what would you pay for this bike??

[mismith356]

I may have a lead on a xs11 sf...with like 12k miles...I don't know all the bike history but assuming the seller will let me take it to a mechanic prior to the sale...what would something like this bike be worth?

I know a bike is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay...but that doesn't help when the buyer doesn't have a clue..(me).

I seems I might be able to get for <=2k...is this reasonable?

Thanks guys,

Mike

[prometheus578]

&quot;I listen to reason... but don't hear anything.&quot;

I seems I might be able to get for <=2k...is this reasonable?

Less than 2K is reasonable. Just as less than 5K is reasonable. Less than 1K is more in line, anything above that is obscene! If I'm not sadly misshapen, the last kelly blue book I saw had these things fer around $900 and that was a few years ago. I don't even think the kelly blue book even lists back that far anymore, nor the national motor vehicle dealer's handbook, etc.
My first was $500, and another was a full tour package for $700, but included a spare engine and a heck of a lot of spare parts.
Give the guy your name and phone number and tell him to call you when HE gets reasonable.
Of course, if it's in exceptional shape, and extremely mechanically sound... I still wouldn't go over $1,200.
Make sure you read the tech section. There's several posts on "What to look for when buying a used XS"
It's 25 years old... with only 12,000 on it. Been sitting a while? New tires are a must, so budget that into the price. And if it hasn't been fired in a while, plan on a good carb cleanin'.

[bandet01]

well on older bike i use the dollar a cc rule so i wouldnt go over 1100 i paid 750 for mine last july, i mean if it was ment and all it is what a buyer would pay for it

[GNEPIG]

.. i'm going to say the same that promefeus has said, if it looks real good, runs and rides real good, and has a clean title, i would pay $1200 bucks for it. but what it is worth to you could be something else, if it's love at first site and passes muster, $1500 bucks is still not a bad price. 12ooo miles is very low for one of these

[xs650mike]

I paid considerably less than $500 for my '79 Special last August but then it was all rusty and had 49k miles on it. It did and does run perfectly though. Now has 51k+ on it. Looks like this after I accessorized it a bit:

[mro]

Have seem guys asking Free ((not running, (missed that one)) to more than $3,500.00. Would have to be a real cherry to tempt me to pay more $500.00. Not that I'm cheep, well not real cheep.

I've got a running 80G and an 80LG (not running)
Total investment (not including time) less than $632.00
Includes going through carbs on 80G, cam chains/oil/filters, shims etc...

With some trading hope to have the LG up and running sometime this year for around $400.00 more.

Best bang for the buck I've had in a long time.
____________

But it really depends on what you want and can afford.
I've got other hobbies where I've spent thousands and a lota people would probably think I'm nuts.



mro

[trbig]

OK MRO... SOLD!!!! I will give ya an extra hundred and pay you 1200 for both of them then!

What something is "worth", isn't necesarilly what someone is willing to part with it for! MY XJ isn't even running right now.. well.. not charging. I paid 1,000 for it, but with all the time and work (and heart) I have put into it, I wouldn't take 2K for it.

Mike, if you see something l you like for the money, grab it. These bikes aren't on every corner, but there are still several and there will be others. If someone wants too much. Be patient and get the one you want. Don't let somebody else's sentimentality (Is that a word?) hit you in the wallet.


Tod

[xs650mike]

How much is too much?

It does depend a lot on the bike and who's selling and who's buying. I paid $1350 for my '82 XS650SJ Heritage Special which had 11k miles on it. It's now torn down (holed piston), 29k miles. The '81 XS650 Special II cost a trip to Modesto to pick it up, that's right...free! It was kind of beat up with 41k miles and a frozen engine. Got it broken loose and it's running now. Engine has a big bore kit (750cc) and is really strong.

It's not uncommon for XS650s to go for $2k or more when they're really nice even though "high book value" is considerably less than half that. (The XS650 has a way bigger "cult following" than the XS11 does.)

Dealers and insurance companies use "book value" to rip people off. Dealers have no problem with charging 2 or 3 times book value when they're selling but when you're trading in or selling to them they pull out the book.

[prometheus578]

&quot;Separated at birth.&quot;

Geez, XS650 Mike.
This is scarey. I need to repaint my house. It's a split level, too, and is the exact two shades of blue that you have. You're my hero, and I want to be just like you when I grow up. I was even thinking about posting a photo next to my name, like you did. Where did you get that picture of Tom Selleck? (I was thinking of using a pic of Shemp Howard or Mr Haney from "Green Acres".

[mismith356]

WOW....you guys are great...can't believe the response and frankly the decent treatement of a nube!

Yeah, I don't really want to spend a whole lot of money and at the same time, do want to do some work on the bike myself...so I have to pass on this one I think...the milage does make it sound great, but this may just be more than I can justify to myself or the wife (lol).

Thanks Again Fellas!

[prometheus578]

[IMG][/IMG]

[xs650mike]

House colors?

Believe it's grey & blue Pro. We've been thinking of changing it for years but don't want to have to do 2 coats on the repaint so we just keep using the same colors. BTW nice standard you got there.

[prometheus578]

&quot;I'll show you mine, if you show me yours.&quot;

Well, ya know, Mike... Maybe my house is grey and blue, too. Too much of this Northwest moss and mold growing on it to tell anymore.
Mismith 356: Then again, that bike might be a bargain. Sure, mine only cost $500... but I forgot about the gas I used for the 2,400 mile trip to Denver and back to go fetch it!
[IMG][/IMG]

[Jerry]

1 week ago Motorcycle Accessories in Grand Junction, Colorado, had a full-dress '79 Standard, asking price was $1,200. Vetter fairing, bags, trunk. Bike had 13K on the clock. Looked good, custom seat but 1 side cover was incorrect. (One side had a Std cover, other had a Special cover. ) Full running, ride-it-off condition. Clear title. My guess is they would take less for a cash sale.

[mason79]

if you look at ebay, decent examples are going for over a thou, and i suppose the one you are considering is decent,

remember add around 600.00 to get it to you, if you live far, my guess if they even tie it down in a transport, it's going to be 3 hun.

i wonder if any of those purchasesees ever make it in here to contribute their 2 cents, then the conversation would hover around $1200.00 and not $600.00

at the end of the day , it's perception, you will get a good bike( if the one your are considering) is indeed turnkey even at 2k,

my take is they don't make them like this anymore, the qualtiy is like a tank, with all the weight reduction dieting, since then and now, exotic metals can and only be so thin and then deminish their return in longevity.

big fast motor, shaftdrive, roomy, tour capable, transister igniter, yammie's first 4, blan blah blah that's what you are buying, sub $1,000 bikes will be around, if you look, but overpaying by twice is not overpaying,imho.

i paid 700.00 for mine and the carb work to get it running is murder,(driving me nuts, so what, it's been raining here anyways)
an i'm confident it'll run, even if i have to ship it to marriam cycle for a full ground up jobby,

how do i benefit? motorcycle is this way i don't see it any other way, it's grime on you face when you ride and grime in your fingernails, when you tinker, we don't want new, ya can't tinker, ya can, but know your payin close to 10k and you want to tinker?


i'm stripping the full dress stuff, and so far with ebay's help i am going to get the bike for free, even make a few bucks, to have the best damn bike in the world.

that's what it's all about, learn, ride , get dirty, get involved, get the brain working on some mechanical problem, read about and talk to people here about your bike.