Midnight special appraisal

[Tony The Tiger]

OK, Guys I need your help appraising a 1980 XS1100 Midnight special!

OK I found a XS11 special on Craig s-list, the bike has been feed hay for 5 years

stored in a barn, !

the owner said the bike is in good shape overall,

well except for some minor maintenance, & the cosmetics,

the oil needs changed, a battery is needed and of course the dreaded 4carburetors need cleaning up and synced and a tune up wont hurt it!

Also the bike has 40k, & full vetter fairings, the black and gold is also faded and will also need to be painted!

also the owner teaches a MS F course in Vermont,

so he know his motorcycles well!

he wants $1250 as it sits!

what should I pay for this non running bike covered in hay??

or a better question is, What would you pay for the bike?

[xs1100rider]

bike worth

take into account all the work that will have to be done to get it road worthy,tires,carbs,oil,battery,and so on.then the real question you have to ask yourself is how much you are willing to pay for it not what is worth because we all can get caught up in getting "the bike" and really pay more than what they are worth if we get "caught up".find out why it was parked such as second gear problems,no spark, or how i got one of mine -owner got scared off it(too fast or wrecking) but i own three xs11s and have not paid more than $400 for the most expensive one,with that said good luck

[CatatonicBug]

I paid $500 for mine, in similar condition. If yours was running, and had been kept in good condition, the asking price would be reasonable, but as it sits, it's gonna cost a few hundred to get it to that condition again. Not to mention the labor involved. In it's current condition, as described, I'd not go above $800, since it has the fairing on it. But that's just me.

[greatnw]

I agree. I'm thinking more along the way under $500 route. If the gas has gone bad and eaten up that tank that will take at least $100. Even if you rattle can paint it, it will surprise you how that adds up. To have any painter do it as a side job will still cost you quite a bit. Tires are at least $100 bucks each, brakes and master cylinders are going to run anywhere from $50 to $200.
Since it doesn't roll you don't know if it needs any of the gear fixes or a clutch.
Just 'cause the guy wants $1250 doesn't mean you should go anywhere near that price.
The closer to zero the better. You can drop a grand quickly when you need paint and tires and whatever else rears its ugly head.
As one of my friends said, "There will be something else that needs fixing that you weren't expecting."
Make a low offer and have a great time bringing her back to life.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tony,

XS11's are Grrrrreat!

But that price is a bit FLAKY! Just because he's a teacher doesn't mean he's a mechanic. Here's some sour milk to pour over his proposal.

Give him a run down list of what will be needed to get it road worthy:
1) NEW TIRES....5+ y/o are hard and slippery= $200.00 at least
2) Total tear down of carbs, possibly also petcocks, gastank, replace
all fuel lines, inline filters, and vacuum lines.
3) Possible tear down of brake calipers and/or MC's, bleeding, replacing brake
pads, and possibly even stainless steel brake lines.
4) Replacing battery...$50-100.00, plus disconnecting ALL electrical
connections for cleaning and dielectric greasing.
5) Replacing ALL fluids/oils: engine, middle and final gears, pulling final gear
assembly to access and grease driveshaft splines since the ZERK don't
WERK, fork oil, also possible need to repack steering head bearings.

As has been mentioned, many members here are CEREAL owners, some even Cereal killers...of bike engines that is, just ask Tod/Trbig!

IT might sound CORNY, but depends on what you think it'll be worth to YOU, will you ride it often? Have you ever owned an XS11? As you can tell from this website most of us feel that owning an XS11 never gets STALE, and is next to NIRVANA, but then again we're a bit biased.

So..you've got something to put in your bowl and chew it over!

PS...nice of you to NOT provide a link to the craigslist article! Lest you think one of US would snipe it!!

[webbcraft2150]

I paid $1800 in '85 for my full dress 80G with 6k on the clock. This was a turn-key, ride it home bike. The PO had reciepts for over $800 in work he had done to get it running, hence I did not balk much at the asking price. There can be alot of hidden problems in the XS that if its not running, can be almost impossible to find. Any barn baby is gonna take a bunch-o-work to get it on the road. You have to decide if you want to tackle the jobs that lay before you. Most shops will not even look at your bike cause its too old and if they do, you are likely to get it back in worse shape and spend alot of $$$. ANY problem with the XS can be cured thru this website. If you have any experience with a wrench, you can get it back on the road. If you have no experience with a wrench, and you have patience, you can get it back on the road, it will just take a little longer. The MNS is a really cool bike when brought back to its former glory and is a coveted model here on Ch.11. You will cuss 'em like sailor, smoke like a train and drink like a fish before you get it dialed in and running, but it is worth it. I think his asking price is way to high for a non running bike, but then again, you have to decide how bad you want the bike and if you are willing to bring it back to life.

[DGXSER]

Is this it??

It looks pretty dang nice if this is it, but still, a non-runner even in this condition will take alot of the work mentioned. some of the work may even be tougher due to it being a full dresser.

