First REAL ride on my XS1100S!!

[planedick]

Now 417

I can remember the days before "Old 17" when the main road went through Woodhull. There were 2 feed mills, 2 hardware stores 3 grocery stores, 1 general store, 1 funeral parlor, 1 electric store, 1 hotel, 3 gas stations, 1 drug store, school, roller skating rink and resturant. Now a small convenience store and a resturant and of course the funeral parlor is about all thats left. There sure are lots of great country roads for riding around there. My daughter lives in Knoxville, PA and sometimes I go back for a visit.

[Hammerhead1st]

We were cruisin...

We didn't do the Woodhull thing, went the other way toward Binghamton. Left here and headed down 436 to 70, down to 36 then on to 417. Picked up 15 in Addison and rode the slab to Waverly, where we picked up 17C and followed it to 11 south in to PA. Was a gorgeous day for riding, and the bike ran AWESOME!! At 60 cruising, all I had to do was roll it on a little bit and we'd be up to 90 before the other half could start banging my helmet with her hand. Smooth cruising, smooth acceleration, at idle she sounded like she wanted to pounce on the light and tear it to shreds. I'm glad it's a 700lb bike though, that river valley wind was a bit hairy at times and my friends on the plastic bikes were having a tough time with it. I just stayed the course and rolled down the road...

[manshack_one]

Man you guys are killing me with stories like this.
My 1100 special is centerstand in the garage until some
more parts come in. I haven't even ridden it yet and you guys
aren't helping any.

Great story. My carbs are clean as a whistle but no fire to the plugs so I have not even heard mine start yet. Thank goodness we don't have winter in Texas because maybe by Thanksgiving I'll have it on the road! lol

[Hammerhead1st]

Friend of mine rolls into my drive last night in his pickup with..with...

This ANTIQUE looking thing that brandishes the Yami badge on the tank. Tiny, yet peaking my attention, I start asking questions...where'd ya get it, what year, etc etc...

He tells me it's a '77 Yami XS 360 Twin. Hasnt been fired up in ten years or so. From what I can see, it needs a little bit of everything done to virtually everything. SO...apparently I know more about engines than he does. I suggest he start with the carbs and work forward from there. He says..."So how do I get 'em off there?"! So I explain what to do (was busy adding another cool mod to MY bike so really couldn't stop to work on his) in VERY plain English for him, and tell him to check with me today sometime for a status report right?...

He pulls in about 11 last night, carbs in hand. "Can you fix these?"

So here I am...a couple of Kuni's and a couple of cans of carb cleaner in my lap, practicing the word NO over and over again to myself as I post this. I figure I'll do the carbs, check his points for him, and let him have the learning experience from getting the rest of the bike ready to run.

From a collector's point of view, I'd have to say this bike is a real gem. Almost MINT!! Some dry rotted rubber, some rust damage to the fork tops and bars, but mainly this bike is A-1 for it's age.

Now, on to MY project!!

LOL, I can never be satisfied enough with something that I won't tinker with it. Pulled off the gas tank last night, sanded 'er down, and shot it with flat black. 4 coats. Also added a second Halogen lamp to my headlight pod for high beam use. I figure 200w should be fairly visible from any airport around, right? Also reupholstered that BUTT-UGLY blue carpeted back seat rest with real leather and some small tacking nails. Looks great. Had an old leather jacket I didnt use anymore, cut the center section out of the back, and used it on the bike. Looks great, smells good, and accents the bike perfectly.

Of course, then I had to do SOMEthing with that eye-level brake light. Instead of getting rid of it, I overlaid an image of a skull smiling and winking at you that is illuminated when the light is activated. It'll match my skull-ended hand grips I just ordered from the local bike shop. The owner there, Paul, is ecstatic about what I've been doing with this bike. He invited me to a vintage bike run later this summer to benefit someone, can't really remember who. I kinda lost track after he told his mechanic that I'm on my way to outshining him. I love my bike...

Gonna have to call it something other than Rat Rod soon...I've been told Rat bikes don't get the TLC mine has had...

In other events, my friend and best riding partner hit the wall this wknd when he watched...yes WATCHED someone else destroy his 97 Bandit 1200. My older brother....after MUCH lecturing to me about respecting my bike or it'll kill me....thought he'd be cocky and fit in with my generation Saturday. Rode a wheelie on the Rocket...

smack into the back side of a parked car

tore the rear bumper clean off the thing, continued through the front yard of the house where the car was parked, barely hanging on and obviously shXXting his pants, jumped OVER the street, into another yard, finally got it to lay down, and rode that bull till she stopped dead...UNDERNEATH A HOUSE TRAILER!!!

I thought I had just watched my brother die. I never want to experience that again.

My friend ended up trucking the bike home. My brother, who was wearing only shorts and no helmet (PA), walked away bruised and sporting a great new look in road rashes. He'll be very sore for a very long time. My friend Troy and I spent today looking for parts for his bike. So far...if we go brand new, he's got about $847.00 in damages. Mainly just cosmetic. Only real structural damage was a broken off footpeg and creamed fairing/windscreen/speedo.

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!

[TopCatGr58]

Sorry to hear about your brother's mishap!

Also added a second Halogen lamp to my headlight pod for high beam use. I figure 200w should be fairly visible from any airport around, right?

I just reviewed the photos you posted, and you only had the OEM headlight assembly! Did you add a pair of lights?

The XS11's charging system is not very robust, and an additional 150 watts=12.5 amps additional draw over what the bike was designed for! Many folks have found that they can only run the extra lights when running down the road over 4krpm, putting around town will drain the battery and could even kill the TCI if the available power drops below ~10.5 volts!
Just an FYI!
T.C.

[Hammerhead1st]

That's good to know!!!

I didn't add another pair of lights to her, although that was on the list for future mods.

What I did was, (as a firefighter I play with lighting a LOT) I drilled a 1/2 inch hole in the headlight reflector pan, and stuck a blue-tinted Halogen bulb thru the hole. Now, this bulb was bought at Auto-Zone for about $8 and was intended for use in my lightbar as a replacement over 2 years ago. It was the wrong type. I tend to hold things with the hope that I can use them in the future...

So, hot wire from this bulb to the high beam side of the headlight plug, ground wire from the plug to the bulb casing, hit the high beam switch, and VOILA! Instant double-intensity high-beam. Usage plans...once in a while on a back road on a really dark night.

So does this mean I SHOULDN'T add the full sized blue-light bar I was thinking of??? LOL...

I wasn't really...bikes don't get recognized as emergency vehicles in NYS unless they have red lights on em. That's a bummer, too, cuz I had some killer strobage worked out for this thing.

Anyhow, thanks for the info on the charging system. I'll keep my toys to a minimum unless I add a 2nd battery and a way to charge it. If that happens, I'll be sure to post!

[Hammerhead1st]

Re: Now 417

Originally posted by planedick
My daughter lives in Knoxville, PA and sometimes I go back for a visit.

NOW i know where I've heard that town name before!

I used to be a truck driver, and I used to deliver to a feed store in Knoxville...bulk materials like soy hulls, grain mix, flour, that type of thing. Was but a short run home from there. Your daughter is about an hour from me.