81 Midnight Special

[Lucky]

I'm Looking at an 850 for $200. (with title) ran last year, prob to fix up & sell...comments?

[Tiger]

I'm Looking at an 850 for $200. (with title) ran last year, prob to fix up & sell...comments?

Take it Lucky... 8)

[Rikugun]

I was always a fan of how those triples sounded. When my younger brother was ibike shopping 2 years ago we went to look at a '78 750 Special that was pretty clean. I think I wanted him to buy it more than he did.  :) He decided against it and we moved on but it sure woulda' been nice to hear that triple singing on our rides together....

You haven't provided any details so only you would know if it's a good deal. If it's in overall good mechanical and cosmetic condition and just needs the carbs cleaned you could make a few dollars on it.

If on the other hand it needs tires, a battery, the tank is rusty and dented, it doesn't charge, the left TS, clutch lever, grip, muffler and engine cover are bent/scratched/broken from being dropped, and the seat is ripped, then your margins gets a little tighter.  :o

[VFan]

As far as how they ride, I use to borrow my brother-in-law's 850 triple. Very nice bike. Impressed with handling, power, and as Rikugun mentioned the unique (and very cool) sound of the triple.

I'm going to guess that with respect to looks that a lot of the detail paint and gold plating has flaked off and would be a time burner to restore. But thinking about a 850, triple, with shaft drive is indeed appealing. I do not recall experiencing any of the shaft drive handling problems talked about in the day when gunning the throttle on a turn. The only bummer I experienced was that the bike wasn't mine. 

VFan

[RedBaron]

Soooooo....

[Lucky]

project on hold for now. no money & no room at the moment.  the owner is in no rush to sell, so maybe in the spring if he still has it.

[Kevin]

They were good  bikes with no big issues {like some other bikes you are fimilar with}. I like the sound of the triples, they are not as buzzy as a inline four. A coworker has one buried in back of his garage, it's on my list.

[Rick G]

The word among wrench's  of that era was not to over rev them , use the torque. I had an 850 when I lived in OR. It was a nice bike , the only problem was getting the centre bolt removed from the oil filter . I used  a pipe wrench!  Replaced it with a new one , of course.

[jasonm.]

the 850 came with an oil cooler. FYI same one your Vision has(had). The valve shims also the same. There was an oiling issue to one of the main bearings on the earlier XS750 version. FYI- run 20w50 and don't let it idle for 20 min. stuck in traffic on a 90F day. But that's why they added theoil cooler. The carbs for the 850 were Hitachi's... I think. You might want to look that up. As if they are ,  kits and parts(floats) may be in short supply.

[Lucky]

Good info Jason, I always appreciate your input.  the cooler is still on Tourer. one of the first things i plan to do when i get my hands on this bike is see where Yamaha plumbed the cooler.. see if mine is anything like stock.

[jasonm.]

under the engine...by the oil filter or something like that. Go to YAMAHA's web site for parts. There are good pic there. Look at this...one crazy ass design.....actually similar to Lockhart's adapter kit...which I have 2 of.  This link will get you close
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/partviewer/default.aspx?ls=sport#/Yamaha/XS850SH_-_1981/OIL_COOLER_-_OIL_CLEANER/XS850SH_(1981_MOTORCYCLE)/OIL_COOLER_-_OIL_CLEANER_(XS850SH_-_1981)

[Lucky]

That's basicly what I did, but without an adapter. I tapped the plug in the block used to drill the passage feeding the safety relief valve, (so the valve is still operable & in use), out to the cooler, then in to the filter cap. I had to block the passage in the filter housing feeding the filter. simple & effective.

[jasonm.]

i think I remember your ics. Where you did it all at the clutch ...sidecover...which according to the yamaha manual makes the most sense. What the 850 has is an adapter that takes all the oil going to the filter and send it to the cooler 1st. Lockhart made them for the XS750/ 1100 series. I have two such adapters. I should Ebay them...