Grey 81 with no miles.. rare?

[Rocker81]

Hi guys,
Just picked up what could be a very special Grey 81 CBX, that has never been started or had gas in it. it was owned by a local Honda dealer and stored since new.
I always liked CBX's but never owned one. My quandary now is what do I do with it.. I want to ride it (bad), but don't want to ruin what could be a very rare bike.
I have a few other bikes, so have others to ride, the other question is.. if we prep it for riding, but it may not get used that much, then you have to worry about maintaining it, the carbs, getting rust in the tank, rubber drying out, etc.. right now it doesn't have any of those issues. if it was my only bike and would be ridden often then I I don't think there is any question.. ride it..
Also, What do you think the value of such a bike could be in a few years if I leave it alone.. I have seen prices all over the place.. from $12k-$15k for restored ones but not all original with no miles on it. Seems to me the price could continue to go up..
Tell me what you guys think.
Thanks
Rocker

[harvey]

Rocker, if I cannot ride it what is the point to own it? I realize some folks just want collectables and that is okay, but for me they were made to ride and not to look at. Although I do admit to standing and admiring my 81 every so often. But for me it exists to ride!

[Rocker81]

Totally agree..

[NobleHops]

I'm all in favor of riding your CBX, but there are collectors that might value that bike more than you. And although that bike is unridden, it is still going to take some meaningful amount of work to get it roadworthy including tires, brake rebuilds, possibly brake lines, likely carburetor work. And so if it's your desire to have a really nice rideable CBX to enjoy, you might shop that bike to a few museums or collectors, and flip it for a ready-to-ride Prolink that is a better fit for your actual intentions.

[wyly]

lucky you! great find!!!

if you had a "zero" miles untouched 79 then I would say definitely don't ride it, a 81, yeah ride it...you can only have a zero miles bike once and it will lose value once you do ride it but imo it will never have the value of zero miles 79...

I'd keep it pristine and ride it on cold days and long highway cruises.

[wyly]

I agree with Nils...a collector may pay you enough that you can buy another good '81 or 82 and still put a few $k in your pocket...

to the forum

[Mello]

A difficult one. A no mile bike is pretty special. As soon as you ride it the value will go down but it will still be an original bike. These are getting hard to find. The earlier bikes are more valuable but the prolinks will also appreciate.

Like Nils says she will most likely need a lot of work (and expense) to get her roadworthy. For this reason it might be better to find a low mile solid bike (twin shock maybe?) and sell the 0 miler to a collector.

[Larry Zimmer]

I would agree with Nils and similar sentiments. I would think you could find an excellent rider; and, have a few bucks in your pocket to up-grade it if necessary.

[FalldownPhil]

No problem,
There are quite a few " '81" School bikes still out there with 0 miles (actually about 2 miles) Does yours have a title? Does it have a factory certificate of origin?
If not, it is probably a school bike too. Regardless, it will be a long time before it is worth the BIG money unless you get lucky.
Ride It Like You Stole It !!
Welcome to here
Best,
Phil

[daves79x]

That was my comment too, Phil. Make sure it is not a 'School Bike'. Either clean title or MSO and no metal sticker covering part of the VIN plate. If it turns out to be a school bike, check it over carefully and ride it - they are not worth any more than a good used rider. But if it truly was a dealer bike with title or MSO, you may want to follow the other guys' advice. Just right now, the market is a bit soft, especially for late models.

Dave

[Louis]

It does not matter if it is a school bike or not a school bike the value is the same as long as you have a title and in new condition. A 81 in perfect shape with 0 miles on it for sure worth $12K plus. If you have all the extras on it like extra gauges in fairing, tool kit, air gauge, Locking cable, cbx bike cover and matching helmets you will get close to $15K for it. If you do decide to sell let me know I have buyers always looking for that perfect cbx.

By the way you seat is being shipped today.

www.usedcbxparts.com

[daves79x]

Louis - certainly respect your opinion/experience regarding bike values. But I have to disagree here - IF the potential customer of a 'new' '81 does not KNOW about the school bike program and all that was involved with these bikes, is offered one as new or zero mile, he is none the wiser and will bite. But we here know that there were myriad problems with these bikes, both mechanically and legally. The rare one that was untouched, unmarked and titled correctly may be what you are referring to, but they were/are rare. You get what you get, but for my money, a true dealer-sold zero mile bike is worth a lot more - IF the buyer knows the difference.

Dave

[Louis]

I have found over the years that schools have the right to sell these bikes because our good ole lawyers have figured how, this was from a school in WA. Honda said they would donate these for training and so the lawyers said you can sell them and use the money for training. You are correct Dave there are not to many in near perfect condition, but there are some. I have had dozens and dozens of these over the years and had at least 4 perfect ones that I got out of North Dakota and these 4 looked like they came off the floor at the dealers except for the dust on them. All sold as new bikes to people all over. I brought all these bikes to GA and got them titled as new with 1.7 miles on them. I do not think it matters if they were at a school or in a back room at a dealer as long as they have never been touched by students, I would consider them the same. I have even bought 3 school bikes from Honda/BMW dealer that he said he had gotten back from the schools that he delivered them to originally.
Wonder what other bikes Honda gave to schools?
I have gotten cx650 Turbos
I have seen cb125 at schools and I never got any.

[daves79x]

Thanks for the good explanation - I knew you had more experience with school bikes than anyone. I think some 400 Hawks also got donated, maybe even the automatic versions.

Dave

[Rocker81]

Not a School Bike.
Also I was told that school bikes did not have VIN #'s and were not supposed to be sold or registered. But have also heard of them getting registered and sold now in some states.

I do have the lock, tool kit, manual etc.. No cover, or helmets. No original seat, bike has a Corbin seat from the 80's. I do have a new seat coming from Louis. (Thanks Louis)

I am still in a quandary about what to do.. I don't want to sell it, and leaning towards riding it and keeping it original and pristine. I just bought a 79 Goldwing in the same awesome condition, it came from a private collection, and was in a museum. Bike has 24k miles on it but you would never know it. I have been riding that around and getting lots of attention from everyone, surprisingly even from old school Harley guys. Seems everyone can appreciate a nice vintage machine..
I really like very original and in great condition vintage motorcycles as well as nice old muscle cars and sports cars etc..

Thanks for all your opinions and good information. Much appreciated.