Time Capsule: NOS 1980 Harley-Davidson XR750 on eBay

By John Coyle - October 15, 2013

This is the kind of eBay find which makes me conflicted. On one hand, bikes should be ridden, and it’s almost criminal to let a legendary dirt-track demon hibernate for so long.

But… it’s amazing there’s essentially a brand new—it was apparently never even filled with fluids—33-year old Harley-Davidson XR750 looking for a home! The bike is currently located in Zushi, in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, and while the listing unfortunately doesn’t shed any light on exactly how this piece of American Iron wound up in the Land of the Rising Sun, it does feature some borderline-poetic Engrish:

“I think that I am an American precious article

I would like to yield an American lover”

Not the way I’d have put it, but I think the point is clear. Obviously, it’ll need some attention, but this baby is a jewel. With two and a half days left, 23 bids have pushed the price to 10k, but given the coin we’ve seen pristine examples fetch, I’m confident the sale price will be way north of that.

UPDATE 10.21.2013: The auction closed at 13,800, which seems like a steal. But the really good news? It’s coming back to the States. Let’s hope the person who picked it up actually rides it.

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