How much is it worth?

[Steven May]

I know a price can't be put on the smile I get when I twist the throttle, but I'm getting old and thinking of getting a bigger softer bike...I haven't been successful at figuring out what a good asking price for my '85 is...Dannymax re-did the carbs, a shop in Killeen re-did some wiring and switches...I've got about 3500.00 in it, but dunno if I can get that back. 14,500 on the odometer, but I bought it with a salvage title, so not sure. Maybe just keep it for when I need to smile.

 

[Fire-medic]

Most people aren't going to give you the same price as a non-salvage titled bike.



Yours looks pretty-clean, and I think there is interest in the first-year bikes. I'd try a price below $3K, and field any offers below that. It depends upon how much you need to make money off it. Even with a rebuilt title, if it runs well, I think something between $2200-$2750 on a salvage title would be a fair price, because of the diminished value. My personal view is that at that price, unless you just want to get rid of it, I would keep it around for when you want a VBoost 'fix.'

I suggest draining the carbs in-between rides if you don't use it much. Use some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank, and keep it on a battery tender, not just a trickle charger. You might consider getting a 5 gallon gas can and find a no-alcohol gasoline outlet and only use that.

Having the seat re-upholstered would be a move for your aesthetic satisfaction than one to increase your bike's value. One source: 1985-2007 Yamaha V-Max Seat Cover



A new cover would lend your bike some + marks if you were selling it, it shows you care about the overall appearance, and it enhances the overall appearance at the time of sale. Around $200 isn't a bad price.

 

[v85]

Hey folks,
I've got a 1985 Vmax, it's been sitting so it needs carb work, the battery is dead, worst of all, it jumps out of 4th gear.
Cosmetically it looks alright, it has roughly 34K miles.
I'd been keeping it around in hopes of getting it back on the road, however time just keeps ticking away, not to mention the $$$.
What's it worth ?
I'd appreciate some feedback.

Thanks

 

[Fire-medic]

Fourth gear isn't one that gives disengagement issues, usually. You might have the star mechanism on the end of the shift drum, has a pin which has dropped-out. That entire star mechanism has been updated a long time ago, if you find that's the issue. If it's engagement dogs on a gearset, that's case-splitting time. If you cannot do that, the labor at a shop will probably be somewhere around $2K. Parts extra.

Realistically it's a less-than $1,000 bike in that shape, and not knowing what's really the case. It needs carb work, new tires, a battery, maybe fork seals, maybe fork downtubes if they're corroded, and chasing-down all the things which can happen from years of neglect, like animals eating the wiring.

I'd offer $500 for something like that if it was local to me.

 

[v85]

Thanks Fire-medic, I appreciate your feedback.

 

[Fire-medic]

If you want to try getting the bike in some sort of functional status, you could service the carbs, put in a battery, synch the carburetors, and see if that would get it running. Don't forget to examine the gas tank! If you do NOT see shiny metal in-there, you'll need to pull the tank and clean it and possibly coat it. There are many threads on all of this: carburetors should be ultrasonically cleaned for best results, the gas tank, if it's rusty, you can use cleaning vinegar to rid it of rust, coating with a known product is optional. A new battery, and synching the carburetors, and you should be able to get the engine running. Then you can see what is happening with the 4th gear issue, replacing the shift drum star mechanism isn't hard to do if you have the tools. Removal of the clutch basket is required.

All that said, even if 4th gear is not the shift selector star mechanism, and requires case-splitting, an operational bike which runs is worth more than one which doesn't. If you have to pay someone to do the carburetors, and they need a lot of parts, that could easily reach $1,000 parts & labor. They may not cost that much, but most people who are working with these on a regular basis would rather replace suspect parts than assume, "they're ok."

A new fuel tank is $407 and you would need to spend probably $300 in labor to pull the tank, clean it, and re-install it. For another $107 I'd get a new one, if the old one is badly rusted.

Fuel Tank Comp

1FK-24110-10-33

Retail Price: $527.99

Your Price: $406.55
https://www.ronayers.com/oemparts/a/yam/50045c14f8700209bc794305/fuel-tank
You can see how it would be easy to spend $2,000 trying to make your bike operational. There are some workarounds. You could use an auxiliary gas tank if yours is rusted badly. Your carburetors are something that will need removal disassembly, some new parts, and reassembly/reinstallation, and you could use an 'outside the bike' battery just to see if the cleaned carburetors and an auxiliary gas tank would at least make it start and the engine run. Then you could buy a battery and see what's up with 4th gear.

I suspect you may not have the incentive nor the $ to invest in the bike, where you spend $1,000 trying to make it run, but it doesn't, That's what makes it a $500 bike. It's better to sell it, and say, 'good-bye' than to think "I'm gonna part it out," and end up with most of a bike and a few pieces gone.