Attachment 543705Attachment 543705Well, it took me a while, but I finally got mine built:
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post17983601
Panasonic cb-620 13.jpg
Total cost, including
custom frame modifications;
custom powder; restoration decals & clear coat; & the
complete build: just under $1,100; or, if you like, about $200
less than the base cost of a stock Sam frameset.
If I'd wanted to add a second (or third) set of bottle-bosses & full touring braze-ons to the fork, it would've cost only $200 more, which would have raised the total price to equal that of a Sam Hillborne; keep in mind however, that that's for
the complete bike, not just the frame alone.
If I'd wanted to build this bike on the cheap, as a strictly functional ride with none of the custom work or repairs, I could've built it for about $550; that is, the cost of the components + $25 for the bike itself.
Edit (11/20/2016): It's amazing what you can find, poking around on Japanese websites; I just found a small archive of photos of the original, non-export version of my aforementioned Panasonic. In Japan, it was apparently called the 'Viatore CT' and it was indeed a 650B Rinko frame, and a pretty nice one. The one shown below is actually a few years newer than mine.
Panasonic-Viatore-01.jpg