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Cars & Coffee Killer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: State of Failure
Posts: 32,246
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1984 Honda CB550SC-E
To stop hijacking Shaun's thread...
I went and looked at a 1984 Honda CB550SC-E tonight. This bike was only made for one year and has a DOHC engine. The good: The bike is in good mechanical condition. It has 11,400 miles. No leaks and it is obvious that it has been taken care of. The bad: The bike has been dumped a few times. Both exhaust pipes are dented. There is some paint missing from the top of the gas tank. The right-side trim is missing. The neutral light stays on when the bike is in 1st. Current owner is asking $1,200. I have no idea if this is a good price or not. I was thinking this would make a good "learner" bike and then I could pass it on to my wife. I'd fix the cosmetic stuff after both of us were competent riders.
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Some Porsches long ago...then a wankle... 5 liters of VVT fury now -Chris "There is freedom in risk, just as there is oppression in security." |
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04-30-2008, 05:31 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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you can buy a lot better for that money..
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04-30-2008, 05:32 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Magnolia State
Posts: 7,548
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General rule of thumb on 20 + yo jap bikes is $1.00/cc if its running and fairly complete. Half that if it hasn't run in a while but was runninh when parked.
At least I read that somewhere. 
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04-30-2008, 05:52 PM
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Driver
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Agree with Jared's assessment. You can probably do better (for a starter bike) for the money. 20 year-old bikes aren't necessarily the most reliable. As a newbie, you'll have more fun with the whole sport of motorcycling if you're riding than wrenching. And I'm not a fan of "1 year only" models. Parts are often hard to come by on 20 year-old bikes. They're even harder to come by in limited edition models, like the one you're contemplating.
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1987 Venetian Blue (looks like grey) 930 Coupe 1990 Black 964 C2 Targa |
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04-30-2008, 05:59 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,441
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I had a CBX550 1983 model here in Canada. i believe it was NA in the USA. It was a great machine. I do not think parts should be a major problem as it is a Honda after all.
Good Luck!
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1970 911 t (sold) 1985 MR2 (sold) 2011 GT 5.0 2007 CRV |
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04-30-2008, 06:15 PM
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Bikes have come a long way in 25 years. If you're willing to take one with some cosmetic damage, something mid-late 90's should be available for that price.
I rarely buy one that isn't running or hasn't been stored inside. Too many others out there to choose from. Jim
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down to jap bikes that run and a dead Norton |
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04-30-2008, 06:39 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MS.
Posts: 2,322
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A Honda Shadow would be a nice learner bike. It would be fine for the wife afterwards, being it is not a big heavy bike.
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84' Steelslantnose Cab. 1953 Dodge B-4-B-108" 90,127 miles 1953 Dodge B-4-C-116" 58,146 miles 1954 Dodge C-1-B8-108" 241V8 POLY 1973 Roadrunner 440-SIX-PACK* 1986 F-250 Super Cab-460 V8 tow Newest additions- Matching numbers 1973 340 Road Runner!! 1948 Dodge B-1-F-152" 1-1/2 ton Dump body, 39,690 miles others... |
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04-30-2008, 07:02 PM
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MAGA
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 10,776
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Legion, I still own a 1983 Nighthawk 650 which is very similar. These bikes are fairly trouble free as they have hydraulic lifters, hydraulic clutch and shaft drive. As far as I know, the 550 version has the same "modern" engine type whereas the 750 nighthawks still had the "older" CB based engines. The only red flag with the bike you are looking at is the fact that it obviously has been layed down. The forks may well be slightly bent which can often lead to some evil handling quirks. If I were you, I would have a very experienced motorcycle rider take it for a spin to see if it has any nasty tendencies prior to pulling the trigger. As others have stated, you can probably find many bikes in that price range so spend some time looking around.
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German autos: '79 911 SC, '87 951, '03 330i, '08 Cayenne, '13 Cayenne 0% Liberal Men do not quit playing because they get old.... They get old because they quit playing. |
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05-01-2008, 03:27 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 44,401
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based only on the above, keep looking Chris, a good bike will turn up.
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Tru6 Restoration & Design |
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05-01-2008, 04:05 AM
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Friend of Warren
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 16,496
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For $1200 that bike should be in perfect condition.
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Kurt V No more Porsches, but a revolving number of motorcycles. |
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05-01-2008, 05:28 AM
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Cars & Coffee Killer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: State of Failure
Posts: 32,246
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What if he would take $900 for it?
And it looks to me like it was dropped at low speed--something I'll probably do a few times myself.
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Some Porsches long ago...then a wankle... 5 liters of VVT fury now -Chris "There is freedom in risk, just as there is oppression in security." Last edited by legion; 05-01-2008 at 05:43 AM.. |
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05-01-2008, 05:29 AM
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
Posts: 28,943
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Would steer away from it. Models that were made only one year and are 25 years old are not what you want for a daily driver. Get something that is more current and have a longer production run.
Getting parts for a bike like this could be difficult and will only get worse with age.
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2013 Jag XF, 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins (the workhorse), 1992 Jaguar XJ S-3 V-12 VDP (one of only 100 examples made), 1969 Jaguar XJ (been in the family since new), 1985 911 Targa backdated to 1973 RS specs with a 3.6 shoehorned in the back, 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (former SCCA H-Prod), 1995 BMW R1100RSL, 1971 & '72 BMW R75/5 "Toaster," Ural Tourist w/sidecar, 1949 Aeronca Sedan / QB |
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05-01-2008, 05:36 AM
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MAGA
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 10,776
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Quote:
I personally would look for something with less damage (replacing dented/scraped pipes will cost a fortune even if bought used). Paint and turn signals are relatively cheap to fix, but whether the frame/forks are straight or not, scraped pipes will make re-selling that someday a problem as it is a dead giveaway that the bike has gone down. That said, the Nighthawks of that era were very good/modern compared to other bikes of that time.
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German autos: '79 911 SC, '87 951, '03 330i, '08 Cayenne, '13 Cayenne 0% Liberal Men do not quit playing because they get old.... They get old because they quit playing. |
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05-01-2008, 05:45 AM
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Ducati
1987 Porsche 930 3.3T
the stable a few years ago
2013 
