A Couple Of eBay Relists…

I noticed these two relists on eBay this morning, and I wonder if they will sell this time around. I am kind of surprised that the Honda has 20 bids thus far (but still not meeting reserve), whilst the XS650 has zero bids. I get that the Yamaha needs a small amount of completion work, but still…

1973 Honda CB750 (Stock Bike For Project)

If you are looking for a decent starting point for a cafe racer project, this might be a good bike to begin your work. It’s a 1973 Honda CB750 that is basically stock and in good shape. The seller provided a good list of his recent upgrades to the mechanicals, so I just cut and pasted the list shown below. There are a few more pictures on eBay of some of the details on the bike, but these give you an overall idea of what this bike has in store for you…

I don’t know if this bike is going to sell or not. It has zero bidders with just over a day left in the auction, but the starting price is at $2,500. Buy-It-Now is set at $3,200. If everything works as stated by the seller, this bike appears to be in line with what a decent CB750 is currently worth. I’d love to see pics of this bike after it gets the cafe treatment…

Had a Honda mechanic replace all the gaskets in the upper half of the engine. Head gasket, valve cover gasket, etc…
Carbs have been cleaned, rebuilt and synched
Valves have been timed
Gas tank has been lined
New OEM petcock fuel valve
Clutch has been rebuilt with OEM Honda parts, OEM clutch cable is new also
Brakes have been serviced and checked out
Original air box replaced with pod filter, carbs were re-jetted at this time with 120’s, i also have the original air box with a new K&N filter
Rear fender has been removed and replaced with a fender eliminator kit and LED rear light. Looks great on the bike. Turn signals were flush mounted and look better this way
New EMGO rear shocks have been added to replace the originals that were pretty useless. I still have them though
Low (super) bars have been added to give it more of the cafe racer look. Note- these are not “clubman” bars because i found them to be uncomfortable
Added a headlight visor to front light
Original chain has been replaced with an o-ring chain
New battery added last summer
Original paint on the gas tank (pretty sure side covers are repro)
I have the original tool kit and original manual from Honda
I also have 3 additional manuals, including the official Honda service manual which is amazing
Tires have plenty of tread on them
Electric ignition and kick start both work great
All lights, guages and electronics function perfectly

1975 Honda CB750 (Good Project Bike)

If you’re looking for a good starting point for a cafe racer project, this might be just the ticket. It’s being auctioned on eBay, although the price is a bit high. However, the seller is stating what needs to be done to it (wheel and steering bearings), so if you were to utilize the Best Offer function, you might be able to get the bike for well less than the $2,900 asking price. Ask questions of this 100% Feedback seller ahead of time if you have questions about anything not mentioned in the listing…

1976 Honda CB750 from Lossa Engineering

I’ve posted several Lossa Engineering bikes in the past, and this is probably my least favorite of the ones that have been auctioned off on eBay. Overall, it is a nicely done cafe racer of sorts, but I think the style just isn’t my cup of tea.

Likes: I love all the detail work on the mechanicals. The drilled sprocket cover and shifter are a great touch. The double front discs are well done. The exhaust is unique and cool looking. The street tracker tail section is always nice to see, and I like the dual taillight treatment. And all the powder coating and nickel plating looks really good.

Dislikes: The upside down superbike bars. The paint job (personal taste, ymmv). That funky sprocket cover on the rear wheel. And the Pirelli Scorpion A/T tires (I had them on my KTM ).

There are lots more pictures and more info on the build and parts on eBay if you’re interested. I doubt this bike is going to meet reserve, though, as there are only 20 hours left and the price is only about $2K at this time. I think if you look at some of the other Lossa bikes that I’ve posted or on their website, you’ll see that this CB750 is a bit different in direction from most of the other bikes to come out of the shop. I’m sure this one will find a home, but it might not be quite as easy as with a more classically-styled builds…

1974 Honda CB750 Project Bike

“Hey, Billy Jack!”

“Hi, Frank. How you doing?”

“Just great. You know that CB750 I picked up last month?” asked Billy Jack.

“Yeah,” said Frank, rubbing his chin.

“I’m gonna add on some new suspension parts from that old CBR I’ve got sitting in the shed. It’ll be wicked cool!”

