Found a 78 xs11 standard

[dwain61]

I found this bike for sale and the owner says that the transmission locked up while he was going down the freeway and he laid it down. He wants $500 for it and I was just wondering if anyone knew what kind of repairs it would need and if it is worth the hassle. He says that the engine runs good but the tranny is still locked up. Any help would be appreciated.

[LoHo]

Do you have any idea how much the guy knows about bikes? It is unlikely that the tranny locked...I'd look at the rear brake and the shaft gears. How bad was the road rash from his skidding to a stop? Also, I think $500 for a twenty-eight-year-old bike that is locked up is too much, unless I was able to scope out the problem. How long has it been sitting?

[dwain61]

He said that the foot peg on that side is gone, the shifter is still there and he took off a torn up side fairing. He said that most of the damage was cosmetic. It has been sitting about a year.

[Ken Talbot]

Transmissions do not often lock up, but the middle drives do on occasion if somebody forgets to refill them during a service. This is a fairly simple bolt-on replacement, and spares are still available at a reasonable price. If you can do the work yourself, and if the bike did not get too much other damage from being laid down, you could be in the saddle for another 100 or 200 bucks beyond the asking price. You might try offering a bit less, all the while talking about how big a job it would be to have to do the tranny, how tough parts might be to find, etc.

Use the search button to look for 'middle drive seized' for a few articles on this.

[dwain61]

Is there a quick and dirty test to find out if there's oil in the middle drive?

[webbcraft2150]

Pull the drain plug (could be a real chore). $500 is steep for a rig you could easily drop another 5 into. Check the threads on what to look for in a used 11 and cut your best deal.

[dwales]

I had my trans lock up on me several years ago. Second gear seized up on the shaft, and it locked into 2nd and third at the same time. Cost me a couple of C notes to repair.

[dwain61]

A little more info

Its a 78 special not a standard like I thought. The bike was fully dressed when he laid it down so most of the damage was done to the fairing and saddle bag; some scratches on muffler as well. It has 46xxx miles and he says that when he puts it into gear from neutral that it does not want to budge. He has taken off the fairing and bags but will include them with the sale. Do you guys think it might be worth it?

[John]

78 Special?

The Special wasn't introduced until 79. A 79 Special will have 3H3 as the first three digits of the VIN. Look at the links in the yellow margin on the left side of this page. Click on Specifications, then click on Serial Numbers. You will find your year and model there.

[dwain61]

Well now I'm just confused. Ok well I guess lets just go on assuming that its a 78 standard because this guy seems like he doesn't know what he has. Do you guys think that it seems worth the money or what should I offer?

[John]

Offer him $250 at the most. Like it was said earlier, make sure you slip into the conversation just how expensive the repairs are and the cost/availability of parts. Take the bike home, and unbolt the drive shaft from the middle drive flange. Now try to turn the rear wheel. Watch the drive shaft, if it spins, that eliminated the final drive and drivshaft. If you can, shift to Nuetral and try to turn the middle drive output flange. If it doesnt turn, then chances are it is bad. Then, drain and remove the mid drive and try to turn the flange again. If it turns, then the problem will be in the trans. If you don't want to fix it, you can easily make some $$$ by parting it out.

[andnew]

$500 is too steep, I bought my 82 XJ with 24K needing a valve job (2 bent) for $100 with no crash damage.

The bike in absolutele perfect condition is maybe worth $12-1500, not to mention at 46K it's no doubt ready for at least a top end job. (40k is mandatory retirement for KZ100 air cooled police bikes around here).

Was the bike running while sliding down the road? Might have damage from running dry on oil?

Pre-price the missing / broken peg and other parts and anything else you can find wrong and base your offer on the cost and difficulty of getting it back on the road.

With a locked drivetrain, it could be any of several problems, some much more expensive than others.

[skids]

Offer him 150.00 assuming it might turn into a parts bike -- if you don't mind learning to turn wrenches. Personally, I would not offer a penny unless I could do a compression test and could hear it run. He will own that bike for a long time at that price and condition.

[prometheus578]

I was reading the posts, watching the price go down. I agree with Skids. I wouldn't pay more than a hunnerd bucks fer it. Bike is basically worthless.
Oh... don't everyone start jumpin' my $hit, now. I've got five of these beasts, always lookin' fer more, I suppose, but I wouldn't pay $500 for a bike in this condition.
The owners is stuck with 500 pounds worth of aluminum, steel and rubber, that he can neither ride, nor sell. He's stuck with it and is trying to unload it for as much as he can get. (You could pay the guy $500, find out that it's royally "honked' inside, and then YOU get to try to sell it to make your $500 back) To take it offa his hands fer free, and clear his garage, would be doing him a favor.
Offer $100,( or $150, as per Skids) Tinker with it a little, and then part it out if that is more practical. While tinkering, keep an eye out for another, more viable 1100, and keep this one for parts.
Spending $100 for the experience of working on a great bike and the possability of getting it running is OK. Risking $500 on a non-running bike with a major defect is not.

[dwain61]

Thanks

I really appreciate all of the advice. Thanks alot guys.