TOPIC:

What is this line of bikes worth? Just curious. Are these bikes like old time cars that can sell for lotsa money if they are in good condition, or are they just normal old bikes?

The simplest answer: They are worth what someone is willing to pay for them.

Really?!

My SR being my first bike, and me having to cut it's behind manny times to go straight and I feelI have gone through alot of troubles with it and memories to just sell it for just 1000 dollars now. I would say you can add on to what you bought it for, plus, what you paid to get it fixed, plus extras that makes the bike special. Problems with it will decrease the price or its worthiness!

It is hard to say. they are just like old cars in a way a 66' corvette is worth alot of money no matter the condition, a 66' rusty chevy truck not running is not worth its price in scrap. A 1974 Z1 900 all original is worth alot, a 74 kz400 not running is hardly worth scrap. it all depends on the model and condition. i am of the opinion that if a bike is not 100% original it will decrease in value. ie. Paint, seat, exhaust etc. i really do not care what you have done to it, if you strayed from originality it will be worth less to me. now someone may come along and give you good money for it, but if you "personalize" your bike to your tastes it may take some time to find that person, if at all.
just my opinion, not meaning to anger anyone.

cuddies wrote:

What is this line of bikes worth? Just curious. Are these bikes like old time cars that can sell for lotsa money if they are in good condition, or are they just normal old bikes?

It's a good question, just hard to answer. Seems like there's a market for vintage Kaws with buyers willing to pay $2,000 to maybe $4,000 for a well-maintained, cosmetically nice KZ.
The more original it is, the more it's worth. I was at a biker hangout a few weeks ago, talking to a guy with a pretty '72 Honda 750 four. His bike was very stock and really clean. He said he'd like to have a KZ, but "they are just too rare".

Wow, the most I have ever paid for a KZ was $600, and that was for a 1982 KZ1000M CSR that looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor.

I'm hoping to get $1500 for the 79 KZ750 I just put together, then I'll use the money to finish a 80 KZ750G and 80 KZ750E, then probably sell the G so I can finish the other G

I have seen a few 73 Z1's go for $10,000 to $15,000 on ebay. a clean 900 or early 1000 seems to bring $2000 to $4000 depending on model & condition. Then some will even bridge the gap at $4000 to $10,000. on ebay location can even help or hurt the price. remember that the prices above do not include shipping, handling, or other fees.

flht1997 wrote:

i am of the opinion that if a bike is not 100% original it will decrease in value. ie. Paint, seat, exhaust etc. i really do not care what you have done to it, if you strayed from originality it will be worth less to me. now someone may come along and give you good money for it, but if you "personalize" your bike to your tastes it may take some time to find that person, if at all.

Bingo!

When I watch the Barrett-Jackson auctions, it's the all original survivors that bring top dollar. Customized/personalized machines appeal to only a very small subset of an already small group of people interested in a given model. From a collector's standpoint, modifications detract from a machine's potential value.

Now, back in the real world, not all that long ago a ready to ride UJM was probably worth about a dollar per cc. With the national average price for gas now well north of $3/gal, that has jumped to at least $2/cc and maybe higher. Looking at both NADA and KBB websites yesterday for the value of an early '80s CM400 fell right in line with the jump in prices I've seen within the past 12 months.

Monday evening a guy stopped by on a 1985 Ltd 454 he'd gotten recently. It looked to be in good shape and he paid $900 for it. A couple of years ago $500 would have been a fair price. The market place is pushing the value of these old bikes back up.

I paid $900 for mine and it was in pretty bad shape. It ran but...