SOLD --- $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

[justify]*** SOLD *** See Photos Here - $3,500[/justify]

Now considered an Antique Motorcycle (in IL it is 25 years to be considered an antique). Purchased with 5335 miles in 2001, and currently has 5962.9 miles. I seldom rode it for a couple of years, and it has been stored (covered) in my garage for the last 6 years. The previous owner that I purchased it from parked/stored it inside his home every winter. (I did not have that luxury.) However, because this was done, there was a lack of severe climate changes to it every year. It has the ORIGINAL tires, wires, wiring, brakes, seat, hoses (except where I recently installed NAPA Fuel Filter #7-02357-1.). Tires show some dry-rot, but hold air as they did when I purchased this fine machine 9 years ago. Basically, everything is original except the fluids, foam grips, and spark plugs. When I pulled it out this year, it would not start. So, I took the carbs apart and cleaned them thoroughly. I changed the oil and filter twice with Rotella 15w-40 conventional oil and a NAPA oil filter because it was sitting for so long. I also changed the drive shaft fluid with Mobil 1 synthetic gear lube. I changed the plugs 9 years ago. I did not change the plugs this time, but I may still do so.

Now, as far as condition… Despite my vowing to never do it, I am going to use the word MINT. The word MINT is not to be confused with some clown selling a car, who tells you it is mint and when you get there he says, “Well, it’s MINT for its age.” Mint as I am defining it here is AS SHOWROOM NEW IN 1985 OR BETTER THAN NEW; MINT I would say is a number 10. MINT is a Bloomington Gold Corvette. Now, everyone has different interpretations; you may be anal, you may not. Being anal, I would rate the whole bike a 9 out of 10, with a 10 being a brand new showroom MINT motorcycle.

So, here we go… Runs Great! Looks Brand New! Never dropped, wrecked, or damaged in any accidents. Tank has no dents, however paint on tank has a couple tiny chips that were touched up; I do not remember seeing any in high visibility areas such as on top of the tank. The rear fender has some minor paint scratches from where the backrest was mounted; not visible unless you are searching for them. Front fender has a couple touched up chips also. Brakes lines are not cracked. Rubber foot pegs are in excellent condition. Spark Plug wires and hoses show no signs of deterioration. On the left side of the engine, there is some clearcoat that has rubbed away near where you foot would be. Japanese chrome in the 80’s was not great to begin with. That being said, the chrome is in excellent condition with miniscule pitting showing here and there on the carb hats. Chrome on exhaust pipes is not discolored from overheating. The brake rotors still have the black paint on the outer edge. Front tire is a Bridgestone Exedra G526 (100/90-19 57H), Made in Japan T8402, DOT ENM5 TNH115, and the rear tire is a Bridgestone Exedra G526 (130-90-16 67H), Made in Japan T8401, DOT ENXR TNJ115.

I am asking $3,500. I am guessing that the likelihood of finding another 1985 Maxim in original condition such as this one is slim to none. And this, is a very nice year for the Maxim. The styling was way ahead of its time: white faced gauges engulfed in torpedo-like clusters, the aggressive stance. You can place this bike near a bunch of newer bikes and the average rider would never know that this bike is from 1985. Many of times I had people not believe the year of the bike, until I showed them the build date. I have extras that are negotiable: engine crash guards, extension peg things/highway pegs, backrest (KG), saddlebags (Willie & Max), leather pouch (see in photos) from Kelly’s Leather Works of Richmond IL price of $52.95 (price tag is still in the pouch), windshield (I think it was KG), and an extra stock air box. Photos of these items can be seen on my photos website link. I purchased the used airbox 9 years ago because I wanted to cut it open in certain areas to allow the engine to breathe better; I had the intentions of jetting the carbs. My thoughts were to get more out of the bike while maintaining a stock appearance. It also has a K&N Air Filter.

If you would like larger photos or have additional questions, email me. Photobucket apparently has a size restriction. If you are serious, then email me with your contact information and I will call you. Why am I doing it this way? I don’t want to be bothered with silly low ball offers like $2,500; I would assume keep it for that price.

Thanks in advance, Rob. 1985YamahaMaxim@gmail.com
I am located in Arlington Heights, IL (just outside Chicago)

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

Nice bike....but DUDE>> $5K is nuts
$2500 would be a stretch this time of year.
There was just a pretty nice XJ700X (more expensive water cooled) on Ebay for $600 and negotiable.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-X ... cles#v4-32

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

let's keep it real...the bike didn't sell for half that much new in 85

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

WOW i do not know what to say....

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

I paid a hundred bucks for my 85 with a clear title. 5k is a pipe dream, nice bike though.

