Vintage CB Honda bike market

R

Rhill

Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
188
Hi guys,

For sentimental purposes and some fun, im looking at a mid 70s Honda CB650.

Dad used to ride one, and Id love to do mild restoration on this one. Its a friend of mine who I trust dearly.

Hes asking enough to cover the carb rebuild.

Whats the market for these old Hondas? Id fix it up with Dad.....ride it up and down the road once or twice and sell it to hopefully pay for the parts

Itll need a headlight, pegs and a shifter assembly.

The rest is my labor.

Thoughts?
 
I just took a peak over at Ebay, I didn't see any 650's listed. There were a few 750's where the price's started in the $1650 range. It may be a fun thing to mess around with, but I wouldn't plan on retiring on the profits from the sale.,,
 
I bought a project non-running 1979 CB750 DOHC limited edition, three years ago for $1200. There are lots of parts available for these old bikes and they're not that hard to work on. I bought a clymer manual and rebuilt the carbs, ignition system and shimmed the valves myself. Lots of how to videos for these old bikes on youtube.

Ordered most all of my parts from www.vintagecb750.com they have 650 parts as well. The Carbs aren't that hard to work on if you take your time follow the manual and watch some videos on them. It was the first time working on bike carbs for me and they turned out well, I stayed away from the cheap ebay and amazon carb kits and used Keyster Japan parts from vintagecb750.com.

If you want a mid 70's you would be looking at 4 cylinder CB550's and CB750's, or CB500 twins, don't think the CB650 was made until the late 70's. They're all nice 70's bikes, in the early 80's hondas went to the "custom" look that's starting to appeal to me.
 
Once you ride it, you're going to want to keep it. It's like picking up stray puppies.

Sellers here consider their wares "collectable" (search for "Honda" and apply the appropriate filters). The 50cc and 70cc trail bike market is pretty insane.


I'd be looking for a good rideable example. As long as parts are available from a reputable seller, I say go for it, but be in it for the fun and not so much the profit.

If you're serious, factor in the cost of an elevated work table so you're not hunched down on the ground. There may also be a few generic, specialized tools you may need. I'd also invest in a Morgan Carbtune or something similar.

Morgan Carbtune - carburetor synchronizer for balancing motorcycle carbs

Carbtune motorcycle carburetor synchronizers;polycarbonate tool pouchs;for motorcyclists
www.carbtune.com

I have an old Bishamon LX100W lift table I got for free when my employer went 5S. I planned to add 2' extensions on both ends but have yet to get around to it (I need to buy a welder first).
 
Maybe check out parts availability first. In the mid ‘90’s I was working on a CB350 and every part I bought made the parts counter guy smile. He had been inventorying them for years and me buying them meant he didn’t have to that this year.
 
I buy and sell a few old bikes each year as a hobby since I retired. They almost always have old tires that I would not trust. There is a small oval on the side of the tire with four numbers, the first two digits are the week and the second two are the year of manufacture. Figure on $300-400 for a decent pair of tires mounted & balanced. I have a tire changing machine so that helps keep costs down.

It's easy to spend $500 on an old bike then put $1000 into it and end up with a bike worth $1200. I find that dual sport bikes seem to hold their value a bit better than street bikes. Here is the one that I am currently working on that I will be selling in a couple of weeks.
1687088240040.jpg
 
Rhill said:
Hi guys,

For sentimental purposes and some fun, im looking at a mid 70s Honda CB650.

Dad used to ride one, and Id love to do mild restoration on this one. Its a friend of mine who I trust dearly.

Hes asking enough to cover the carb rebuild.

Whats the market for these old Hondas? Id fix it up with Dad.....ride it up and down the road once or twice and sell it to hopefully pay for the parts

Itll need a headlight, pegs and a shifter assembly.

The rest is my labor.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Fully restored CB’s go for over $10,000 USD up here. The local Honda motorcycle had two 750’s on display. The 750s were iconic and would probably fetch more than a 650. I took my motorcycle license test on my buddy’s 350 -4. That was a sweet bike.
 
