A saga of lost love and a Honda CB400F Supersport

[Randy]

For those with a short attention span, I'll cut to the chase. I've decided to sell my Honda CB 400F Supersport (pictured below) and am posting in an attempt to figure out how much to ask for it. For those that care, the story that brought me to sell it is the bulk of the "story". Carry on...

Hi guys! I'll start this thread with a little background. Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a young couple named Randy and Teresa. They dated for 3 years and had plans to get married. Then, as often happens with couples at that age, they split up. Randy (yep, that be me) had worked during the summer break from college and saved the money to purchase an engagement ring. Once we split I used that money to purchase my first real street bike, a VF700F Interceptor:




And thus began my lifelong obsession with motorcycles. Well, not really the beginning, but still...

So anyway, we both went our separate ways and never crossed paths again. More on this to come...


The years passed, and motorcycles (and women) came and went...

A few years ago a friend talked me into purchasing an old neglected 1976 Honda CB 400F Supersport as a project. The bike had around 10,000 original miles had never been crashed and was mechanically sound. Once I got into the project I discovered that the bike was actually in pretty good shape after a LOT of deep cleaning and going through everything. It still needed a lot of attention and replacement of smaller items. I managed to find a complete NOS exhaust to replace the rusted through original. New brake lines, rebuilt carbs and other assorted items, and a ton of my time spent on details had the bike back to original, running and riding like a champ, and looking like this:



Then time marches on. newer bikes enter and the much loved 400 (nicknamed Fifi by the ex) sat neglected, under a sheet in the corner of the garage....



Now, back to Teresa and Randy.... In true fairy-tale fashion we flash forward 26 years and they reconnect for the first time since splitting all those years ago. First they just talk as old friends catching up. Yet coincidentally, they are both going through the dissolution of their current relationships. Over time they begin to talk more, and then after a while decide to meet to find out if what they both seem to be feeling is real.... It seems that all through the years, neither had ever gotten over the other. They had both always been haunted with what may have been, and the regret for mistakes made. We both assumed that the other was happily married and living out their lives in peace, and yet that was far from the truth for either of us...

Long story short, we're getting married next year!

Always in the past, "motorcycle money" stayed in the "motorcycle pot" and bikes were only sold to finance something within the motorcycling hobby. But, now I have some expenses to plan for, like engagement rings, etc. And I started thinking about the things in my garage that I really don't "need" anymore. AND, since I used the engagement ring money to buy a motorcycle all those years ago, it only seems fitting that I take that money back out of the "motorcycle pot" to pay for her a ring now.

So, I've concocted a plan to sell off some of the stable. I started with my ex-step daughters CRF70, which sold yesterday, then last night I started getting the ex-MrsRandy's TTR125LE ready to sell. I have a few other things in the works, but sometime over the winter I plan to get the CB400 out and start going through her and get her ready to put up for sale too. She ran great when last used so it shouldn't be more than the usual stuff to get her roadworthy again.

Of course I'll take better pictures once ready to list, but for all intents and purposes, the pic above pretty much is how she sits now.

I'm posting this thread because as I started thinking about selling some of my bikes I realized that I didn't know what some of them were worth. Of course I'll research elsewhere before selling, but I figured Advrider would be a good source of info to begin with. I know I'll never get back what I put into it, but I do need to start somewhere. So, my question is, what would be a decent asking price for this bike now? And secondly, other than a local craigslist ad, what would be a good place to list this bike for sale in order to reach people with an interest in classic Japanese "sporty" bikes. I don't really want to do the ebay thing, or worry with shipping it, but I do need it gone sooner rather than later.


Thanks in advance for any advice or input!


And for those that care, yes, it does appear that fairy tales can come true...

Here's the lucky couple back then:



Yeah, this was the big hair 80's.







And here we are just a couple of weeks ago, the day after I asked her to marry me:



I may be a little rough around the edges, but my love is as beautiful as ever.

[bmwrench]

She is stunning, but I'd never give up a bike for a ring.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by bmwrench

She is stunning, but I'd never give up a bike for a ring.

Did I mention that she swallows?



And you haven't seen the body!

Well, there was more to the story too...