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

Nice!! I would say the word "mint" was definitely used properly this time but seriously no way on the price. Good luck to you

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

I couldn't get 5 grand for my 1976 limited edition Goldwing. But i sure would like to own his Yamaha. I'm considered to be one of the best obsessive compulsive metal fanatics and this guys got one on me.

 

Re: FOR SALE: All Original Condition 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

$5k?!? I think he really DOESN'T want to sell it. I don't have that much into all of my bikes combined!!!!

dave

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

Yeah, not the right time of year to be selling. I reduced the price to $3,500. I am not desperate to sell it. Thanks for all the input, and I don't mean any disrespect here, but the unusual reality is that in all probability, you won't be able to find an '85 XJ700 like this one. So, to compare anything that is not comparable just does not make any sense. Which makes pricing tough. The target buyer's market is very limited for something like this. This is not a bike someone will buy and put 40k on. At least they shoudn't be doing that. It is unusual and rare right now. It should be preserved as best as possible, and then 15 years from now it will be something very, very rare.

Desinger_Mike... that bike has been dropped and is defintely not near the original condition, near flawless condition of what I have.

mcrwt644... that reasoning would be interesting at a Mecum or Barrett-Jackson auction.

Treads... if you find any bike that is like this one for $500 (not less than 698cc's), you let me know.

cycletest... I have a friend that has the last CBX ever made... nice.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

It's not like you've got a 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante here that you just pulled from a barn....

You've got a bike that's been sitting around with original tires. And unless I've missed something, there is nothing revolutionary or particularly special about these bikes that would drive their price higher over time.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

OK... you win.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

Well, I'm going to chime in here and give my 2-cents....a phrase that relates to the cost of postage stamps, by the way......and use that as a basis for comparison. You might think this is crazy, but I believe it's a very realistic way of looking at things.

Back in 1970 (just to pick a year at random), the cost of a first-class stamp was 6-cents. The cost today is 44-cents........almost a 8x increase. But that's not all.....

In almost all large urban areas, you got home delivery of the mail twice a day (during the week), compared to once a day currently. So in reality, it's not just a 8x increase in price due to the cost of the service (the stamp), but also another 2x increase due to the level of that service being cut in half (from twice a day to once a day delivery).

That is a total 16x price increase in a standardized, basic, pretty-much-unchanged since 1792 (over 200 years) type of service. And, if figures are to be believed ("Figures don't lie, but liars may figure....."), the 8x increase in the basic price is actually less that the general price increase (confusingly called "inflation" to hide the true source of it) of all goods and services (called the "consumer price index, or CPI) in the economy.

I choose postal service prices because, again, it's about as simple, predictable, and basic a service as is imaginable, and therefore it stands in as a fine "measuring stick" to understand historical prices and worth.

Everyone seems to focus on the (economic hocus-pocus) explanation of "supply vs. demand" as the cause of a price to change, and although it is certainly a major component part of the explanation (especially in the very short and very long term), it overlooks (intentionally?) the bigger, more important part of the equation: the value of money itself.

Because if we can say that a basic service such as paper delivery has gone up by 8x (or 16x, if you're more honest), then you either have to explain away this increase via:

a) a much greater demand for this service, which far outstrips the ability to supply this service (the supply vs. demand excuse)
b) a much lesser productivity in the production of the service (given 200+ years of doing the same thing, there's not a whole lot of heft to hold the "productivity decline" argument together)
c) something else.

And it's the "something else" that really accounts for the "price" of items, historically and present, and that's the value of money.

If the value of money (currency, the dollar, whatever) goes down, then, given a somewhat stable supply vs. demand ratio, the PRICE of an item goes up in direct relation to how the value of the money goes DOWN.

So postage stamps cost 8x as much as they did in 1970. Gasoline costs about 8x as much, too (and, you use to get a guy who ran out, pumped it for you, checked the oil and the air in the tires, too, for that price......wow, we're back at that "half the service" thing again, aren't we?). Food prices, luckily, have risen less than this amount, and basically that's because of jury-rigging of food prices along with absolutely huge increases in productivity in the farming industry in the last 40 years.


So the price of what something "sold for" in the past, by itself, is an almost meaningless comparison, as the value of the underlying unit of measure (the money) changes over time; in particular, it has gone down by about 1/8th (or 1/16th, if you were to be more honest) since 1970.

You can make similar calculations for any past year (including 1985) to determine what the "present price" for an item would be, just due to the decrease in the value of "money" (again, in order to confuse most people and place blame where it doesn't belong, the economic term for the reduction in the value of money is called "inflation" (of the price)...which gives the impression of something getting bigger...rather than the correct term, "shrinkage" (of the value of money).


In other words, postal services, energy prices, and a whole lot more (as in "almost everything") has gone up in price not due primarily to supply/demand mis-matches, or productivity changes, but rather due to the (much) lesser value of each unit of currency.


