Lots of new members!!!

[andreashweiss]

XSeleven story-andreas

I saw the February 1978 Cycle World magazine which had a feature on the New XS 1100. I had never owned a bike. It was my goal to buy it. I was 14 yrs old in 1978. But I had been delivering newspapers since i was 10 yrs old. Had been saving money. I got a job washing dishes in a chinese restaurant when i was 12 yrs old and had been saving that money as well. I had $4500.00 saved by the time I was 15 yrs old in 1979. You have to be 16 yrs old to drive. I got a friend of mine to drive me 50 miles to the nearest Yamaha dealer. I entered the dealership clutching my cycle world magazine and made my way over to the brand new blue 1979 f standard model. I had never seen one up close. I was looking it over very carefully when the saleman walked over yelling. "hey kid get away from that bike, the used dirt bikes are out back!" I very calmly asked if he was a commission salesman. He replied "yes" and I said "good" as I pulled out $4500.00 in cash out of my jeans and walked over to the sales counter and said to the other salesman, "I want to buy that xs1100 please." It was $4200.00 with tax and I had enough left over to buy some riding gear. The first saleman never did say another word to me as I waited for it to be loaded in my friends truck. I was still living at home and needless to say my father was not impressed with my purchase. I had not asked or told him what my plan was. He advised me that he would not sign for my driver license if I was going to ride that killer machine. So I washed and waxed and polished it for a year. Never rode it on the highway until finally my old man said he would sign for the license. I still remember the day I rode it to school I was in grade 11 and had the biggest bike in school. The seniors with there kz900 and CB750's were drooling and all over my new toy. I had become quite a good rider while driving on gravel and dirt roads for the first year I owned it on the farm. I truly enjoyed that grade 11 year pulling wheelies,doing burnouts and surfing on it. Still have the cyle magazine and the bike....

[Varnae]

The year was 1976, I was 5 years old. I was playing outside in the back yard when I heard a motorcycle pull into the driveway. I didn't think anything of it but went around the house to see who it was. There sitting in the driveway was a beautiful black and gold Yamaha XS650. At 5 years old, it looked like an enormous bike to me. I wanted to ride it SO bad. The man sitting on it put the center stand down and rocked the bike back onto it as though it was nothing. I remember thinking how incredibly strong he must be to get that huge bike on there so easily. He unfastened the chinstrap and took the helmet off and that's when I realized he was my dad. "Well no wonder it was so easy for him to move that huge thing so easily. Dad's the strongest man on the planet, he could beat up Superman." I thought to myself.

"Where'd that come from dad?" I asked hoping with everything in me that he'd offer me a ride on the monstrous thing.

With his face still glowing from the ride he'd just gotten back from, he looked at me and smiled and said "It's ours".

I was so excited! I couldn't wait to go on a ride. I begged and pleaded for a ride. Mom came outside and when she saw the glow on my dads face she smiled. "Wanna go for a ride?" dad asked. He rocked the bike forward and took it off the center stand, turned the bike around and mom got on. Sorely disappointed because I didn't think I was going to get a ride, I watched mom strap on the extra helmet. That was when dad called me over to the bike. Mom picked me up and squeezed me in tightly between the two of them, wrapped her arms around dads waist and off we went.

My spirit soared! The feeling of the wind blowing through my hair and moving at such high speeds with no car around me was exhilarating! (I was 5, anything over 5 miles an hour was high speed to me) It was like I was flying and I couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately we only went around the block a time or two and then came home, but that was enough. I was hooked at the young age of 5. I knew then that one day I would own my own motorcycle.

Fast forward several years to 2008. With the high prices of gas and barely being able to scrape by, I was talking with my fiance and decided that I really wanted a motorcycle, not just for the gas economy but also because I remembered those rides when I was a child and I wanted my soon-to-be step son to have some of those same memories. I started looking on craigslist and though I didn't have much money for a bike I thought I could get one for a good price there. In August I came across one and went to see it. It would start and run but wouldn't stay running. I sat on it and the fit just seemed... perfect. So I bought it. It's been a rough going since then but I've gotten to ride it and have loved every one of the few miles I've put on the bike. I've taken Shorty for a very short ride and he was nothing but smiles the whole time. He couldn't stop talking about it for the next 2 days. I knew that I had spurned those same memories in him and hopefully one day he'll be an XSer too.

