Look on Ebay ITEM 200406426095

Hi guys
just been wandering around Ebay and found this interesting machine under monkey bikes
1977 monkey bike (looks like a Lady ST70) ORIGINAL 4 speed manual 72cc 24 BHP
ITEM No 200406426095
Please let me know what you think
Regards tufty

Looks like a good buy but I wouldn't pay more than £500 for it because it's a bit tatty and would need a LOT of work and money to get it looking like a clean lady again! Looks like it has a few extras too (engine bars etc).

Are you thinking of buying it Tufty?

24bhp?
4 would be more realistic.
I bet it has the CT70 (or z50ae) engine fitted.

It could be a good buy if you're looking for a daily Lady runner.
The bars aren't all original, so it might be worth checking if there hasn't been drilled some extra holes in the frame to fit them.

Things you'll need to replace or repair:
tank, schocks, tires, brakes,...

Ignoring the 24BHP bit which is obviously a miss-print, if it really is a 4-speed then it will be using the SS50 engine/gearbox which is ok but was never as good as the 5-speed item. If one of these engines has been fitted then it is certainly not original as it is missing the correct engine/gearbox and it will also be fitted with a manual clutch lever (can't make that out from the photo).

Hi Guys
NOOOOOO I am not looking for another Lady but I have noticed that a few Original in the owners opinion bikes are appearing on Ebay at inflated prices and I have noticed that they are not selling which indicates that people are becoming more sensible with prices and also not buying bikes which will cost a small fortune to restore and possibly never be able to locate the missing original parts.
Regards Tufty

LITCH wrote:Ignoring the 24BHP bit which is obviously a miss-print, if it really is a 4-speed then it will be using the SS50 engine/gearbox which is ok but was never as good as the 5-speed item.

Litch, the SS50 engine came in 4-, 5- and even (rare!) 6-speed versions.
As far as top speed and acceleration goes, the 6-speed was obviously the best one.
As for realibilty and strength, the 4-speed is the best one. Since the extra gears are fitted in the same space as the standard 4 geared version, the first and second gears are auctually quite weak and break quite easily.
Luckily, these can be replaced with high quality Takegawa sprockets.

Besides the SS-engine, there are lots of other Honda mini 4-stroke engine equipped with 4 gears.
CT70, z50a, C70, C90, CD90 and so on.

Just to let you know

TUFTYNUTKIN wrote:Hi Guys
NOOOOOO I am not looking for another Lady but I have noticed that a few Original in the owners opinion bikes are appearing on Ebay at inflated prices and I have noticed that they are not selling which indicates that people are becoming more sensible with prices and also not buying bikes which will cost a small fortune to restore and possibly never be able to locate the missing original parts.
Regards Tufty

Good points Tufty. The parts for our bikes are becoming quite hard to find, if I didn't have a complete bike in the first place I would never have started my restoration job.

People are being price conscious, I have noticed that there have been some bargains on eBay again lately, maybe because people have less cash to spend these days (with the recession, pay cuts etc)? For example the company I work for have been involved in a charity auction with some amazing prizes donated by celebs etc (Dame Judy Dench for example) and it didn't do very well at all.

That lady would be a good buy for someone with deep pockets and a lot of time, it looks in a similar condition to what mine was in before I started.