Top 10 Sub-$2000 Ebay Finds (Right Now)

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

All of us like a good bargain. Whether it’s a new toaster, a pair of shoes or even a special on produce at the grocery store, walking away knowing you got a good deal on something feels good. When it comes to motorcycles, every now and then a glance at Ebay can reveal some steals.

So this week, the two T’s, Troy and Tom, bring you the Top 10 Ebay finds under $2000 happening right now. Of course, the nature of Ebay means items come and go every day, but as of press time all of these items are still up for grabs. The criteria was simple: each bike had to be under $2000, and because people bidding on an auction can sometimes inflate an items price higher than it’s worth, every item here has a “Buy It Now” option within our price cap. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the list is all Japan – mostly Hondas, with a few Kawasakis and Yamahas in the mix, too. Weirdly enough, this week’s search didn’t reveal any Suzukis worth pursuing.

Now, on to this week’s list, in no particular order.

10. 1982 Honda Magna

1982 Honda Magna

This is probably the nicest bike in this list. “This is a pretty nice looking bike. Not perfect but very nice. Paint is nice, tank is nice …” says the auctioning owner. And he sounds pretty nice too. “Please let me know what questions you have and I will assist in shipping just let me know.” The bike does appear to be in near-to-original condition, but he says it’s been sitting for a while without being ridden. It’s a time-consuming project for a home mechanic, or an expensive one to pay for, if those carbs need to be pulled out from between those four, 90-degree cylinders. But when that V-Four is purring smoothly, she’s a real beauty. Buyer beware!

9. 1983 Honda GL650I Silverwing

1983 Honda GL650I Silverwing

Here’s a find for the Honda history buffs. The Honda GL650 Silverwing, and its unique, transverse pushrod 673cc V-Twin (a descendant of the CX series) was only brought into this country for one year, 1983, as a beefed up version of the underpowered GL500. However, with Harley-Davidson on the brink of bankruptcy the year before, Uncle Sam imposed high import tariffs on Japanese bikes entering the country, basically pricing out Harley’s competition. The move meant Honda only brought GL650 here for one year, but the tariffs would end up saving the Motor Company.

Thus, this GL650 is a relatively rare motorcycle. It will likely seem anemic compared to today’s touring machines, but yank off the fairing and bags, install some clip-ons and hack up the rear, and you could have a funky cafe racer. Or, leave everything as is and simply transport yourself back in time three decades. The seller claims it’s in great shape mechanically, and $1850.00 doesn’t seem like a bad deal for a piece of history.

8. 1975 Kawasaki S3 Mach II

1975 Kawasaki S3 Mach II

Back in the time before 4-strokes dominated the internal-combustion landscape, Kawasaki produced a variety of 2-stroke street machines. Better known were the 500cc H1 Mach III and 750cc H2 Mach IV 2-strokers, but the 400cc air-cooled Triple of the S3 Mach II is sweet in a tamer sort of way. Produced for only two years, 1974-1975, the S3 is far from common, and the one seen here appears to be in decent condition with less than 14,000 miles on the clock. It looks to have been somewhat cafe racerized, so the Buy It Now price of $1,900 seems a little steep. But the latest bid as of publication was only $500. Could be yours.

7. 1977 Yamaha XS360 Cafe Racer

1977 Yamaha XS360 Cafe Racer

Earlier this year, in our Lightweight Naked Shootout, we tested, among others, the Royal Enfield Continental GT and the Yamaha SR400. Two bikes that wish they could be this, a Yamaha XS360 cafe racer, straight from 1977. The seller says, “the bike starts, runs, rides and stops very well with no leaks or issues.” Considering it only has 5,428 miles, we’re inclined to believe him. We only have the pictures to judge from, but the paint appears to be in nice condition considering the bike is 37 years old, though there’s apparently a few cracks on the right side according to the seller, “mbess81.” Still, we dig how clean this XS360 is and think the cafe mods are well done. If the styling isn’t your thing, mbess81 says all the cafe racer mods can easily be reversed without any cutting. Offered at $1,977.00, we like that the owner decided to price it the same as its birth year.

6. 1987 Honda Interceptor

1987 Honda Interceptor

As far as VFR Interceptors go, this is a good one to own, largely because in 1987 VFRs featured gear-driven cams. However, they never came in green, so this one’s been painted, which is generally a good indication of a crashed motorcycle. But maybe not. Could have been painted to match the custom green helmet the owner is offering with the sale of the bike. Maybe the helmet was crashed too? At least make sure it fits and doesn’t have 27 years worth of dandruff. The bike is said to have a clear title, to have ran last summer and comes with an additional “4 corroborators.”

