Post Listing Update: This CB450D did not get any action at the BIN of $20,500.
Honda’s Black Bomber, also known as the CB450, is a valuable collectible nowadays. But when it was first released, the voluptuous styling was not for everyone. When the 1968 CB450 K1 was released, Honda still had several examples of the K0 languishing in showrooms and even in their factory. To help clear out that inventory, they released a limited production of what they called the “D” kit (from what I can determine, production numbers were never made public). This kit turned the Black Bomber into a street scrambler with pipes on both sides of the frame. Bonhams suggests that less than 10 still exist, though an online CB450 registry lists 35 bikes. Either way, it’s a rare find that Bonhams calls “one of the rarest Honda street bikes in existence.“
There’s some debate about how many “D” bikes were completely built by Honda and how many were assembled at dealerships from kits, but the consensus is that the vast majority were the latter. The kit comprised of approximately 60 parts, the most obvious of which included the tank, dual exhaust, seat, chrome fenders, and scrambler handlebars. For more information, check out Mark Bayers Vintage Honda. Mark suggests that the value of a nice example has dramatically risen from $4,000 to $14,000 over the last couple of years, a claim reinforced by the $7,400 sale of this non-running barn find in November of 2017 on eBay.
This example (VIN: CB450-1017665, though a different number is provided in eBay) is #22 on the online registry, and you can see a few photos from when the bike was “rescued from a dilapidated shed near Rifle, Colorado”:
Photo from www.cb450d.com
It is in truly impressive condition thanks to a restoration by the seller, and he’s got some awards to prove it:
“It won BEST OF CLASS at the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance Show in Beverly, MA July, 2014
It won BEST OF SHOW at the VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club) National Rally in Pigeon Forge, TN. 2015
It won BEST OF SHOW the following year, 2016 at the Inaugural Northeast Show in Gettysburg, PA.
It won SPECIAL MERIT AWARD at the Barber Vintage Festival, VJMC Show 2017, Birmingham, AL.
In three consecutive years of judging with the AMCA, (Antique Motorcycle Club of America) it garnered a high score of 99 1/4 out of 100 points. That was with the Yankee Chapter in Hebron, CT. It earned the coveted honor of the WINNERS CIRCLE. It is currently on display in the Motorcyclepedia Museum in the WINNERS CIRCLE CONCOURS EXHIBIT in Newburgh, NY.”
The asking price is significant, but there are just a handful of these bikes in this condition in the entire world. What’s it worth to you? Find this CB450D for sale in Barnstable, Massachusetts with a BIN of $20,500 or best offer
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Bob K!