For tomorrow's lesson, be prepared to explain why the value of money, by itself, might go up or down......hint: a good way to do so might be to measure the value of different types of money (there is such a thing, you know!) and calculate "prices" in those terms......

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

The Dow is way off, housing sucks, but I think that these bikes have found their niche. Nice looking bike and quite actually, what can you buy today like this? Btw it's my .03 cents, inflation.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

You are correct Len. But there is also the reality of supply and demand.

The desirability of a product and the scarcity of the product have a lot to do with the current market value of a commodity.

A Yamaha XJ700N Maxim has a value based on desirability and scarcity. While it's a nice bike I don't think it's particularly rare. There are a number of them out there for sale. They are likely not very collectible based on the numbers made and the number of this model that are still on the road.

The bottom line is that the bike is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. The trick is to figure out what that number is.

The low low low current mileage does not make it an "almost new" bike. It just makes it an old bike in very good condition with very little wear on it. It is also a bike that is going to need a lot of seals replaced from sitting unused, it needs new tires, (DUH!), the rear brake shoes need to be replaced, brake fluids need to replaced(hopefully no water in system or calipers need replaced too), and the list goes on.

I bought my '01 K1200LT with only 7,800 miles on it in April or May 2009. This made it very low mileage for the year. The low mileage did not make it worth a fantastic amount of money it just added a little value to me personally because it would mean less internal wear. I fully recognized that I might well have seal problems but I haven't so far. (Knock on wood!) I immediately replaced all fluids and no issues so far.

Replacement value for a new one is $21,000 to $24,000 + $10,000 for the sidecar. I gave what I felt was the absolute top fair price for the rig. $11,500 because it was not only low mileage but had a sidecar already mounted and painted to match.

Without the sidecar I would not have paid more than $6500 for the bike.

Bottom line: Price it at what you think it's worth and if it doesn't sell no worries. If it sells then great!

One last thought is that what you paid for a product doesn't matter at all to the current value. I have bought real estate for many thousands less than the current owner paid for it. I have also lost money on occasions. Value isn't an emotion. It just is what it is!

Loren

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

Yes, supply and demand are important concepts to determing PRICE in the very short and the very long term. In the intermediate term, not so much......

I would also argue that XJ700N bikes are not really a "commodity" (in the economic sense of the word---i.e. one unit is indistiguishable from any other units, like wheat, or a barrel of oil, or a postage stamp, or even dollar bills).........in fact, a lot of advertising is all geared around trying to convince people that, for example, the gasoline that Shell offers is somehow different than the gasoline that BP offers.........trying to make a commodity item seem as if it were not, and "adding value" in that manner.

We all know how much it costs to "restore" or customize a bike to a particular level of operation and condition......the tires, the worn out seals, etc. etc. etc......how much (not counting the labor, which for some odd reason, always seems to be valued at zero) do those things cost?

This is the trap that many people fall into, and it typically bites most of them in the butt, eventually......


That land that you bought (at one price), and then re-sold (at another price)......was the land somehow "rarer" compared to all the other land on earth, at those two points in time? Or was the easier availability of money (debt, easy credit, etc.)---which lessened the value of the money----responsible for the change in the "price"?

Not trying to quibble with you, just trying to point out some aspects about how prices and "value" are not always the same thing. And truthfully, as you state, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially in non-commodity objects (like old motorcycles).......or, old Picasso paintings.

When he was alive and painting them, he could barely give them away. You could retire comfortably, now, if you had a few originals (or very nice fakes!) stashed away in your possession. All it takes is more than one bidder (or a good shill bidder) to create the "demand" side of the equation. In the short run, "supply" tends to be fixed.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

Wamaxim nailed it, the value of anything is what someone will pay for it, end of.
Real estate agents value your house by comparing it to what has SOLD in the area.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

Chacal, it is a commodity in terms of other 1985 XJ 700N's. It has a little higher protein content (fewer miles and is a little cleaner) than other 1985 XJ700N's but is still what it is and as long as you are comparing it to other 1985 XJ700N's it is a commodity. Now, if you are comparing it to other bikes........

Loren

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxi

So if I offered you 15,000 for your XJ900 you would take it?

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

If I didn't it would be a case of 2 idiots: One for offering it & one for not taking it.

 

Re: FOR SALE $3500 All Original Cond 1985 Yamaha XJ700N Maxim

Would it make a difference to you if the offer of "15,000" was in Japanese Yen? Mexican Pesos?

How about in these?:

http://www.universalcoin.com/products/b ... coins.html

They are legal tender, $ 50.00 US face value units (just like a $50.00 US bill....or, wait: are they?).

How many of those would it take to snatch that beautiful machine from you?