1982 Honda CB900

[Pappy!]

Been looking at nostalgia bikes lately for some reason. This one popped up on the radar. Lesa and I already looked at a 1997 Magna today that turned out a bit rougher than we expected.

https://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/5987188083.html

Anyone ever own one? If so what were/are they like to ride? Talked to the 71 year old owner. He just purchased a 2015 VStrom 650 and still owns an ST1100.  
He has put a bunch of money into it in the last year. According to him it has never been down, no rust issues and great chrome and aluminum. Has the high/low gearbox giving it a total of 10 possible gears. Mid 30mpg range in low and 45-50mpg in high range. High range drops RPM close to 500. Close to 100hp and shaft drive. Rear diff is from the 4-cyl wings. Think it has air suspension as well.  Love the color and styling of it. Price seems reasonable if it holds value or gains like it should.

[scooperhsd]

Bike looks nice. I don't know if it's worth the money they are asking ( more a reflection of me not knowing the used bike market),  but it looks (from the picture / description) like it is in good shape.. I'd want to look at it in person / mechanic go over it as a CYA.

[Pappy!]

There are three in the area. Prices range from 2500 down to 1500 for a ratty looking one.

[mark81]

I have an 81 cb750c had it around 7 years now. love the bike. Would love to have a 900.  They require a bit of maintenance, frequent valve adjustments with shims. finicky weak electrical systems that will not run any accessories. the carbs suck if there are problems but there are only 4 instead of 6. That looks like a pretty clean example but a bit overpriced in my opinion. $12-1,500 I think is on the upper end of what they actually sell for. how many valks have you seen asking for $7-8-9,000 and how many do you know have sold for $4-5,000

even if you have a clean bike insurance will say its a 35 year old pos and pay out $300

What I had




what happen when I got hit





what I'm left with after $300 insurance payout and a salvage title



With all that being said if its a solid bike that runs good and pulls strong all the way up to 9000 rpm(they make peak power around 8500)  under full throttle and partial $1500 would be a fair price

[98valk]

great bikes, ride smooth air forks and shocks. shock springs can be a little weak for two, easy to rebuild with heavy springs. engine lasts forever.  only problem is a severe jacking effect due to the shaft drive when on/off throttle too much. can be a big problem in a turn. will bottom out the suspension. stronger springs and/or shocks will help. exhaust know to rot right where the mufflers meet the crossover. check under the pipes. has factory oil cooler. '82 last yr 900 was made, '83 it was made into a 1000 and then no more for that engine family. somewhat a cult following out there, price is in ballpark if a good unit.  Chrome side covers tend to rust on back side.
It is a fast bike, low 12s, same basic engine as CB900F. I would avg 37-40mpg all of the time. research how some pop out of 2nd gear under high load aka WOT.
gas tanks are known to rust mainly age and from sitting.

[cookiedough]

do you like the older retro flatter seat look?  I guess you do but even so,  1750 would be my limit.  One can never hurt to test ride it first and make an offer private party sale you never know right?  What about a slightly newer 1983-1986 honda V65 magna if over 6 feet tall since sits pretty high up in the seat like 31 inch seat height.  I have seen 2-3 locally in my area within 2 hour drive for 2500 bucks top end and all look in very nice shape.   I think mechanically those are slightly newer and less apt to have something wrong with them vs. that cb900.

I also got my eyes on a magna might bite the bullet in next week once it stops snowing and warms above 40 degrees or so if not sold on me soon since not like it is within 30 miles of my house.

do open uhaul cycle trailers for around 20-25 bucks per day kick up a lot of road debris from towing vehicle.  The one I looked at renting vs. driving it home has about an 18-20 inch front metal plate to help defect the rock chips and road debris up onto the cycle.  I would be pissed if I get home and see 3-4 rock chips in front of the gas tank or front fender due to tow vehicle kicking up crap onto bike this time of year when tomorrow we are going to get 2-4 inches of snow, will wait until roads are clear but I still think the road salt they are going to be putting down tomorrow will NOT be good since have looked at trailers behind a tow vehicle and the front is plastered with white road salt this time of year, especially after a 2-3 inch or more snowfall even if roads are dry and clear 3-4 days after the snowfall.  Would you do an open uhaul trailer this time of year in the upper midwest 3-4 days after a snowfall???

wife is pissy with me thinking I cannot drive it home that far (over 100 miles) in 37 degree temps no windshield on bike?  I told her I have enough body fat to keep me warm, just not so sure about my feet and hands.  Can I drive with mittens on doing 70 mph????   

