Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum. I have just purchased my second bike. I was curious on what the value might be on it... Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Its a 1978 Yamaha XS400 Special, with 49 ORIGINAL MILES!! It was only driven twice! Its been sitting this whole time, and the bike is immaculate! The tires arent even broken in yet!!!

I'd like to know what the value of a bike in this shape might be, so any thoughts or info would be nice.

Thanks!

I say if it wasnt stored properly, it may be more trouble than its worth, seals dry out, oil dosnt routinely circulate through the engine , there would be damaged on exsposed sreas of the eninge that havnt seen oul for years, etc

low K's like that aint allways a good thing.

I've gotta go with Britjoe on this one. If it were still in the crate, it would be brand new. Crated bikes are treated with preservatives and have an almost indefinite shelf life.

A bike that was ridden 49 miles and has sat unpreserved is going to have problems as Britjoe mentioned. An exception to this would be if the bike was properly prepared for storage by draining fuel and oil, then treating with cosmoline, dessicant plugs and caps on intakes and exhausts.

Those original tires may not be broken in yet, but they're already junk. Tires have a shelf life. Over time, rubber dries out and hardens. They may look good, but I wouldn't call them safe to ride on. They will be slippery and will develop sidewall cracks.

Wow. Looks like the “nay-sayers” jumped right in on this thread. Frankly I seriously doubt that you will have any issues with a bike that has only 49 miles on it. (Unless of course it has been stored in an unheated grainery under a bunch of nesting pigeons etc.) I would have the tires looked at though by someone that should be knowledgeable. If they have been stored away from light for the storage period they might be okay however exposure to natural light might well have caused serious deterioration and look at it this way. It'll be you up on them at highway speeds or higher. Your life depends on GOOD tires. Other then that enjoy. I have a 1981 XS650 with 30k (kms) on it and it is a great bike though it has a few more horses then yours they are virtually the same I believe. It leaks oil all over the place but that's fine because I park it next to my Harley so nobody notices or if they do they just think it's the Harley which doesn't leak any oil. If a few seals or gaskets have dried out (which I doubt) they can easily be replaced if you're so inclined.

I'd say you made a great find there. Wish I could find a few like that. As for value I can't suggest any figures. The minute you start driving it the value will plummet anyway. What it's worth is whatever someone will pay you for it. Find the right guy and it could be worth 3 or $4,000 I'd say but you might look a long time for the “right guy”. So figure what you'd pay max for it and there you have the value.

dude! thats awesome you got an old bike with little miles. i have a 1982 yamaha xs400. They're fun and fast. Good luck riding!