Thoughts on a 1977 Yamaha XS 750 with 1100 miles?

[GS1150Pilot]

Definitely jettison the fairing detritus.

[wymple]

My neighbor had one back then. It was a pretty nice piece, IMO. Just don't beat up on 2nd gear.

[rphillips]

Most any old bike can be kind'f cool. These too, as they are kind'f unique. Try to find another 40 yr. old 750cc 4 stroke 3 cyl., with a shaft drive. They weren't real good at anything, but were O.K. for everything. It was amazing, how much the early Yammer shafties would raise up, when hard on the throttle, heck a hard launch, drag racing, would lift your feet plum off the ground. I think it would get a lot of looks at a "bike night" or a "cruise in", most wondering what the heck it was. Perfectly good bike just to ride & look at. Would probably never reap huge $$$, but it sure would be cool. Just my opinion.

[simmoto]

Dayum! Got some jabs going on in this thread! So I'll add one. Lose the hideous fairing and sissy bar and it would be a lot cooler. Just don't sink too much money into it.

[nejeff]

No, they are not desirable, not even great parts bikes (limited desirability makes it tough on parts guys). You can pick up three lunger Yammies pretty cheap. They are good bikes but nothing remarkable. Fix it up and ride it but don't invest more than it is worth (ie watch the nickles and the dimes)

[exdirtbiker]

To get back on track...
My neighbor inherited it. It's not mine, nor will it be. His Brother in Law bought it new from the other B.I.L., who owner the Yamaha dealer. The family name is on the sticker on rear fender.
They want to keep it in family.
"People" are telling him it's worth THOUSANDS... that's a pretty vague term.
I warned him "everything on that bike needs $100... Front M/c bad, front calipers locked, tires 40 yr old, tank 80% full (of junk), 3 carb kits... that's already $600 into it, in my brain.
He doesn't have that kind of play money. And he's blind. An amazing mechanic, but he'll not be driving it. ( He's the neighborhood mower repair guy)
Thanks for all your assistance.

[850 Combat]

I think it's a pretty cool bike. You gonna strip off the fairing and bags?

Don't think it holds a candle to a GS850 but then it's older so you can't expect it to. I think it would make a very entertaining cruiser.

Good luck with the restore.

I agree with you there. A GS850 handles way better. Its been too long for me to really remember what the power was like compared to the GS850. I've owned about six 850Gs, and I still own one today. I've always thought that the low and mid range power in an 850G was pretty weak. The Yamaha might be better in that regard, but I'll bet its no quicker or faster.

[GS1150Pilot]

I like the fact that it's been in the family, and that does make it worth more to that family. I like the GS850, but I like these, too. Just cool, middle of the road standards.

[Sandy]

I bought one new back in the day, had it for 5 years or so and put about 80,000kms on it. Pretty trouble free bike but actually horribly boring. With the front suspension tweaked a bit, Koni shocks and Michelin M45 tires it actually handing pretty decent and seemed to have lots of ground clearance. Not sure about the US market but in Canada the '76 and '77 were only available in silver IIRC and the '78 was red as shown in your photo. Pull the points cover, if is got points it's a '77. The '78 had some improvements like hotter cams and electronic ignition. They're really not worth much but if gotten cheap enough could be a good project. I had a lot of good times on that bike including a 6 week, 16,000km cross Canada trip.

[Cyrano]

I've got a soft spot for the larger XS bikes. Had 2 XS11s and enoyed them both. Back in the 80s my pal had a 750 with a 3 into 1 Piper exhaust that he had repacked and it still remains one of the most glorious bike noises I've ever heard.

2nd gear has always been a weak spot on them because it's such a long throw from first to second.

[GS1150Pilot]

The XS I owned was a hoot. It used a bit of oil, was cumbersome at slow speed, but a total blast to hammer out on the open road. I sold it when I got the 750 Turbo, which turned out to be a kind of financial Dracula due to its potential, and I had a lot less fun on the GPz, all said and done.

[83GS1100E_Tornado]

There's nothing "WRONG" with it, other than the fact it's not worth much and you could NEVER restore that thing and NOT be upside down on it. It's only worth a couple hundred bucks to anyone that knows better. NO collector value whatsoever, and probably never will be. Whoever told him it was worth "thousands" is probably a good friend of Chucks! LOL!

[850 Combat]

I bought one new back in the day, had it for 5 years or so and put about 80,000kms on it. Pretty trouble free bike but actually horribly boring. With the front suspension tweaked a bit, Koni shocks and Michelin M45 tires it actually handing pretty decent and seemed to have lots of ground clearance. Not sure about the US market but in Canada the '76 and '77 were only available in silver IIRC and the '78 was red as shown in your photo. Pull the points cover, if is got points it's a '77. The '78 had some improvements like hotter cams and electronic ignition. They're really not worth much but if gotten cheap enough could be a good project. I had a lot of good times on that bike including a 6 week, 16,000km cross Canada trip.

That's interesting. You guys got red XJ650 Secas, and we only got silver (and only 1982). I saw a red one when we were riding along the north side of Lake Ontario east of Toronto. It looked pretty good in red.

[GS1150Pilot]

I've seen red Secas here (and not the Seca II).

[hillsy]

Those things are starting to attain "value" because they are cheap and the hipsters are cutting them up for cafe racers. A bit like the CX500 - they are now "desirable" because they have been a popular base for hipster cafe / brat / tracker things when in reality they are pieces of crap.