[lee_dutcher]

Young and stupid

well here is my story on how i fell in love with my 79 xs1100 special....

I have been riding now for about 5 years and i have always been into motorcycles sence as long i can remember. My father always told me "start small and work your way up. because if you jump on a big bike you will not respect the power it has and you will get hurt". well i took his advise and went ahead and bought a starter bike. It was a red 1992 suzuki gs500 which i paid 700 bux for. it was a very fun bike. i put about 800 bux into it. i bought new tires, a katana rear shock, pergressive springs, and big eye kit. Well just like any other teenage kid i had the urge to get a bigger and faster bike and at that time i was into rubber eating, heart stopping, brain damageing crotch rockets. i ended up having the bike for about 2 years till my first year of college and found a 1996 cbr 900rr for 1000 bux. The bad was it was laid down and it was litterly zip tide together.....But man did it sound mean. it had only one faring which was the headlight peice. But i had a full yoshi RS-5 sset up and ran kn pods on the carbs. I didnt even test drive it! the little voice in my head said "COME ON... STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND BUY IT.YOU'LL GO REALLY FAST". So i bought the wrecked BUT running honda CBR and rode here home... well my head was rite it was fast. when i got it home my Girl friend (now my wife) was not very happy with me. she said " its to loud and it is going to kill you". well i cand uderstand her concern, she was 14 weeks pregnet and she wanted me to be there for my child. She knew how young and stupid i was when it came to fast vehicles. well i didnt put more than 200 bux into the bike whitch was a new tire and an oil change. Well My whole family is a Harley-davidson family and when i pulled up to my fathers house with this thing my dad was smiling and laughing at me. i gues he couldent beleave i bought a wreched bike (like i cared i blow his 03 softail out of the water). Of course my dad wants to ride it he told me it was to fast....well i had the cbr for almost 2 years till i was neck deep in bills so i was forced to sell it. well i had about a year brake before i bought the bike that changed my who view when it came to criusing and style and power. Im 21 years old now im marryed and have a beautiful 7 moth old daughter and i told myself "time to grow up and not be stupid". well one day i was criegslist and found a bike not just any bike ladys and gentleman it was a 1979 xs1100 special for 250 bux the guy said it had a spun rod and he had other pojects to work on and had been sitting in the garage for about a year. it came with all the luggage no rust pefect seat, perfect paint all around. well i told the guy i had 150 bux and he said "SOLD"! well luckly i lived 3 blocks away and i could tell when i rode it it had a heart of a monster but at that time it was lucky to make it to my house 3 blocks away. there was alot of stuff wronge with it...battery was bad, needed new plugs, need a oil/filter change, air filter need to be changed, and the wireds OHHHH the wirering need to be cleaned and repaired..... all this info about the bike and how to fix the bike was found RITE HER ON THE XS11 forums thanx to all the gurus and to all the otheres that helped me along this journey.well the first thing i did wass give her a proper oil and filter change.... i went out and to my yami dealer got 10 quarts of oil ( it was on sale 1.75 for valvolean 4 stroke) and a filter and a battery. well what do know it was low on oil and i do mean low after i changed th oil the knocking whent away and stayed away. i changed the plug and air filter and got my power back ( well some of it). well when i acually go her to a safe running state i took here out for a ride.... "WOW, so this is what comfortable rideing feels like and man this thing has alot of get up an go". it was crazy for my to transitiong from a crotch rocket to a laid back rocket cruiser ( thats what my dad calls it). i took her on the back roads and open'd her up at this point i knew this is the bike that ill be ridng for a long time. i took her on the curvy roads to test it how adjile it is and it wasent to bad, nothing like my gs500 or cbr but damn for a huge bike its not to bad...... another reason why i love my xs1100 is now i dont fell likean ugly/ cocky duckling on a crotch rocket when riding with my family and friends even though im in front of the pack and always give my famley crap on how my 1979 yamaha xs1100 looks jst as good (or better) and faster than there 17000-25000 dollar harleys but it all fun and games.
every one has a story on how there bike changed there lives... well even though i have not owned mine as long as other on this very knolageable site know as CH11. i know it is old and i know i young but i guess oldschool is how i ride.....

