Should I try to buy this 1981 XS?

S

Smorg

XS650 Enthusiast
Messages
61
Reaction score
195
Points
33
Location
N. Illinois
I saw the ad I copied below with the link on Facebook Marketplace locally. I was not looking but I saw this ad. for a 1981 with 2500 miles. Any thoughts?

"Seller's Description​

Runs good has been laid down twice but not bad. Needs tires and front brake. Bought it from someone who road it for a bit and parked it for years in a garage. Fairly decent bike for the year. Great starter bike or build. 1500obo open to trades "

https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:d6b2c8bf-2c09-4c3e-90aa-e7ee78fac1d7
 
Smorg said:
I saw the ad I copied below with the link on Facebook Marketplace locally. I was not looking but I saw this ad. for a 1981 with 2500 miles. Any thoughts?

"Seller's Description​

Runs good has been laid down twice but not bad. Needs tires and front brake. Bought it from someone who road it for a bit and parked it for years in a garage. Fairly decent bike for the year. Great starter bike or build. 1500obo open to trades "

https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:d6b2c8bf-2c09-4c3e-90aa-e7ee78fac1d7
Click to expand...
You could do a whole lot worse.
 
Smorg said:
I saw the ad I copied below with the link on Facebook Marketplace locally. I was not looking but I saw this ad. for a 1981 with 2500 miles. Any thoughts?

"Seller's Description​

Runs good has been laid down twice but not bad. Needs tires and front brake. Bought it from someone who road it for a bit and parked it for years in a garage. Fairly decent bike for the year. Great starter bike or build. 1500obo open to trades "

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/894754401746038/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:d6b2c8bf-2c09-4c3e-90aa-e7ee78fac1d7
Click to expand...
If you should decide not to buy it let me know. You saw it first.
It is in my hometown.
 
That one came up on my FB search this morning too. No pics of the left side??:shrug:
 
If possible, put your peppers on it... particularly the fork stops on the frame.. if they show issues... I'd walk away. 😎
 
GLJ said:
If you should decide not to buy it let me know. You saw it first.
It is in my hometown.
Click to expand...
Gonna get it. Much respect for letting me have 1st shot. I live outside Winnebago. Get tired of riding alone. let me know if u want to ride sometime.
motormike said:
If possible, put your peppers on it... particularly the fork stops on the frame.. if they show issues... I'd walk away. 😎
Click to expand...
 
Smorg said:
Gonna get it. Much respect for letting me have 1st shot. I live outside Winnebago. Get tired of riding alone. let me know if u want to ride sometime.
Click to expand...
When you come to pick it let me know. Most likely I'll be home. You could swing by. Dixon is not a big town.
 
Gotcha. You mean it is likely out of alignment or has some sort of frame damage due to the accident. I was thinking "Dropped" When the ad clearly says "Laid it down a couple of times." On a Harley Site the advice is as follows:

"
Default

Find either a local indy or dealer who can check your bike for alignment. That will possibly involve you first removing all the bodywork, tank, fenders etc, for inspection and checking geometry. Checking for accident damage of the frame is one of those jobs best left to experts!"
or
Default

"I used to work in a frame and fork repair shop.

We'd take the fork all apart and roll the tubes on flat surface, like a machinist's granite. A glass table with a thick top will work too. If there's any uneveness in how the tube rolls, its bent. A lot of them we could straighten with an arbor press. That's kind of an art though and you'll ruin a few tubes learning the feel. Tree and top clamp, along with the fork tubes, everything should go together square and true with no force. Again, a slight bend in a tree could be worked out, top clamp was usually replaced.

Any front end damage, we'd change the steering head bearings. An impact would crack a race or the ball bearings would pound little round dents in the races. Really messes up your steering, that.

We had a long very straight rod with a pair of cones on one end. The cones would center in the steering head races and the rod stuck down from the (carefully machined) center of the cones. We'd carefully jack up the frame, making sure it was level, and hold a vertical level on the rod at right angles to the frame centerline. Any tilt to the side, we'd know the frame was tweaked. In a front end hit, usually the steering head is bent down, and you can see the damage at the top of the frame down tubes, and the backbone tube. Again we could straighten the frame, but that takes a shop full of special tools and a lot of skill.

You can do this stuff, but it takes some special tools and a lot of knowledge."
So I am going to buy it if he agrees to let me have it checked out at a Mechanic's Shop 1st. (Pete's Cycle in Machesney Park Illinois)
 
Smorg said:
I saw the ad I copied below with the link on Facebook Marketplace locally. I was not looking but I saw this ad. for a 1981 with 2500 miles. Any thoughts?

"Seller's Description​

Runs good has been laid down twice but not bad. Needs tires and front brake. Bought it from someone who road it for a bit and parked it for years in a garage. Fairly decent bike for the year. Great starter bike or build. 1500obo open to trades "

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/894754401746038/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:d6b2c8bf-2c09-4c3e-90aa-e7ee78fac1d7
Click to expand...

Here is a free tip.

If you don't want to be backstab'd, ask questions in the laboratory or in the in the clubhouse. laboratory because members have to have 100 posts up before they can see or post into that forum. Clubhouse because you have to be a member and signed in to be able to see or post into that forum. ...........less chance you wont have your grass cut.......... Time ain't on your side and anyone can see your thread, (in the garage), signed in or not, so if you post a link to the sale, there is every chance someone is going to buy it from under your nose while your asking and waiting for answers. Hopefully not the regular regulars but are you going to trust those that don't post very often.

That looked like a great buy and there should not have been any hesitation to have a look at it
 
650Skull said:
Here is a free tip.

If you don't want to be backstab'd, ask questions in the laboratory or in the in the clubhouse. laboratory because members have to have 100 posts up before they can see or post into that forum. Clubhouse because you have to be a member and signed in to be able to see or post into that forum. ...........less chance you wont have your grass cut.......... Time ain't on your side and anyone can see your thread, (in the garage), signed in or not, so if you post a link to the sale, there is every chance someone is going to buy it from under your nose while your asking and waiting for answers. Hopefully not the regular regulars but are you going to trust those that don't post very often.

That looked like a great buy and there should not have been any hesitation to have a look at it
Click to expand...

Sage advice right there...I'd listen to him.
 
nj1639 said:
I once promised to pay the asking price on a junker with title as long as they would remove the add. They did, so I did.
Click to expand...

Yep, when a person recognizes a fair price and a nice bike its fair not to haggle, just be honest and pay their fair price.

I just did that on the last two 1980 Specials I bought, they waited for me to come look because I told them I'd pay their price if it was what they said it was.

Buyers/sellers Karma is a very real thing...what comes around, goes around. 😉
 
Back
Top