[Pappy!]

Mark81 - I would agree with you except for the fact that although I can pick one up for that it would most likely not be this clean plus I would still have to do everything that has already been done in the last year to this one. Tires, carbs, battery, brake system rebuild, fluid changes, etc.
We shall see as I have not seen the bike yet.
Also plan on looking at a 1986 Kawasaki 750LTD in nice condition for $1250.

Cookie - There is a bunch of 3rd Gen Magnas down this way. Prices for them have almost doubled in the last couple years. I used to see them in the 1500 range quite a bit. Now 2500 is the normal mid price for them.

Valk98 - Never will see two up riding so hopefully the springs will be okay. Lesa rides her own bike. 1998 Valkyrie. This would just be a fun bike for either of us to have around. As far as hard corners go.....not worried down here in Florida about that. Plus, neither of us are masters of corner carving when we do get up in the mountains but thanks for that information.

[Hef]

I owned one and loved it. I consider the low range a waist. I put it in low range one time to see what it was like but never again, not necessary. It was a very reliable bike and at the time the 750's were king so if you had a 900 you were tops.

[jim@98valkyrie.com]

Ahhhhhh, the CB900. My first bike was n '81. My wife and I did a lot of riding on that before moving up to the second bike (and hopefully last) bike, my current Valk.
Rode that around for a couple years. All around good bike and only once did I play trucker by shifting through all ten gears  . The price does seem a bit high. I think I paid around $1250 back in 2001

[The emperor has no clothes]

Ahhhhhh, the CB900. My first bike was n '81. My wife and I did a lot of riding on that before moving up to the second bike (and hopefully last) bike, my current Valk.
Rode that around for a couple years. All around good bike and only once did I play trucker by shifting through all ten gears  . The price does seem a bit high. I think I paid around $1250 back in 2001

Nice looking bike Jim  I sure wish Honda would have made better wheels back in the 70's and 80's. I have always felt that they detracted from every bike made back then.

[chief120865]

I had an '83, 1000 version. One of the best bikes I ever owned. Smooth, powerful, and comfortable. Dual range trans was slick. Triple disks, anti dive suspension, air shocks. Closest thing to a Valkyrie I ever owned. Great looking ride, and by that point basic engine was in production for many years so bulletproof. Mine was black and gunmetal two-tone.

[cookiedough]

biggest thing I would be concerned with after running it hard and easy both thru the gears is the carbs.  If runs well,  it is really anyones idea on how much it TRULY is worth to YOU.  I have seen 94-2003 honda magnas ASK up to 3K for one down to a low of 1800 for one sort of needing work or tipped over.  It is not really that old to be a real collector bike, but for some it is.

1250 thru probably 1800 would be my limit on one regardless of condition and as far as magnas go 2K would be my max even though as said some dealers are still getting 2500 for them since not many around in really good shape.

Used 82-86 V65 magnas in very good shape are still commanding 2500-3K in price, not that I would ever go that high on one ever being over 30 years old.  I was tempted though to buy a 1984 v30 500cc magna with nice options in very good shape 2 hours away for 1100 if ran well but guy sold it on me one day before going to look at it. 

[baldo]

I had an 81 CB900F, I loved that bike......it needed a stator and had some electrical issues so I sold it after it sat for a couple of years. It was pretty sharp....

[Sorcerer]

I bought a new 81 in 81. 3 years later when I traded it in on a new 84 Wing it had 36,000 miles. The dealer I traded it to wanted to do a seep down test on it before he would taking it in on trade. Sead that some of the cams were soft and would ware. If you do a search you will find that many complaints about speed wobbles. Mine developed the wobble the second season in hard corners or over 125 mph. Mine had the color matched Wing fairing and Honda line matched clam shell bags. I used the high range as a over drive gear.

[Pappy!]

Here is what I found using Search Tempest.
The one I am looking at.
https://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/5987188083.html

For reference. The competition around here and up as far as Greenville.

https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/mcy/6020379378.html 3 grand

https://ocala.craigslist.org/mcy/6019699700.html 2800

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/mcy/6001299446.html 1500

https://greenville.craigslist.org/mcy/6003269665.html 1200

https://savannah.craigslist.org/mcy/6033942084.html 1200

[davit]

Yep.  I pretty much gave it away on fleabay 10 years ago.  Beautiful bike but I liked my CB750 Custom, my every day ride in the 80's, better.

