Honda Project bike thoughts?

[peterbaron]

this guy knows his way around older goldwings .. sells his own parts, has his own manual.. corrects mistakes made in other manuals.. has a school, if I remember.. the real deal, if you decide to go down that goldwing road.. randakk website is the place to look ..
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Chuckk, and what would be the U$ price for a tip-top/mint condition older GW, give me a bracket. Tx.

 

[Chuckk_imp]

sorry Peter, I can't be of too much help there.. I marketed most of my bikes on the local craigslist.. sellers would list junk for much more than it was worth .. my bikes stood out a little and sold well.. but I only took the restoration to a certain level.. you get to the point of diminishing return on money spent..
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[GoldOxide_imp]

The buyers must have been satisfied Chuck.

 

[peterbaron]

If an old GW is listed for only $US2500, I would not even leave my hose to check it..:-/

 

[Lord Popgun]

I agree with PB on this one! Heck, I could have had a Goldwing in my Garage!!!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Chuck: Sounds like buyers out east. How long ago were these sales? What was the "average" listing time before sold?

 

[Chuckk_imp]

this was my last offering on craigslist.. they usually took about a month to sell.. much depended on my craigslist competition .. if my competition was too good, I would buy them up.. like big business.. haha .. the first onslaught would be from the scammers and low-ballers.. then the serious buyers would start to appear.. this last bike was sold about 2 years ago.. I would usually pay $100 to $200. for them .. not running is a good way to buy cheap, but there is risk.. out of all my bikes, only one had a rod knock when I got it running.. this aqua bike was sold to a friend, then he sold it later.. then years later, I found it for sale again cheap and not running.. how could I resist..
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if I recall correctly, I sold it for $2500.

 

[E11even_Hunnit]

Randakk is indeed very highly regarded in the older cb11f forums, as well as Jr "CBX-Tras"(for CBX upgrades)

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

this was my last offering on craigslist.. they usually took about a month to sell.. much depended on my craigslist competition .. if my competition was too good, I would buy them up.. like big business.. haha .. the first onslaught would be from the scammers and low-ballers.. then the serious buyers would start to appear.. this last bike was sold about 2 years ago.. I would usually pay $100 to $200. for them .. not running is a good way to buy cheap, but there is risk.. out of all my bikes, only one had a rod knock when I got it running.. this aqua bike was sold to a friend, then he sold it later.. then years later, I found it for sale again cheap and not running.. how could I resist..
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if I recall correctly, I sold it for $2500.

That's crazy interesting Chuck. Did re-work often include an engine teardown, or limitations were put on that type of work?

 

[Chuckk_imp]

. hmmm let's see.. water pumps were pretty common.. some head gaskets .. new belts, of course .. older 1000's automatically got electronic ignition upgrades.. fork seals, a common fix.. new, cheap, tires.. I painted most of them.. I shot color out of a spray can, then used a 2 part urethane clear coat over it .. the paint held up well with the clear-coat on top.. did I mention going through the carbs !! .. that was always a bit of a pain, but then to listen to the engine fire up after years of sleep, made it worth while .. smoke galore to start with.. the last thing sellers did was to crank and crank a poorly running bike, trying to get it to run.. some over filled the oil.. that oil level window was hard to read on some bikes.. there I go, reminiscing .. it was fun.. days were filled with glory or heartbreak.. this was one of my favorites.. but then, many were my favorites, till the next one came along..
chuckk ..
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[teamvisegrip_imp]

The first year 1975 Honda GL1000 was a nice looking bike in my opinion. I do not like the full fairing bikes. But the First few year naked bikes were nice enough.

As a kid I was given a ride on one. It was super smooth and road well.

If you have unlimited room it could be a nice bike to have. But it has to be the 1975 KO version.

 

[peterbaron]

Agree, naked GWs were the best!!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Less junk, the better.

 

[bflint]

After some thought, I think I need to do some research on costs ... not fun if spending tons of money on a open end project. Going to make a spreadsheet of tool costs, part costs, etc. Maybe just buy an engine first and attempt rebuild on that Thanks again to all

 

[pekingduck]

Bflint, one last comment from me. It may be more prudent economically to get a bike that is complete as finding and buying missing parts and hardware really adds up. I'd almost say that most Honda motors of the '70s-'80s and later won't need to be rebuilt, just carbs cleaned and tuned, if they are 20k miles or less.

And in California, having an engine, then later getting a frame means going to CHP and having them verify it, and you will need receipts and a bill of sale for the frame. Whether you buy a frame only, or a complete bike, verify that it can be cleanly registered.

