What To Do With Old Bikes?

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

It was a couple of weeks ago that Phil Pepper of Torrington contacted RIDE-CT seeking advice on what to do about some old bikes in his possession, including a 1977 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing that he’d parked about 10 years ago. The bike had been his regular rider for two years before being put into mothballs in a heated building in the south end of town.

Knowing that he’d never ride again, Phil wondered how much the bikes might be worth and how he might sell them. So, on Sunday afternoon, joined by Honda expert Neil Tolhurst of New Hartford and friend/collector Gary Randall of Harwinton, we went to look at the Gold Wing as well as at a 1973 Honda CB350. When we got inside he building, there was a third bike, an old Honda Trail 70.

There was, of course, some storytelling as we looked at the bikes. Phil’s first motorcycle was a 1947 Harley-Davidson that he got while at UConn.

Without going into extreme detail, while the bikes look pretty good cosmetically, they will need work to be street-worthy again. The Gold Wing will need its carbs cleaned, a new battery and fluids. A fork seal is leaking. The brakes have issues. The hard bags lack tops. New tires would be wise. The seat has some small tears. On the plus side, the body’s in good shape, the side covers are intact with badges and the mileage is low – 28,117. The book value on the model in fair condition is $1,175.

After getting home, I compiled lists of the pluses and minuses on all three bikes, checked the book values and looked on Craigslist and eBay to see what similar models are going for. I also called Phil with assessments. He’s now pondering what to do. Having bought and sold a few bikes, I know how wrenching it can be to part with an old friend, and how uncertain it can be coming up with a price that’s fair to both the seller and the buyer. Nonetheless, it certainly was fun seeing these old bikes. And it certainly beat spending the entire afternoon mowing the lawn.

Did I mention that the Gold Wing has a Vetter Windjammer fairing with an eight-track tape player. There was a tape still in the player. Connie Francis.