Can of worms

[Wasp]

Top of this category for me .................................................................... any pushrod CCM
[/quote]

YES , thats one to own . They where special in their day and still special to this day . One that will never go down in price . Any other bikes like that ?

[Husky500evo]

For once , I tend to agree with Wasp . I think that any plastic tank on an old bike is a pain in the arse and detracts from the bikes value . Plastic fuel tanks are all going to deteriorate and split over time . I think that they are an extreme safety hazard on a vintage bike used for racing and I am surprised that the governing bodies haven’t stepped in and banned the use of plastic fuel tanks over a certain age . Imagine if your plastic tank splits while you are riding your bike and it only takes one spark and you are up in flames . I have had a shiny new looking refurbished plastic tank , that I accidentally dropped and it just shattered like glass into lots of pieces .
Bikes in unmolested OEM condition tend to be more collectable than modified bikes , so I am thinking that competitive race bikes that came out with a metal fuel tank , will ultimately hold their value better than plastic tanked bikes .

[Momus]

Nebo , I like your categories , but would like to add one more

Overpriced & Overrated Vintage Bikes

Top of this category for me .................................................................... any pushrod CCM

Spot on. Strange and folkloric the CCM.

They took the mid 70's Grand Prix title for the most unreliable bike in the field by a country kilometre while never winning a GP despite having at times riders more than equal to the job.

As to their value then and now do we have any numbers on what original 1977's have sold for here- or anywhere- recently?

According to my copy of Rolling Thunder, the 1977 580 3 speed sold for $1517 quid then in the UK or the equivalent of 7000 pounds today so about 13 grand AUD- though I would expect in todays dollars any landed here were going for 20K+ equivalent.

I think that by far the standout for metal tank 70's MX bikes would be the Honda CR125M.

It's a bit hard to compare pre AUD  float prices with today so American figures are probably meaningful.
.
In the US new CR125M's went for $745. Today prices obviously vary, but a good one in the US would fetch 5 or 6 grand. An unridden new one recently went for $17000 US.

[Butcher]

 in the book rolling thunder it tells of how many of these CCM's were made in each year. They were in limited numbers in their prime. Hard to know how much they are selling for  these days cause its rare they change hands. I for one hope they don't lose value cause  i have a vested interest in a couple of them. Nuthin sounds better than pommie 500s leaving the start gate........

[djr]

What do people think of the Yamaha HL500
These seem to be a good investment

Like the CCMs of the era - I dont think anyone ever won a championship anywhere with these , but they have a cult following , probably just for being different and a 4 stroke

The NVT production bikes seem the most expensive , even though a well built replica is often a better quality machine

[skypig]

What do people think of the Yamaha HL500
These seem to be a good investment

Like the CCMs of the era - I dont think anyone ever won a championship anywhere with these , but they have a cult following , probably just for being different and a 4 stroke

The NVT production bikes seem the most expensive , even though a well built replica is often a better quality machine

They were cool then, and are cool now. (Despite their limited competition success you mention.)
More in the “Iconic” class, than the “I had/wanted/watched” them when I was a kid.
A bit “specialised” (fetish?)

Personally, I’d rather a ‘73 CR (Same price/condition - I’d go the Honda.)