1948 square 4.... $15k?

Here you can post what you like. It must be Motorcycle related.

1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby DonOR » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:52 pm

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/mau/mcy/2293511789.html

seems like a lot of money to me... any thoughts?
98% of all Harleys ever sold are still on the road. The other 2% made it home.

1972 Combat Roadster
User avatar
DonOR
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:01 pm
Location: windy 'n wet Hilo, Hawai'i

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby bwolfie » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:23 pm

No, looks about right for a runner. They are getting hard to find these days.
1972 Norton Combat Commando 750, 208946
1973 Norton Commando 850, 301517, Cafe
Featherbead Project, Norley Cafe Monoshock
1975 Yamaha XS 650, 750 big bore kit, 2nd owner.
1977 Yamaha XS 360
Owner, Wolff Welding LLC, Franklin, WI
User avatar
bwolfie
 
Posts: 1962
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:30 pm
Location: Franklin, Wi USA

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby swooshdave » Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:33 pm

DonOR wrote:http://honolulu.craigslist.org/mau/mcy/2293511789.html

seems like a lot of money to me... any thoughts?


Wouldn't it cost that much just to ship it there?
You probably want to go into town, and find a up to date Jap Bike store,
With a full spares department, a clean workshop, and kean young mechanics.
And ask them if theres a Grumpy Old Bloke out in the Hills, who knows how to fix Real Motorcycles.

Matt
User avatar
swooshdave
 
Posts: 6384
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:53 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby britbike220 » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:18 pm

I've seen them for more than 15K, crazy because less than 10 years ago they were pretty reasonable. I think the first one I saw go for over 10K was on ebay, imagine that.
User avatar
britbike220
 
Posts: 1305
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: princeton Illinois

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby DonOR » Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:33 pm

Swoosh, that one's on Maui, just a $90 barge trip away. If I had a spare 15k, I don't think I'd buy another old bike with it though.... I'm in the process of planning an olive and avocado orchard, I think I'll need a little atv or dirt bike with a trailer, hehe
98% of all Harleys ever sold are still on the road. The other 2% made it home.

1972 Combat Roadster
User avatar
DonOR
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:01 pm
Location: windy 'n wet Hilo, Hawai'i

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby Unclviny » Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:40 pm

I went to New Zealand a few years ago and the whole place seems to be Avocado-nuts, the things are for sale everywhere!

Vince
http://www.vinceandersononline.com
1973-1/2 BMW R75/5 (LWB)
1971 Norton Commando
1952 Triumph TRW
1936 BMW R2
Unclviny
 
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:04 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby beng » Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:09 pm

Those were real pieces of shit. A friend of mine had one and rode it for years and never had one good thing to say about it, poor brakes, poor handling, and the head gasket would blow if the bike had to sit in traffic on a hot day. If you ever looked at one of the engines apart you would see what a poorly engineered piece of crap they are.

I am glad that idiots are wasting their time and money on them though, maybe it will keep their attention away from the good bikes that I like......
beng
 
Posts: 303
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:01 pm

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby britbike220 » Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:50 am

beng wrote:Those were real pieces of shit. A friend of mine had one and rode it for years and never had one good thing to say about it, poor brakes, poor handling, and the head gasket would blow if the bike had to sit in traffic on a hot day. If you ever looked at one of the engines apart you would see what a poorly engineered piece of crap they are.

I am glad that idiots are wasting their time and money on them though, maybe it will keep their attention away from the good bikes that I like......


Ben, they may have been as you say, but none the less are part of motorcycle history and a very nice "looking" bike. I have a friend that has one and he likes it, but does not ride it often because of the over heating issues.
User avatar
britbike220
 
Posts: 1305
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: princeton Illinois

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby beng » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:19 am

britbike220 wrote:Ben, they may have been as you say, but none the less are part of motorcycle history and a very nice "looking" bike. I have a friend that has one and he likes it, but does not ride it often because of the over heating issues.


Right, I love history, so to preserve it accurately we have to leave the rose-tinted goggles off....
beng
 
Posts: 303
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:01 pm

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby britbike220 » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:57 am

beng wrote:.
we have to leave the rose-tinted goggles off....[/quote]

Exactly the reason I have not and would not own one.
User avatar
britbike220
 
Posts: 1305
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: princeton Illinois

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby Big_Jim59 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:01 pm

beng wrote:Those were real pieces of shit. A friend of mine had one and rode it for years and never had one good thing to say about it, poor brakes, poor handling, and the head gasket would blow if the bike had to sit in traffic on a hot day. If you ever looked at one of the engines apart you would see what a poorly engineered piece of crap they are.

I am glad that idiots are wasting their time and money on them though, maybe it will keep their attention away from the good bikes that I like......


What you say is pretty much true. The idea of the square four was sound but the design was really pushing the limits of the day's technology. They do sound wonderful when they run, kind of like a Henderson/Indian inline four which is also a monumental pile of poop that brings big money.
User avatar
Big_Jim59
 
Posts: 88
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:50 am
Location: Leonard, TX

Re: 1948 square 4.... $15k?

Postby grandpaul » Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:06 am

The Square 4, like several other classics, just need proper sorting and they can be very reliable bikes. Sure, some models have specific issues, but they aren't space shuttles and typically have time-tested fixes that cost far less than the 20,000 mile maintenance on a modern Ducati.

I DO NOT parade my classics, they DON'T like 5 MPH stop-and-go; they WANT to be throttled and spun up.
GrandPaul
author "Old Bikes"
too many bikes to list, including a MkIII Interstate & Dunstallized Combat
User avatar
grandpaul
 
Posts: 5283
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:11 pm
Location: Laredo (south) Texas


Return to Anything else Motorcycle Related

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests