almost CB1 owner

[no7brand]

Hello all,

here's some pics of a CB1 im going to go look at. If you have any advice on what to watch out for or what to check over when I go and see it, it would be a help. I've been looking for quite awhile now for a -1, although living in Vancouver, Canada It seems they're few and far between out here.

I've studied most of the postings on this forum for a few weeks now. There's been some great tips from owners about faulty voltage regulators and poor fork bearings, but if there's anything else that can help me with my purchase it will be greatly appreciated

Take a look at the pics and tell me what you think. Its a 1990 with 15,215 Km on it and they're asking $3900 CAD

Let me know!!

Thanks,
No7Brand

[clarkdw]

Hi No7Brand
Gosh, that's a rarity here. It is a Japanese market bike. The only ones that were shipped here new were the "smurf blue" ones with a number of other differences as well.
I bought my CB-1 from Gibsons B.C. almost exactly one year ago. It was like new with 8100km. I bought it off ebay for just under $2500 U.S. By the time I had it shipped here to Ontario the total was about $3500 CAN. I think that $3900 is the top of the range for pricing but really nice examples are getting harder and harder to find. There are several for sale right now here in Ontario that are approaching that. One at $3500 and one at $3900. It looks like this bike is starting to follow the earlier CB400F in value.

I think that if the bike is really nice and this is what you want you won't lose money.
Clark

[no7brand]

Well, I went and took a look at this bike today and here are some pics I took. Looked a bit different in person. Needs some TLC and a bit of elbow grease, but thats what I wanted. Now I gotta work on getting it for a reasonable price. Any opinions on this topic please don't hesitate to throw 'em my way.

Thanks for the reply clark!  Have a look at these pics and tell me what you think...

               http://photos.yahoo.com/trevor213

Cheers,
No7Brand

[sachiwilson]

Wow, that fork leg.  Unless I'm mistaken that's not going to buff out.  You'll need to replace those fork legs for sure, unless you want to replace your seals on every ride!     Other than that, it looks like you have a lot of rust and at least one ugly dent in the tank.  With that sort of exterior condition you have to wonder about the interior condition too - you can count on the carbs being in about the same shape as the forks, clogged completely.  It didn't run, did it?  Are you able to rebuild carbs?  It's about a $700 job at an American dealer (ask me how I found out) to clean a set of carbs, including replacing all the old seals and crappy bits. 

Old bikes are money pits.  Buy it if you love it and want to spend more than its worth to bring it back up to its proper glory.

[no7brand]

Just want to say a big thanks to you guys for the advice here in the last few days.  But I decided not to go along with this purchase. For the amount of work that needs to be put into it and the fact that they won't budge in price, it seemed best to walk away...

        ...the search goes on...

[clarkdw]

Just want to say a big thanks to you guys for the advice here in the last few days.  But I decided not to go along with this purchase. For the amount of work that needs to be put into it and the fact that they won't budge in price, it seemed best to walk away...

        ...the search goes on...

Good luck in your quest. If you can find one for a reasonable cost even a long way away, the shipping cost is not outrageous and there is at least one shipper in Vancouver that I can reccommend personally. It is not an enormous deal to bring a bike in from the U.S. either if you can find one there.  http://www.riv.ca/

I also realize now that I have seen what I am sure is the bike you looked at advertised quite some time ago so they may be stuck with it.

Anyway, if you are willing to wait I am sure a good CB-1 will come to you and it is definitely worth the wait.
Clark