“You sure you wanna do that?” Frank asked. Silence greeted his question…

1974 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer

When I first saw this bike, my initial thoughts were about it’s “British-ness”. I don’t think that’s a word, but none-the-less the bike gave off an anglo vibe. Then, after pondering it for a bit, I realized it was the chrome. To me, all of the chrome (fenders, accessories, bars) just brought visions of a tricked out brit bike. Or maybe I was just channeling Quadrophenia with a mind full of 10 mirror scooters racing around the UK.

And then I noticed the exhaust pipe… 😦 The buyer of this bike will probably fix it, but why? JC Whitney can supply cheepo mufflers that look better than a piece of straight black pipe attached to chrome headers.

There are 4 hours and 30 minutes left in the auction as I write this, and bidding is only at $1,325. So if you are willing to put a set of mufflers on a 30K mile CB750, this is actually quite a good buy at this price. Good luck if you choose to bid!

1971 Honda CB750 Dunstall-Style Cafe Racer

I’m not going to write a lot about this bike. I’ve got a cut-and-paste from the listing of some of the things done to this bike, and there are a few more pics in the listing if you want to check them out. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!!!

There are 4 days left in the auction, and the price is currently at $3,950. The seller seems honest, and has good feedback. This is a sweet looking bike that should really be a runner, too.

From the listing…
The engine has been completely rebuilt. It has an 850 big bore kit in it with a real nice street cam in it. The head have new valves, guides, springs, & keepers. The lower half has been rebuilt with new heavy duty chains & all new factory bearings & seals. The bike runs great & pulls really hard for an old girl !!!
The tank is a new fiberglass Dunstall style & has been coated with KBS tank coating for years of use with todays fuel additives. The tail is fiberglass & is completely rubber mounted! (no cracking or un-wanted vibration on this bike.)
The wheels are 18” alum high shouldered laced with stainless spokes & Mich tires.
The forks are completely rebuilt with new Progressive springs, new seals & oil.
The exhaust sounds great, it is a perfect blend of low rpm quiet with high rpm scream.
The bike has been professionally painted using only the highest quality materials. The pics do not do justice to the clarity of this paint job.

1975 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer

I’ve been debating whether or not to post this CB750 cafe racer because of a couple of things. First off, this bike has been lowered front and rear. This would seem to make the bike handle worse than a bike that had been raised from the original ride height. Secondly, it is somewhat of a self-proclaimed showbike with a high Buy-It-Now price. The current bid with 24 hours left is reasonable at around $3K, but it hasn’t met reserve yet.

What’s good about this bike? It’s beautiful! Just take a look!!! And it’s nicely built by what appears to be a good team of builders.

However, like I said earlier, it’s been lowered. Take that for what it’s worth. My 2 cents only.

Good luck with this auction. Overall, it looks like an awesome buy regardless of the closing price (within reason of course). It’s a beautiful, well built bike that should make the buyer very happy.

Honda CB750 SOHC Exhaust

Up for auction on eBay right now is the clean-looking exhaust for a SOHC CB750. It appears to be vintage, and the seller claims it is a high-performance part, but no verification on this unless a reader of the blog can positively ID the pipe. It’s just under $300 with 3 days left in the auction. This would make a nice pipe on just about any cafe racer project, especially one with a blacked-out theme…

1975 Honda CB750

As in the past, I don’t advocate tearing this bike to pieces. I also believe that the ending price on the auction might dictate that the buyer won’t be looking to convert this bike to a cafe racer. But…

If you spend the coin on this bike, it appears to be a great basis for a really nice cafe racer. It only has about 14.3K miles on the odometer, the seller claims it runs perfectly, and it only has a few cosmetic blemishes (cracked side covers.

On the other hand, the paint is not original, nor is it done in an original Honda color/scheme. So it’s value as a true collectible has been minimized. I guess that means that it could go one of three ways. Buyer wins auction and rides the bike as is for many more thousands of miles before reselling it as a slightly rattier bike. Or the buyer wins the auction, strips it down to the frame, and restores it into a concours winning bike. Lastly, you could win the auction, strip off all the extraneous stuff, through on some clip-ons, a nice Giuliari seat, a set of alloy rear-sets, beef up the suspension, and you’d have a great, reliable cafe racer that would be at home on Mulholland riding to Rock Store, or going up Deal’s Gap during a crisscrossing ride of the Smoky Mountains.

Bidding is currently under $900, but there is still over 6 days left in the auction. Good luck!