[Alpha Dog]

Here is what I found using Search Tempest.
The one I am looking at.
https://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/5987188083.html

For reference. The competition around here and up as far as Greenville.

https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/mcy/6020379378.html 3 grand

https://ocala.craigslist.org/mcy/6019699700.html 2800

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/mcy/6001299446.html 1500

https://greenville.craigslist.org/mcy/6003269665.html 1200

https://savannah.craigslist.org/mcy/6033942084.html 1200

Just can not imagine the Tampa owner putting 3k worth of work into it, just to sell for half that amount.

I have a friend that owns one, an 81 I believe in very good condition.   I have never seen him ride  it.  One day 3 years ago I visited him.  The handle bar was broke in half.  He had no clue how it happened as it was in his entry way between the garage and house.  He did say his daughter had some friends over.  Pretty crazy.   Now he is looking at Harley's, if it gets him out get it.

[Savago]

I've considered buying a CB900, but gave up as the electric systems is finicky (but the same could be said about bikes this old), plus the fact that it was made for just short period (i.e. must be hard to find parts).

Concerning the price, I've seen here in the SF Bay Area (or the Silly Valley, like I call it), pristine CB900s for 1.5-1.8K dollars.

I'm unsure about the market in Florida, but I would:
a) inspect the bike and find something wrong on it (rust, faulty electric connections, etc).

b) bring 1.5K in cash and drop it over the table.

If I was really into the bike, I would be willing to add another 2 Franklins (thus closing sale at 1.8K).

:-)

[cookiedough]

yep, one magna I looked at asking 2200, near dealership pricing on it.  After pointing out to private owner 3 pea sized dents in exhaust and 3 scratches in gas tank covered up with black paint and front forks finish worn off badly he went down finally to 1800 bucks.  Still considering it since ran well low mileage under 15K with new tires.  CASH is king!

Go low and go up from there a few hundred bucks saved pays for sales tax and registering. 

Over 2K though on ANY 20+ year old bike is not going to happen with me anyways.  If you like driving it after test ride and runs well, go for it,  the bottom has already nearly dropped on it in terms of value and as long as it runs well and in somewhat decent shape, should always be worth 1500 bucks or so. 

test drove saturday a 2009 newer suzuki TU250X retro bike dealer asking 2300 was chomping at the bit on it but after seeing it,  needed major work for only 6500 miles on it.  Even fixed up,  no way would go over 1500 on it. 

[BradValk48237]

I had a 81 900 custom.... same color combo as a few above......

Wish I still had it as it was a great all around bike... add bags, trunk and a full poleax windscreen and you had a touring bike that would outrun most everything and with the dual range tranny it was great on the highway..

Take all the junk off and it was a great around town bike and twisty runner..... that bike was the first one I ran the Dragon with.... and the Skyline and a lot of other firsts in the KY, VA. TN area...

Wish I still had it as the guy that bought it from me is still running it 20 years later....

Only issue I had was the cross over on the pipes rusted out.

Great all around bike.

B

[Pappy!]

Lesa and I hopped in the SS and drove over there late this afternoon and took a look at the bike.
The good news is that Lesa loved the looks of it and the old school styling plus the bike fits her as well as fitting me. She can flat foot it and thats a plus.
Cosmetically there is zero rust on the frame. The chrome does not have any scratches and is almost perfect. The aluminum on the bike has no corrosion anywhere. The tank however looks like someone tried to pry off the chrome tank filler with a screwdriver for some reason. Indentations all around it.
Mechanically, there are issues.
Runs on two cylinders at idle even though he just had the carbs done not long ago. The tank has been lined and, looking with a flashlight, it looks like the liner may be flaking. May be the issue with the carbs.
We let him know we are still interested in the bike but that I need to do some looking into the tank issue or see if there is another two-tone blue tank available out there somewhere.  Can a tank that has been lined be re-lined? May help until I can source another tank if we get the  bike at a decent price.

[cookiedough]

good luck,  my guess is the guy will not go down say 400-500 bucks to get another tank and carb issues maybe?

Looked last week on another 1997 honda magna with several softball sized dents in tank and huge tipover scratch all in the gas tank.  Ran well, etc. but he said he paid 1500 at auction and will NOT budge off 1800 even with bike not being cleaned up and turn signals did not work very well needed to be taken apart and cleaned up along with the rest of the cycle.   I guess the guy will not sell it then will he?  At least spend 5-6 hours washing and waxing the rest of the bike to see what the paint and chrome really look like.   PLus, he did not help his selling cause by telling me he heard at the auction the previous owner committed suicide as well. 

