Rebuilt RH4 head with Black Diamonds and flow tested. What is a reasonable price to pay?

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Dkt26

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What is a reasonable price to pay for a reconditioned RH4 head these days? I've been out of the commando game for a while. I was floored when I saw Fullauto Heads going for £3000 or near on. So, its fair to say I'm well out of touch with current price guides.
 
I can't see a FA selling for that even if it was still new in the box.

The reality is in Australia you could pay $450 to have new guides installed along with the seats cut.
A head with new KW guides, valves and exhaust port inserts could gobble up $1000 in parts and labour easily.
That could become a $2000 to sell head very quickly but is still value based on the last FA asking prices (close to $4k ?)
Of course it might be worth half that to a buyer unless they were selling the same head.

Its what you get when people are asking $15k to $25+k for a Commando.

In saying that a year or so back a RH10 was listed here for around AU$500 bare, if it wasn't junk it was near a give away ready to refurbish but could have turned into a $1500 head very quickly.
Add flow testing and you just went into the possible $2000+ range.

I would not touch an RH4 when there are RH10's.
 
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Time Warp said:
I can't see a FA selling for that even if it was still new in the box (I will stick to what I said years ago, unless they are in the US$1800 to $2200 range they will only ever be an oddity based on the small amount sold)

The reality is in Australia you could pay $450 to have new guides installed along with the seats cut.
A head with new KW guides, valves and exhaust port inserts could gobble up $1000 in parts and labour easily.
That could become a $2000 to sell head very quickly but is still value based on the last FA asking prices (close to $4k ?)

Its what you get when people are asking $15k to $25+k for a Commando.

In saying that a year or so back a RH10 was listed here for around AU$500 bare, if it wasn't junk it was near a give away ready to refurbish but could have turned into a $1500 head very quickly.


$4000+ FA - $500 Moto Guzzi heads with $900 parts and labour.
The classic bike merry go round.

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The last FA I saw was for sale in Britain foe £2900 from memory. It was New in Box.
Wasn't Doug and Steve running FA heads along with fast eddie and a few other racers? Hardly an oddity more like a piece of unobtainium racing kit.
Anyway off topic. What should one pay for a bolt on ride away rh4?
 
I have a hunch the OP has a head to sell not looking to buy one.
#
If so
I still have the original RH10 off my Mk2a (My FA head cost over $4000 with KW parts (Thanks JC for the KW bits) and new AN rocker spindles cover studs)

If I was to sell that bare RH10, I would not accept less than AU$1000 for it. (US$700+)
I do not know what KW valves, guides, springs, collets and retainers cost here , maybe $600.

I do know it would be around $450 to install the guides and cut the seats.

There is $2050 with no fancy flow testing.
Its the same old merry go round, a buyer might offer $1000 but if they sold it next week they would want $2000+.

The answer is how much do you want/need the head (or the space it is taking up on a shelf) against what is the least you would accept for it.
Somewhere in the middle is the answer between a buyer and seller outlook.

The flipside is.
I bought a very nice RH1 off US ebay and had it sent to JC.
He Al/bronze inserted the three 3/8" stud threads along with the exhaust threads, installed new KW guides, cut the seats and supplied new KW valves and sundry parts.
All up total cost including purchase and within the USA post with international post later it might have been AU$1400 (It cost $100 to vapour blast it locally)

I would rate that a bargain. (Or under US$1000 to the door on todays money)
 
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Time Warp said:
I have a hunch the OP has a head to sell not looking to buy one.
#
If so
I still have the original RH10 off my Mk2a (My FA head cost over $4000 with KW parts (Thanks JC for the KW bits) and new AN rocker spindles cover studs)

If I was to sell that bare RH10, I would not accept less than AU$1000 for it. (US$700+)
I do not know what KW valves, guides, springs, collets and retainers cost here , maybe $600.

I do know it would be around $450 to install the guides and cut the seats.

There is $2050 with no fancy flow testing.
Its the same old merry go round, a buyer might offer $1000 but if they sold it next week they would want $2000+.

The answer is how much do you want/need the head (or the space it is taking up on a shelf) against what is the least you would accept for it.
Somewhere in the middle is the answer between a buyer and seller outlook.

