The economy is pretty bad in Ohio,and barn bikes will rust if kept in a barn.Plenty of 1500.00 bikes if you wait for a deal. There are a couple of independent shops i visit that consign them in the winter time and others just show up here and there. Never saw any deals on CL. That being said,here is the list of what I have and what I am looking at. 1972 CB100 for $500. Nice original condition, but a Delivery truck tipped it over and the dented tank brought an insurance settlement for $600. 1974 CB360 [rusty and flaking chrome handlebars] from a guy who owed me [$150.00] money. $150.00 invested another 120.00 and it was on the road. Put 12,000 rode the snot out of it miles so far. Milk crate tied on with wires on the back for that street bike KLR look 1977 CB550 for 100.00. This one is going to be pretty in original condition.. Probably 100.00 plus tires will put it on the road. Actually the tires look real good,but I know that sitting for 21 years they have to be cooked. 1979 CB750 for 750.00. Running real nice and looked clean from its purchase date 2 years ago, no repairs needed. I do not like this bike as much as I first thought I would and I will probably sell it for 1200.00 or so.. It really needs another gear like my six speed 360,if you ask me... 1985 or 1986 [not sure] Honda Nighthawk 450 that I am hoping to close on in a couple of weeks. For $200.00. If Nighthawks are as cool as I have heard,I just might dump the beater CB360 for 600.00 or so. Not trying to count my chickens before they are hatched,but this is a private family deal and I have a good feeling that this could be my daily driver. 1981 Goldwing Interstate [Really straight and pretty paint}-- that is one I would love to have, but I am afraid that it could be more money to get it running well than I am used to spending--and the wife says no. I feel like the 600.00 asking price could be a real nice price or could cause some regrets. Gonna pass because I do not feel the luck will be with me. If I did talk the wife into the deal,I could see having to put up with "I told you so" when the bike turned on me. So four that I have,one on the way, and one that is nice to think about some day. Two of these bikes would qualify for the 5-5-5. Riding a really old bike and telling people I meet how much I like the old stuff seems to help me get bikes and more offers than I can afford .
The economy is pretty bad in Ohio,and barn bikes will rust if kept in a barn. That being said,here is the list. 1972 CB100 for $500. Nice original condition, but a Delivery truck tipped it over and the dented tank brought an insurance settlement for $600. 1974 CB360 [rusty and flaking chrome handlebars] from a guy who owed me [$150.00] money. $150.00 invested another 120.00 and it was on the road. Put 12000 rode the snot out of it miles so far. Milk crate tied on with wires on the back for that street bike KLR look 1977 CB550 for 100.00. This one is going to be pretty in original condition.. Probably 100.00 plus tires will put it on the road. Actually the tires look real good,but I know that sitting for 21 years they have to be cooked. 1979 CB750 for 750.00. Running real nice and looked clean from its purchase date 2 years ago, no repairs needed. I do not like this bike as much as I first thought I would and I will probably sell it for 1200.00 or so.. It really needs another gear like my six speed 360,if you ask me... 1985 or 1986 [not sure] Honda Nighthawk 450 that I am hoping to close on in a couple of weeks. For $200.00. If Nighthawks are as cool as I have heard,I just might dump the beater CB360 for 600.00 or so. Not trying to count my chickens before they are hatched,but this is a private family deal and I have a good feeling that this could be my daily driver. 1981 Goldwing Interstate [Really straight and pretty paint}-- that is one I would love to have, but I am afraid that it could be more money to get it running well than I am used to spending--and the wife says no. I feel like the 600.00 asking price could be a real nice price or could cause some regrets. Gonna pass because I do not feel the luck will be with me. So for that I have,one on the way, and one that is nice to think about some day. Two of these bikes would qualify for the 5-5-5. Riding a really old bike and telling people I meet how much I like the old stuff seems to help me get bikes offered to me.
My first bike was an '80 KZ650. Paid $700, drove it for two years and 40k miles. Only non-consumable I had to replace was the voltage rectifier. $350 for a 79 XS650 special. Dumb bike and I always felt like I overpaid.
