I cant believe the list price in 82!

[tab1324]

I bought mine last year after it had sat around in a pole shed for 2 1/2 years. I never owned a bike before this but I couldn't pass up the deal. I knew there was some work to be done and thought it would be a fun learning experience, both mechanically and once I got it running and roadworthy. So here's the breakdown (so far).

Used 1982 XJ1100: $200
Misc. carb parts: $300
Master Clyinder rebuild: $30
New battery: $40
Rewound field coil: $50
Leather Jacket: $120
Helmet: $70
Permit: $30
Insurance: $85
Minor crash: All my pride
New tires: $200
TOTAL @ $1100

Blowing the doors off of my riding buddy's much more expensive Harley:

PRICELESS!!!!

[graybird78]

I paid 1300.00 for my sg 5yrs ago with 14k on it,now has 31k. rode the first year with no expense, just routine maint. since then, new dyna coils 120.00,battery 45.00,speedo cable 20.00 carbs redone 200.00 front tire 90.00 brakes 75.00 rewire all lights 30.00 led lights 45.00 new grips 20.00 new cd player 100.00getting new back tire 120.00 cool blue headlight 10.00 parts bike 100.00. do all the maint myself routinely and religously. has been a very goood bike for the investment.

[chevy45412001]

800

i payed 800 for my XJ ,then 2 months after purchase 2nd gear trobles,1400 to get that fixed,just routine maint. since,tires brakes etc.

[GNEPIG]

i got pretty lucky with my latest one, a buddy found it abandon at a storage place. he knew i liked them [i had about 7 others at the time-what was his clue] and gave me a call, its a real nice factory red 79 special all stock except for the loud ass turn out slipons, sold it to me for $150. i cleaned the carbs-$2 for spray cleaner, changed the oil and filter-$12, air in the tires and i rode by his shop the next day.
totle $164

[e.z.nightrider]

Hey, You guys don't make me feel to bad. After looking for the last 5 years ( can you say budget ) I found my 80 midnight special for $1350 owned by my best freinds son. Bike came with soft bags and factory service manual. The great find was the reciept for $1100 in work on the forks, carbs, and a general mantainance.
done the year before.

[GNEPIG]

you dont even want to know what the kelly blue book has to say about these things

[scalded dog]

I bought my first 79 xs 1100 in 2001, found at a pawn shop, setting outside in the weather, $650, took it home never heard of this xs 1100 sight, cleaned carbs, started riding the next day, bought a new battery, new plugs, kept riding and joined the Southern Cruisers riding club, one of the members had another 79 xs 1100, which had sat outside, for a year. He bought a new Harley. bought it for a parts bike pd $400 for it, took it home, started fooling around with it, this guy is the one that told me about the xs 1100 sight, got it running, started buing cosmetic stuff, then I had two, invested about 300 in cosmetics, found another 79 xs 1100 on e-bay, in Cleveland, ohio, 12,900 original miles, bought it for $750, clened tank and carbs, always garaged it was in close to new condition, I started riding it, my first xs 1100 got gas in the crankcase, fried the bearings, now have parts bike. bought my brother an 80 xs 1100, off ebay for 595, have sold him 500 in parts. faring saddlebags tank, now hw has an xs 11. and will continue to ride them as long as i can. Later 'Dog

[scalded dog]

follow up... my brothers xs 1100 had to have a new set of carbs, used one of my sets for a couple of weeks, then found a good set on ebay, won the bid at $104.92 including shipping. his bike runs good to, I have learned a lot from this sight, but luckily have not had the 2nd gear trouble in any of these bikes, all in all I have about 1000 dollars in two great running xs 1100s, after selling one tank for $75 and the other parts to my brother, of course that wouldn't include normal up keep tires, plugs etc., I love these bikes and have blowed away goldwings, honda 1800s, kaw 1500s, kept up even with valkryies, kept up with smaller crotch rockets, thats how I got the name Scalded Dog. from my brothers and sisters with the Southern Cruises, lol, and in the 40,000 miles or so of riding these bikes, have not been left onthe side of the road yet, have seen several new bikes of all brands leave thir owners on the side of the road. Later 'Dog

[robywan_kenobi]

I bought my 81 XS1100H in December of 2004 for $1500. Bike had 69,000 miles on it, but the guy I bought it from put new fork seals and springs in the front before he would deliver it to me. Tires had 500 miles on them, seat cover was two months old, plugs and wires were new, pipes and mufflers had 500 miles on them. I have ridden the bike every day since I bought it. 4500 miles in the last 4 months. I have run 3 cans of Seafoam through it, synched the carbs, changed oil twice. Carbs still need a little work, but bike runs, for the most part, pretty great.

[Do Lee]

I bought my 79 Special in late '81 or early '82 from P.O. who bought the bike new from the Yamaha Dealership I worked for. I paid around $1500. He decided to sell the bike after he dropped the bike on the hi-way (@ 70mph) going to work one morning. He rode the bike home after work that day and parked it. He wanted enough to so he could pay off his note around $2200.00. I told him it would cost me several hundred $$$$ for parts to repair the bike and several more hundred $$$$ labor to repair the front end damage and repair the broken motor mount and I could get a new XS or XJ with just alittle more money spent . I got the price down to around $1500.00. I had accumulated alot of spare parts for the XS1100's over the years working at the Yamaha shop via warranty work or wreck job repairs. I had installed a fairing with lowers that I repaired (damaged in wreck and free), also added Whinning Preformance 4-1 header & muffler. Recently I purchased another wrecked 79 Special for $350 as my partster. All said and done with that addition and some e-bay parts I have about $2300 wrapped up in my bike.

[greywolfe555]

i bought mine for $ 250.00 . put in a new battery & some fuses & rode away yehaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kodiak96]

80 xs 11

You guys are making me feel bad, I just bought an 80 xs11 special for $25, it needs two pistons the guy wanted it out of his garage. I got a good deal?

[OpFlash]

Hey guys what a bunch of great stories on your rides impressive indeed! what a great group of guys and what an awesome motorcycle! I was just lucky enough to get my bike from a buddy of mine that just was never going to have the time or energy getting this baby going. Its something about seing good bikes like that rotting sitting wasting away. I feel like they need to be saved its strange but im sure you know the feeling. Anyway I wouldve paid 2500 bucks Maximan if I had a bike as clean as yours that didnt really need so much work and was so clean!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Kodiak,

Well, if the rest of the bike is in good condition then you probably got a good deal! A few different ways you can go with the new pistons! Are there holes in the tops, or did the cylinder walls get badly scored, then you'll be looking at possibly getting some replacement sleeves or a complete set of jugs!?

Or...you can get a big bore kit, rebore the scored jugs since the big bore goes much deeper than any stock oversize, WHICH are not available from Yamaha anymore! I've got a set of 4 stock OEM pistons that I'm not using since I did my "little" big bore kit. You'll need to pull the head off, and have the other two cylinders measured for wear. If they aren't too badly worn, you could get a new set of rings, hone them and go back with your OEM pistons.

The big bore kit runs a bit over $400.00, but you get all new hi comp pistons, rings, head gasket, piston wrist pins, keepers, you will just need to find a machine shop to bore the cylinders! That can run $40-60 per hole on average! Hope you are good with a wrench, will save you lots of $$ otherwise!
T.C.

[GNEPIG]

who sells the big bore kit ,have you bought one recently and could you describe the differance it made on your bike?

also do you know how much bigger the bore is?

THANX GENE