The flipside is.
I bought a very nice RH1 off US ebay and had it sent to JC.
He Al/bronze inserted the three 3/8" stud threads along with the exhaust threads, installed new KW guides, cut the seats and supplied new KW valves and sundry parts.
All up total cost including purchase and within the USA post with international post later it might have been AU$1400 (It cost $100 to vapour blast it locally)

I would rate that a bargain. (Or under US$1000 to the door on todays money)
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I have one, I have no idea what they are worth hence the question. I have also a fullauto with beehives etcetera. It cost me $2200au with guides etcetera.
Like I said, I've been away from Norton buy and sell. I have no idea what they are worth recoed and crack/seal/flow tested.
 
As the majority of us enthusiasts slide into the uncharted waters of retirement we the working class are loosing the ability to purchase these type of items that are required to keep our cheeriest toys up to a usable standard, is our hobby getting to the point that it is only the play ground of the heeled.
 
possm said:
As the majority of us enthusiasts slide into the uncharted waters of retirement we the working class are loosing the ability to purchase these type of items that are required to keep our cheeriest toys up to a usable standard, is our hobby getting to the point that it is only the play ground of the heeled.
Click to expand...
 
possm said:
As the majority of us enthusiasts slide into the uncharted waters of retirement we the working class are loosing the ability to purchase these type of items that are required to keep our cheeriest toys up to a usable standard, is our hobby getting to the point that it is only the play ground of the heeled.
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I have no idea what that means. Just wondering what is a fair price.
I've been a member of this forum for a long time. I forgot how hard it was to get a straight answer
 
possm said:
As the majority of us enthusiasts slide into the uncharted waters of retirement we the working class are loosing the ability to purchase these type of items that are required to keep our cheeriest toys up to a usable standard, is our hobby getting to the point that it is only the play ground of the heeled.
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No (with proviso.. and apologies to OP for thread deviation) How many of us will ever NEED a new head? Yes, guides wear but if you have a running bike all is good, no?
Those wishing to 'upgrade'.... different story...
 
If you're buying, I'd need to see a receipt from RECOGNIZED Norton specialist. Otherwise, leave some $$$ for possible rework.
 
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Dkt26 said:
The last FA I saw was for sale in Britain foe £2900 from memory. It was New in Box.
Wasn't Doug and Steve running FA heads along with fast eddie and a few other racers? Hardly an oddity more like a piece of unobtainium racing kit.
Anyway off topic. What should one pay for a bolt on ride away rh4?
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I have a FA head, of course I paid much less that £3000 or even £2000, but to get one today I would expect to pay nearer the higher numbers. I was fortunate that I bought through Mick Hemmings while he was the UK importer, he chose to be price competitive on it.

I use it very close to standard FA spec. We can only hope that when current development in the US is complete the price will be competitive again. (Fast Eddie has a Comnoz worked RH10).

Was it worth what I paid?, Hell yes, and more. I was much happier using the FA in my build than a 40 year old head that had been beaten around by countless hooligans, and the minimum year wait for someone like Steve Maney to work magic on it to get to a similar potential! But, when I built my first Norton race engine I was able to use a new head too! A fully hemisphered Short Stroke race head ported by John Baker, the guy who did the work as described in the period service notes! So I was lucky both times.

Can it be improved on? Well yes, but surely anything can.
 
possm said:
As the majority of us enthusiasts slide into the uncharted waters of retirement we the working class are loosing the ability to purchase these type of items that are required to keep our cheeriest toys up to a usable standard, is our hobby getting to the point that it is only the play ground of the heeled.
Click to expand...
It was ever thus....

Some of us were lucky to get stuff done before retirement, these days....very difficult to prioritise toys over health!
 
EstuaryBoy said:
No (with proviso.. and apologies to OP for thread deviation) How many of us will ever NEED a new head? Yes, guides wear but if you have a running bike all is good, no?
Those wishing to 'upgrade'.... different story...
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Well, do I need a motorcycle at all? No.

Do I want one? No. I want at least 6! 6 being 1 more than I already have....
 
That's plain greedy :)

But.... the original thrust (!) of my comment would be that as a 'Classic' Commando owner I am spoilt by the availability and price of most 'service' parts, compared to other bikes out there of any vintage....
 
is fullauto still around? Last I spoke to him he had just got his bike back on the road after being t boned.
I was saddened to hear of John's (Landsdown) passing in my absence. I spoke to John regularly and he was a really lovely guy. As I said, I have been away for some time. Just before my absence, Steve had stopped producing his exhaust systems which I always wanted and couldn't convince him to make just one more. He had a bad fall somewhere and had cut back his service quite a lot.
There was a fella who was always a laugh, I'm sure he would agree with me that he was a bit of a nutter when it came to his Norton's! I think Hobbit was his name. There's been quite the change since coming back but its great to see SteveA and fast eddie still kicking around.
 
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