Lots of new members!!!

[tw1980]

I'm kinda impressed with all the new people showing up on the CH11 site!!I'm still one of the new guys here but been visiting on and off for over 2 years now.I would like to know from some of our long time members if this happens every year when riding season starts or if this is a recent phenomenon.Also if some of the new guys would weigh in on what was there motivation to seek out and buy a 30 year old motorcycle.I'd like to know how many were bitten by the same bug I was 30 years ago!Thanks Terry

[Paintman]

Ahhh summertime

I think alot of folks get the urge to ride when the weather gets nice and with the prices of new bikes anymore alot look for older bargains.i love the new technology but im a Tinkerer lol and nothing is more fun than bringing something back from the Dead esp a bike with as much soul as the XS1100. i had a new one in 79 and i loved it and 30 yrs later i have 3 now.when i found this site it was like yes XS Nirvana the best folks and a wealth of Info .
My son is 20 and he loves the old style of the XS and i am building a bike for him now. so style gets passed on and these are no slouches either true they wont run a new sports Bike but sure will make thier eyes open up when ya take off. also the best part is being parked next to 40K$ worth of chrome and everyone wants to come over and ask about your 30 yo bike Priceless. and say i had one of those back in the day.
John

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hi, TW1980...

I've only been around here since Jan. this year, and here's how it happened for me:

A few years ago, I thiought my life was pretty good, and I was content / happy. I had ridden motorcycles most of the first 25 years of my life, & loved them. Then in 1992, I had a bad situation on one. I owned a Honda 600 Hurricane, bright yellow w/ orange and red accent stripings... (no problem seeing me coming...) decided to go out for a ride with 2 of my co-workers, they crashed going down a curvy, steep hill in the rural area of Claremore, Ok. known as Keetonville Hill. Bikes and bodies were spread out all over the road ahead of me everywhere, and I was alrady scraping my left pegs trying to make the sharp left hand curve anyway. No place to go, no more left in the bike or my skills, so down I went... @ 55 mph. Had a helmet on, but no gear. It was 95 that day... shorts & tee shirt. Yeah... real smart. But I was lucky, just road rashed... picked the bike up & road home.
I was married, had 2 young boys @ the time. My wife never said a word, even when scrubbing out the asphalt, but the look in her eyes said it loud & clear. 2 weeks later, I repaired the bike, put it up for sale, made a small profit, and gave up bikes... for my family.
20 years later, my best friend bought an '82 XJ and came to see me. I was amazed how great of shape this old bike was, and remembered them during their day as being "the bad boy on the block". I watched him restore & modify this old bike until it was awesome! Then I watched him get 3 or 4 more, fix 'em up, sell some, keep some, and he began to encourage me to get back into them. But, I was still married @ the time, and wouldn't budge. (But boy, did I long to!)

Then, about 10 months ago, my wife of 27 years decided to split, and took my life as I knew it with her. Everything changed for me in a flash.

So my friend calls me up one day and says, "Come on up and we'll go for a ride. I've got 2, and you can ride one of mine. I promise you, it'll be just what ya need to get your mind off your woes."
So, I did. His '79 XS11 Standard is one of the finest, period. And the moment I sat on it... well I knew I had to have one. I was "home." When we got back that evening, he began to show me this site, the support system these bikes have, and introduced me to "the family." Then he took me out to his shop, and showed me another '82 XJ1100 he was keeping for one of my other friends. It needed an engine base gasket replaced, and the 2nd gear fix. Of course, I had no clue, but he told me that a couple other guys were willing to help repair it, and it would make a great bike for me. I called up my friend in Colo., and bought it then & there! (I now realize I was set up... LOL)
That's how I met Trbig, (a guy with a heart way bigger than he is...) and Bohn Frazer, one of the smartest & nicest guys I've ever met.
I was blown away that these guys were willing to drive such long distances, and do so much, to help someone they had never even met... just to be a help to somebody, and for the love of these 'ole bikes.
Since that time, these guys have now become great friends of mine, and I wonder how I ever made it w/o them!
And, becoming part of the XS/XJ site was a real turning point for me. I've been fortunate enough to make even more AMAZING friends here, and extend my family. Some here, w/ their help and kindness, have helped me through a time in my life that I don't know how I would have made it otherwise.
Thank God for friends! Long live the XS-XJ!
Regards,
Bob

[Bigfoot]

I have found these things to be great therapy. And you don't have to pay some shrink to blame it all on your mommy.

[8SpadeEpiphany]

I love the motorcycle community but there is something special about the dudes that enjoy classic imports.

After I lost my 05 1200 Sportster (Long story) I wanted to do something different. I got an 82 XJ 750 seca and spent a year making my Cafe Racer.



That really sparked my love for the older inline 4's. Easy to work on and understand and the immediate response to the throttle. They more I got into the cafe racer culture, the more I saw the XS's. Whether the smaller V twins or the larger in line 4's. The lines and look of the bike encompassed that classic look of a bike that many people have come to forget and replace with ultra performance or brand name chrome.

After I sold that bike to pay bills I knew that when I got another, a year later I found my 79 XS1100 Special on craigslist, and I knew it had to be mine. I found this site some months later, just looking for information on this special breed of bike.



It me be the weather for some but my bike and the bikes before are the only mode of transportation I got, summer or not, I'm riding.

[wingnut]

Its been a great ride

I discovered the XS Yamaha's in 79. Bought a used 650 and drove it like I had stolen it for 2 years. The machine took every bit of abuse I could dish out and asked for more. Like most folks I developed a case of bigger bikeitis. The 1100s were out and I was smitten. Buddy of mine and I walked into the Yamaha dealer on a very cold January day and asked what kind of deal we could get on 2 XS1100 specials. Cash. The lady made us some good deals so 3 days later I was riding it. In a snow mobile suit but I was riding. Kept it for 2 years and put about 25K on it. It never let me down or gave me any problems so I had no experience working on it other than normal maintenance. My son was born and discretion became the better part of valor so I sold it. In 05 with both kids out of collage I found myself cruising Ebay and found my 81 with no paper and disassembled carbs for $320. Drove to VA and picked it up. With the help of guys like TC, Trbig, Jerry and a host of others, even the notorious Prom, I learned what I needed to know and loved every minute of it. I've resurrected 5 more basket cases since the 81 was completed and still learn new stuff on this and the XJ site every time I log on. It's a ton of fun when I see the New Guy with the New Bike log on for the first time and watch the same process go on that I don't think I will ever get tired of. another thing I don't think I'll get tired of is walking into the garage and having to decide which one I will ride today the XS or the XJ or the looks both get when around any of the newer machines

[MindWebs]

cool...

i've been running 250's for 10 years now, and i had a 78 yam XT500 that i thought needed major overhauling. I went over to New Ulm Mn to visit my uncle and we got to talking about bikes. (he must have 15-18 various bikes)
anyway, he wanted my XT(he had a 77 when younger) so i was looking through his collection of older bikes and i spotted a corbin tag on the seat of a bike. Hmm, nice seat.. i mounted and found the controls where about right for me.. so we talked out a deal, the 78XT and a 87cagiva 250 basket case
(literaly in boxes) i've had the 1979 XS1100 special for 2 years now, and i've been able to afford to fix it this spring. so far i'm impressed.
but, I'm Positive that it's not running to full capacity yet.

these are VERY nice bikes that are built very well!
unfortunatly, i like to tweek the looks of bikes a bit
I have HD pipes on it(originals rotted)
and i'd like to put a HD bobtail fenders on it.. (sorry, i hate chrome)

all in all, i think i got the better deal!!!

i found this site while digging up tech spec sheets for the bike and have also
been VERY pleased with how helpful everyone is!!!
and am very apprecitive of dragon tamer coming over and showing me the ropes on maint. and tune-ups for this machine.
I have learned ALOT from all of you and now see how poor of a mechanic i was!
But THANK YOU!! i love tinkering with older machines and keeping them purring
smooth and rolling down the road.

XS's rule(XJ's too)

[DGXSER]

Hey Terry,

Funny you should ask as I was just thinking this through on a ride out in the backlands of Ohio today! I was looking for a bike in my budget of 1k or less, no crotch rockets as I do not liek the lay down ride or the look of all that plastic stuff rapping up the true bike beneath, no off road style/duel purpose either. I actually started out thinking of a 400cc or so bike,as it was a comeback form a 20 year hiatus for me as well. Then SWMBO made a statement that this would be the only bike purchase (She knows my history of buying cheap and fidning it was not cheap but junk). I found that in my budget most were going to be pre 1990. I also found that it was tough to find a lower cc bike in that price range. Well...after looking at several Zuk GSs and a few late 70s CBs, and a couple of Viragos I just happend to find this XS1100 on CL, looked really nice I figured if I was only buying one why not go big. So I searched and found this site to read up on what to look for and what typical issues it might have. Loved it after the first ride, but spent a month getting the price in line with my budget. The rest as they say is history, and I have learned ALOT and found this beast is amazing in alot of ways!

[Fix]

I hadn't ridden in 20 years (that'd make me 17 at the time) but I wanted a bike...bad. Something just always seemed to get in the way. Finances, deployment, you name it. My dad passed away 2 years ago and I realized two things. First, I never got to ride with him. And second, I wasn't getting any younger.

Well, as fate would have it, my mom and step-dad hit a slot machine for $75,000. After taxes, they took home just over $40,000. It couldn't have come at a better time, with my step-dad retiring last year. So after putting some away, paying off the truck and what-not, they gave each of us kids $2,000.

My wife and I had just gotten a bigger tax return then we planned, and between that and the gift from my folks we made an extra mortgage payment, and put some aside. With the leftover she got a laptop, and I got to go shopping for a bike.

At 6'4 and 225lbs, I'm not built for a crotch rocket even if I liked them. I cruised ebay and CL for about a month, and had narrowed it down to either a CB750 or an XS/XJ. Then it was a matter of the right bike going up and catching it. I consider $900 for my bike a steal.

[mstic2000]

I was working in Lewisville, Tx 1980-85 at a cement plant out on Hwy 121 just past the TI plant. A co-worker was selling his 80 special to pay bills for a new kid. I was interested. I never was on a bike before. Never owned one before. So I jumped on and he took me for a ride......at over 100mph! We got back to the plant and as soon as I could get my knees from knocking together, I was hooked and bought it. Think I paid $1500 for it back then.

Now 29yrs later....Hardleys are a dime a dozen around here but I get the looks from my old 78!

[tw1980]

Thanks to everyone who posted these fantastic stories!I guess I should post mine as well.In 1979 I was stationed at Camp Lejune NC ,several people in my unit had motorcycles.There were many cb 500's & 750's kaw 650's xs650's etc..
All that fell to their surprise to the 79 rd 400 I was riding.One day while I was reassigned temporarily for training I saw it.One of my instructors owned a 79 xs11 special,one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world back then!It was love at first sight.Well after I was discharged I road my rd threw my collage years and sold it with the intention of getting an xs11.Then kids started coming and I chose not to ride on the street while the kids were young.(I was a single dad for many years)Then I realized about 4 years ago, hey the kids are grown.I started looking for 79 or 80 xs11 special.After several months of searching I found her.Up in Seattle on Ebay.Brought her home and after a lot of elbow grease ebay,mikes xs,bike bandit and Yamaha dealer parts.As well as hours upon hours of research on this site she was road ready.It's like meeting up with a girl I had a crush on 30 years ago.(my wife is supportive but I don't think she really understands)Anyway that's my story.Hope it's not to sappy or touchy-feely.I just wanted to share it with some people that might understand and appreciate what I'm talking about.Thanks again! Terry

[mstic2000]

It's like meeting up with a girl I had a crush on 30 years ago.(my wife is supportive but I don't think she really understands)

Ditto! I know the feeling. Just trying to recapture my youth I think.

[foreda]

XSer

I have always loved my XS from day one in 78. I could go out and buy a fully dressed Harley or whatever but I prefer these old bikes and after you feel the power of these old machines, there ain't no turning back. I probably look like the character "Fat Bastard" from the movie Austin Powers when I am riding it but I don't really care. In February of this year I bought a 79F with 2,300 miles on it and have had a lot of fun bringing her back to life. I love riding both these bikes. I give them equal attention and plan on keeping until the day I check out!!

[Wildkat]

My introduction to the XS was from behind... first, riding on the back of John's Twilite Special almost 20 years ago... Then, when I got my first bike in '92, riding behind him because my Honda 450 couldn't do 60 MPH uphill and when John would pass a car... he'd leave me in the dust... and behind the car...
(note: I do NOT like to eat dust)
I finally decided I'd eaten enough dust and bought my FJ... It was during one of its many down times that John brought home an 81 Special... I was NOT happy... My FJ was in pieces in the garage (yeah... I know... not much has changed) and had already waited patiently while John tore his engine apart and put it back together again... and now I was going to have to wait for yet another XS rebuild before I could get his help putting my FJ back together...
He then started modifying the XS... shortening it... for me... I wasn't going to TOUCH it much less ride it...

So John finishes the 81... my FJ still in pieces...
He keeps trying to get me to take it for a ride... and I keep refusing... I still wanted nothing to do with this bike (Women! lol)

Finally, my need to ride was stronger than my need to be pissy... so I take it for a ride, absolutely set on hating it... That didn't happen... I kind of liked it... a lot... A few more rides and I liked it even more... Soon, getting the FJ back on the road became secondary to the needs of the 81...

Short trips around town turned into longer trips around the area... which have now turned into actual road trips with some really great friends that I've met through this site...

While I still love my FJ... my XS is now my baby and I spend more time with her than I do almost anything else...

[egleaves]

Well, I’m not sure if my story is particularly fascinating or interesting, but it’s mine and I’m sticking to it!

I was in construction at the time and that summer I found myself having to report to a jobsite about 25 miles away, straight across town. My transportation at the time was an ’87 Chevy Suburban Silverado 4x4 with a 350ci power plant, which translated to roughly 10 or 12 MPG on a good day. Aside from the fortune I was spending on fuel, the damn thing was about to fall apart around me and I had no money left for repairs of any kind. This was just 3 summers ago when fuel prices were going through the roof ($3.50-$4.00 per gallon) and I had to get to work to make money to buy the fuel….to get to work. It was a classic catch 22 scenario, damned if I do, damned if I don’t. By my calculations it was costing me around $20 a day just for fuel. Fortunately, we were doing a four day work week, but that still came out to around $80 a week!

After doing the math and realizing that with the money I was spending on fuel I could be making payments on something with better fuel economy and have money left over; I decided that a two wheeled vehicle was the solution and I started shopping around.

My #1 priority was fuel economy, so my first thought was to check out scooters. After looking at a couple of different places and test riding one I had second thoughts about how well I would fare on one of these things headed up I-75 during rush hour and decided to look around for something a little bigger. A scooter would have been a bad idea.

My next idea was to go for a small motorcycle, say 250cc-400cc, that would still get good mileage while making me feel a little safer (and less silly looking). I looked at a few different bikes, but I saw nothing that I liked enough to pay the asking price. It seemed like everything I saw was decked out with chrome and tassels……definitely not my style and most of them were just out of my price range.

While I was looking around I found a two line ad in the paper with an XS Eleven Special for sale for $1500. I had never heard of an XS Eleven Special, but it was near my house and in my price range so I wanted to check it out. I like to do my homework before I buy anything, so I searched online for “XS Eleven Special” and it didn’t take me long to find this site. I had already called the seller and arranged a time to see the bike; finding this site just solidified my interest in the machine. I learned that these are classic bikes with a small cult following and although a lot of them are decked out in chrome, they still look unique compared to most other motorcycles out there. To date I have only seen one with tassels, but hey, to each their own.

The PO had bought the bike for his “old lady” as he lovingly referred to her, but the bike was too tall for her. I had never piloted a motorcycle before, but one trip around the block and I was hooked! [Insert MSF lecture here]* I gathered my pennies, bought the bike the next day and rode it home. I was a little shaky for the first mile or so, but I’m quick learner and I can figure out how to drive nearly anything if given the chance. [Insert MSF lecture again]*

I never intended to have an 1100cc as my first bike, but I have no regrets, tickets, or scars from the whole experience. I’m glad thing worked out the way they did or I never would have found what I am still convinced is the best forum on the internet! From the moderators to the members, it’s one of a kind.

*I kid about the MSF lecture. I never took the course, but I am fully aware of its value and I would never attempt to discourage someone from taking the course. I have always been a self teacher and took it upon myself to do so in this case knowing full well of the associated risks, but that’s just me and this is just my disclaimer.