[65oldsboy]

Still waiting for the happy ending

In college in the early/mid 80's, I finally got the ok from my dad to buy a bike. (I was still living at home and had to follow his rules.) I found a used 750 Special and fell in love. That's when my mom had a hissy and changed my dad's mind. I was heartbroken. No bike for me. After I got married a few years later, (around 1990/91) I told my wife I was going to buy a bike. She didn't really care at the time. My next door neighbor said her brother had a bike for sale. She called him and handed me the phone. He said he had a 79 XS1100 Special and wanted $1000 for it. I told him I wasn't really interested in a bike that was over 10 years old. He said that it was really clean and didn't look its age and that he could bring it right over if I wanted a look at it. What the heck. It couldn't hurt to take it for a spin. Well, I was again in love. I got the cash out of the bank the next day and bought her. I had the bike for about 4 years. No problems with it at all. BUUUUT, I had seen those TV ads of the V-max doing smoky burnouts. Also, my riding buddies were always giving me crap about my "old" bike too. One had a Gold Wing. (ewwwwww) The other had a Hardley. (double ewwwwwwww) So, I traded her in on A V-max. One of the worst mistakes of my life. About a year after I got the Max, my daughter was born. The wife kept nagging until I sold Max. "You're gonna die on that thing and leave me with this baby!!" I have been bikeless ever since.

Last year, I found XS11.com. I was gonna get another XS11!!! It HAD to be a 79SF, in excellent condition. Well, those are few and far between. Most of the ones I saw needed lots of work and I didn't think I could handle it by myself. I did find one that was in great shape but it was more than I was willing to spend. Since then, I have had a job change due to company cost cutting. I now make way less money than I used to make. The money that I had saved for the XS is gone. I think I'm going to have to sell my 65 Cutlass just to be able to pay the property tax and homeowners insurance bills. I have no money to buy a bike. I still keep looking at ch 11, CL and eBay hoping that I might just stumble across that "barn fresh" bike of my dreams that somebody is looking to give away. Still looking.

If only I had never let the old XS11 get away........... While the V-max was newer and faster, I never had a real attachment to her. She had no soul. I still have the spare key to the XS11, just for sentimental reasons. That bike did/does have a soul.

[petejw]

After riding trailbikes as a kid, my first road registered bike
was a 78 xs250 standard, i got this in 83 as a 17 year old,
advance 22 years later and not having a road bike 4 a few years,
and being a bit of a cheapskate, i searched the clasifieds for a cheap
big bike, the xs was the cheapest, being advertised for $1800, i picked it up for $1400, not really realizing the type of bike i got until i found this site.
Been the happy owner of an xs ever since.

[fredintoon]

Blame Norm

Norm Pottruff, that is.
My first ride was a 32cc Cyclemaster, a powered wheel that bolted into your bicycle. 32 years, 2 countries and ~50 bikes later in 1986 I bought a NOS 1984 XS650. And Bob, 27 years must be a magic number because that's when my wife "didn't want to be married, not to you, not to anybody." and went to Winnipeg to rent a top-floor suite off a lesbian.
OK. Then my new wife didn't want to ride pillion so my new sons (package deal marriage) and I trailed their dirtbikes & my 250 BSA to bike rallies while mom stayed home. This not being the togetherness I'd hoped for, I decided to get back into sidecars after a ~40-year layoff. The nearest thing Saskatchewan has to a sidecar Guru is Norm Pottruff of Regina, who I knew from meeting him at bike rallies. Norm sold me a sidecar which I attached to my other XS650 that I'd built up from $100 worth of parts in a trailer. As it happened, my wife rides quite happily in the sidecar playing Elvis on her discman and as our boys had grown to adulthood my wife and I can go take the rig rallies and such together.
The winter after our first sidecarring season I bumped into Norm at a swapmeet. How's the rig, he asked. OK in town, but no power on the highway, old ladies in K-cars overtake me.
A week later Norm phones; have I got a deal for you!
Turns up at my place with an XS11SG in his pickup truck.
Took it in trade, sez Norm, I think it might even run once it's thawed out.
We shook hands on the deal.
When the bike thawed the brakes didn't. My first introduction to spooge hole clearance and swivelly brake calipers. But damn me if it didn't run!
Some rapid remanufacture of the sidecar attachment hardware and I have an 1100cc rig. Sold the extra XS650 and made $200 on the exchange.
Been riding the Flying Pumpkin ever since and NOBODY overtakes me on the highway unless I let them.