I've had the misfortune of buying a used bike with a lost title that allegedly was "so old it was not in the system" only to find it had been filed as non-op 20 years ago, and without knowing the original owner, could not ever be titled or registered.

Good luck to you whichever way you go.

 

[Chuckk_imp]

I agree..

 

[bflint]

Bflint, one last comment from me. It may be more prudent economically to get a bike that is complete as finding and buying missing parts and hardware really adds up. I'd almost say that most Honda motors of the '70s-'80s and later won't need to be rebuilt, just carbs cleaned and tuned, if they are 20k miles or less.

And in California, having an engine, then later getting a frame means going to CHP and having them verify it, and you will need receipts and a bill of sale for the frame. Whether you buy a frame only, or a complete bike, verify that it can be cleanly registered.

I've had the misfortune of buying a used bike with a lost title that allegedly was "so old it was not in the system" only to find it had been filed as non-op 20 years ago, and without knowing the original owner, could not ever be titled or registered.

Good luck to you whichever way you go.

Thanks. Wisdom comes at a cost

'the most expensive project bikes are the free ones'

ask how i know this... lol.

However, doing spreadsheets and cost analysis, pfft, takes the fun out of it.

Buy whatever turns you on, is the most complete, and you think you would enjoy. If oyu start taking resale costs into it, etc, don't bother then. You'll always be making concessions and either half-ass it or get depressed about it. Look at it like any other past time. Does anybody do spreadsheets and cost analysis on watching sports? (aside from betting and fantasy teams).? no, they do it because they love it. Thats how I approach projects. Ive owned well over 100 bikes in the past 27 years. Ive bought stuff i wasn't familiar with and learned. I didn't like the way certain things were done and re-engineered them. to me, that's the fun. the ONLY bike i ever regret buying was an early honda XL175, it was pure garbage. to the point, after it dropped the second valve i literally left it at the recycling center. (some kids were dragging it into their dads truck as i was leaving, it was nice looking). But point is, have fun with the project. Buy what YOU want to tinker on. Dont sweat the costs. IF you do, and don't want to tinker on it, just buy a second modern bike maybe and mod it . Or a retro bike. 90% or 'done' cafe or modded bikes, TBH, are sketchy mechanically or electrically in some capacity, I've seen a LOT of really, really poorly done bikes that were pretty on the outside, by pros and hobbyists, regardless of how long they have been doing it, so be diligent on purchasing anything and asking questions.

Thanks. I'll factor that in

 

[teamvisegrip_imp]

I will chime in again and say to always follow the basic rules...
#1 Start with unmolested bikes with a title.
Most of these will only need the basics to get running and will boost your confidence.
#2 Do a good evaluation of the bike before you purchase. We are always blinded by what we want.
#3 Know when to stop if it turns out to be a bigger POS that what you expected. We have all had our money pits.
#4 Even if you have had experience with other mechanical things, start simple. I still think a single cylinder 2 stroke is the way to get going. But then I really love the sound of a 2 stroke. But they are easy to work on and loads of fun when done.
#5 As for tools I have a limited supply and can do a lot with them. When I need a special tool I can rent, barrow from a shop or have to purchase when the time comes.

Bottom line get something fun and easy to start. have a ball.

 

[bflint]

Member thoughts on a 1984 Honda Sabre V65 project bike for $500 on Craigslist?
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/d/san-diego-1984-honda-sabre-v65/7089838173.html
Seem to be manuals and parts on ebay. Guessing would have to put a couple grand into (exlcuding paint). Love this model ... but may have accept the money pit aspect of a project bike.

 

[pekingduck]

Member thoughts on a 1984 Honda Sabre V65 project bike for $500 on Craigslist?
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/d/san-diego-1984-honda-sabre-v65/7089838173.html
Seem to be manuals and parts on ebay. Guessing would have to put a couple grand into (exlcuding paint). Love this model ... but may have accept the money pit aspect of a project bike.

Yikes! V65 Sabres have a nice smooth, powerful motor. But they are heavy, almost 600 pounds. They are top heavy, and long, and built for the interstate, unaffected by sidewinds. They are also hard to work on, with 2 banks of cylinders and effectively 2 banks of carbs. This one has moderately high mileage at 65k, and needs carb work.

Many internal carb parts (jets, springs, needles, etc) are different between the front bank and rear bank. Mix them up, and no one will know where the parts went - the parts catalog and shop manual likely don't have that info. And it pops out of 6th gear, likely a bent shift fork, which means splitting the cases.


This would be a nice project for an inmate serving 8-10 years. Avoid it like the plague (or virus). Unless you really want it, in which case, buy it tomorrow on Friday the 13th and earn even more cojones points. :angel: