Just how "flickable" is the XS11?

[geobiker]

Rides Good

My 79 xs1100 is the newest bike that I have put substantial miles on, and I would say it handles as good as any older bikes that I have ridden . . . with one caveat. I put a (TKAT) fork brace on the bike. That substantially improved how the bike handles in the twisties ( I live in norheastern Pa where the secondary roads typically have more curves than straight runs).

Sure the bike is a little heavy, however the power is worth the trade-off.

Will a bike built in the last ten years have better performance and handling for the same displacement. I gotta think so, technology constantly improves . . . cars are better also!

I still love the bike . . . great performance, good ride, at a price I could afford!

[cywelchjr]

I think that the point that gets missed here in this conversation is that you can't really compare a generalist machine against a purpose built. The XS is a generalist, it does most things well, but is certainly not "best of breed" at any of them. The XJR is not, and is much more like most sport bikes. Frankly there are very few if any general purpose bikes anymore, and for a general purpose bike, the XS holds up pretty well, and face it, most riders can't really handle their bike very well anyways, so a really good rider can outride the average rider on a sportbike. I recall a debate on one site about what constitutes a serious rider, and I kid you not, there were those that said that those who rode all the time were not serious riders, that only those who rode only a few hundred to few thousand miles, but almost all on the track were serious riders. I think there is nothing more ridiculous.

[fredintoon]

- - - I recall a debate on one site about what constitutes a serious rider, and I kid you not, there were those that said that those who rode all the time were not serious riders, that only those who rode only a few hundred to few thousand miles, but almost all on the track were serious riders. I think there is nothing more ridiculous.

Hi Cy,
OK then, I confess, I'm a frivolous rider.
So is almost everyone in North America.
Serious riders are:-
Those who ride because only the truly wealthy in their society can afford a car and the only way to get your chickens to market is strapped to your Honda Cub.
Or the mostly British phenomenon of motorcycle couriers who ride because they can lane-split in traffic and zoom down the motorways.
And the top half-percent of motorcycle racers who actually make money at it.
Then there's the Iron Butt guys, but that's just masochism.

[T99Ford]

But this thread was really about the "flickability" of the XS, not how good a multi-purpose bike it is. The sport bike riders know about flickable, and that flickable is not an attribute of the XS. Steering on the XS is stable, predictable, and stodgy, as it should be on a good multipurpose bike. But flickability has to do with steering speed, precision, and agility; attributes that anything with bias tires loses before they even get rolling. Power will not help this feature, either, although the significant "fat kid" weight of the XS does. My XS is set up to be as "flickable" as possible (my back can still handle low bars), and while improved, flickable is just not a term for this bike.

Here is another sort of flickablity I am demonstrating:


If you think the XS takes effort...well...

[yamahansolo]

As I was saying before. In stock trim it is now where near flickable. But I am telling you buy the emulators. These things really work. I have owned several sport bikes and with these knstalled properly this bike is amazing through the mountains!!!

[Pat Kelly]

Comparing my 78 and 80 XS1100 to my (former) 78 Honda CB400T2....
XS1100(s), more power, top speed, handling so-so. My Honda 400 handled like it was on rails. I was also much younger, lighter, braver (stupider), though my aggressive riding was on the track (PIR, Firebird, and Riverside).
Me now on my XS's compared to me then on my CB.... The XS has the agility of a ruptured beetle.
YMMV

[T99Ford]

The XS has the agility of a ruptured beetle.

This is the best description of XS11 handling I have read yet. I think the weight just kills these things. I was riding with a kid today with his XS400. I could still outrun him in the turns, but due to superior firepower only. But I was having to really, really work to do it. This was posted 45 curves at 80-90 mph, and the 1100 was at its straining point in the handling department. I also notice the bias tires wanting to slide way more than the radials do in the same situation, since the bias footprint at a good lean is pretty small. I have the cockpit on this bike set up to get as much ride weight forward as possible, which helps, but only so much.
And my bike is much lighter than most. Of course the straights were no problem, though...

[crazy steve]

...Not that they weren't good in their day, but technology has improved. Bias ply, excessive weight, long rake, high rider position, all make this thing a lot of work to ride. And somehow fun nonetheless...

Quite frankly, I was never that impressed with my XS's handling even when it was new. But that was never the point of this bike in any case; this was the beginning of the horsepower wars, and quicker/faster was the mantra on these. If you wanted something that handled, you bought one of the smaller bikes that had a road-racing heritage. Compared to it's then-new peers, the XS wasn't that bad, but you didn't see any of the manufacturers racing these things...

[Crusty Snippets]

Racing and other thoughts

In a shop in Langley BC sits an XS1100 that has been to the track.
It has an owner built frame and chain drive, electronic ignition and clutch and gearbox mods.
It would still be heavy and no match for the dedicated race bikes of the late seventies. I think my old Norton would beat it on any tight track.
Just doing some math. We had more power to weight ratio, and were lighter by about 150 pounds or more.

For me flickable describes a 250cc, 220 pound road racer like the early Road Race production Yamahas. TD2B if you want a model number.

At 562 pounds flickable does not belong in the same sentence. Either that or Einstein's theory is wrong and my experience is wrong.

There are plenty of bikes prior to the XS that are more flickable. CB400 4 cylinder Honda, my 1968 350cc twin Kawasaki and many others. They all weighed a lot less and had fairly decent frames and suspension.

I bought the XS11 for two up and crappy weather riding, but will make every attempt to get to to handle better and hopefully acceptable.

Uncle Crusty

[79XS11F]

The XS11 is no more flick-able when compared to true sport bikes of the day, then a Cadillac is to a Vet in the same time period.
The XS11 is however, not suppose to be a flick-able bike. It is a touring bike that happens to be able to do that job is an enjoyable sporting fashion. When compared to other touring bikes of the day the XS11 was the KING of the road. You need only read the cross country non stop run that was done on the XS11 back in the day. It's part of Bob Jones book.
Rob