Good price on a 78?

[TexinMaine]

http://www.unclehenrys.com/init/classifieds/ad_detail/3259013/?_next=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unclehenrys.com%2Finit%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2F1%233259013

So, does this seem a bit inflated or is it a good price? KBB say's $1080, but as the saying goes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have considered offering $2500 but dont want to insult the guy so as to shut down any chance of further negotiation.

Tex

[tcoop]

It's only worth what you are willing to pay for it. I wouldn't mor than $2000 but then I don't have a lot of money and I already have a 78 standard (not that nice but it will be some day).

On another note it could cost me $3000 to $4000 to get mine to look that nice.

[DGXSER]

Yep, once you get past the KBB price, it is all a matter or what it is worth to you to own it.

[crazy steve]

Well, a very clean example with lower mileage went on Ebay a week or two ago for nearly $5K, so his price doesn't seem all that bad. This appears to be a very clean, complete, unmolested original, so if that's important to you, then yeah, it's not a bad deal. KBB is notoriously unreliable on 'vintage' prices, so don't take that as gospel; their mileage number for determining value is probably around 80K. Keep in mind that duplicating the OEM paint and finding a good original exhaust system (like this bike has) would likely cost you around $2k. But I wouldn't hesitate to be picky about things at this price; it should be nearly flawless.

The '78 was also the quickest/fastest of the breed. It's my favorite...

'78E original owner

[russell]

Are you kidding

For that price i would sell one of my kids. You Americans dont know how lucky you are. I have not seen a XS1100E in Sydney for over 20 years. last one was still in it's create for $10,000 they still couldn't sell it. Not sure what the final price was but i still kick myself for buying it.

If you like BUY IT.

[brcree]

nice ride

Well if you haven't done the deal yet......if it were my bike to sell i'de ask a bit more for it, looken at the pics. Nice ride as far as I can tell.

[Welsh1100]

Good price?

One good "rule of thumb" on pricing. On older bikes try figuring $1.00 (US) for each c.c.. For example..1101cc= $1100. (US). Next take into consideration mileage, age and condition. A high mileage bike could lower the "average". Like-wise..a low mileage, well cared for ride may warrant adjusting higher. This works well on Japanese models. Domestic bikes such as Harleys will up the price by virtue of the name alone.

[Rickrod3]

Trying to make sense

I often thought about so many of us that would not pay more than a couple hundred bucks for a bike.
When people see the bike; they think we are crazy (Yes and I'm one of them).

We then go on to put countless hours into said bike and, find it better to stop keeping track of the money spent on it.
What is that worth?

Do not get me wrong(I'm not claiming to be sane) I enjoyed getting my bike, working on it, and still am thrilled that I was able to bring it back.
I do not regret the money and agravation. (See I told you I was nuts.)

I believe that these bikes are under valued. If a nice one comes along why shouldn't some one pay for it.
I see too many running bikes that cannot fetch more than a grand and end up being parted out.

Work your best deal but; IMHO these bikes deserve more than there current value.
Just my 2 cents

[foreda]

78e

I am skeptical about orginality when the bike has 38K miles and the seat shows no signs of wear. Original to me is when the bike has everything it orignally came with. If it was truly original I would have no problem paying what he is asking. My 79 Standarrd is 100% original and my 78E is original except for the custom paint I now have on it.

[crazy steve]

...I believe that these bikes are under valued. If a nice one comes along why shouldn't some one pay for it. I see too many running bikes that cannot fetch more than a grand and end up being parted out.

Work your best deal but; IMHO these bikes deserve more than their current value.
Just my 2 cents

Undervalued? I'd have to say no. While pristine examples do bring premium prices, a lot of them you see are at best only in 'fair' condition, and many much worse. Now, I'm not particularly talking running condition, but cosmetic. Like it or not, cosmetics will 'sell' a vehicle faster than it's mechanical condition, as redoing paint/brightwork back to OEM quality can easily cost much more than all but major mechanical repairs. As anyone who has ever tried can tell you, selling a 'fixed-up' vehicle and recovering your investment is impossible unless you get it dirt-cheap to start with and carefully limit your repair costs. Restore one that needs 'everything' to OEM condition, and your chances of getting your money back is now near zero.

I'd say it's more a matter of these bikes being underappreciated. Compared to it's vintage competition, the XS is a superior bike in many ways; but it still wasn't in first place in most catagories, and Yamaha's detuning of the post-78 models didn't help. Add in the difficulty of finding restoration-quality parts and the bikes' known issues (trans, wiring/electrical, and carbs) and that pretty much explains their value.

IMHO...

'78E original owner

[Rickrod3]

Good Point

I'd say it's more a matter of these bikes being underappreciated. Compared to it's vintage competition, the XS is a superior bike in many ways; but it still wasn't in first place in most catagories, and Yamaha's detuning of the post-78 models didn't help. Add in the difficulty of finding restoration-quality parts and the bikes' known issues (trans, wiring/electrical, and carbs) and that pretty much explains their value.

IMHO...

Maybe the interest of the guys on this great site will help create a market for better after market support.
It has certainly helped with the known issues.
As proved by many here who are not motocycle mechanics but; mechanically inclined were able to solve these issues with the help of others who have done it before.
This is something I'm thankfull for.
I guess what I mean about undervalued is Look at some other bikes say the XS650 for example its a great bike I have one. They seem to get more for those. I love the bike since I got my XS11 running I haven't been on the 650.
Look at the Honda 750 it is also a great bike it seems to be valued quite a bit more than the XS11. IMHO I may be wrong but; even if it is better I don't think by much.
Maybe I have become biased.
Just my perception.

[crazy steve]

...Maybe the interest of the guys on this great site will help create a market for better after market support....
....I guess what I mean about undervalued is look at some other bikes, say the XS650 for example. It's a great bike, I have one. They seem to get more for those. I love the bike, but since I got my XS11 running I haven't been on the 650...

It's really about parts availability and numbers. They built a bunch more 650s compared to the 11, so the aftermarket knows that they have a fairly large market out there. Large gives you economies of scale; make more parts, and you can sell them for less money while still paying for your tooling costs, etc. It doesn't help that Yamaha made so many changes to these over a relatively short production run either. A good comparison would be the Mustang/Camero and Cougar/Firebird. The Mustang/Camero sold in bigger numbers (more popular), but the Cougar/Firebird were arguably nicer cars, being more 'upscale' and a bit more expensive. But today, parts for the cheaper, bigger selling cars are readily available, and not as good for the others. That's reflected in resale prices too; with some exceptions, Cougars/Firebirds will sell for less than a comparable Mustang/Camero, and will be more expensive/difficult to restore.

Me, I'm stockpiling parts for my XS. While I hope that the aftermarket steps up, I suspect I won't like the prices when (or if) they do...

'78E original owner