I originally concocted my plan to sell some unused bikes in order to pay for a new bike project... But, then, as I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that I needed to reorder my priorities. Another bike will come along, but girls like this only come along once in a lifetime... or in my case twice in a lifetime. I'm not emptying the garage anyway. Just getting rid of things I don't really "need". Making some much needed room for the future and raising some much needed liquid capital for my upcoming expenses. Then after all that is settled down I'll start looking for the subject of my next project. Ordinarily I wouldn't be doing it quite in this order, but I've had some unexpected expenses lately so I need to temporarily move some money from the "bike pot" to the "ring pot". Hell, I borrowed the money from the "ring pot" 26-27 years ago anyway. Just puttin' it back...

[Wirespokes]

I'm afraid I'd turn to mush too.

[jrswanson1]

I'd check ebay for sold prices on the bikes you have. If you get that little Honda back into the condition in the picture, it's easily $2500, $3000 after March. They're becoming more popular now as cafe racers.

[Kurt V]

Originally Posted by jrswanson1

I'd check ebay for sold prices on the bikes you have. If you get that little Honda back into the condition in the picture, it's easily $2500, $3000 after March. They're becoming more popular now as cafe racers.

There are definitely more buyers than sellers out there for the 400. If it looks as good in person as it does in the pictures, and you have receipts for the work you have done, I wouldn't ask anything less than $3000. I also think you could get more in the spring.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

There are definitely more buyers than sellers out there for the 400. If it looks as good in person as it does in the pictures, and you have receipts for the work you have done, I wouldn't ask anything less than $3000. I also think you could get more in the spring.

Receipts? Yeah, right! I didn't dare keep up with what I was spending. I never built it as an "investment" and never had plans to sell it, so that wasn't a real consideration at the time. I think that I did have the receipts stuck back somewhere but I've moved since then so they are long gone now. It is what it is and it'll just have to be sold based on that and the desire of the buyer. I had a rough idea of $2500 to $3000 in my head, just based on condition anyway, and that same range has been confirmed over on the SOHC4 forum. It looks exactly as it does in those pictures, with the exceptions of some dust and cobwebs. Just needs the carbs gone back through, fresh fluids, maybe a master cylinder and/caliper rebuild or some such, and it'll be right back to where it was.

I've sold two bikes in the last 3 days, and have an interested party for one that I haven't even got running or advertised yet. I'm on a roll! Then I have a couple more I'm going to service, research and list over the next few days. Then, after those I'll pull the 400 out of the corner, do an inventory and get started. Once done and roadworthy again, I'll take a bunch of better pics, post some ads here and there and see what happens. If it sells, it sells. If it takes 'till spring then it does. No biggy. I'll probably just try for $3000 and see how long it takes before the right buyer comes along. I'm sure there's someone out there that wants one, and they aren't makin' 'em anymore...

Thanks for the input!

[R85/8]

I reckon you should eBay that bike. It looks good enough that people will compete to buy it.

Get a price from your local dealer for a bike crate and a few quotes for delivery.

It might pay for an extra diamond for the ring.

I sold a favourite bike to get a ring. Still got the same wife decades later.

[LonerDave]

Originally Posted by Randy

Did I mention that she swallows?

But you're not married yet, right? Something in the wedding cake changes them. Just sayin'.

[bmwrench]

I've heard that marriage cures nymphomania.

[kbasa]

That's kinda TMI, don't you think?

[DC2wheels]

Some people and things get better with age...like the CB400 and Teresa.

You, on the other hand........


Kidding ya' pal. You almost look as good as the 400F


I have looked at good to very good condition "vintage" in-line Hondas (years ago I sold my 900F and still regret it).

As was stated above, I think you will find you it is a very healthy seller's market- don't under estimate what you have there. You will be beating 'em away with a stick.

[R12Battletub]

"Did I mention that she swallows?

"

And the needle makes a massive scratch across the vinyl of that nice love story.

[AtLarge]

Let's see. One nice bike left and one nice lady. Randy needs to "hold" not fold.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by R12Battletub

"Did I mention that she swallows?

"

And the needle makes a massive scratch across the vinyl of that nice love story.

LOL! Well, I guess it depends on your perspective, The love story is valid... a true fairy tale, and to me a loving giving relationship involves a healthy giving sex life. The volume may have ramped up on the phonograph but the vinyl remains flawless.