the look, then you'll pay the price. Which is what that whole cafe thing is about these days right, the look?
I look at that attitude like this. If you've got $15k and you want something 'cool', you're not going to get a Porsche. You don't know a thing about bikes so you're not going to buy a beater and restore it. You'll go to Deus (or this guy) and pay $15k for something that runs and looks the part. Fashion, marketing, trends... Nothing new.
Hell I would have spent close to $15k over two years on my little CB400F and it's still not running!
If this type of bike building/selling keeps guys like Pud's Parts in business, then I'm all for it. It might also mean I could get what I put into my bike one day, right? Right?
Rick.