(not mine) "xs1100 midnight special 1980 - $2000"

[Prothec]

Not mine, just local CL post:

"xs1100 midnight special 1980 - $2000"

http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/3750492822.html

[motoman]

Decent lookin' scoot, but without the original air box and exhaust in tact, a bit high in price IMHO.

[natemoen]

Nice looking bike but yeah, a lot of little things that are not "right" but still nice.

[Prothec]

I don't personally understand the appeal of the MNS, but then again, I'm younger than all of these bikes and I've only seen a few in person besides my XJ. It sounds most like an answer to similar offerings from the competition at the time, but I do understand there are fewer out there to make them slightly more desirable in stock form...

[Gallaecus]

the MNS didnt have a kick start
the side covers arent right.
the gold paint isnt right.
like you guys said.....a lot isnt right there.
i guess its custom.????

[crazy steve]

Looks like a painted-on MNS.....

Besides the fact that all the 'gold' trim looks painted on, it's got gold trim on the gauges and license plate light (not OEM to 'real' ones) and the wheels are wrong. The MNS wheels have polished aluminum edges with gold cast areas, these are 'regular' wheels with the aluminum painted gold.

Decent looking bike, but if he's claiming it's real, that's fraud....

[jwhughes3]

None of the turn signals are stock. The gold isnt the right color gold.
Seat is recovered and pipes are kerker or something.
JOhn

[DCII]

? Mns

Considering the number of things that are incorrect on this bike I almost wonder if it is an SG made to look like a MNS. So many details are wrong from gold petcocks, should be black, to decals on the side covers? Anyone figure out what is hanging from the license plate? Didn't know that shaft drive causes rear tires to wear quicker

[jwhughes3]

From this site (take with a grain of salt but most sounds legit)

http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html


On drive shafts:

" Since most acceleration/deceleration and braking occurs when the bike is more or less straight up this wear is most evident in the center of the rear tire. Drive shaft bikes are the worst offenders since they are notably "herky jerky" and transfer the shock of accel/decel directly to the rear contact patch unbuffered. Belt and chain drives will "buffer" these shocks and lessen this kind of wear. This same scuffing action is minimal on the front tire because the front tire is undriven and merely rolls while the rear tire is doing all the inertial work. When brakes are applied, traction at the front tire improves minimizing scuffing while traction at the rear tire deteriorates maximizing scuffing."


Upside down trailer ball??


John

[crazy steve]

Drive shaft bikes are the worst offenders since they are notably "herky jerky" and transfer the shock of accel/decel directly to the rear contact patch unbuffered. Belt and chain drives will "buffer" these shocks and lessen this kind of wear.

I'll disagree with that.... While most shaft drive bikes are known for the driveline 'slop' inherent in the design, that can be minimized by riding style. I'll say it's more likely the loading/unloading of the tire from the torque reaction of the pinion gear against the ring gear (what I call the 'pogo effect').

[DGXSER]

It is obviously gold colored paint. I agree with DC, it is most likely an SG someone got in rough shape and decided to paint everything instead of sanding and polishing. If they know enough to know of the MNS version, and how it is the rarest and "most valued", they would try to make theirs into a MNS. And I do not think the exhaust is Kerker, looks like MAC to me.

All that said, it is a decent looking bike. I just get nervous when someone gets shady about things like calling it a MNS, from then, I would not believe them if they tell me the sky is blue...it must be raining.

[jwhughes3]

I dont know, the mac has a squared off top to the hanger on a 4-1 and the kerker is pointed on top like this one. Just missing the name plate. I thought my kerker on the old 78 was a great system and loved the sound. It doesnt matter really except its not a stock system.

Is that dangly thing a bell?

John

[GLoweVA]

Foot pegs are too skinny. 80/81 foot pegs are much wider.

Also, nobody mentioned the smaller handlebars.

Is the petcock painted too?