OK, this will make you all very jealous, so don't say I didn't warn you. Around 1990 my original 4 in 4 had served around 75.000 kms and needed to be renewed. I heard a Honda dealer had two genuine CB500 exhausts lying around and he wanted to get rid of them because he needed the room. He let me have them for € 50,- each. I couldn't believe my eyes, they were indeed NEW. I started making some phonecalls and found #3 in Haarlem, not even 20 kms from here. That dealer would not sell that one for less than € 75,-. So for € 175 I had three exhausts NEW (unused!). I decided I had had enough luck, went back to the first dealer and ordered #4 new for the fixed Honda price. BTW, the reason those dealers had those exhausts lying around was because in the 70s, for some silly reason, some bikers bought a new CB500 but wanted a 4-1 on it from the start. They had heard all kinds of foolishness. I just came in the right time at the right place. Those dealers were tired of those exhausts and didn't expect them to sell them anymore. Had I waited another three weeks, I could have had also #4 for € 75,- as well, again NEW. It was advertised but was a 100 km from here.
Now as if my luck was not complete yet: some months later the technician that came to inspect my central heating system turned out to be an CB500 owner too. He told me he desired his bike to look original and was in search of the genuine 4-4, but could not afford new ones. I showed him my old set that still hang in the garage and said he could have the four for € 100,-. Mind you the headers were stiil as new. Glad like a child he was. All in all, I must be the person that had a new set of 4-4 for the lowest price in the world.