[Ivan]

Probably not the most elaborate or endearing story but here goes.

It was mid summer 08, gas prices were going up to the $4.50 mark and didn't look like they would stop. Having a family of 8, we own a Yukon to transport them all when necessary. I had a Chrysler Cirrus for my 100 mile a day commute.I was thinking of getting a scoot so the wife wouldn't have to drive the Yukon to work, and hopefully save a hundred in fuel a week.

I wasn't looking too seriously, and nothing really tripped my trigger. I am not built for a sport bike and absolutely dread the V Twin cruiser cliche. I hate being part of the crowd and dont want to be a V Twin lemming. Then, one glorious July afternoon, I saw her sitting by the road. Red with peeling chrome, and the looks of a classic ride from better days. I drove by and got the number, then tore my way home to get the wife. She looked it over and said only iff its less than $1000. The PO came out to see what the commotion was, and we struck a deal. He said just put a battery in and ride..... Yeah whatever.

I got it home and eventually found out it had spun the bearings in the case. As luck would have it I found a parts bike in the paper for $150, which included two engines. He said one might run but wasnt sure. I slapped the surrogate engine in the frame and it fired right up.

So began my affair with "the other woman". I rode all over the place. I finally got the guts to ride to the Talimena Rally, where I met a group of fanatics like I have never seen. These guys loved their bikes and loved the commraderie. After that, I could never dream of getting rid of my XS. She has never let me down.

According to the police, she probably saved my life when I got rearended, since she sacrificed herself absorbing the impact that my bones and organs could not possibly have survived. While I am down with busted bones, I still long to twist the throttle on her and feel her eager power respond with her unmistakable growl. It has been offered to me that several of the true believers resurrect her, and I am looking forward to falling for her all over again.

(God that sounds mushier than a daytime soap)

[XJOK2PLAY]

Ivan, if it were any other time in history, you might be right... it might be a "little" mushy...
But one thing I AM sure of... we're ALL glad we got to hear you tell that story!

And Fred... Sorry to hear we both belong to that one elite club. Not near as fun as belongin' to the XS11 club!

[Bigfoot]

I had always wanted a bike. Finally bought a little Honda 185 twinstar that was pretty much a basketcase from a friend for $300. SWMBO was not pleased at all when I brought it home. I knew nothing about motorcycles but was willing to try. I wrenched on it for a couple weeks and got it running and looking nice. Taught myself how to ride on it to and from work and around town. Top speed with me on it was 72mph. I was immediately hooked on motorcycles and after about a month knew I needed something bigger.

I had a neighbor who had followed my progress with the bike. I had just painted the tank and was showing it off to him. I mentioned that I would really like something bigger. He said that his son had a bike sitting in his garage that he would sell for $200. Said he thought it was a Yamaha or Honda 1100 something. I told him I would take it. I had no idea what I was getting.

It turned out to be an XJ1100 in pretty rough shape. It had been sitting for a long time. The brakes were all locked up, dead battery, fouled carbs, 1st gear was shot, macho maroon paint was pretty rough. SWMBO was very pissed off when we muscled the bike off of a trailer and into the garage. I sold the Honda for $500 and got to work on the XJ. I found this site and joined but mostly just lurked. Didn't take too long until I had it fired up and on the road. It about scared the hell out of me the first time I really twisted the throttle and it took off.

I then re-located to Kansas City and started my own business. The bike sat in the garage for quite awhile until I couldn't stand it anymore. It was running pretty poorly until I finally got the nerve up to tear the carbs apart and clean them right.

I posted on here to see if anyone in K.C. wanted to do some riding. Met up with Vincer (who had just gotten his XJ) and a couple months later he talked me into going to the Talimena rally with him. Met some great people and XS/XJ fanatics there. So from that point on, I was hooked on the bikes and this site.

