Thoughts on a 1977 Yamaha XS 750 with 1100 miles?

[hillsy]

BTW - you can pretty much forget about the mileage as anything but a nominal figure on a bike that has been sitting for 30 years.

[Jedz123]

But then, so is a Fatboy.

Hahaha

[Jedz123]

I had an XS750 for a little bit. Bought it from a buddy fixed it up then let him buy it back. He uses it as his daily beater bike. Runs good, not a fast machine. The primary chain drive can get loud on them but I know folks make homemade adjusters for them. I wouldn't want one again. The exhaust note does sound cool though! Watch out for 2nd gear... I know these bike are prone to losing then.

[rphillips]

For years & years, Yammys were known for 2 nd gear problems, have they fixed them yet?

[GS1150Pilot]

I know the XS/XJ series had the issue, and so did the VMax, but by the time I bought the FZ1, there was no longer any major issue with the gearboxes that I am aware of.

[hillsy]

Lots of bikes across the board had 2nd gear issues - I had a ZX11 (ZZR1100) that had it, amongst others.

Consensus was it was partially due to abuse and the "throw" between first to second (with neutral in between). Of course, most gearboxes are 1N2345 but some were more susceptible to damage / wear going through neutral than others (especially if we're talking big HP and high RPM).

FWIW I've had a few XJ Yammies but have never encountered this sort of gearbox issue with them. And one of the sweetest changing gearboxes I can remember was on the XJR1200.

[Guest]

For years & years, Yammys were known for 2 nd gear problems, have they fixed them yet?

I modified my XS11 gearbox by shifting a washer on one of the shafts that made it easier to engage the gear and reduce the tendancy to strip the gear. Don't know if this translates to other engine sizes. I had an FJ1200 (derived from the xs1100 engine) for about 12 years and never had any gearbox issues.

BTW the XS range is getting quite collectable here in the UK. As is just about everything from that era. Maybe not worth as much as other brands but still sought after.

[GS1150Pilot]

I could still go for a '78 XS11 in the red with gold trim. That was a great looking bike.

[Guest]

I could still go for a '78 XS11 in the red with gold trim. That was a great looking bike.

Like this?

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/6208439684.html

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/d/yamaha-xs/6225722072.html

[GS1150Pilot]

Bastage! Like those, but with the gold pinstriping they came with, and with more standard seats. Yes.

[Guest]

Bastage! Like those, but with the gold pinstriping they came with, and with more standard seats. Yes.

So even the 1100's are selling for a grand or less, and this guy was "told" his 750 was worth THOUSANDS of dollars! Maybe in the UK, not over here in the states! You can't give these things away!

[GS1150Pilot]

I think I'd enjoy having a 750 that was set up right and aesthetically sorted. It'd be a fun around town bike.

[alke46]

Like this?

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/6208439684.html

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/...225722072.html

This guy must want this thing gone quick--price cut in half after only 12 days on Craigslist
"carbs need a little cleaning" yeah right, and what else? valve adj.?
Might be OK though for 6 hundred.

[850 Combat]

This guy must want this thing gone quick--price cut in half after only 12 days on Craigslist
"carbs need a little cleaning" yeah right, and what else? valve adj.?
Might be OK though for 6 hundred.

Looks like a deal. Those had lots of roll-on power. Way more than a GS1000. When I lived in Virginia one of my riding buddies had an XS11, and the other had a GS1000E. My bike could pull away from the GS1000 (for a little while) in a top gear roll on from 60. The XS 11 would just pull the heck away.

[wymple]

My son just picked up an XS1100 with under 12K on it for 500. It doesn't look to be stored out of the weather all that well, but is solid. It runs well, so no expensive carb work. We just put a new back tire on it. It's not charging fully, just enough to keep the battery up, so that is an issue. We haven't checked out the connectors & grounds yet, so who knows. The motor is tight and as clean as they get. Shifts great. I think it's a very lucky buy since one of his co-workers in maintenance spent years as a Yamaha tech and messes with them still as a hobby. He just laced up two 18 inch rims for a project for us with new spokes for 120 bucks.