Nice, Low Milage, Titled 78
- Thread starter Dezdan
- Start date
I might be able to help... But I have a new baby expected sometime this week... So my schedule is a little goofy. I have a lot more posts on planetminis under the same handle. I will be posting a mint blue ct70 soon if anyone is interested. I got it from my buddy and this is how he got it... I have put on about 10 miles in the last two years I have owned it.
I Am Back in the Game!!
I Am Back in the Game!!
CTKing
Active Member
Not sure if this I same bike or not. If it is though stay away. I knew a guy in Santa Clarita who bought what appears to be the same bike about 2 years ago with the same farm story. It had about 370 miles on it. He kept trying to sell it to me but the whole left side was rattle canned black. You can not tell in the pics but when you saw it in person it was very noticeable and poor quality. He tried to sell it at 1800 for almost a year on CL. I then saw it about 6 months ago on Ventura CL with another bike which I purchased. This nice guy swore up and down to me it was original but the paint don't lie. It then had almost 400 miles. Like I said I'm not sure if it's the same bike but I know he sold it to someone in the Bay Area. He had called me a couple of weeks later because he had found some parts he had for my bike and told me this. If you can't see it in person I would definitely be asking for some close up pictures of the left side ( shifter side) of the frame. Most of the paint work was from the side badge to the back rim.
Adam-NLV
Well-Known Member
From his CL ad pics, I don't see any red flags. It's odd it only has 425miles but the pics corroborate the tale. the farm story is a little out there...lol But this actually looks good to me. I use to live 50 miles from there and still have friends over there.
Only thing is if If I told them about spending ~$1200 on a 36 yr old 72cc bike, they would think i'm nuts.
Only thing is if If I told them about spending ~$1200 on a 36 yr old 72cc bike, they would think i'm nuts.
CTKing
Active Member
By all means someone should look at the bike because it very we'll could be a different one then I saw. If it's not I wouldn't pay $600 for it. When The first guy was selling it he sent me many pictures and I thought the bike looked cherry. Even when the second guy had pics on CL it looked cherry. It's when you see it in person it's like a totally different bike. Also had a lot of rust. Can't wait for someone to check it out and chime in. I really hope I'm wrong about this one .
IDK...looks like it's priced about right, assuming the mileage is honest and it's titled, as described.
I do see some condition issues and some of them hint at additional items that might need work. WTF is that nastiness surrounding the VIN tag? If it's dirt, no big deal; if it's oxidation/rust, this puppy needs paint. Going by the condition of the VIN tag, rust seems unlikely but...that's the problem with minimal photo documentation. Both grip covers are missing the ends. Has the bike been dumped, at least once, on each side? If so, the signals may be damaged, along with the stalks & headlight ears. That'd also be consistent with what might be light road rash on muffler heat shield. Or, does the seller have a problem with a large, handlebar-gnawing rat? (in which case, new grip covers are cheap)
I see some rust on the shock springs, footrest assembly and handlebars. The seat cover has seen better days. None of these are really bad. However, I suspect that there's a fair bit of cosmetic restoration needed to return this bike to its former glory...and a complete, 425-mile original, really should be. Here's the caveat...it could take anywhere from $500-1500, possibly more to have a concours-quality bike.
`78 handlebars are rare, as is the correct speedo. Tail lights aren't getting any easier to find and the fork ring$ are chrome-plated, dieca$t, metal. Re-chroming handlebars is typically double the cost of a pair of new repops. The round speedometers are fiendishly difficult to redo correctly, translation: not earth shatteringly expensive but, substantial. Toss-in the engine & muffler guards, along with a set of fenders and there's close to $800 in chrome, if it all has pitting. That's a substantial "IF".
If one is aiming for perfection, the original hardware & fasteners will need to be re-plated in two, separate, batches
OTOH, reproduction seat covers, cables (if needed) and decals are available and cheap. The black-painted ("bean counter chrome") parts are relatively DIY-friendly and represent a big cost saving over, say, a K2-`76 model. If the frameset tins have rust raspberries erupting through the original paint, at least there's no worry on the color match...though a gloss black paint job is another kind of challenge for the body/paint restorer.
To be clear, this looks like rare find...especially for the `78 aficionado. If I wanted a 100-point `78 model, I would give this one serious consideration. The point is that I'd go in expecting a bike that's worth close to the asking price, plus-or-minus...fair value, not a steal. That leaves plenty of room to take care of anything that might be needed...the right way...and still be into the project for no more than current market value.
I do see some condition issues and some of them hint at additional items that might need work. WTF is that nastiness surrounding the VIN tag? If it's dirt, no big deal; if it's oxidation/rust, this puppy needs paint. Going by the condition of the VIN tag, rust seems unlikely but...that's the problem with minimal photo documentation. Both grip covers are missing the ends. Has the bike been dumped, at least once, on each side? If so, the signals may be damaged, along with the stalks & headlight ears. That'd also be consistent with what might be light road rash on muffler heat shield. Or, does the seller have a problem with a large, handlebar-gnawing rat? (in which case, new grip covers are cheap)
I see some rust on the shock springs, footrest assembly and handlebars. The seat cover has seen better days. None of these are really bad. However, I suspect that there's a fair bit of cosmetic restoration needed to return this bike to its former glory...and a complete, 425-mile original, really should be. Here's the caveat...it could take anywhere from $500-1500, possibly more to have a concours-quality bike.
`78 handlebars are rare, as is the correct speedo. Tail lights aren't getting any easier to find and the fork ring$ are chrome-plated, dieca$t, metal. Re-chroming handlebars is typically double the cost of a pair of new repops. The round speedometers are fiendishly difficult to redo correctly, translation: not earth shatteringly expensive but, substantial. Toss-in the engine & muffler guards, along with a set of fenders and there's close to $800 in chrome, if it all has pitting. That's a substantial "IF".
If one is aiming for perfection, the original hardware & fasteners will need to be re-plated in two, separate, batches
OTOH, reproduction seat covers, cables (if needed) and decals are available and cheap. The black-painted ("bean counter chrome") parts are relatively DIY-friendly and represent a big cost saving over, say, a K2-`76 model. If the frameset tins have rust raspberries erupting through the original paint, at least there's no worry on the color match...though a gloss black paint job is another kind of challenge for the body/paint restorer.
To be clear, this looks like rare find...especially for the `78 aficionado. If I wanted a 100-point `78 model, I would give this one serious consideration. The point is that I'd go in expecting a bike that's worth close to the asking price, plus-or-minus...fair value, not a steal. That leaves plenty of room to take care of anything that might be needed...the right way...and still be into the project for no more than current market value.