1980 XS850...one of my unicorns

[misterprofessionality]

Somebody stop me from buying this....I can't believe this rare bike just popped up all the sudden at this price. i'm stunned. help.

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/1980-Yamaha-XS850-SG-5007188287

 

[Houtman_imp]

This is the reason that I stopped looking at second hand bikes for sale !

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I can't believe they're asking $2000 for this bike. It's nearly 40 years old and neither rare nor collectible. Seems overpriced to me but if you have to have it, life is short!

 

[jimgl3_imp]

it's a Yamahama. don't do it.

 

[misterprofessionality]

I can't believe they're asking $2000 for this bike. It's nearly 40 years old and neither rare nor collectible. Seems overpriced to me but if you have to have it, life is short!

Longranger, explain what you mean by not rare....This is literally the first running XS850 triple i've found for sale in 2 years of browsing. it was my understanding that it was very rare indeed. i mean maybe not seriously crazy rare like a Kawasaki H2 but definitely rare.

Basically, the reason it was on my list was because it's a relatively high quality kicker 4-stroke triple, and one of only two models ever made. i'm not trying to argue with you actually, i'm very interested in your perspective on why i should not buy this bike. perhaps it will keep me from making a bad choice.

update: actually your statement of it being overpriced does carry weight. found a few threads on XS650 forums and yamaha triples forums that suggests 2000 is in fact overpriced. 1500 would be fair according to what i'm finding. perhaps it's worth making an offer in that case.

 

[flynrider]

You don't see too many XS850s for sale. The 750 version is a lot more common.

My buddy had the XS750 and I spent a lot of time riding it. It was a remarkably smooth triple with a very linear power band (much like the CB11).

When bikes get to be this age, condition is the biggest factor in price. If it really is ready to ride, I don't think that asking price is too far off the mark. I think somewhere between $1.5K to $2K should be about right.

 

[Lord Popgun]

I had an XS750 and loved it! Bought it in the Navy Exchange in Yokosuka and brought it home on an aircraft carrier! The Constellation, in 1977.

 

[pdedse]

I had the xs650 bug for about a year and bought a couple, a '77 and an '83. The first one wasn't that great, paid $900, changed the oil, rode it a few months, realized it needed a lot more work than I was ready to put into it, sold it for $850. Bought another one with only 6k miles on it, in really nice shape and paid 1850 for it. Changed oil on it, changed tires, and it was so fun to kick over and pleasing to ride. Put about 1500 miles on it and realized I still wasn't really ready to do anything to it, and it would have eventually needed some work beyond what I was willing to learn how to do...so I sold it for 1800. I guess I was out $100 between the two bikes, plus another 250 for tires and this and that to get the bikes working decently. But it was fun at the time.

That's when I saw the Honda CB1100, and I thought to myself, "why old retro when I can go modern retro?"

I suppose the question is what do you want the XS850 for? Do you want one to work on (and you will need to surely), putt about town (will it be reliable for any distance?), or just because...in which case you don't need to think more if it's rare or not...who cares?

Now I do think the $2,000 could be a bit high unless it just really runs nice and everything works and chain / tires are in good condition. But look carefully at the tires...if they are shot or or old, you're gonna want to replace them before any serious riding...now you're at 2200. Give the bike a really good looking over--ask questions and look for what might need replacing right away and what you could live with. Then ask yourself again why you want that bike.

With any luck, somebody will buy it before you do, and then you'll go out and ride the cb1100 and wonder why you wanted the xs850 in the first place.

: )

Good luck! Could be a fun project.

 

[misterprofessionality]

i've already fired a littany of questions at the owner regarding the origin of the carbs (he suggests they're "all original" meaning they'd be the Hitatchi carbs), i've asked him about the drive shaft condition, i've asked him for more details on the situation with the rear brake calipers (something that seems to conflict with his assertion that it's "ready to ride").

As for why I want it, primarily i want it so that I can learn how to wrench and work on a DOHC inline engine, and also so that I can practice and learn some basic hot-rodding tricks to see just how nasty I can make a bike like this. Furthermore, i want it because that triple sound is just intoxicating when you open it up enough, and this is just the biggest triple kicker around.

The work might not be something i'm capable of at the moment, but the point of having a second bike (not the CB1100) is so that i can work on the bike without worrying how the heck i'm going to get to work tomorrow. the CB1100 is my sole means of transportation. If i can work on something else instead, it's a godsend.