[98valk]

Lesa and I hopped in the SS and drove over there late this afternoon and took a look at the bike.
The good news is that Lesa loved the looks of it and the old school styling plus the bike fits her as well as fitting me. She can flat foot it and thats a plus.
Cosmetically there is zero rust on the frame. The chrome does not have any scratches and is almost perfect. The aluminum on the bike has no corrosion anywhere. The tank however looks like someone tried to pry off the chrome tank filler with a screwdriver for some reason. Indentations all around it.
Mechanically, there are issues.
Runs on two cylinders at idle even though he just had the carbs done not long ago. The tank has been lined and, looking with a flashlight, it looks like the liner may be flaking. May be the issue with the carbs.
We let him know we are still interested in the bike but that I need to do some looking into the tank issue or see if there is another two-tone blue tank available out there somewhere.  Can a tank that has been lined be re-lined? May help until I can source another tank if we get the  bike at a decent price.

I'm pretty sure u have to remove the old liner, before installing a new one.

[Pappy!]

Apparently that is a pain in the A$$ to do. Liners are not a forever repair and one flake will plug up the carbs. The search continues.........

https://ocala.craigslist.org/mcy/6019699700.html

This one is in amazing condition but I screwed around too long and there is a guy looking at it this afternoon.

[Alpha Dog]

Apparently that is a pain in the A$$ to do. Liners are not a forever repair and one flake will plug up the carbs. The search continues.........

https://ocala.craigslist.org/mcy/6019699700.html

This one is in amazing condition but I screwed around too long and there is a guy looking at it this afternoon.

People have funny idea of what Mint Condition means, or show room new.  I can see rust on the bolts and exhaust.  However it does seem very good.  Maybe the afternoon looker will pass.

[cookiedough]

Apparently that is a pain in the A$$ to do. Liners are not a forever repair and one flake will plug up the carbs. The search continues.........

https://ocala.craigslist.org/mcy/6019699700.html

This one is in amazing condition but I screwed around too long and there is a guy looking at it this afternoon.

not for 2800.  If it sells for that price range,   I would just let it sell.  Seen a base orange/black magna in very good shape asking 3K,  he can keep it for that much. 2-2400 is reasonable on a used magna, under 2K is even better.

[Pappy!]

Hell....the exhaust would have been easy to deal with.
At any rate the bike sold this afternoon to the guy that came to look at it. Sold for $2400.
The search is on again. However I think I am going to start looking for a CB1000 Custom. A one year only bike so the value should hold or go up a bit faster. 
Keep your eyes out for one.

[98valk]

Hell....the exhaust would have been easy to deal with.
At any rate the bike sold this afternoon to the guy that came to look at it. Sold for $2400.
The search is on again. However I think I am going to start looking for a CB1000 Custom. A one year only bike so the value should hold or go up a bit faster. 
Keep your eyes out for one.

CB1000C had different shape handlebars, many did not like the hand position. something to be aware of.

[98valk]

I don't know the type of bike u want, however the prices of ST1100s and ZG1000s have really dropped in the last six months.

[Pappy!]

I don't know the type of bike u want, however the prices of ST1100s and ZG1000s have really dropped in the last six months.

In nostalgia mode. Chrome fenders, inline engine, old school look.

[98valk]

I don't know the type of bike u want, however the prices of ST1100s and ZG1000s have really dropped in the last six months.

In nostalgia mode. Chrome fenders, inline engine, old school look.

chrome fenders but not an inline engine. 
https://twintiers.craigslist.org/mcy/6006060422.html

[Pappy!]

We have a pretty good supply of those to choose from down here. Now, a nice '84 naked would be drooled over.

https://daytona.craigslist.org/mcy/6031420990.html

[Gary]

I have an 81 cb750c had it around 7 years now. love the bike.

Sad to see, I had the 81 750C bought new in 81, took a tumble or two myself. I remember them looking almost identical to the 900's back then.

[Pappy!]

Also the 1982-83 Suzuki GS1100L was almost identical. There's one of those within about 55 miles of me for sale.
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/suzu/suzuki_gs1100gl%2082.htm

[Jim N]

I have an '81 CB900C sitting outside as we speak, I absolutely love that bike.  As stated, bulletproof engine, I pulled the Vetter fairing and Hondaline bags off, put CB bars on it instead of those pullbacks, and put a clean little headlight fairing on it, it is a beauty!

[Pappy!]

Well......let's see some pictures of it!!