SWMBO finally realized that it was a lost cause and got over the anti-motorcycle thing. Now she enjoys riding with me around town here.

[rpgoerlich]

I fish alot… That said, when winter comes, I’m usually repairing the boat/motors, lift, rods, reels and such.

But one winter many years ago, I got ahead of myself and started watching CraigsList for a profitable winter motorcycle project. At first I wasn’t particular. But I knew it had to be cheap. So the price search was limited between $100 and $900. Didn’t matter what brand. I first found a couple Honda Rebels and flipped them a week later for $1k profit. Next came the Yamaha XJ650, then an XS750… Ahh, this is what I’ve been looking for. So after flipping 15 or so bikes later. I found XS11.com and started looking for an XS11. I found one but TONIO was a bit quicker getting to it than I was. A year later I find another one. A 79 XS11 Special for $1200. But they guy was always busy. See it listed again for $800, then $600 and he was always busy. I gave up.

Then last December while waiting for my son to get his drivers license I had some time(4 hours) and used it to go through and clean up all the contacts in my phone. I find the guys number for the 79 XS11. It had been 3 months, but I stopped short of deleting it.

Went home and found a couple XJ550 Secas in NC for $500 w/titles. Told the wife I ‘m thinking about a road trip to pick them up. She was totally against me taking off during Christmas break to drive to NC, wants me to find something closer.

So I remembered that 79 XS11 and called him. It’s 9:30pm, He answers with my name(he's saved my number in his phone!). He says he’s sorry for putting me off for so long. Still has the bike, but getting ready to head out of town… Ask him what about now? He says bring $200 and come get it, I've put you off long enough. I ask where, turns out he’s only 4 miles away! 15minutes later I have it on my truck. He didn’t have title. But his friend who actually owned it helped me get it through the state of California for $18 and I still need to ride it over to his house now that I’ve got it finished it, so he can ride it. That was part of the title deal, as he put most of the 54kmi on it! Since then I’ve bought another XS11, an 80G with 4047mi for $800(most I've ever paid for a bike), which I rode up to MOM. Had a Good time, met alot of Great Folks and hopefully be doing it again next spring!

[tuoraey]

New Old Rider

Hey..
I had rode for years Triumph, Norton, and gave it up when the wife said, your not gonna ride on that anymore,, you got kids to raise. Well I raised my kids, and I guess good. My son called me up one weekend, said he just bought a Harley Road King, would I like to come over and ride it for the weekend, well short story I did, and got the itch again. Found myself on the internet looking, without much money. Finally a friend said, he knew of this guy that had an xs1100, I said a what, and went over to see a beautiful 1978 xs1100, that had been sitting for 8 years. Well for 750 dollars I bought it. cleaned it off and with alot of help from this site, got it running, that was about 3 or 4 years ago, I'm still riding, mostly every day, so calif here, at 62 years of age I really enjoy just the crusing around, sometimes taking the occasionall ride to the beach, can't say much more about these bikes, you have to get one and ride it to know.

Thanks guys,, Bill

[subike]

Seems that many of us got our XS's by a stroke of luck. As did I. I needed a bike to do a trip of 600miles return every 2nd week end to visit a lady friend at the other end of the South Island of New Zealand. A short trip for you guys state side, but a trip that involved two mountain passes, many many miles of twisty bits, the longest straight section of road being 25miles. So I began asking around my friends for a cheap touring bike that would do the trick.
I was aproached by the forman of a scrap metal yard who road a Vmax, he said he had an old 1100 in the shed I could have for $4k, cheap price for big bikes in NZ back then. So after work that day I went with my son and the cash to the dudes house, There in the shed surrounded by a good number of "other" bikes was the black 79XS1100, with a good layer of dust on her, looking rather forgotten.
"Does it run" I asked,
"Sure does, well it did the last time I rode it 4 years ago" the guy replyed.
So we dragged it out of the shed, dropped a gallon of gas into the tank, swaped the battery out of his VMax into it for the electrickey juice, set the petcocks to prime, pulled out the choke and hit the starter button.
Three revolutions of the motor, one small cough and it fired into life.
No smoke, no rattles no funny noises.
Thew a skid lid on, climed aboard and went for a pottle around the block.
A hour later, after stopping at a Gas station to fill the tank, I returned to the guys place.
"SOLD"
That was 7 years ago.
Since then I have put a mear 45k on her, but that has involved going to 35 odd bike rallys, many day trips with biker friends, lots of "thats a cool bike mate" comments
Last year saw a rebuild and customisation of the ol girl, and she looks better than ever. I love her cause I can tinker with her, modify her, ride her hard as, or treat her like a lady, she responds to everything without a moan.
My XS1100 is now part of me , I dont need another ride. Im happy with her.

[b.walker5]

Hey Sub, do you ever make it down to the Vincent County Rally at Alexandra ?

[subike]

Hey Sub, do you ever make it down to the Vincent County Rally at Alexandra ?

Sadly no, it comes at the wrong time of the year for me. As a seasonal worker in the wine industry, sometimes work clashes with rallys in that I dont have the spare cash to go. But a lots of my mates do, The KB mob.

[TopCatGr58]

Exempting SELF, plus boring story, but here it is!

Due to my ADMIN position here, I am exempting myself from the actual competition, don't want any conflict of interest kind of stuff insinuated, etc.!

I had gotten my first motorcycle while still in high school many decades ago, was a 67 Yamaha 305 twin 2 stroker street machine. The Premixer had broken, had to mix my own at the gas station with every fill up. It had plenty of power and pep, but was prone to breakdowns, and spent more time in the shop than out, finally died of a broken piston skirt..I was no mechanic at the time!

My mom...as long time motorcycle enthusiast as well....back in her youth she wouldn't even date a guy if he didn't have a....ahem....Harley , but anyways, she knew how much fun they were, and knew how much I loved riding etc.! I had visited the local dealership many times, and was oogling over a NEW '74 TX500A twin 4 stroker in '76...my grad year! So...for HS grad she got me that fine Pre XS series machine!

Of course I nearly totalled it 3 weeks after getting it.......got that WHEN-Not-IF wreck out of the way, and rode it for some 5 years, even when I went into the Navy, took it from Texas to Ca. post boot camp and A and C schools, and then was able to take it with me to the motherland...JAPAN when I got stationed there in 81.

I had been looking at upgrading to something bigger and stronger, and after getting my International license so I could ride my bike off base, was walking around the shops just off base and came across this bicycle shop. Buried behind several bikes was this hot looking machine..a TRIPLE with great "Special" styling, and found out with the currency exchange rate that it was only about $500.00....for a 80 XS750...made for Japan machine. The base was in Yokosuka, south of Yokohama, I had to go to Tokyo to get it registered, etc.. I rode that bike for 1.5 years around Japan, down to Kyoto, across mountains to Mt. Fuji, etc.!

Was nearing the end of my tour, and although the 750 was bigger and all, I was still wanting something bigger and more powerful/faster. I had ignorantly been looking at new Harleys, but even with military PX discount, the sticker shock of over $7K for one was too much, and I wasn't familiar with it's performance or lack thereof, etc.! I had been reading some cycle mag reviews and such, saw the XS11, and WAS familiar with Yamahas...their quick throttle response, durability, etc., and was looking much closer at one. A fellow sailor/optician tech had bought an 81XS11SH when he first arrived there, having brought a Honda CX500 with him, but was married, 2 small kids, and was also getting transferred back to US, and started thinking that he would probably kill himself on it IF he got it back to the States, and so he decided to sell it. He had not registered it..was too much of a hassle in Japan, just had it parked in the backyard in the onbase housing, fired it up every month and rode it around a bit in the yard! So...I was able to get it for the same cheaper 2 year earlier price, and it had only 17 miles on the clock! Was able to ship it back home with household goods weight allowance, and have had it ever since!

Rode it for some 9 years '83-'92 till 1st and 2nd gears went out, no money or garage or How to fix info, so just parked it but poorly stored it. I found the XS11 Yahoo group and Ken Talbot's Dremmel fix in 1999, father passed away in 2000, realised life's too short, got a new house and garage, so I decided to fix it. I had to do an almost frame up restore, topend big bore rebuild, etc., and was able to bring GODZILLA back to life!

And now you know the rest of the story! T.C.