1971 Honda CB

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I have here a beautiful 1971 Honda CB 750 “Four” model K1 Motorcycle. This is a TRUE one owner SURVIVOR bike. It has 14,843 original miles from new. The CB 750, with its big 4-cylinder engine revolutionized the motorcycle world with its debut in 1969. The early CB’s are increasing fast in value and are desirable by both collectors and vintage bike riders. Original, early, nice condition CB750s are hard to find. This bike came from the 85 year old original owner and his wife, less than three weeks ago. For privacy reasons, I will refer to the original owners as “Mr. & Mrs. Edgar Smith”. The story starts in Chicago in 1971. Mr. & Mrs. Smiths’ Son-in-law and daughter bought a brand new 1971 Honda CB750 from the dealership in Illinois. Edgar in his younger days owned and rode bikes, and he and his wife had met as teenagers when he owned a 1936 Harley. He always regretted selling that bike. So when his son-in-law showed him the new Honda he just purchased, Edgar had to have one too! He went out and bought the same bike two weeks later from the same Illinois dealership! The four of them enjoyed trips together on the bikes including a few road trips to the Michigan great lakes area every couple years. Their biggest trip was a three week trip all the way to California and back! In 1972 Mr. & Mrs. Smith moved to Florida for a couple years, then back to Illinois again in 74’, where he re-registered the bike back in his home state. Then finally in 1984, they moved here to California. From then on they very seldom used the motorcycle. Old age and the worries from his wife that he would be in an accident deterred Edgar from using the bike and it sat covered in hibernation in their garage for years. Please note that this garage was not some messy dusty junk filled garage. It was a very clean and tidy garage, and the bike enjoyed a very clean and sterile environment the whole time! We all know old folks take care of their stuff! Included in the attached photos is a picture from two weeks ago of Edgar sitting on the bike in his garage for the last time. Over the years, Edgar would try to keep the battery, and start the bike up once in a great while but never rode it. Then it was decided recently by his family that he should sell the bike. The son-in-law, an engineer by trade, (who still owns and works on HIS own CB750), helped Edgar service the bike and freshen it up. I spoke with the Son-in-law in great length regarding all the things they did. They cleaned out the fuel system, disassembled the carbs, etc.; There was an issue with one of the floats so it was repaired. The oil was serviced. The brake system was serviced which included a NOS master cylinder kit the son-in-law had for his bike. A new slave cylinder was also installed, and pads were all checked. They bought a new battery, replaced a taillight bulb and cleaned the air filter, which is still original. So after a couple weekends of getting it road ready again, the son-in-law took the bike out for its first ride in years. He said after the first ride there was still a couple small things to dial in, but they got it all sorted. The bike starts on the first push of the starter button and purrs like a kitten. I myself have ridden the bike only once and it rides perfectly. A couple of accessories that the bike includes which were items Edgar had for the bike are a rear rack with “sissy” bar, and really neat old vintage windscreen. The rear rack is OEM and marked CB750, but I think he added the small wood slats on top of the stock metal slats. It is very functional and they made good use of it on their long road trips! It is easily removable but I wanted to leave the bike exactly like Edgar had it for this sale. The windscreen is truly a vintage item. It is Plexiglas with chrome mounting brackets. You can tell by the look of it and the edging that it is very old. When I asked the 85 year old guy to start the bike for me, you could see the excitement in his eyes. He revved it up over and over. His elderly wife yelled over the sound of the bike, telling him to shut it off! It was comical. I could see why they were worried about him riding it and wanted it sold! The condition of the Motorcycle is truly awesome for its 41 year age. It has almost all of its original parts from new and what are not original are things that the original owner did years ago. I have changed nothing. The items that are not original from brand new are as follows: --Exhaust system is a four to one instead of 4 to 2. Mr. Smith changed this very soon after he bought the bike for fear of his wife getting burned getting on and off the back; It is in perfect condition and sounds great! He did not keep the stock exhaust. --The battery is new from a couple months ago. --Small parts used to service the brakes. No outside visible parts were changed in the brake system; --An old Stewart Warner Oil pressure gauge was added just below the instruments. (See photo); Edgar added it years ago. It is actually very functional, lights up and works perfectly. It looks pretty cool and I didn’t want to remove it for the sale. It can easily be removed, but again, I did not want to change anything from the way he had the bike. --I cannot confirm, but I suspect the headlight bulb may have been changed. I don’t know what brand a stock one would have been but this one is a GE brand. --The paint on the tank has been redone. Edgar said he thinks it was in done in about 1982, just before they moved to California. He said the top had become scratched up from stuff sitting on the tank in front of him on their trips. It is hard to tell, but by looking really close I could see that it didn’t have that “old paint” look. It may have had only the top part redone, with the stripes masked off. I didn’t get clarification on this but the tank has a couple other very, very, small chips from age. (about a match head size) --Chrome “crash bars” with freeway pegs. Again, these were added by the owner, and so I left them alone. They are easily removable. -- There are a couple cool vintage motorcycle decals under the seat that of course are not original. I was going to remove them, but after I thought about it I wanted to keep everything as it was. --A very cool old St. Christopher (patron saint for safety) badge is strapped to the frame just below the head tube. They are Catholic and his wife added it for safety on their travels. They insisted it stay on the bike. =) The “Good” and special things to point out: --Engine is completely original and never been apart, except for carbs being serviced; It is in exceptional condition, all chrome is very nice, aluminum is nice, no scratches or scrapes on the covers from being laid over, etc. All the hoses and rubber are very nice. --The black plastic airbox is original and very nice, with no cracks, etc.; --The plastic chain guard is in excellent shape and still shines like new. --The lights and lenses are all very