Opinions on this bike?

[tplank]

Hello all. I've been looking for a 1979 xs1100sf for a while now and I've come across one I think may be what I'm looking for. I'm in the market for a mild project and have no problem with getting my hands dirty with most mechanicals. Anyway If you all could give me your opinions on this bike http://swmi.craigslist.org/for/4119195280.html I saw on Craigslist. Bike has 22114 miles. There is a title signed by the previous owner. The original air box parts are included. Supposedly runs and shifts good but the brakes have issues with the master cylinders. Is $500 a fair price for this bike? Anything I should be looking out for? Appreciate the help.

[jetmechmarty]

I don't think you can get hurt too bad at that price. It appears to be all there. What do you want to do with it? When you start fixing stuff, the $$ add up quick. For many the joy of bringing one back is worth it. This one is off to a good start.

[natemoen]

Looks decent. Check that title out good, make sure the vins match.

[WMarshy]

Looks decent. Check that title out good, make sure the vins match.

I'd say its a nice find and you should jump on it IF the title is matching and doesn't have any mistakes on it. I almost bought a bike in the past from a person who had the title signed by the pervious owner but the PO signed the wrong line on the title an there was no way the DMV would accept it. Know when to walk away.

[wingnut]

Run do not walk to the ATM and get this puppy in your shop. The OEM exhaust if not holed by rust is worth the asking price when cleaned up. Also as soon as you get it in your name start looking for a OEM air box on ebay. You will be glad you did once you start tiring to tune it. Nice find and welcome to the XS obsession.

[DGXSER]

Walk away, please, let me take this one for the team.

Honestly, you will be hard pressed to find a better start for that kind of money. You can easily have the brakes back in tip top for almost no money and a short day of your time. I would be willing to bet a good carb cleaning will be in order, just because it takes very little time for the gas we use these days to turn into gunk in the bowls and jets.

Do check out the inside of the gas tank, also try to tap or shake the mufflers and listen for any loose grit or metal in there. Exhaust is one of the hardest things to find for these bikes, and a stock one is like hens teeth.

I am not certain how Michigan deals with titles. In Ohio, the sellers signature must be notarized by a state certified Notary of the Public. I know someone with a bike with a signed title, but the signature was not notarized. Makes the title useless. Now you may know someone who is a notary who might be willing to sign off on it for you, however, most will not sing it unless they witness the person write their signature. If no notary is required, well, your on your way then. Also, be aware that you will NOT want to tell the DMV that you did not buy the bike form the person on the title. This is called title skipping, and they get fussy about it, since it deprives them of an additional taxing for the fees paid.

[TADracer]

Buy it!

The original exhaust is worth half of what you are paying for the whole bike.

[Rickrod3]

Verify the claims

If it is what he say's it is I'd go for it.
for fun I'm always looking, finding one close at that price, that runs and shifts; would be a good deal.

[MarkD]

Def looks like a good deal. Even if you put $200-$300 in for any/everything, you come out with a sweet scoot. Looks like most of the fix-up requires elbow grease, and not $$. Stock airbox would be good to have.

[IanDMacDonald]

Looks damn good, just not a special fan. Michigan is soft on titles. But, here is where they play hard: if you said the title is signed by the previous owner, that makes me believe it was filled-out by the previous seller to your seller's name, and he never took it to SOS to have it put in his name. The easiest and most legal option you have is to ask the seller to goto the SOS and ask for a same day title (some branches do it for an additional fee). Then, have him sign it over to you. You CANNOT buy that bike with a title from him that is not in his name. According to MCL (Michigan Compiled Law), that bike is still the property of the previous owner and all liability falls on him till title changes hands. Most good sellers have no probs doing that. Hopefully the SOS is decent.

Believe it or not, after my dad passed, and I tried helping my mom out and selling a few extra cb350's, she signed the titles over, etc., SOS told the buyers, no way! Turns out, they require title holders signature only. My mom told the buyer my dad just passed, etc. SOS made her copy my dad's death certificate, etc. Long story short, I made her cry and mad, and we did something different after that to avoid hassles.

[IanDMacDonald]

Reason I say this is I have no idea how Illinois DMV works, but I do know how our title system works. If you so much as scratch a line through a letter, DMV makes you document the reason for the scratch, as it is considered altered. DO NOT do anything different from what I told you, or you'll be making a few cross-state trips. Some swllers will mail u the title, but I would ask him to get the title in his name first, then buy.

[tplank]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm fairly new here so your input is much appreciated. My plans for the bike would be to keep it basically as is with the exception of putting a stock seat on it(If I could find one) and changing the handlebars. Get it in good running/driving condition throw a bucket of soap over it and have fun. I rescued an XJ1100 a few years back that had been sitting outside under a tarp for who knows how long. Another $500 project that was in worse shape than this one seems to be. I had a great time fixing that bike up. It was a real sense of accomplishment hearing it roar back to life. I probably would have kept it but it suffered from transmission problems. As I've read on here it seems to be common thing. So off it went to a new owner.
The issue with the title is a concern and I'll have to talk to the seller about it. If it sounds fishy then maybe I'll have to let this one go. If it's ok then my other problem is getting it home..lol! According to google directions from Fennville MI to Tinley Park IL where I'm at is 136 mile 2 hour drive. If I rent a truck it could be around $200 or more with the rental and miles/fuel. I did put a post for a shipping quote on uship.com. Just did a google search for motorcycle shipping and that popped up. A guy came back with a quote for $125. I'm trying to to figure out a way to get it without having to waste the time and gas of going to look at it. Any other suggestions let me know. Thanks everyone.

[jjz28]

You could probably clean up the brakes in about 2 hours and bleed them if you don't need anything new on them. I just cleaned mine up. Get it legal and ride it home!

[IanDMacDonald]

First thing to do is ask him the details on the title. After that, ask a friend for a trailer to borrow. Worst-case, u-haul trucks are cheap to rent, cost me less than $45 the other day. U could rent a motorcycle trailer as well.

[natemoen]

I think motorcycle trailers (if you have something to pull it that is) are only around $20 a day.