Watch my video please. i know nothing of muscle bikes..schwinn manta ray 5 speed

[billyjones]

I had the chance to buy a gray one about 10 yrs ago.. I lowballed the guy and it didnt happen.
Bikes hold value appropriately, and the Manta Ray is one.
You paid smack dab fair price.. no deal. not ripped off.
that being said, you now own THE RADDEST MUSCLE BIKE EVER MADE! in my favorite color personally, that being said replace that seat! CLEAN IT UP! theres a cabe site member here that makes Tijuana Blanket style seats complete with dingle balls! Im ordering one soon! Congrats.. youre a full blown Schwinn cult member now! One of us! One of us! Great impulse buy! Enjoy it!

 

[billyjones]

here it is in mint condition for 2500, link below

what you paid may seem high, but it might have been spot on.
10 years ago I passed up a minty gray one.. one owner, local sale, craigslist.
no ad.. he bought some dj gear from me.. and I saw the bike and we talked about a sale.
he wanted 1800, would have taken 1200 probably. mint condition, one owner, gray.
I offered him 500 and came up to 600.. 10 yrs ago.
no deal.
10 yrs later, minty owners askin 2500

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[WillWork4Parts]

here it is in mint condition for 2500, link below

what you paid may seem high, but it might have been spot on.
10 years ago I passed up a minty gray one.. one owner, local sale, craigslist.
no ad.. he bought some dj gear from me.. and I saw the bike and we talked about a sale.
he wanted 1800, would have taken 1200 probably. mint condition, one owner, gray.
I offered him 500 and came up to 600.. 10 yrs ago.
no deal.
10 yrs later, minty owners askin 2500

Pardon Our Interruption...

Dude, you gotta stop giving advice like this. The bike you posted is shiny, but not minty, as the pictures were taken in the shade, masking a lot of the scratches. The seat stripe is worn off and it's not even a disc brake bike, not so comparable in price. Plus Buyitnow prices are not the same as sold prices.

 

[truss]

For $750, you did just fine as long as the Disc Brake unit is intact with OK chrome. The serial should be EH###### for May of 1972. That was the only year model for the Disc Brake on a Mantaray as that was their last year of production, 71 was the first year for the handbrake version of the Mantaray. Uuuunfortunately, a lot of these bikes get parted out to sacrifice their parts towards building a Krate. The tires and original oversized seat are the hardest parts to find.

It is EH so may 72 I've learned like you said. Thank you. This one wont be parted

 

[truss]

I really do appreciate the help you have provided guys. I'm slowly learning through research and this will be the first bike I clean and restore alone. No shop work. I need to gain knowledge if I'm going to make it in this hobby and I thank all of you for sharing your thoughts and suggestions

 

[mike1117]

Disc wheel is worth $750 or more. You got the rest of the bike for nothing including a $200 or so stik shifter, same Mag sprocket as on the Krate, nice looking guard. If it did not have the disc brake on it then the price would be on the high side. I know very well what a Manta seat is going to cost you, that is OK. Sleep well, you did very, very well with this purchase. I would have paid that, even more for it.
By the way. The serial number looks to start with an EH, so a May 1972 which is correct for this bike. You see a lot of these with the disc brake missing and a caliper brake put on the rear wheel. Do not let anyone tell you that a disc brake was optional for this bike. This EH serial number bike came new out of the box with a disc brake, period. You did great.

 

[Freqman1]

A lot of knowledgeable folks on here. Just be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Some folks be dipp’n in the Kool-Aid and not know the flavor!

 

[truss]

Disc wheel is worth $750 or more. You got the rest of the bike for nothing including a $200 or so stik shifter, same Mag sprocket as on the Krate, nice looking guard. If it did not have the disc brake on it then the price would be on the high side. I know very well what a Manta seat is going to cost you, that is OK. Sleep well, you did very, very well with this purchase. I would have paid that, even more for it.
By the way. The serial number looks to start with an EH, so a May 1972 which is correct for this bike. You see a lot of these with the disc brake missing and a caliper brake put on the rear wheel. Do not let anyone tell you that a disc brake was optional for this bike. This EH serial number bike came new out of the box with a disc brake, period. You did great.

i really appreciate youre helping to put my mind at ease. im new to this and i know its not a hobby to make money from..i just dont want to lose to it also. its already torn down and the front fender has been cleaned up. going to go piece by piece clean and fix it as i go. learning the whole way.kindness like yours makes it easier. this bike will never be parted out. and yes it is EH may 1972 as i have learned. thanks again

 

[coasterbrakejunkie1969]

@truss could you post some actual pictures of the bike not just the video? Close ups would be helpful. Yes if you were to part this out you would make some $ but you have stated that is not your intention so the value of individual parts is moot unless we are discussing you buying the parts not selling. Once you sold the rear wheel the value of this bike plummets. As has been discussed many times before the sum of the parts rarely, rarely equals the value of the bike. If you need to buy the correct seat and tires you are looking at minimum doubling your investment. looks to be all original but it is a 50 something year old bike and until you have it apart and documented nothing is certain. Dated cranks, stem, tires, handle bars and forks and their condition are key to this bikes possible value. That being said perhaps we should get back to discussing this actual bike not the value of others. Once you have it apart you can determine the actual originality then you can go from there.

 

[truss]

@truss could you post some actual pictures of the bike not just the video? Close ups would be helpful. Yes if you were to part this out you would make some $ but you have stated that is not your intention so the value of individual parts is moot unless we are discussing you buying the parts not selling. Once you sold the rear wheel the value of this bike plummets. As has been discussed many times before the sum of the parts rarely, rarely equals the value of the bike. If you need to buy the correct seat and tires you are looking at minimum doubling your investment. looks to be all original but it is a 50 something year old bike and until you have it apart and documented nothing is certain. Dated cranks, stem, tires, handle bars and forks and their condition are key to this bikes possible value. That being said perhaps we should get back to discussing this actual bike not the value of others. Once you have it apart you can determine the actual originality then you can go from there.

ive already started the tear down. ill be on the lookout for the date codes and such. i will see how the project turns out over time and then i will start to consider if replacing the seat or tires is something i want to do. as for now the fun of it is slowly cleaning every part and trying to make it work again. just backyard bike wrenchin. the process is my hobby