Possible New Owner

[tcassem]

Hi everyone, I'm looking at buying a 1999 X but, wow, all I read about is the things that can go wrong with it.  Transmission, rear hub, throttle body mount, heads cracking, motor mounts, etc geez....Should I do it?

[franknsr]

LOL, yea I hear ya. If you listen to all the naysayers it might be a daunting decision. Truth is, many of us have a lot of miles on these bikes with out incident. Yes, it is a very unique and cool bike, but stuff does go wrong, and there are things to fix. The big difference is that you may not have a local 'dealer' to rely on unless you are fortunate enough to live near one of the vendors who service these bikes. Otherwise you should be comfortable doing some maintenance, but there are folks here who are willing to share what they know.

All that said, I guess only you can answer the question of whether of not to dive in. 

[wytfut]

Tcassem,
     Somehow I missed this post....
     Here's my take....
     If an owner gets all of the updates done, and understands what to recognize for isses, these bikes can be as reliable as anything else out there.....
      There are lemons/"built on monday-friday"  syndrome type X's out there, but so are all the other brands.
      You decide to chase one down for purchase, your better reliant  "in the comunity"  type of people will be the better buy in the long run for the following reasons....
      One... they are in the communty.... and enjoy the community. If they were in general to make a poor sale... they risk all of that.
      two..... they know what needs to be taken care of/recognize/updates... and will in general will treat the new owner with that knowledge.

       "out of the loop/community types" don't know what to look for or they may and not say.... they will most generally don't know if any of the work has been done, and don't/won't check it out for you, as they don't know who to go to. 

       You may pay a little more.... but not always.

       So you wanna jump in.... Make a post here, yahoogroupsresourceboard site, superxowners site.....  and you'll be able to find the machine that'll fit your price range, and most likely not be an unknown problem X.  There are occassional X's for sale by "group" owners on ebay and craigs list. But there are a few others not even being posted for sale from multi X owners...

       State what you are looking for.... on your post.... its probably out there...
       
      come on it... the water is fine...

Bruce
flatlandersupportingXworld ......

[tcassem]

Thanks for the replies.  A little background, I have been riding for the past 36 years, currently own five bikes, but would sell my beloved Roadstar to get the X.  The owners states he had $2500 in updates done back in 2003.  He cannot find the receipts but is attempting to get information from the dealer in LeSuer, MN.  Bike has about 9000 miles and looks perfect.  He believes something was fixed in shifting and he does have an oil cooler on it.  Bike also comes with bags, shield, pipes, backrest, etc.  I told him I need to take it for a spin, just waiting for the MN weather to cooperate.  I remember back in 1999-2000 I walked into the X factory in Belle Plain and was pretty impressed.  So sad things turned out the way they did. 

[tcassem]

One more thing...Does anyone have a buyer's checklist?  A list of what to look for, what to check...Might include rolling the bike with the clutch pulled in...how to check the motor mounts...etc.
This would be very helpful for someone that does not know this bike well.  Just thinking...

[Jumper]

Here is a link to superxparts.com. They have a good website to explain some of their fixes and issues. Once you have an X that is updated, You'll enjoy it alot!

http://stores.homestead.com/AtlanticEHLLC/-strse-template/id/Page.bok

Poke around the website.. Ask more questions.. We are here to help! Many of us have been in it from the beginning and have the knowledge of these Motorcycles... Check the Yahoo boards as well. Alot of history on repairs and fixes..

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Excelsior-Henderson-Resource-Board/


Jumper

[wytfut]

Totally agree with jumper...
If you know the VIN, it'll get you a littlehead start possibly... You may find it here on this site and/or on the superxowners site...

As jumper stated... We're here to help...

[tcassem]

Thanks for the links.  I'm aware of the LeSeur, MN shop but I really liked the Atlantic Shop.   They have level one and level two updates but my god, I cannot see putting in $6,000 dollars into a bike that is worth $7000.  I'm sure I could do some of the work myself with members help.  The bike I'm looking at is in the mid 800 serial number.  It does not look like he ever registered it with any of the internet sites.  So, we will see.  With five bikes it always seems that something needs to be done, not sure if I could handle a bike that may need so much attention.  But it is so cool....

[tcassem]

The owner of the X did find his receipts for some of the work done. 

pickup tube $50.00
scavenge pump bushing- $8.00
Hyd. lifter- $13.00
motor mounts- $65.90
oil cooler- $175.00
shift kit- $320.00
custom gear set- $650.00
spiral clip set- $50.00
air filter kit- $260.00
rear wheel update- $250.00

Going to go look at it tomorrow and take a test drive.  Any advice?

[2CoolWheels]

Tcassem,
   With the upgrades you have showing, you shouldn't have any serious problems. I've got a couple of X's: the most recent one I bought in Nebraska, rode to Minnesota for the Super X rally (in Le Sueur), then rode it to my home here in Southern California. The bike performed flawlessly, and still does.
   I've had the bike for almost a year now, and I've put about 6000 miles on it. I've only had to change the back tire, and I had a drive belt break (which is unusual, they usually last for 10's of thousands of miles. I suspect this one was defective from the get-go).
   I don't think you will be disappointed, but your results may vary.   

Mike
  #741 #901

[2CoolWheels]

Ah, correction: I've had the bike for 9 months now. (I loose track of time easily).

[wytfut]

Tcassem....
I don't see anything about what kind of tune is loaded into it..... If stock, it may pop and/or die on occasion.
Notice handlebar action while riding. Use a lite touch on the grips when accelerating or coasting to a stop......usually below 35 mph...... Triple tree chech..  If they haven't been tightened correctly they may wobble
Check caps over engine mounts.... Possible replacement if they are weaping a rust stain. And any unusual vibration rattles.....

'Bout it off the top of my head...

Bruce

[tcassem]

My god, one last thing...what is the deal with the chrome flaking problem and the cracking of the rear fender?  Is this common?  Did it have to do with certain numbered bikes?

[wytfut]

Chrome flaking varies bike to bike.... We've been lucky with all 3 of ours. Flakining most common at wheels, triple tree, and cantelever on front wheel

[wytfut]

Not sure what the cracking is about, but I've seen it. Some have had luck welding...   Not real common.