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Christmas Special: 1986 Honda Z50RD

Christmas Special isn’t just the title of this one because it’s a small bike and it’s sitting by a Christmas tree and it’s almost that time of year again. Christmas Special is what the 1986 Honda Z50RD was known as – although some folks referred to it as the Chrome Edition, for obvious reasons. This rare and highly-collectible Honda 50 can be found here on eBay in Ararat, North Carolina with a current bid price of $7,100 and the reserve isn’t met yet! Let’s check out this little chrome elf.

Isn’t that a cute little thing? I have never seen one of the Christmas Special Z50s in person but they’re more of a collector toy than one that most owners today would actually, gasp… use! If you haven’t been paying attention, and most people normally wouldn’t have been, these chrome-heavy Hondas have gone up in value quite a bit over the last few years. It’s not surprising at all to see a $7,100 bid not meeting the seller’s reserve, I’m guessing that their reserve is somewhere between $9,000-$10,000, give or take, and they can and do sell for much more than that.

This past January, Mecum sold a pair of these Z50RDs still in the crate for over $51,000! Why were there two Z50RD monkey bikes in one crate? Well, the “D” refers to Dealer and each of Honda’s top dealers received two of them. This particular bike is somewhat all original, if that makes any sense at all? It has all original New Old Stock (NOS) parts but it isn’t technically original as it came from the factory. That shouldn’t really matter, and clearly it doesn’t matter to the investors, I mean bidders, who are running the price up the flagpole.

The seller says that the gas tank is an NOS piece that they paid $1,500 for! The seat is also NOS, as well as the lower fork assemblies and tires. NOS is NOS so it’s great that the seller was able to keep this bike with all factory parts. The engine is Honda’s 49 cc single with a top speed of just under 30 mph and the seller says that it starts in two or three kicks and runs perfectly. Have any of you seen a “Christmas Special” Honda Z50RD?

Comments

  1. Avatar Nevadahalfrack Member

    Wow, Scotty, talk about making someone feel like a real piker at Christmas time! I felt pretty extravagant spending $300 on a new helmet for my little brother!! Geez!
    (He’s 60 now and still riding but wouldn’t fit on this..)

    These were great fro getting the kids involved in dirt bike riding. The difference now is that since a number of millennials stayed at home in front of the tv on computer games because both folks were struggling to pay bills by working wherever they could, we lost them for the most part to riding. The good news is that many kids are now making the segue (not Segway) into riding again by starting out on electric bikes as they get cheaper to buy..
    Let’s hope.

    Like 8
  2. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Cool little scooter for sure. In high school my riding buddy had a chrome helmet. Natually, forever after he was refered to as chrome dome. Can’t remeber his name or what he rode, but I will never forget that lid.

    Like 5
  3. Avatar Andy

    I haven’t priced out a Lifan copy of this, but it can’t be more than $2000 in the crate, and you wouldn’t be afraid to ride it. And maybe NOS is NOS, but to me, it really isn’t the same if they had to replace half the bike. I’ll give them credit for making it look good, though.

    Like 2
  4. Avatar Bud

    I think you mean the Lloyd Christmas special .

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Michael Leyshon Member

    Great little bike. Don’t start it inside the house ! Hope it has proper warning labels.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Troy s

    Rode dirt bikes back then, mostly desert, but I never knew about these, just a little kids minibike really. Who cared?
    Maybe the Honda XR75 or mini Enduro Yamaha being high priced collectors items I can understand with small bikes.
    That price tag is just amazing…..

    Like 3
  7. Avatar Gene Parmesan

    What an absolutely rad little bike. Always loved these. Though my first bike was ancient Suzuki JR50, I learned to shift gears on a slightly less ancient Z50 (the pedestrian version with no chrome). I bet many of my fellow motorcycle enthusiasts have a connection to the mighty Z50 as for many of us, this was our introduction to two-wheeled bliss.

    You’re looking at gasoline-powered, chrome-plated motorcycle Genesis!

    Like 5
  8. Avatar lawrence f kniveton

    Beautiful. And all the wonderful cars listed every day. Middle aged men in pursuit of the their lost youth. That is the essence of it all.

    Like 2
  9. Avatar Howard A Member

    They’re nuts. I don’t care if the original price tag is hanging from the crossbar, I wouldn’t pay $7 grand, even chrome plated. These were ok bikes, many of us got hurt on these for the 1st time, but they were bikes that got trashed, mostly trying to keep up with the “real” motorcycles, and most were thrown away. Somebody going to find out, there’s better dirt bikes for $7 grand. I suppose, for the person that has it all, it can hang from their ceiling.

    Like 4
  10. Avatar Rob

    You can buy mine for less than half of that one!

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/193247372209

    Like 1
  11. Avatar the one

    Well, s’pose if ya gotta have it then it’s worth it but for that kind of money, can you really let some little kid learn how to ride it? Just say’in..

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Gordon Bass

    The Z50RDs are quite the SHOW bikes! Get ‘em keep them—they are not for taking in the dirt. They are not for for abusing. They are a thing of beauty. Some people just don’t get it and probably never will. I have 15 of these beauties and treat them as gold. They command a bedroom in my house and they don’t share!

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Bob Ch

    I dont know these may be good collectible but you can get a new Honda 50 Monkey for less than $4,000

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Gordon Bass

    Bob—come on, let’s compare apples to apples! A 1986 Chrome Christmas Special in mint condition is a valuable, desirable bike to have in inventory. Just look a the medioric rise in value.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bob Ch

      Oh you are right it is pretty neat mini I like it these used to be around when I had a mini but a little to expensive for us

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Gordon Bass

    Thanks for the reply Bob. I have a special infinity for these little creatures. I am blessed to have a bedroom full of’em and each one is primo!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bob Ch

      Thats great Yeah loved these. The reason I mentioned new I have a friend who just bought a new monkey 50, street legal too

      Like 0
  16. Avatar Gray Wolf

    Lots of mini-bikes and no room for the ladies! LOL!

    Like 0

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