Is this restorable? '62 Benly 150

Hey, I'm looking at restoring an old '62 Honda Benly 150 "baby dream". I've never tried to restore anything this far gone. I haven't seen it in person yet, but he says it turns over. He wants $550 and will deliver it to my door.

I'm wondering if it is too rusted out to fix. And if parts are going to be a bitch to find.

Thanks!

It's definitely restorable, just know you'll likely put in a few thousand more than it would sell for. I saw a nicely restored one go for $2000 recently.

Rust may not be too bad as long as it's not deeply pitted. Needs rims and mufflers and seat cover and tank badges etc. If he has a title and it turns over and you really want a C95, it's OK. For me that bike is overpriced because it will cost 2000 - 3000 to restore it and the market is tiny.

But if you can do most of the work in house and take your time, it could be a nice little bike to ride around town. Lazloh on here restored one recently. He can tell you how hard it was to get parts and what he had to do to his.

Thanks! It sounds like I should pass. But I've always let emotions play a role and I love these old Hondas.

I think those are the stock pipes. I have plans to make my own seat. I have a paint gun. I want to make custom badges anyway. And would like to replace the battery cover with a custom made piece as well. And possibly the black parts of the tank with my own leatherwork. Would this help bring it more into the realm of a profitable project? I'm more interested in breaking even and building my image as a bike builder.

Are the wheels really goners? I found some gaskets and carb kits for cheap. I've been trying to haggle the guy down to 200-300 hundred but he won't budge.

I also only have 2 1/2 months for this build, but I only work 3-4 days a week.

That's a $200 bike tops. It's missing hard to find things like the lower chain guard (it completely encloses the chain and the lower one always rusts out).

This is my now 6 year long, incomplete restoration of my own CA95 'baby Dream'.

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=7682

Before:



Current:

BTW I paid $600 for my 150, and it was solid - no rust on the frame. I had it painted white and they didn't do any body work - just straightened out the front fender a little bit.

Stock they will fetch more cash than custom - as a rule. Unless it is really sharp and just tickles someone's funny bone and makes them smile enough to want it.

Rims look rusty and will probably need to be replaced. If the rust isn't too bad they could be replated and that's not cheap either. All the fasteners will need to be cleaned up, repaired and re-plated with bright zinc. Pipes looks stock but it needs mufflers and they may be harder to find. This pair aren't stock but they are cheap. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-C95-CA95-C92-CA92-CA160-EXHAUST-MUFFLER-1PAIR-BM-/150817772789

If it were mine, I would restore it as close to stock as possible - or turn it into a CB92 replica.

Ok, thanks guys. Not the most encouraging words, given my situation. Glad to have your foresight to steer clear of that potential headache.

Too bad you're giving up that easily...the bike isn't really in such bad shape. A good friend of mine has one and rides the living hell out of it. Restoration projects are a labor of love...it's not about how much they are worth or how much you spend, it's about preserving and enjoying a piece of motorcycling history. But if it's beyond you, maybe you have made the right decision.

Maybe one to try to talk them down a ways, if you can get it for around 200-300 do it.

There are plenty of them around still, not something to cafe so they are fairly plentiful, I see them all the time on craigs list.

I would......................but 500 bux......................nah..!!!

Talk them down.