Very, Very Brave Restoration!

[Sesman]

Did Dell boy emigrate after the H5 watch find?

Sincelerly, god rest his soul. There is great entry in his obituary where his mate recollects an instance when Delbert’s young granddaughter filled the fuel tank with water in an attempt to get it running again.

[Seabeowner]

Every bike that is sent via these importers is clocked back to a ridiculous degree. They do it in the States then export them here so they can't be sued.

There are often tell tale signs. I've bought three from DK, looked over two, but one sight unseen. All have proved about right and the very low mileage example came with a US title. From this I traced the address and mailed him and he sent back a series of photos. He bought is as a return after payment default when it was a few months old, but it was immaculate.

[Bryanj]

Its not that easy to "clock" Honda speedos but as i explained to an obnoxious Trading Standards man motorbike speedo cables are not as reliable as car ones and frequently dont get changed for a while when they fail plus the speedo itself is way more fragile and one bike in the showroom had at least 5 new speedos in its 7 year life

[royhall]

Or the speedo is not the one originally supplied with the bike.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Oddjob]

Yes, it’s from America, though originally from Japan  . They all are……

I couldn’t and wouldn’t vouch for mileage on mine, but it came with 17k on the clocks and judging by the state of instruments, carburettors, engine bolts, running gear and engine internals is more than probably genuine. The cams bearings, chains and guides were less than 30% worn. Even the primary drive rubber elasticity was comparable with new. The mains, big ends and barrels were well within factory tolerance and all bearings unmarked. I guess I got lucky, very lucky. I still replaced them all. The engine is effectively brand new….still got to start it though.

Mine was evidentially stored in a garage by a Mr Delbert D Trotter of de Kalb. Illinois since 1982. Remarkably the bike is mentioned in his obituary. The bike came to market as part of his estate clearance. I even have the Deed of Title of that date. He bought it, used it for travel to work for a short time, fell off then stored it.

Still needed of a lot of work to get it to this stage. Just received all the chrome back for refitting…..lovely.

This one might not be the best one out there, but I bet its close. Not that’s it’s particularly important.

Prestige Phil?

[SteveW]

Guy I went to college with in late 80’s decided to clock his old Cortina.
Took the speedo out to find a sticker saying ‘Oh no, not again’

[Sesman]

Yes, Prestige Ken.

A long wait, but worth it.

[AshimotoK0]

4 negatives in 6 months ...  one in last month from a well  p*ssed off Triumph T100 project buyer ... I would personally stay well clear. 

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

4 negatives in 6 months ...  one in last month from a well  p*ssed off Triumph T100 project buyer ... I would personally stay well clear. 

The Triumph buyer does not appear to be complaining about the item just that it was not marked off as paid quickly enough?
Second negative was about delivery issue- other two were about electrical products - not defending him but 93.2% rating for low item turnover is not that poor imho.

[Rozabikes Tim]

4 negatives in 6 months ...  one in last month from a well  p*ssed off Triumph T100 project buyer ... I would personally stay well clear. 

The Triumph buyer does not appear to be complaining about the item just that it was not marked off as paid quickly enough?
Second negative was about delivery issue- other two were about electrical products - not defending him but 93.2% rating for low item turnover is not that poor imho.

Must be OK Ted. He is a Derby Man!! He also has a pretty rare but pretty tough CB1100 for sale.

[royhall]

At least the mileages on some of his bikes look a little more realistic. From experience I would say the GS1000 is not economically repairable but would make a great parts bike if it was a bit cheaper.

[AshimotoK0]

I have been on eBay nearly twenty years with over 1k transactions and some of my mates have been on the same time, with getting on for 4k transactions with no negatives. Whatever the nature sale/transaction  is, 4 negs in 6 months would set alarm bells ringing  with me ... it just doesn't stack up.

[SumpMagnet]

A couple of the bikes that guy was selling looked OK, but there were some real rotters too.

I think part of the problem is that too many folk have got the idea that buying container loads of 'barn finds' in the US is a guaranteed money maker, and that people will pay good money for this stuff. If its a good bike they will...but when you see something like that GS, with a tank that has rotted through the TOP as well as the bottom, you just know the 'barn' it was found in was a scabby tarp, and you can find rusty old GS1000's that are beyond economical repair over here.....

The Gpz750, for example, looked quite saveable, and there was a nice XL500. But I wonder if some of these traders have any clue what they buy.....

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I have been on eBay nearly twenty years with over 1k transactions and some of my mates have been on the same time, with getting on for 4k transactions with no negatives. Whatever the nature sale/transaction  is, 4 negs in 6 months would set alarm bells ringing  with me ... it just doesn't stack up.

Not arguing with your experience Ash but I have found some buyers expectations of used tems can be unrealistic I always drill down into the reasons for poor reviews then take them with a pinch of salt just like product reviews that are all 5 star.

When I bought my 400 the seller had virtually no ratings being  new to e-bay - but close enough to view before buying. I've also been misled by a seller with 99% ratings despite asking detailed questions.

[Bryanj]

Ash, i cant get the resolution, do you think they are early "square" crankcases? He wont give me a frame number just says its 71