website for xs1100 parts- good prices

[stevo]

what thread

Just Checking how did this thread start with where to buy xs11 parts .......and then get into tool talk

[Ken Talbot]

Re: website for xs1100 parts- good prices

Well, actually, the original note reads:

Originally posted by Dennis Hansen
... it looks to be a good xs11 parts source. They have some nice prices on tools also.....

You do have a point, though. Now and then a thread will start wandering and next thing you know it has changed topic three or four times and nobody knows where its going. As much as anything else, this is a reflection of the relatively loose hand we moderators try to play in managing discussions. Once in a while, we'll break up a thread, or add a follow-up new thread to its original note, but for the most part we let the discussions go where they may.

[CruisingRam]

Wow- I am suprised the thread didn't get hijacked for this:

http://www.merriamcycle.com/xs11-SSR2.html

A 23k-25k XS1100?

Lot's of money to spend on an old bike!

And I am sorry- it would be obliterated by a good 'busa rider or ZX-14 rider for a fraction of the cost.

[Bill__Woods]

Bob does nice work! i would not spend 25,000 on an xs1100. I love mine, but 25K?

I was thinking about selling the running engine from my partzer to Merriamcycle. They could put a big bore kit in it and sell it for $6000.00. Wow, $6000.00. Can you belive it? Shipping extra!

I am an ASE certified master auto tech by trade, and can rebuild engines also. If anyone on the list needs a better deal, I will sell you a rebuilt xs1100 engine for a mere $4000.00. For that money i will Pull the engine out of my daily driven XS1100, rebuild it and send it to you (i'll pay the shipping!). If you bring your bike to me I will also include removing the old engine and installing the rebuilt one.

today's special: Free oil change and tank fill-up with $4000.00 engine rebuild!


The "Deal" on the engine rebuild for $4000.0 was meant as humor, unless anyone is really that Foolish with their money then drop me a note!

[CruisingRam]

I am rebuilding a couple bike motors- it is easy to see where the labor can add up though- especially making super low volume one off parts as well. I can certainly see a 4K motor though, depending on how far you hopped it up- if you go by the hour, a good porting job, killer valves, just the heads all the way around could be 1000 in labor. But it would have to be the top shelf job, of course- what Hp was he claiming here?

If you put billet rods in it- 1200 if I ordered a custom set from Carillo- but you would get a volume discount at least if you bought, oh, 10 motors worth, pistons can run you a hun a piston for ANY custom applicatiobn- though, for a KZ 750 overbore I am looking at- it is 235EU for each piston-to make it 875cc- custom, one off or low run cranks can cost you at least 54hun or more-

so it can up- kick butt new carbs, well, for my V65 the cheapest I have seen them is 1500 bucks, rock bottom price smoothbores.

So yeah- I mean, hp costs money- how much you willing to spend? Is th question- if you want to get near max streetable hp, you may very well spend damn near that. The labor will cost you in something like that- can't make any mistakes, anywhere!

[TerraNova]

Tools

As a mechanic I have heard all the stories about how good Snap-On, Mac, etc are. These same people invariably maintain that Craftsman tools are somehow inferior. How can a tool that is mfd to Mil-Specs be inferior? All these tools are equally good. They are, for the most part, all made to Mil-Specs. And try exchanging a damaged tool from the truck vendor on the day after he has left the shop and won't be back until next week!!! Let's not scare off newbies with urban legends (unproven) about the jaws that spread on a Craftsman, S&K or whatever unless it REALLY happened to us!

[tarzan]

I can tell you with certainty that craftsman ratchets are junk.I have four of them.One is a replacement and two of them are stripping out.
Their sockets are weaker than SK.Craftsman are a low quality tool anymore.
I have a set of stanley tools that are superior to craftsman,I also have a set of crescent tools that are actually stronger than the craftsman I have.And all the SK tools I have from 30 years ago are still good today.I cant say that about your beloved craftsman.
So, I'm not sure what you are comparing them to,but I have to disagree.

[Ivan]

Let's not scare off newbies with urban legends (unproven) about the jaws that spread on a Craftsman, S&K or whatever unless it REALLY happened to us!

Not urban legends, and not unproven. If you need end wrenched that won't spread or divot, then you need Snap-on. I have had wrenches from craftsman, mac, sk, matco, and several other less descript manufacturers, and none of them even come close to being worth the money.

Mac has the best impact sockets, they don't distort the square drive as much as snap-on.

Screw drivers are anyone's guess. Snap-on looks nice, but everyone else seems to be able to make a decent screw driver. Find a handle that fits well, that seems to be the biggest point.

Power tools are a crap shoot. They are constantly re-designing them so the difference between brands seems to shift the edge back and forth between manufacturers.

The thing I really hate about Craftsman is all the gimmicks. They take every little stupid unproven design and advertise it as being the best thing since sliced bread. Things like robogrip pliers, super sockets and such.

[Yahman]

I agree with Ivan, Snap-On and Mac are the superior tool for the reasons he said. It's also because of how your hand holds up to the tool. Craftsman will kill your hands if you use their wrenches all day, everyday, as in making your living with them. Snap-On wrenches are much easier on the hand than most of the other brands.

Larry

[nashville_bill]

Northere Tool

I like Northern Tool for wrenches and sockets. Their sockets look really nice and cost about a third the price of Craftsman sockets. I bought a set of their 3/4" drive sockets for about $75 so I won't need to go to the closest auto parts store and pay $15 to $20 for a big metric socket when I find I need one.

[Geezer]

Both Craftsman and S-K have a professional line that are quite good. I have a Craftsman set of the long offset box end metric wrenches and I think they're as good as any.

I bought a set of both metric and inch S-K professional after I had a tool box ripped off and lost most of my Snap-On wrenches. I've been very happy with these and I used them for the last few years I turned wrenches pro.

For ratchets, I prefer Cornwall but they're hard to find...

Tony

[crazy steve]

Want near-bulletproof hand tools? One word.... Proto.

That's almost all you'll find in industrial and govt shops. I've broke exactly three of their tools in the 25+ years I've used them, and all were my fault for horribly abusing them. A tip; don't use a 12-point 1/2" regular socket on an impact wrench all day, and don't put a 3' cheater on the handle of your 3/8 drive ratchet (the ratchet held, but the extension didn't....)

Snap-on is real purty and a good tool, but they do break and the full-polish finish is hard to hold onto when your hands are greasy. That's the main reason I quit using their stuff; I got tired of sacrificing knuckles to the chrome god.

Williams is another great tool; it's Snap-on's 'industrial' line and is more heavy-duty than the automotive line.

'78E original owner

[jetmechmarty]

I'm afraid Proto isn't what it once was. They used to make them in my home town, along with Cresent. Both are gone. I'm not even sure where they make either one of them any more. They were once first quality tools.

I had a newer Proto socket set in my box at work. Now, it's in my box at home. It wasn't to my liking for work. I replaced it with Snap-on sockets and my favorite S-K ratchet. I used to favor Bonney wrenches and sockets. My lifetime warranty is no longer any good because that company is gone too. Pretty soon, Chinese will be the only choice.

[XS1100 Newbie]

I have to say that i still have quite a few Craftsman tools that i purchased in 1976, and with the exception of the 1/2" breaker bar, they are doing fine. I have replaced a few for free at Sears with no squabble. My breaker bar's pin and swivel is worn out, but i would not trade that bar for any. It is the strongest bar i have ever seen. It has been tested in severe ways with 3 pound hammers, jumping on it, etc. I have had to file the burs off the handle many times. I have purchased a few new Craftsman tools, and can say that they don't seem to be the same quality as they used to be. As far as Snap on and Mac, i feel they are way over priced, and unless you have a good sales guy on the truck, getting them warranteed can be a problem. I have watched the techs fight this many times over the years. Yes they do feel better, but i like functional for less cost.

[DGXSER]

I know I have the same Craftsman tools I got for Christmas from my now wife back when we were dating (been married 18 years). I am only a hobby mechanic and furniture builder, but have wrenched on alot of cars, trucks, and stuff over the years and I own two stainless steel pipes that work for "cheater" bars over the 3/8 and 1/2 ratchet handles and have been stood on and pushed like a leg press to break bolts loose. I just noticed the other day that my 14mm socket has a crack in it. Only one of those tools I ever needed to replace.