 

[pdedse]

i've already fired a littany of questions at the owner regarding the origin of the carbs (he suggests they're "all original" meaning they'd be the Hitatchi carbs), i've asked him about the drive shaft condition, i've asked him for more details on the situation with the rear brake calipers (something that seems to conflict with his assertion that it's "ready to ride").

As for why I want it, primarily i want it so that I can learn how to wrench and work on a DOHC inline engine, and also so that I can practice and learn some basic hot-rodding tricks to see just how nasty I can make a bike like this. Furthermore, i want it because that triple sound is just intoxicating when you open it up enough, and this is just the biggest triple kicker around.

The work might not be something i'm capable of at the moment, but the point of having a second bike (not the CB1100) is so that i can work on the bike without worrying how the heck i'm going to get to work tomorrow. the CB1100 is my sole means of transportation. If i can work on something else instead, it's a godsend.

Solid reasons for wanting the bike! Didn't realize it was shaft driven. I learned a ton with the two xs650s in the short time I had them. Even though I wasn't ready to work on them as much as I had imagined, I had a fun experience with both. Don't regret buying either really. In the end, it's not a ton of money.

 

[Frulk_imp]

For its age the bike looks unmolested. If the bikes not rare, to have it all close to original certainly is. I always liked the look of these when I was young. Still do. Don’t look at me to talk you out of it. I’m great at spending money, especially when it’s not mine.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I like the poor ol' bike. I posting it here before the listing is lost ...









(... and it is shaft drive.)

 

[peterbaron]

I like the poor ol' bike. I posting it here before the listing is lost ...









(... and it is shaft drive.)

As to shaft drive, never had in my motorcycle live, and after having CBs for about 5 years, I don't think I would go for it....
I also don't know what my decision would be if for the same price, I could have a choice: shaft or chain..sometimes no choice is a better option.

 

[Stichill]

I can't believe they're asking $2000 for this bike. It's nearly 40 years old and neither rare nor collectible. Seems overpriced to me but if you have to have it, life is short!

+1 my first reaction was "It's a $400 garage sale motorcycle" but I'm not familiar with the model or why it might be particularly desirable.

In terms of '80s bikes, the 1984 Honda V30 Magna is the one I'd like to have. I came very close to buying one as a young man but was dissuaded by my mother who begged me not to ride a motorcycle. Now that I ride as an adult, it'd be interesting to see what I may - or may not - have been missing.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I like the poor ol' bike. I posting it here before the listing is lost ...









(... and it is shaft drive.)

As to shaft drive, never had in my motorcycle live, and after having CBs for about 5 years, I don't think I would go for it....
I also don't know what my decision would be if for the same price, I could have a choice: shaft or chain..sometimes no choice is a better option.

As to shaft drive, never had in my motorcycle live, and after having CBs for about 5 years, I don't think I would go for it....
I also don't know what my decision would be if for the same price, I could have a choice: shaft or chain..sometimes no choice is a better option.
My first two CBs were shaft drive. I miss them.

 

[Desert viper_imp]

I had a brand new 1978 XS750......it was a great bike!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Very nice DV. My first shaft-driven Yamaha was the '82 XJ650. It was a reliable workhorse that never let me down, but handling could have been better. I recall the seat being comfortable.

 

[peterbaron]

DS, very handsome bike, no doubt

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I can't believe they're asking $2000 for this bike. It's nearly 40 years old and neither rare nor collectible. Seems overpriced to me but if you have to have it, life is short!

+1 my first reaction was "It's a $400 garage sale motorcycle" but I'm not familiar with the model or why it might be particularly desirable.

In terms of '80s bikes, the 1984 Honda V30 Magna is the one I'd like to have. I came very close to buying one as a young man but was dissuaded by my mother who begged me not to ride a motorcycle. Now that I ride as an adult, it'd be interesting to see what I may - or may not - have been missing.

I remember the V30 well. Same lineage as the V65 and V45-based Magnas. Those were hot-lookin' numbers back in their day. The V65 still looks hot today. I think the V30 was chain final drive.

 

[misterprofessionality]

Update....so far the seller has not answered any of my questions or requests. i sent messages literally *minutes* after the bike was posted, so i can't image he's already sold it. If i don't get any answers sometime today i can only assume he's not interested in really selling it.