So i finally bought an XS11...

[Evil]

I just got a pretty decent deal on a 79 XS11F (paid a grand). Very little work needs doing to it, 22k miles. Beautiful woodland/mountain scene with an eagle painted on the tank.

Side covers missing, broken gas tank lock/ignition (im a locksmith, that was an easy fix), bald back tire, slightly melted fuse box and a broken trip. other than that, it looks like new. Starts first time, no gear slippage.

Heard good things about the bike (and this website :P) so...here i am.

Few pics

Back



Front



Sides





Close up on the Gas Tank



Thanks for taking the time to read this Hope to get to know some of you guys soon.

Evil.

[Rasputin]

Welcome to the forum. Nice looking bike you have. I may have a 160MPH speedo your looking for but some of the guys may know if you can fix yours. Thanks for posting pics, we all like to see those. If you put your bikes year,model, and any modifications in your signature it helps people know what you have in future posts. Check out member Andreas as he usually has loads of parts like the side covers etc. It is also handy if you let us know where you are, as members are willing to help each other if they are close. Enjoy your new ride and the whole XS11.com experience.

[Evil]

Welcome to the forum. Nice looking bike you have. I may have a 160MPH speedo your looking for but some of the guys may know if you can fix yours. Thanks for posting pics, we all like to see those. If you put your bikes year,model, and any modifications in your signature it helps people know what you have in future posts. Check out member Andreas as he usually has loads of parts like the side covers etc. It is also handy if you let us know where you are, as members are willing to help each other if they are close. Enjoy your new ride and the whole XS11.com experience.

Thanks for the info, im working on updating stuff as i get time.

I missed a speedo this morning on ebay due to a timeout for an insanely low price. (teach me for sniping i guess). I have been looking at the trip on the speedo, seems one of the plastic rings broke off (due to previous owner wrenching on it) and the post snapped. Crazy glue to the rescue . Seeing as the fuel gauge on the XS11 is notoriously bad, trip is the way to go.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on the new ride! Nice full bagger there! That seat is interesting too, with the folding front back-rest. What kind of experience do you have with bikes? These things are big and powerful, so be carefull until you get used to it! Would hate to see those bags/fairing go down.

You've found the right place for anything and everything about these bikes, so ask any questions you might have. There is a member here who sells a replacement fuse box that upgrades to the spade-style fuses (much more reliable). Definitely worth the $9 and 1 hour installation time. Check the "for sale" section of the forum.

[Evil]

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on the new ride! Nice full bagger there! That seat is interesting too, with the folding front back-rest. What kind of experience do you have with bikes? These things are big and powerful, so be carefull until you get used to it! Would hate to see those bags/fairing go down.

You've found the right place for anything and everything about these bikes, so ask any questions you might have. There is a member here who sells a replacement fuse box that upgrades to the spade-style fuses (much more reliable). Definitely worth the $9 and 1 hour installation time. Check the "for sale" section of the forum.

My first post on this forum was about the replacement fuse box Gonna grab one of them. The seat was odd to me too. Never see one like that. Its a bit of a pain to remember to push it down when getting on the bike .

Im not too bad on bikes, my first XS11 though. Just going to take it easy for a while. Im most worried about scratching that tank. Hate to ruin that artwork!.

[XS1100 Newbie]

Hey Evil
Where abouts in Washington you from. I am in Battle Ground. We are haveing a small XS get together at Detroit Lake in Oregon the 11th, 12th, of Sept. You are welcome to join us.

[fredintoon]

- - - - I'm most worried about scratching that tank. Hate to ruin that artwork!.

Hi Evil and welcome.
Gawd! Dontcha hate it when someone makes something that's so pretty that you daren't use it because it might get scratched up?
The varnished cedarwood canoes at boat shows for one and your gas tank for another.
What you need is another tank so you can keep the artwork safe at home.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[DiverRay]

Welcome to the site!! NICE paint on the tank! Don't go too close to Dupont, my Bro-in-law may try to take it! He is really into eagles, and that is a great painting with one in it!
I DO have a "spare" tank if you want one to keep that one safe. PM me and we can talk offline. That fairing is also one of the best, IMHO. You should be able to cruise at 125MPH with throttle left over for passing!

[trbig]

Hmmm.. For sale for 1600... then 1300 FIRM.... unless he's offered 1,000.. lol.

The thing looks like a Goldwing from the back. Did you hit him up about the trailer he'd been pulling with it?


Tod

[foreda]

Geat art work

Nice bike!! I know what you mean about not wanting to scratch, I just had my 78E painted and I am scared to death!!

[tarzan]

Welcome

You got a lot for your money.I bet that seat is comfortable.
Low miles too.My first XS11 had 55,000 miles on it when I got it and it had pulled a trailer most of its life.It still had plenty of life left in it when I got it and when I sold it.
Rick

[Evil]

Thanks for the responses. To try to answer a few of the questions:

I live on the Olympic Peninsula, NW WA.

The seat is pretty comfortable, although its too easy to slide forward to the tank on it. Worth it for the back rest/comfort though. Cant really expect more from a bucket style seat.

As for the trailer, he said he never used the hitch, so he didn't have a trailer. I don't like it too much. Gotta change the back tire once that arrives, so i think ill take the hitch off too for a while.

The tank is my favorite part of the bike so far, basically because i haven't took the bike out for a ride yet. Really looking forward to its maiden voyage. Thanks to this forum, i just ordered the last of the parts i need to get it roadworthy. Really glad i found this forum.

[trbig]

I live on the Olympic Peninsula, NW WA.

Hmmmm... God's country! Lots of trees, water, and no straight roads around anywhere! I always wanted to ride up to Port Angeles and ride that loop around back down to Ocean Shores when I lived there. Just never did get it done.


Tod

[Larrym]

Loopy

Nice highway star. Good for the straights but should do well in the curvies.

TRBig is right. That Olympic loop was a great ride. I did it on the Goldwing I had at the time. I'd do it again. Not the Goldwing...the Olympic loop.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Evil,

Nice to see a fine rig like that! You mentioned the fuseblock was melted! I would also check out the three white plugs behind the fusepanel backplate!! With all of those lights on the bags and such, it's probably sucking what little life there is in the charging system!

I would highly suggest looking into replacement LED bulbs for all of those lights if you don't want to be replacing your Reg/Rect every few months!! Also, once you get the fuseblock changed out, be sure to check out the charging capacity to make sure it's charging properly. If not, aside from the diagnostics, you would probably want to contact Geezer...he's in your neck of the country, and pick up a new stonger Reg/Rect!!
T.C.