Crash , How hard is to hard ?

[Bruceifer]

Good morning ! ,, I'm looking at a xs1100, 79, it had a fairing ,, but it got crashed ,, so theres a dent in the gas tank, this is one of the tanks with a gas gauge in it ( I really like that !) , and it was probly a full dresser at some point !,, I was talking to my bro ,, a truck/trailer mechanic , and mentioned that the triple tree is cracked from the crash , he pretty much said its junk ,, ( then again he doesn't like rebuilding things to much , he would rather buy new ). This bike has a new battery, does run, has a title , and tires that were new about 3-4 years ago , it has been sitting, and at 1 point it was froze up (the motor ),, it also had ok looking pipes from what I could see. So is this bike worth 600.00 bucks ? , if not , then how much in your opinion ?,, thanks !!! Bruceifer

[GLoweVA]

I think the big key there is going to be the steering neck/frame. If it's bent, then it might hard to get her to ride correctly ever.
Now for the parts alone, she may be worth that much.
You may be even to haggle the price down due to 'all the repair' that you'll have to 'do' to get it road worthy again.
New triple tree, possible new forks, tank dent repair, either new fairing, or at least a headlight and bucket with turn signals.
How about the side covers, these are a bit rare for 79 standards
also the alternator and time plate covers? were they damaged in the crash too?
If you got a link to the ad or some pics the many eyes here can spot details and ask more questions, all ammo for you to fire at the seller and haggle down the price.

[GLoweVA]

Is this the one?
http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/mcy/3978661891.html

[DCII]

I think your brother may be right and you could probably find one that is running and doesn't need as much fixed for not a lot more money. You should check into all the items you would need to replace just to get it to the point where you could ride it and see how much you would have into it. I would be leary of the fact that the motor was frozen at one point.

[jetmechmarty]

If it was me, and I needed a lot of parts, then $200, tops. If it broke the triple clamp, the chance is good that there is frame damage. Even if the parts are worth more than that, you still have to take it apart, and you don't know what's good and what's bad. Forget this one.

[DGXSER]

DC is on the right path.

I start out looking at how much I could sell it for once I have it complete, 100% ridable and ready for miles of smile. NADA still list these bikes and has some guide line pricing. To start with you need new tires figure $250. You need a tank, triple trees, fork tubes (hard to believe they are not bent if the tree is cracked). Going by the pics, you will need side covers, headlight assy, turn signals, airbox or POD filters. Now you need to consider the cost of changing ALL of the fluids, probably fork seals, steering stem bearings (they took alot of force when the tree got cracked), brake pads, carb rebuild parts, and a full paint job.

Now subtract the cost from what the bike would be worth. I use Ebay as a guide for prices on parts needed. That will give you a good idea from a financial aspect of what the bike is worth as it sits. From there, only you can decide what its worth to you to own it.

[jetmechmarty]

my start button fell out , ugh ! , I did manage to put it back in ,, it just hangs

Not an issue. It's a $5 fix.



Starter and Horn buttons and Springs for Yamaha and Kawasaki motorcycles

You live in the wrong state. Here in Georgia, I don't need no stinkin' title!

[Bruceifer]

anymore input ?

thanks for the link for the new buttons, I'll have to buy some of those. still taking suggestions on the rest of the mess !

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Bruce,

Being a public forum and such....just like Facebook, things said here can sometimes get to the wrong people! So....you can do what you want with the frames/vin#s and such in an effort to get a clear titled frame!

The forks look straight...the Triple Trees are aluminum, so a side hit would cause them to fracture without necessarily damaging the forks!?

Your signature says 79 F Standard...but you say your tank only had the low fuel warning light sender? Sounds like you have a Special tank. The standard tank is wider to allow room for the fuel float assembly, I think someone tried to swap the standard sender into a special tank and wasn't successful, but my memory isn't as good as it used to be!?

Was the battery acquired AFTER the wreck...to be NEW? Tires ~4 years old...getting close to dry rot age or at least hardening!

?Temporarily frozen motor?

T.C.

[Bruceifer]

I probly just guffed !

Maybe I listed them wrong ,
I bought a old 79 xs1100, it looks like what I think you would call a basic cruzer , Its the 1 that I wish it had a fuel gauge, not just a low fuel light , I really like the tank with the gauge. I started riding it but it just feels to big, I have a hard time putting my feet on the ground, and that's after I let some of the air out of the forks, and put the ride shock adjustments on the lowest setting, Its the 1 I was building for myself, Its rough, I call it the big and ugly.
I bought another 1 , its really pretty , too pretty , but the price was right. It was a fully dressed unit, needs a little tuning , If I were going for a long ride , It would be the 1 to take for sure. I even have the old hard saddle bags for it, I'm gonna put them back on after I recondition them,
I was trying to buy a xs650 , but the deal didn't happen , and I wanted something smaller to get back into riding again , Iv'e been away for about 20 yrs. So I ran into the 750, you already read about that. lol,,,then a month later the 650 guy called me back , so I bought it for cheap , other guy defaulted and he needed cash now , not later , so ,,, .
So now you have heard of my little circus , wounder how its gonna all come together ?

[GLoweVA]

Maybe I listed them wrong ,
I bought a old 79 xs1100, it looks like what I think you would call a basic cruzer , Its the 1 that I wish it had a fuel gauge, not just a low fuel light , I really like the tank with the gauge. I started riding it but it just feels to big, I have a hard time putting my feet on the ground, and that's after I let some of the air out of the forks, and put the ride shock adjustments on the lowest setting, Its the 1 I was building for myself, Its rough, I call it the big and ugly.
I bought another 1 , its really pretty , too pretty , but the price was right. It was a fully dressed unit, needs a little tuning , If I were going for a long ride , It would be the 1 to take for sure. I even have the old hard saddle bags for it, I'm gonna put them back on after I recondition them,
I was trying to buy a xs650 , but the deal didn't happen , and I wanted something smaller to get back into riding again , Iv'e been away for about 20 yrs. So I ran into the 750, you already read about that. lol,,,then a month later the 650 guy called me back , so I bought it for cheap , other guy defaulted and he needed cash now , not later , so ,,, .
So now you have heard of my little circus , wounder how its gonna all come together ?

If you want to lower the XS11, letting air out of the forks won't do it and the adjustment at the rear shocks also won't. Those 2 things control the rebounding effect.
If you want to lower it, you can try sliding the forks up a little in the triple tree and maybe get some shorter shocks (like off a harley) or trim some of the foam off the seat pan. (also, a regular seat vice the king/queen seat is lower too)
If you've got the 79 special then you've already got the 16" rear wheel, but I wonder if it's possible to go down one size on the rear tire? maybe to a 120/90/16 instead of the 130.