As a new-born owner of a real C72 / C77 project, I have discovered an additional reason why those first really heavy Hondas are so immensely unwanted in collector's circles. That falls entirely under the heading 'size does matter'.
Such a friendly baroque steel rocking horse is incredibly small. The makers probably once took the length of a Japanese from 1956 as a starting point. And you and I are on average considerably larger than 1 meters 60.
Such a Dream is no less endearing
And on the big plus side, used parts for motorcycles that nobody wants to be seen dead on are often dirt cheap. If you can find them. Finding new parts is still surprisingly good via sites such as those from www. CMSNL.com. They sell new old stocks there. Also for very early Hondas. But those unique parts have prices that are too high for many Honda Dream enthusiasts. Founder owner of CMSNL, Mike Buttinger reports that the turnover from the C77, C72 corner is very poor.
On the American e-bay Dreamspul still has the whole world on for dream prizes. So people are already bravely working on detective work in the States. There are no restrictions and / or tariff increases on the export of old Honda meuk.
The fact that those Dreams have been worth nothing for decades now says nothing. Jawa's were once only worth their old iron price. Now in the Netherlands a Jawa Californian with a sidecar for ten mille is offered at best and at least four (foreign) parties are active on the market to buy old Jawas.
But of course we are not concerned with value or money
We want a certain engine because we want it. With us it's all about the passion. In the current market image in the top segment, that is no longer the issue. There, the market is skimmed by buyers / investors who want to do something with their money so that they get more money. That drives up the prices.
On the plus side is that more and more engines are released from the supplier side that have been cherished for years. Large British single cylinders? Until a few years ago you hardly saw them offered. But now a generation of motorcycle enthusiasts is running down. In a relationship, a father (84) and a son (61) recently joined their beloved British for two BMW R100s. The reason? The men both had problems with their kickstart knee. When it comes to those British character bikes, the supply increases with a demand that is at best unchanged. Very cautiously, this trend is also apparent in the Harley-Davidson WL bicycles that until recently became a thousand euros more expensive every year.
So in fact it is a bit premature about the high prices of classics
And that at Gallery Aaldering there is a Münch Mammut for just above € 150.000? Ah: Münch Mammuts have always been priceless for most of us. And sometimes it's just good if dreams remain dreams. People with a weakness for the early Honda twins may report. Then we establish the First Dutch Honda C72-C77 club. There are already two members!