nice, everything works; blinkers, taillights, brake light, headlight, instrument lights, etc. No aftermarket lenses on any of the lights, all OEM. --The seat is practically perfect. Mr. Smith said he tried to take great care to it. I found a super small split (about a 1/4 inch) on the underside, which you can’t see unless you open the seat up. You would probably never notice it unless I pointed it out. --All the chrome is very nice. Handlebars, trim, fenders, pipes, wheels, all of it. It’s not perfect but very, very nice. --The Tires are Original. They are in good shape and not weather cracked. I inspected them again after riding and they looked ok. --The bike comes with the Illinois license plate and title that Mr. Smith was issued when he moved back to Illinois in 74’. The bike was never registered in California when he moved here, and is most likely out of all the DMV data bases. --The bike has the original tool kit in excellent shape. (See photos); --The bike comes with the original owner’s manual. It has been taped on the binding from age, but it’s original to the bike. --The Rubber fork “gators” are excellent, not cracked, as well as the rear shocks which are also original. --The handle grips are original and look like new. --All the original factory stickers for safety, etc., on the rear fender, under the seat, etc. are all there. --The motorcycle has its original side mirrors and are very nice. The “bad”: --A couple years ago there was a leak from the top of the brake fluid reservoir on the handlebars. The bike was parked with the bars turned and so it dripped on to the tank. It damaged the paint on the tank in a small area near the Honda emblem (see right side photo). It is the size that could be covered by a .50 cent piece probably. It could be touched up but I did not want to try to cover anything up. --The tires are original. This might be good for originality, but not sure about long term road use. I have ridden the bike only once. I think they would be fine for town use, but I would not recommend any long term use or freeway just in case. These are 40 year old tires. --The end of the left rubber foot peg has a chunk out of the end. The owner said it happened when he hit the edge of the peg with his rotor tiller as he wheeled it near the bike while parked in the garage and cut the end. I have an original (not aftermarket) replacement peg that I will include with the sale. I didn’t want to put it one yet because I wanted to leave the bike just as it was. I can send a photo on request. --Don’t think this is a big deal but it seems as though when Mr. Smith registered the bike back in Illinois for the second time in 74’ they registered it to the engine number instead of the VIN on the head tube. It is the original number matching engine. The year, model, and everything on the title are correct. I asked about this and he said it may have been a DMV error, like maybe the DMV staff person didn’t know where to look and saw that number and used it. I spoke to DMV and they said I could request when it is registered, that the VIN be used again since it’s clearly not in the DMV system. This Motorcycle is a survivor. It has escaped the junkyards, customizers, and all those guys out there itching to tear it down and turn it into to a café racer. I have seen many bikes for sale on eBay. Some are restored, some are customized, and some are described as “original”. However some of these so called “all original” bikes have 75% of their parts either replaced with new aftermarket ones or restored. There is a difference between original looking, and Original. Yes, restored bikes are very nice. But they are only original ONCE. This Honda is being presented exactly like the original owner used it for the last 41 years. I have tried to leave everything as he had it. This bike is not a restored bike, but is a very well kept and preserved original. Another important thing to remember is that is that has already been freshened up and is road ready. It is not a bike that has been sitting in a collection on moth balls. You cannot just hit the road with a bike that’s been sitting for decades. This bike can be admired AND enjoyed. Whether you buy this bike to ride or to just park as an investment, you will not be disappointed. My reserve is below what this bike is worth. This is a rare opportunity to buy a very well kept, low mileage, 41 year old, one owner motorcycle. Over the last decade, the stock market has gotten shaky and investments in classic cars and motorcycles have increased. Their values will only get stronger. I will accept payment either via PayPal or cash upon local pick up. Any other arrangements must be made with me prior to purchase and auction close. I encourage any and all questions and have MANY more photos that I will be happy to email any serious potential bidders. I will not be responsible for shipping, but will assist with arrangements. I have shipped classic cars in the past and have good feedback. If you are within reasonable distance and would like to see the bike in person before bidding that can be arranged. If you have someone to come inspect the bike for you that’s fine too. Please do not bid unless you are serious. I don’t have time for tire kickers. When I look at the picture of Mr. Smith sitting on his bike for the last time, I actually feel sad. I want this bike to go to a good home and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. I would be happy to speak to potential bidder by phone, Email me your number and we can talk. Thank You. On Nov-17-12 at 20:43:08 PST, seller added the following information: It as been brought to my attention that I have not disclosed the bike's VIN, build date, or engine number to confirm that it is a 1971 model. This information is as follows:Build date 3/71VIN# CB750-1083491Engine# CB750E-1083715On Nov-19-12 at 18:39:45 PST, seller added the following information: I would consider bids from overseas buyers under a few conditions. (although my auction details say no, but its just a template I usually stick to). I would only consider it only under the following conditions: 1. The buyer must have good feedback on ebay of at least 10 at 98% or better with no bad recent feedback. 2. The buyer makes all the shipping arrangements; i can assist with transporting to a port in the bay Area of California (Oakland, Hayward, or S.F.)but I will need to be compensated for my time and fuel fairly. 3. The transaction MUST be made with wire bank transfer only. I would also prefer that an overseas buyer is seriously considering buying the bike, a phone call to discuss may be in everyone's best interest. Email me your phone number and we can talk. On Nov-20-12 at 15:25:14 PST, seller added the following information: I was going to add a picture of the VIN plate becaus of a couple requests to see it. It is a BLACK colored VIN plate with the numbers I have posted above. Also, the reserve has been lowered as of this morning. Please email with any further questions.