Think about 1979

[volsrock]

Its clean 25k miles good price I think ar 1500.00 the son got it from father that passed away...says it has

Upgrades include fork brace, RaceTech Gold Valve in forks, Progressive shocks. Recent valve check, carbs synchronized. Tires are in near new condition.

But he does not know if second gear has been addressed....he says it shifts good now

Should I be real concerned about this ? Did ALL of them experience the problem?

[volsrock]

Second pic

[bikerphil]

Not all of them had the issue, probably most did. It will also depend if it was abused or was it shifted properly.
If it does develop the problem, it can be repaired accessing the gears thru the oil pan, no splitting cases.

There is a washer swap mod that will prevent it from happening again.

[Radioguylogs]

I have three XS11s. The odometers are at 50k/40k/20k.

The lower mile bike had a first gear gear problem when I bought it with 15k on the odometer.

The other two have never had any problem with the transmission.

Mostly it happens over time if the rider is not shifting properly.

[jkorn]

Mine shifts just fine…

[LAB3]

That's a nice score for $1500!

[jetmechmarty]

I just learned something after neglecting and issue for many years, and more than my XS1100. My bike shifted like a Russian tractor and I assumed that to be normal. About 15 years ago give or take, I lost 2nd gear. At the time I was able to buy a new gear set and I also did the washer move.

Very recently, I needed clutch repair. What I discovered was a stretched and worn out cable, and worse, the clutch lever was worn out. The pivot hole was not even close to round. When I replaced the lever with new OEM and a new cable my bike shifts like butter! A huge difference!

I have a hunch that this is a contributing factor to blown 2nd gear. A worn pivot on the lever inhibits full disengagement of the clutch.

An old dog can learn new tricks!

[jetmechmarty]

Its clean 25k miles good price I think ar 1500.00 the son got it from father that passed away...says it has

Upgrades include fork brace, RaceTech Gold Valve in forks, Progressive shocks. Recent valve check, carbs synchronized. Tires are in near new condition.

But he does not know if second gear has been addressed....he says it shifts good now

Should I be real concerned about this ? Did ALL of them experience the problem?

My bike had that seat on it when I bought it. Hideous. Both aesthetically and physically. Sargent recovered my seat.

That bike looks like a great buy. I hope you pulled the trigger!

[skids]

I have owned 4 xs11's and none of them had gear issues. That is a hell of a deal. Have someone ride it and shift through the gears. Not many people will want to risk not knowing...

[Mathh]

When testing it do a rolling start in the gear that you want to test. For instance second gear is the gear with most problems because it gets the most punishment in the bike's life. Do an roll-on start with low rpm and then fully open the throttle. And leave it wide open until it's time to shift (around 7.5-8k rpm). The XS highest torque figure will normally be 66.5 lb⋅ft (90.2 N⋅m) @6500rpm, claimed). When the gear starts to jump it will be around that 6500 rpm figure or above it until torque starts to go down. It can jump sooner depending on the abuse it got in its life. Good luck!

[jetmechmarty]

When testing it do a rolling start in the gear that you want to test. For instance second gear is the gear with most problems because it gets the most punishment in the bike's life. Do an roll-on start with low rpm and then fully open the throttle. And leave it wide open until it's time to shift (around 7.5-8k rpm). The XS highest torque figure will normally be 66.5 lb⋅ft (90.2 N⋅m) @6500rpm, claimed). When the gear starts to jump it will be around that 6500 rpm figure or above it until torque starts to go down. It can jump sooner depending on the abuse it got in its life. Good luck!

Two things. First, if it's broken, I might buy it anyway because it can be repaired. 2nd, if it isn't broken it might not ever break with proper care. Sloppy or harsh shifting will bring its demise. Also, clutch components need to be kept in good working order, ensuring full disengagement when shifting. Many of these bikes failed 1st or 2nd gear from abuse.

[DEEBS11]

Never had a problem with mine pulling a heavy steel side car. I drive it like a wood panel sided station wagon.