How much should I pay for a motor??

After tearing my motor down and converting it to a J- head to solve my detonation and oil consumption issues, my motor still smokes and now has a noise in the lower end, now I am thinking about buying another motor. I found a local guy with a 1979 MKII motor with 9000 miles that is complete with everything but the carbs, what should I pay for something like this? he is asking $600.

I take it the motor is not in the bike and you cannot hear it run? if that is the case, my gut feeling is, thats a bit high

If it runs good, thats a fair price.

600 is a great price for a mk11 running or not as long as there isnt rods hanging out of the case the crank and cases are the most desirable and with only 9000 on it it is hardly broken in if you have any doubts take to a bike shop and get them to do a leakdown test on it.

I'm going to go and look at it this week, I guess I could hook it up to a battery to check the compression.

Check out my ad in the classifieds.

it's all a dice shoot really.....if it is a 9000 mile great running motor 600.00 could be a deal....then aweek later someone will offer you a bike they took apart and lost interest for 350.00 but..... how you gonna read the future....a bird in the hand beats two in the bush.....i would hope the guy is cool and will give you a handshake gaurantee that it is a good motor...for 6 bills that would be a reasonable request i'd think.....at least you could watch his eyes when you ask him......motors sell for less somtimes...not that many mk 11's kicking around with 9000 miles i bet.... but....even 10 miles with no oil is too many miles !!!!!!
and any other motor would probably mean shipping or a strangers promise it ran.....plus you could always part out your motor if so inclined.....best of luck keep us posted.....craig

Well I also found a local guy selling a set of Venolia 76mm pistons a like new crank and trans out of a 77 1000, he said he stripped the 77 in 1980 and has had the parts since then, the stuff looks brand new and the pistons are still in the boxes he wants 300 for all of it, all I would need is my block sleeved.

i don't think i could pass either one up,if i was looking.

leon holmes

here are pics of the engine parts, I called Venolia and the said they can get the rings for these pistons still. Judging from the domes they look like 10.5:1 or close to that.

man oh man that looks like a good score i'd be grabbing them as fast as i could and also buying that mk11 as well . how come i cant ever find deals like that!:S

BUY THE PARTS..BUY THE PARTS...BUY THE PARTS.....:woohoo:


NOT A PISTON EXPERT, BUT THEY DO LOOK LIKE 10.5 TO 1......BUY THE PARTS:laugh: