Bike photos

[thewiz]

Holy Moly, Shap ...

That bike is a thing of beauty ... I'm envious of the exhaust, the FI, the forks ... oh, heck ... everything

once it's rolling the weight just vanishes

I bet it does!!

[WMarshy]

Just wanted to be to firs to say, DAMN NICE BIKE MAN!

[Shappers]

Ok, I'll take this chance to post some pictures of my completed ride on the same page as Dans beautiful bike..

I've been putting my bike together for about 3 and a half years now, some highlights are the wheels, the fuel injection, the modern forks, the brakes and the complete nut and bolt rebuild of every part. The bike weighs a ton as everything on it is now in stainless steel but once it's rolling the weight just vanishes.

If you want to see the pictures bigger, just click on them

Shappers

[madmax-im]

Because it is so slick I took it for granted that you have had it apart but irregardles it is a slick piece. Mine was completely field stripped in 96 for bearings and transmission work and in the process got a set of 1 mm over Yamaha stock pistons, a mildly ported head and a set of early cams. I put about 10,000 miles on that setup and during the winter of 06-07 I pulled the top end and installed a set of Wiseco 74 mm pistons, a Patrick Racing ported head and a set of Mega-Cycle cams along with the Super/Trapp header that I've had since 85. This last build up was frustrating because it took some doing to get the carburetors to work properly due to the increased overlap of the cams but it's dailed in now and runs sweet and actually gets better gas mileage than it did stock. The last long trip I took on mine was in 98 to Colorado and since that time my rides on it have been within a 300 mile radius of St. Louis. I've had several bikes since I bought my "Special" in 81 and they have long since departed but my Special remains part of an otherwise ever changing world. As far as header coatings, I have used Jet-Hot to coat several sets of race car headers and one set of new MAC XS head pipes which are a part of new MAC turnouts that I have yet to use and the Jet-Hot stuff has performed as advertised. Have a good one.

Dan

Dan I realize when it comes to engine internals...you're the guy to talk to...I dont pretend for a moment that I am a mechanical whiz...so to say...I did have a couple of fine XSives help me replace all the old gearsets with new Yamaha backcut gearsets...rather than doing the dremel fix...but I am no engine expert. I would love to give it more performance in HP and torque but I am quite happy at how its running now and its debatable at my age wether I'd really need or use all that extra performance...
I have owned about 10 different bikes over the years and they all have come and gone...except for my '82 MadMax a keeper forsure...Hope to see ya cruzin down the road...

[Dan Hodges]

Jet-Hot

Dan...My engine is completely stock...no big bore kits...so there still plenty to trick and have a reliable ride. Your Black Beauty is a real looker too. Its good to actually chat with someone else who bought theirs new like I have and never got rid of it...
As for the headers...they have burnt off their paint and now they are Grey..I will be looking into Jet Hot around this area...so far of the 2 places I called neither is still doing it...

Because it is so slick I took it for granted that you have had it apart but irregardles it is a slick piece. Mine was completely field stripped in 96 for bearings and transmission work and in the process got a set of 1 mm over Yamaha stock pistons, a mildly ported head and a set of early cams. I put about 10,000 miles on that setup and during the winter of 06-07 I pulled the top end and installed a set of Wiseco 74 mm pistons, a Patrick Racing ported head and a set of Mega-Cycle cams along with the Super/Trapp header that I've had since 85. This last build up was frustrating because it took some doing to get the carburetors to work properly due to the increased overlap of the cams but it's dailed in now and runs sweet and actually gets better gas mileage than it did stock. The last long trip I took on mine was in 98 to Colorado and since that time my rides on it have been within a 300 mile radius of St. Louis. I've had several bikes since I bought my "Special" in 81 and they have long since departed but my Special remains part of an otherwise ever changing world. As far as header coatings, I have used Jet-Hot to coat several sets of race car headers and one set of new MAC XS head pipes which are a part of new MAC turnouts that I have yet to use and the Jet-Hot stuff has performed as advertised. Have a good one.

Dan

[madmax-im]

Dan...My engine is completely stock...no big bore kits...so there still plenty to trick and have a reliable ride. Your Black Beauty is a real looker too. Its good to actually chat with someone else who bought theirs new like I have and never got rid of it...
As for the headers...they have burnt off their paint and now they are Grey..I will be looking into Jet Hot around this area...so far of the 2 places I called neither is still doing it...

[Dan Hodges]

Black Beauty

Hi Dan and Thanks for reaffirming my thoughts about the looks of the black headers and chrome can. I do ride this bike although over the years there were others to split the ridin season, thus the mileage never got too heavy on the Maxim...now that this is my sole bike I've put on over 1200miles in the past month on it.

You are by your XS like I am by mine in that mine is pretty much as trick engine wise as I can make it and still be a reliable street bike even though it's not ridden a lot as my V-Max is my primary bike. Mine has a little over 36,000 miles since I bought it new in 81 and about 3,000 miles since I went through it during the winter of 07-08. My header is an original Super/Trapp that I purchased in 85 but I only used it for a couple of years before I took it off and went back to the stock pipes. When I bought the header I ordered two mufflers and one of them I removed the stock mechanical baffle and replaced it with a ceramic wrapped 2.5 inch core which I'm presently using because of the horsepower thing. I always liked the black head pipes like yours on a black bike and if mine starts turning yellow I 'm going to send them to Jet/Hot and have them coated with their shiny black ceramic finish. I also always thought the XJ like yours was the best looking of all the Elevens and because of the larger gas tank and rear shocks made a better tourer than a Special but on the downside the XJ was heavier and had a smaller horsepower rating than the others but of course the horsepower thing can be corrected if one chose to do so.

Because these old bikes are such classics, I tend to ride mine only sparingly. I've got a friend who has a restored Honda CBX and another who has a Honda CB 1100-F with a big bore kit and Kerker pipe. My stoked XS kills the CBX but the stoked 1100-F is still marginally quicker than my "1179" however I've got a much bigger motor in the works that will tame that "F" once and for all. We have a great time fooling with these old bikes from the Disco era and if you are like me, mine cannot be bought.

[madmax-im]

you guys are nuts

don't get me wrong, I am a photographer, I understand picture perfect but do you ride those things after it's all done up or is it just for show?

In both cases the bikes and the work deserve better pictures.

I am looking at my every day ride and it's crazy to think its engine could shine that much, sorry

Perfectly understandable....to be honest over the years I have averaged between 1000 and 1500 miles a season...so it hasnt been ridden alot...in fact for the past 2 years almost no accumulated mileage due to being down...As for the engine and shine..its only been just recently updated...so now the challenge is keeping it this way
BTW since I replaced all the tranny gears its been bulletproof and a hoot to ride...

[madmax-im]

Very nice and the black pipe and canister style muffler look killer on that bike.

Hi Dan and Thanks for reaffirming my thoughts about the looks of the black headers and chrome can. I do ride this bike although over the years there were others to split the ridin season, thus the mileage never got too heavy on the Maxim...now that this is my sole bike I've put on over 1200miles in the past month on it.

[Bronzeback]

My new to me '79:



[IMG][/IMG]

[greg maz]

you guys are nuts

don't get me wrong, I am a photographer, I understand picture perfect but do you ride those things after it's all done up or is it just for show?

In both cases the bikes and the work deserve better pictures.

I am looking at my every day ride and it's crazy to think its engine could shine that much, sorry

[Dan Hodges]

Finally after two years this is MadMax as he currently is.Ossjughead did an outstanding job on the engine and chrome refurbishing...still need something more permanent for header paint but thats a winter project...its riding season...

Very nice and the black pipe and canister style muffler look killer on that bike.

[madmax-im]

stunning XJs there, men. I want one of my own now.

I've had this one since '83 and it has never looked or ran as well as it does now...been thru alot over the years... Thanks to alot of fine people here at Ch11 for helping me get it to this level...

[M_Ross]

deflects the wind right over my head. Keeps the wind off the hands too. I like it.

[madmax-im]

The fairing is a Vetter "Rooster". found it on Craigslist (wasnt even sure it would fit), rattlecan-painted it, made it fit. Works well, just have to get used to looking through a windshield..radio is nice to have when putting around too

Well for sure it would take getting used to looking thru it...how well does it deflect the headwinds? Does it make a difference on a long trip? It looks like it would...