5. 1978 Honda CB750K

1978 Honda CB750K

Ranked as one of the greatest motorbikes ever by the Discovery Channel, the Honda CB750 is part of the AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame, was in The Art Of The Motorcycle exhibition and is in the UK National Motor Museum. With those kind of credentials, this 1978 CB750K seems like a steal at an asking price of $1,999.99. The seller, “427vettevette” claims the bike is all original, right down to the tires, and that the bike was “purchased from original family owners.” Though the seat isn’t stock, it is claimed to be a factory correct replacement that has been with the bike since it was new. With some new tires, this would be a great all-purpose motorcycle as-is. Or if the cafe racer scene is your thing, here’s a prime, unmolested platform to let your imagination go wild.

4. 1979 Honda Gold Wing

1979 Honda Gold Wing

To hell with those bearded, skinny jeans-wearing, wannabe hipsters and their CB450 Twins. Nothing says true hipsterism more than the original Gold Wing. More of super-standard than today’s uber-tourers, the original Wing was a fairingless mileage-gobbler powered by 999cc flat four-cylinder producing around 78 horsepower (pretty good for the day). This naked 1979 model is the perfect blank canvas for the creative hipster to transmogrify into his personal rolling definition of a cool motorcycle. This particular example has only 18,000 miles on the clock, which averages to only 514 miles per year. Talk about hardly used! According to the current owner, this bike is currently serviced, ready to ride and could be yours for the appropriate price of $1,979.

3. 1993 Kawasaki EX500

1993 Kawasaki EX500

Admittedly, Honda’s CBR500R, CB500F and CB500X are fine motorcycles in the class, but let’s not forget the OG 500, Kawasaki’s EX500, an underrated and sometimes forgotten motorcycle. How great of a motorcycle is it? Our own Evans Brasfield rode across the country on one, then turned it into a race bike. In fact, he’s still got the bike in his garage! If you don’t buy this 1993 edition, he might. With only 16,900 miles, this EX looks to be in really good condition after 21 years. Seller, “slipstreamfate” says the bike runs great, and the reason he’s selling is because he’s ready to move up to something bigger. And that’s the point of this bike, as a stopgap learning tool to progress from 250s to 600s. The EX500 holds its value well and are excellent intermediate bikes. For $1,700, you could probably recoup your cost once you’re ready to move on.

2. 2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R

2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R

Track bike, anyone? Look past the pink forks, fender and wheel (or maybe expand on it!) on this 2006 Kawasaki ZX-6R, and what we have here is a great start to a trackday weapon. The 636cc inline-Four is a potent engine with great aftermarket support, and the bike already comes with some sort of performance exhaust. If the listing is true, then the bike’s 17,000 miles aren’t bad for an 8 year-old Kawi. Don’t worry about the lack of bodywork, it just means the bike is ready for some race fairings. Assuming the frame, fork and wheels are true, which seller “Phunk325” claims it is, then the 6R wouldn’t need much elbow grease to make pretty again. Phunk even promises the bike will run at time of pickup. His Buy It Now price of $1,900.00 seems a bit lofty, but a reasonable offer may land this bike in your hands.

1. 1983 Yamaha XVZ 1200 Venture

1983 Yamaha XVZ 1200 Venture Royale

Since its introduction in 1985, the original Yamaha V-Max has had a reputation as being a badass muscle cruiser before that was even a thing. It all centered around its monstrous (for its day) 1200cc V-Four. Back up two years and you’ll see that same basic engine (detuned, of course) in a much more comfortable touring platform, called the XVZ 1200 Venture Royale, and that’s what we have here. For only $600, “linus10025” will hand over his first-generation Venture, seen above. Judging by the pictures, the Venture has seen a few miles, 56,000, to be exact, along with the wear and tear that comes with 31 years of touring. But check out that chain link graphic from front to back!

It starts and runs just fine, he says and, get this, even comes with a Sony tape deck in the fairing! Sure it could use some suspension, brake and body work, but if the frame is straight and it’s never been down as he claims, this seems like a good find for just $600.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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  • F R Burdett F R Burdett on Dec 13, 2014

    I had a RED 1973 model S3 350cc Mach II that was an absolute BLAST to ride!
    Only 'major' difference, other than the slightly smaller displacement, was that it had a drum front brake.. :(
    But I would be VERY willing to purchase this very-low-mileage bike and re-paint it to look like my '73 ... and add expansion-chamber pipes and change out the tiny coils for larger automotive coils. [a change told to me by the Factory, in order to stop fouling plugs and to get a stronger spark! And it WORKED Great! ]

  • Diesel Driver Diesel Driver on Dec 16, 2014

    I'm going on Ebay and see about that GL650. Had one a long time ago and sold it with something like 65,000 miles on it. Had just bought a CB700SC Nighthawk with less than 10K. Great bikes both of them. I doubt anyone's going to find a decent CB700SC for less than 3K though. I've looked and looked.

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