The Slippery Slope

Holland Norton Works =23000 euros.. Just remember how much your babie's would cost if you charged yourself $30-$40 per hour..going back to the Ebay Bike,why after 250 miles did the crank bearings require replacement? I think the statement " Left the frame paint,so it can be put back to original" is stupid..are the "Polished crank case's" original ?..this guy as had no Guidance from real riders..i bet our Hobit could have restored it for a few grand...4 times :lol:

I got the impression that it has now done 250 miles, since the rebiuld.??
Workshop rates.. Try $50.00 - $60.00 and more for H/D IN OZ.
AC.

I did nearly the same restoration to my 73-750. Complete engine rebuild with new pistons, all updated bearings, sent head out to have new exhaust threads, three way valve grind, updated everthing, Same to transmission. Boyer, single Mikuni, new (correct) wiring harness, new signal lamps, all black bits powder coated, powder coated frame, black powder coated tripple tree, all hardware stripped and re-cad plated, new stainless hardware every where, new hoses, new clamps, pipes, mufflers, new Isolastics, brakes redone, master cyl redone, caliper rebuilt, new bars, new napolean bar end mirrors, redone instruments, repainted barrels, tins painted in original Royal Fireflake Blue, Boranni style aluminum rims, stainless spokes, new Avon tires, belt drive primary, front suspension totally redone, forks by Frank, everything polished and buffed. First service with valve adjustment included...... all done by a professional shop with over 40 years of Brit Bike experience (Frank Diehl of Classic Cycle Works in Georgetown, South Carolina)with carte-blanche to get it done right. (and I am certain I am forgetting something). I MAY have ten grand in the entire project INCLUDING the original cost of the bike when I purchased new in 1973 with all taxes!!! Don't know if I got lucky or if he got screwed, but I am one happy SOB with my experience!!!

Unclviny said:

$45,000.00! SPENT ON WHAT?!
I thought I was all kinds of screwed-up having too much $ in mine but this Idjit makes me feel better.

Vince

Click to expand...

I agree, its nigh on impossible to spend $45000,,unless he failed to tell us ..its got a six speed box,titainum rods, billet crank, forged pistons, chrome-moly frame and the builder spent 300 hours @ $60 per hour...and bought it originaly for $20,000 of John Lennon! Now its getting close.

NOS parts = 2000 dollars

Rebuild engine and transmission = 10000 dollars

Lots of polishing = priceless

Well, let's put aside for the moment his self-indulgent writing style and his use of hyperbole. If this person indeed replaced all of the stuff he says he did, and if all the "new looking" stuff in the pictures is indeed new, and he paid retail, then he could be $40K into the bike. I could imagine that to be close to true. Plus you figure in the cost of his time to do all of it, you've got a bike there that's reasonable at $32K.

The problem, as we all have more or less found out, is that we will NEVER sell our bikes for what they are actually "worth" to us. That's one of the reasons we all feel those awful pangs when one of us "has" to sell a bike- debt, divorce, health, the economy- because not only do we love our bikes, but we know that if we consider the amount of time and energy we spent putting them together, our bikes are worth FIFTY grand. 'Cause the guy who SPENDS the money (pays others) to restore a bike or a car will rarely profit; the guy who BUYS the restored bike almost always gets the better deal time and money wise.

I don't really dispute the seller's math- but eBay being what it is, he might be stretching the truth a bit. Me, I'd just prefer somebody who said, "I bought this bike, and I paid too much because I did, and then I spent a lot of money and time, and so I want a really high price for my bike so I don't cry when I think of not getting all that money and time back. So please buy my bike at an inflated price so I can feel okay again." I could respect that. Pretty bike, though; but his pipes are scratched form his kickstart lever... whoops! Another $3 grand to replace that! ejd

I'm sure I've seen mention of crated Mk3s in the Netherlands brand new selling for $20 grand ish.

We all have a lot of labour value in our bikes (I'd rather not guess but $15K is possible) and here in Canada labour is $90 per hour (I'm serious) so if someoene else has been doing all the spannering he could be up there.

A leading UK Norton guy told me restorations run about Stg 13-15 grand (so $20-25K) with racing machinery starting around Stg 25K and heading skywards without upper limit.

So it seeems strange to have a standard bike for that much money, I'd want something with lots of wild engineering work capable of 175 mph!

Maybe one of us can sen him a question through the eBay auction saying, "I'll do the "Buy It Now" but I need to see ALL of the receipts to verify what you are saying in the auction.

Then see his response

JD

Dreadful. I've got about 8-9k in mine all said and done. Probably a bit more than I really needed, but I went a bit off the deep end and got carried away on some things.

Then again, I didn't shop out any of the labor and my engine didn't need to be rebuilt, either...

-Jordan

I'm still not convinced that it is POSSIBLE to blow $45,000.00 on a Commando, If you let CNW go wild on a bike it would be under $30,000.00.

Vince

It's still only up to $10K and there's 4 days left. Of course the price goes up at the last minute. I would rather send my bike to CNW and let them totally rebuild it and know exactly what I have.

Dave
69S