Spectre question..any value?

hi,
The other day I found an 83 750 Spectre with 29 clicks and original paint scheme (black and gold)> Everything looks untouched.
Any ideas on the value. I know without pics it's hard to say, but I know nothing about these.
Thanks

Can't say for sure on the 750. I bought this 1100 tinyurl.com/2hjksn a few years ago for $400. Sold it on Ebay the next week for $1700. It was in very good shape with nice paint job, even though I think it was ugly. Don't remember the mileage but it was low, around 17,000 or so. This time of year I would say a nice 83 750 would bring $900-1100.

A difficult question...valuing a KZ750N2 is compounded by two factors:

1)The general market for 750(4)s is not particularly smashing at any given time...you can pick up a 750(4) in great shape (many different models) for US$500 to US$2000...depending on location, time of year, and just how hungry the local bidders are.

2)The Spectre series was not particularly popular and given a choice between the 1100 and 750 Spectre's, the buyer will choose the 1100 over the 750...

I think Kawtoy's guesstimate might be pretty close to reality...the flip side being, that the Spectre series is often overvalued by sellers as most people really don't understand the collectibility issues of older Kawasaki's

I paid $800 for a Spectre with 22k on it in September. Not great condition but running and with no major problems. This time of year in Central MN, I'm guessing no motorcycle is going to sell for a lot.

Now, come springtime when folks get "spring fever" I wouldn't be surprised if someone paid $1500 for a bike like that.

As for the Spectre itself, there's generally no middle ground on the styling. People either love it or hate it. My GF told me she thought my Spectre was the ugliest bike she'd ever seen. Personally, I love the blacked-out "chrome" parts, it gives it a very "mad max" look that I like. But that's just me.

Post edited by: ZappBranigan, at: 2007/12/14 12:51

A local dealer has it at $900US. I think I might wait til later this winter and lowball him at 500.
The paint is the Black with Gold inset and looks like all aluminum is the gold also. Thanks for the info

I have an 82 1100 Spectre with the black chrome exhaust. It certainly does look different but I like it. Here's a pic of it before I bought it.



One thing to keep in mind is that any transverse crank bike with shaft drive is going to be down on usable horsepower because of the two sets of bevel gears needed to get the power to the ground. It may not be such a big deal on an 1100 but I bet it'll put any 750 at a significant disadvantage.

KZCSI

So,
What you're saying is that these are not much more than a cruiser?
I bought a 93 1100 Virago new. (sold it 2 years later)
If I remember right, it too had shaft drive. I think it was rated at 110 hp, but it seemed to me that for
that amount there should have been more power.
It was fun to ride, but I was disappointed in the ground hp.
My 79 1000 is (or was) much quicker and more responsive.
I was more interested in finding something for the GF
to learn on, but maybe I'll leave this one alone.
Thanks for the info.

I guess I paid too much for My 1100,but I've been riding it trouble free for 5 yrs now

Around this part of the country there is a general rule that if a older jap bike looks good and runs good, it's worth about a dollar a CC. I paid $700 for my 1100 but it didn't run. I've got around $800 into it so far but by the time I get it 100% road worthy I'll probably be a little over the $1100 mark.

rdgrnr wrote:

So,
What you're saying is that these are not much more than a cruiser?
I bought a 93 1100 Virago new. (sold it 2 years later)
If I remember right, it too had shaft drive. I think it was rated at 110 hp, but it seemed to me that for
that amount there should have been more power.
It was fun to ride, but I was disappointed in the ground hp.
My 79 1000 is (or was) much quicker and more responsive.
I was more interested in finding something for the GF
to learn on, but maybe I'll leave this one alone.
Thanks for the info.

I think that's a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. The Virago is a v-twin, the KZ an inline 4. I owned a Virago 1100 and I don't think they made anywhere near 110hp. In fact, I doubt they made more than 60. My virago was fine at street speeds but didn't seem to like speeds much over about 55. OTOH, the KZ, even with its high gearing, can cruise at 75+ all day and still get 55+ MPG. Those 4 cyl engines are made to run at high speeds, unlike the big V-twins which are torquier but are more comfortable at lower speeds.

If the bike is otherwise in good shape and offered at a decent price it would make a fine starter bike for your GF.

As for the power, I've owned 3 shaft-driven 750s (an 83 Yamaha Maxim, an 84 Kawi ZN700 and my current Spectre) and they seem to have plenty of power for 1 rider. Granted, you're not going to be racing it, but then again, not having to oil/tighten/replace a chain should be worth something, too.

I could be wrong on the hp. I really didn't pay
that much attention to the specs when I bought it.
For some reason, 110 stuck out in my mind.

The 1993 Yamaha 1100 Virago was rated at 62hp