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/1163974673.html

[CatatonicBug]

Wow! That is a purdy bike! The touring package alone is worth $200-$400 as a full set. Too bad the seat isn't stock though. If it were me, and I had the cash, I'd offer $6-800 and see where that gets me. Definitely not over $1000 since it's not running, and needs some relatively pricey stuff (tires, battery, brakes, etc.)

[gene]

I have about $5K into mine so far and it's not even together yet. Get it as cheap as posibble. Once you start pulling things apart you don't know what you will run into. Don't get me wrong my restoration is including many upgrades.

Gene

[Tony The Tiger]

PS...nice of you to NOT provide a link to the craigslist article! Lest you think one of US would snipe it!!

Yeah, I was thinking that., One of your members might jump on that!

========================================
OK Guys,
my past history with sitting bikes started in 2007,

that has been sitting in the (shed,barn,garage, etc)

Usually it is the same situation that I see, time after time,
from the past bike owners,

The previous owners are not like us;
(excessive, compulsive with their machines and it's behavior including it's vibrations !)

The usual scenario I always find is;

1) The previous owners bike dies one day,
2) they call around, and find out what the repair costs may be,
3) after they get a quote of the repairs needed,
they say to themselves OMG! I am NOT PAYING THAT MUCH!! ARGGG!
4) and then they, store the bike in a (shed,barn,or garage)
for years because they cannot afford to fix it!

then they try pass all the problems on to me, or you,

they want the price of a running bike! (that does not run!)

my (True) story;

I have 2 Virago XV's XX that were just sitting for years,

bought them winter 2007!

800 each!

Trailer-ed them strait right to the repair shop in Keene!

and the costs for repairs was appraised at $1500 for each bike!

1) Battery
2) Tires (75$ ea balanced)
3) Fork seals
4) 7 hours valve adjustment (one bike) $600
5) all fluids changed
6) New fairings
7) Rear head on one bike replaced (leaking)
8) carbs cleaned
9) electrical wiring was cross wired somehow (on one bike)
10) horns
11) brakes


I had all the work done at Keene Motor sports, NH
& they charge an extra 25$ an hour for bikes older then 15 years!
(what a scam)

I just yesterday,
found a guy that will work on my classic bikes for 25$ an hour!

I called him and asked about a carburetor cleaning,
with the bike I WTB, an XS11

with and all the above mention possible work needed,

and he said $150 for the carburetor, 25$ an hour! (a lot cheaper!)


Well, I thank you guys for you help, Maybe I will offer 600 bucks!
because, there are NO other XS11's specials around these parts,
(Vermont)

I guess I will have to bite the bullet on this one my friends!


Tony

[Tony The Tiger]

It looks pretty dang nice if this is it, but still, a non-runner even in this condition will take alot of the work mentioned. some of the work may even be tougher due to it being a full dresser.

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/1163974673.html

O MG! That's the bike I am thinking of buying!

wow, you guys are very resourceful!

[CatatonicBug]

O MG! That's the bike I am thinking of buying!

wow, you guys are very resourceful!

You ain't seen nothin' yet!
This place has ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you might ever want or need to know about these bikes. If you do get that bike, make sure you get a manual (available in my signature). There are parts guys here who sell parts for cheap, and there are guys who just seem to be able to find these bikes out there for FREE (ahem... Chevvy_338) and guys who just can't stop buying them (especially in Canada ).

Do what you can to get that bike, because I guarantee that once you ride it, you'll be addicted too!

[tarzan]

If you will not work on your own bike,you would be dollars ahead buying one in good running order.
You can buy a nice XS11 for $2000.And if you buy that bike and have someone else work on it ,I would bet you'll have way over that in to it.
On the other hand,if your willing to get dirty,you could do all the work yourself and just pay for parts and probably have less than that into it.
Ive had three,have two right now,and haven't paid over $400 for any of them.And they were in about the same shape as that one.However with the bags and fairing that one your looking would be worth a couple hundred more in my opinion.
Ride safe. Rick

[Tony The Tiger]

If you will not work on your own bike,you would be dollars ahead buying one in good running order.
You can buy a nice XS11 for $2000.And if you buy that bike and have someone else work on it ,I would bet you'll have way over that in to it.
On the other hand,if your willing to get dirty,you could do all the work yourself and just pay for parts and probably have less than that into it.
Ive had three,have two right now,and haven't paid over $400 for any of them.And they were in about the same shape as that one.However with the bags and fairing that one your looking would be worth a couple hundred more in my opinion.
Ride safe. Rick

I would love to work on my bike, too save money!
but, I have no experience at all with a wrench!
I am 46 yo now,
and if I downloaded the free XS11 manual,
and tried to do my own repairs,
I would be 56 before the bike see's the road!
I can probably save money on the fluid changes,
change the battery, change my brake/clutch cables
and put on new brakes and whatnot,
but that's the limit of my mechanical skills (i don't have any)



Tony

[Ken Talbot]

There was another post about a true barn find Midnight here that somebody was asking $500 for. Your Craigslist find is in an entirely different category. Personally, I'd be happy to pick it up for $1000, and would probably be prepared to go even a bit higher than that.