Picked this up for $800 a few weeks ago. 83 Honda C70 Passport, only ~1200 original miles, it had sat since the mid 80s. Flushed the gas tank, cleaned the carb, replaced the spark plug, changed the oil, adjusted the valves and added a fresh battery. Fired up on the second kick. I swapped out the original (:eek1), crusty, 29 year old tires for a fresh set of Michelins, and it's good to go. Runs like a top, but smokes a little on cold startup. Maybe valve stem seals? Doesn't smoke at all when it's warmed up. Anyway, I have about $1000 into it at this point, and it returned 107 mpg on my first tank of gas.
It feels most comfortable cruising at about 40 mph. It might make it to 45-50 with my 210 lbs. on it. Of course, since the engine is basically the same as the one in a CRF70, there are tons of engine upgrades available if I ever want to make it faster.
I sold this bike and doubled my money. The money never filled in the hole in my heart from selling the bike. I wish I never sold it!
About 22 years ago I bought a Hondamatic (think it was about a 350) in the summer in northern Utah. I had never ridden a bike before, picked it up for $500, didn't know enough to notice that the bars weren't exactly lined up Rode it for 3 months and sold it to a dealership for $450 when I moved back to California. Best $50 I ever spent!!
My collection of 80's era Hondas. First up 1980 Honda Twinstar. Kind of an impulse buy. But it was so nice I just could not pass it up, not quite showroom but close enough, 1300 Miles. $1000.00 1983 Honda CM 250. More or less a barn find. On CL as non running, cleaned the carb (twice), runs just fine now. Best $300.00 I have ever spent, I run the piss out of the 250. 1985 Vt 700. First machine I bought. Grown fond of the old girl. I talked him down $25.00 To $1475.00!
$1000. Chain/sprockets $200, fuel pump $100, injector cleaning $80. Misc fluids and fuel line bits and fittings $100. Just slides me in under $1500 if you don't count paying tribute to the Man for a new reg. sticker. Have had it on the road just under 2 weeks now, and a few hundred miles under the belt. Fuel gauge doesn't work but this is a solid reliable bike compared to what I've had for the previous 3-4 years. Maiden voyage to the sushi spot: I'm not big fan of Hinkley Triumphs, but I'm a fan of functional mirrors, cold starting with no ritual, and a windscreen and mushy seat for the approaching winter (not to mention no oil spraying on my pant leg or shoe). -Johnny
LOVED my little Radian!!! I got mine for $900 back in `05. Still wish I had it for my daughter, but it would have sat with the purchase of the Connie.
I've never paid $1500 for a bike! I'm not even sure that any of mine ended up costing that much even after the rebuild... I love my cheapies. My "first" bike was a free '86 Radian that I found on the curb on garbage day (!) Knocked on the door, asked the guy if he was really throwing away a motorcycle. He said yes, I pushed it home two blocks on two flat tires. I was 14 at the time and had little to no idea of how to fix a motorcycle, and when my mom found it in the shed, she made me get rid of it. My first actual bike was a $400 '79 CX500, which I sadly no longer have. I tried to turn it into a cafe racer but, being 17 at the time, didn't really have the skillset I do now, and it just ended up being an ugly lump. Reliable as hell, though. Next was a $400 '78 GL1000. This one was actually two bikes I bought as a lot - one with a bent frame but running motor, and one with a usable frame but seized motor. I spent about a year and a half doing a frame up restoration/reassembly on this one. By far my favorite bike out of all I've ridden. No, it doesn't go as fast or turn as hard as a modern bike, but something about it "feels right." I still have it, recently rode it for a 3-day tour of the Upper Peninsula: I also recently acquired a "free" '93 GL1500. It's a basketcase, which is why "free" is in quotation marks. It's mostly there, but damn the plastics for these things are expensive. It'll probably end up costing me about a grand to get it on the road: And finally, I bought an '83 CX650 last weekend for $500. I just started a build thread on this site. I do have the tank and body panels, but the bike actually looks better without them!
That green GL ROCKS.!! I have been toying with finding a standard GL and doing something like you did. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks! I've had this bike almost as long as I've been riding, and I'll probably have it until I can't get parts for it anymore, or I'm too old to ride, whichever comes first. It's one of those projects that is never quite done. This winter I'll be tearing it down to have the frame and a few other parts blasted and powdercoated, and I'll be trying my hand at building a manifold for a supercharger. Then somewhere down the road, fuel injection, and the list goes on and on...