Lowest mileage XS 1100 midnight special?

[Anderson1980]

Hello everyone, I just purchased a 1980 XS 1100 Midnight Special. I bought it from my dad's friend who has had it in a garage under a cover since 1981. I just got it up and running and it runs great. It has 1200 original miles. I believe it was the 29th one made.





So my question is, how much do you think it's worth? Is there another one in the world with this low mileage?

[Tat2demon]

Wow! Nice find!

Cant help you on the value. Mind if I ask what you were able to get it for?

[Anderson1980]

Actually, I got a great deal on it. My dad's friend was going to give it to him to pay back a 2,000 dollar debt, but since my dad lives in NC and we both live in Utah, it was going to be a big hassle to get it across the country. So I told my dad that I would pay him later for it if I could just take it off his friends hands right now. So I haven't paid anything yet... except for the work I had done on it to get it running. I had a trusted shop go through the carbs, clean out the gas tank, put new tires on it and basically check over everything they could think of. The bike also came with a parts bike, an XS1100 that had been wrecked. My dad's friend said that he mainly purchased the spare parts bike for the control module on it. So I pretty much lucked out.

[jwhughes3]

value is what someone will pay

hard to say unless you find the right buyer - but to some it could be a bunch - normally an 80 midnight with say 7-10k miles and in good shape would go for $2000-3500 - but some have sold for more.

Enjoy the bike and put a bunch of miles on it.

John

[Rasputin]

With that speedo only going to 85 MPH I imagine half of the miles are not recorded...lol. Lovely bike. Prices here are way more than there for most units but unless maybe ebaying the thing you will not get more than 3000 bucks. Unless you find the perfect buyer. There is one near me that I would go as high as 4 grand to get but it is a sickness with me.

[crazy steve]

...So my question is, how much do you think it's worth? Is there another one in the world with this low mileage?

There's been a few sell for $4K+, but these were cosmetically perfect (one had actually been in a museum!), so anything less than that will quickly reduce value. And unless you're willing to ship it, getting the big bucks locally will be a crapshoot. While low miles would help, if the cosmetics aren't there it won't matter much.

The two that sold for big money went overseas IIRC, so there was fair amount of hassle for the seller involved...

[motoman]

Nice Midnight there Anderson. Unfortunately, there was NOT a limited production of those either. I do ride up to Layton area at least once or twice a year, as it makes for a nice ride going the 'back' way Vernal, Heber and OgdenCanyon, so may get a chance to have a look at the 'garagefind'.

[Anderson1980]

Well it's in excellent condition cosmetically since it was in a garage under a cover. It's almost impossible to put the kickstand down without burning your shoe on the exhaust though, so theres a mark on there. I might put it up on ebay with a high reserve at some point just to see what happens. Or maybe ill keep it for another 30 years! My wife thinks that I should sell it and pay my credit cards... but thats where our priorities differ.

[xs11lover]

I'd say that $2000 is a very good price for a 1200 mile midnight. If it's stock and purdy, Hell yeh!

[tcoop]

I'd keep it if it was me. As nice as that bike is I think you would be hard pressed to get more than $2500 out of it. Someone was trying to sell one on KSL for that much and I don’t think that it ever sold. If you really want to sell it EBay may be the best way to go (with a high reserve or starting price). I just finished (sort of) an 80 MNS for my daughter. The only way you could tell that it was ever a MNS is by the VIN. There are not many pristine ones left.

[macdaddy]

nice find , good looking bike , i have a 81 mns , just over 7000 miles on it , bought off ebay 4 years ago for $2000 , hasnt been on the road yet , rolled it out of gararge once to take few pics an thats it , just have no time ,

[madmax-im]

Beautiful specimen...2-4k

[Anderson1980]

Motoman, weren't there only a certain number made with real 24K gold plating? I found out that the gold plating on this bike is real and I was told that only the first 100 or so were made with the real gold plating and then they stopped because of the expense.

[crazy steve]

Motoman, weren't there only a certain number made with real 24K gold plating? I found out that the gold plating on this bike is real and I was told that only the first 100 or so were made with the real gold plating and then they stopped because of the expense.

That's one I haven't heard before....

There's been all sorts of rumors about these bikes since they came out, none of which have been proved. Yamaha hasn't released any info one way or another and seemingly purposely muddied the waters to prevent it.

There's only a few pieces actually plated on these (real gold or otherwise). The wheels/rotors are painted, the engine trim is decals, and the grab rail is anodised. So that leaves the headlight rim, two carb tops, the A/C trim, and the swingarm covers.

Don't confuse rarity with desirability. Limited-production 'trim' packages seldom bring big $$ on resale, usually only a few hundred more than a 'regular' model at best. If there's performance upgrades, that's where the money comes in. And unless you can document a feature, it's 'value' will be near zero...

If you're hoping for a big payday, don't hold your breath.

[BrettB]

Hello Anderson1980.
Just wondering if your 1980 yamaha xs 1100 midnight special with 1200Miles is still for sale, or did you sell it.
Thanks.
BB