I'm not sure what it's worth, or if it would be worth doing. However, I own a working older Honda XL100 dirt bike restoration project and everything is junk on it. the fenders have rust, the handlebars, the aftermarket cables don't work, piston and rings are not available, the tank has rust holes that I brazed up, the muffler is hollow, and for god's sake, 100% of the bolts are rusted somewhere, the turn signals are deteriorating, and so on. In the end, it really needs more care than I can give it. Clearly, it is not worth the effort. Whether a 650 would be "worth it" or not, depends greatly on the initial condition. If those parts have deteriorated, don't bother as you will spend a lifetime and a fortune sourcing them. And many of them just can't be easily restored.

2DenPPE.jpg
 
Thanks a ton guys!

Awesome responses. Im starting to learn that from the bike community.

Ive always liked the saying....if you want competition join a car club, if you want friends join a bike club.

I think the goal would be to just get the money from it and enjoy the process. My wife and 72 year old Mother would both murder me simultaneously if I rode it regularly.

....why wouldnt they at least give me a fighting chance?!!!!

It breaks my heart because this group of guys are awesome.
 
Cujet said:
I'm not sure what it's worth, or if it would be worth doing. However, I own a working older Honda XL100 dirt bike restoration project and everything is junk on it. the fenders have rust, the handlebars, the aftermarket cables don't work, piston and rings are not available, the tank has rust holes that I brazed up, the muffler is hollow, and for god's sake, 100% of the bolts are rusted somewhere, the turn signals are deteriorating, and so on. In the end, it really needs more care than I can give it. Clearly, it is not worth the effort. Whether a 650 would be "worth it" or not, depends greatly on the initial condition. If those parts have deteriorated, don't bother as you will spend a lifetime and a fortune sourcing them. And many of them just can't be easily restored.

2DenPPE.jpg
Click to expand...
That's a cool little bike. It's probably not worth restoring from a financial standpoint but there are guys out there who grew up riding these and they will spend $5000 to restore a $2000 bike because it has meaning to them.

This '71 SL350 is another bike that I'm working on.
1687120158236.jpg
 
I’m fascinated by your intent. Sounds like a great project. The financial concern is interesting, but sometimes, things worth doing just plain cost money. It won’t be a lot of money in this case and the shared interest and memories of the project will be worth every penny.
 
spackard said:
Maybe check out parts availability first. In the mid ‘90’s I was working on a CB350 and every part I bought made the parts counter guy smile. He had been inventorying them for years and me buying them meant he didn’t have to that this year.
Click to expand...
I had a '72 Yamaha CS5 in the mid 90's. I cleaned out the local dealer of their parts too. It was a surprise when they had the tachometer drive gear on the shelf.
 
As others have said, don't expect to make much if anything off a sale unless you find a rare one in great shape for next to nothing.

I am stepping into the world right now myself. I bought a semi running CB900C.
Bought it from a guy that was going to restore it, but decided not to after he spent a few hundred just rebuilding carbs and bike still does not run right.
I paid too much for it, but have been wanting one of these for a while (reliving my teen years when my boss would let me ride his CB900C).
I already know I need at least another $1000 to get it running well (needs tires, coils, wires, valves adjusted, maybe exhaust) and maybe even more. Gas tank is questionable right now (has some poor welding done on it, and inside of tank looks rough) so not sure if I will be looking for a new tank, in which case I will probably need paint, so even more $$$.
The thing with this bike is I plan on keeping this one "forever".
I am still looking for a replacement for my Goldwing, but these '80's UJM style bikes are just neat little bikes to ride around on.
 
I'm always looking for projects now that I'm officially retired.

My friend has one of this sitting at his mom's house. It hasn't been ridden in +30 years. Bone stock and all there. I'm close to breaking him down.

1687139503598.jpg


He has one of these that's been sitting for +15 years, another unmolested example:

1687139611343.jpg


The RZ has been sitting because he got this. He's "thinking" of selling. Too rich for my blood:

1687139735862.jpg


He's into two-smokes (obvious, no?)
 
Thanks guys!!! I just found out its a CB750. And an '83

I wouldnt expect much in the way of profit.....finding a spot to work on it may prove more challenging this winter!
 
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