Greetings

[UJM]

Happy New Year everyone, I'm new ot this forum, old to motorcycles.

Sold my GL500 that I rode for a few years, it was a good machine, served it's purpose.



Prior to it, the Honda 919 was my main ride







Put a lot of time and effort into that one, first motorcycle I ever bought new, "honda919rider" was a good time.

Right now I've got an old CB750 drag bike and some scooters -

]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPYgI7uw-xg

I've had some "experiences" on web forums -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcKyZBx1Z_M

And there is a annual ride a few of us enjoy in central Missouri -



Anyway, and now, I'm thinking about trading the CB750 for a 1979 XS1100 - that is what brought me here.

I rememeber them when they came out, plan to spend some time lurking and learning, any words of wisdom appreciated.

The bike I'm looking at will need the carbs cleaned, intake boots and the other normal stuff - Overall, it looked great in the pictures, we'll see how this progresses

Thanks in advance

Steve

[jwhughes3]

Welcome!

Of course you must post pics of your projects as you progress.

Nice pics too.

John in San Antonio

[UJM]

Of course you must post pics of your projects as you progress.

Nice pics too.

John in San Antonio

Not a problem, I've never been shy about posting pics!

in the middle of nowhere, I had to stop....



Across the Missouri River at Glascow


Back at the "Chillicothe" jet years ago -


Maxie the Goose



Worlds Largest Pecan



Back in the 80's



The smaller ones -



And Yamaha's offerings in 1986

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Steve,

Welcome, and we hope you DO get that 79 xs11, you'll want to look around at ALL of the tech tips, even the MISC, that's where you'll find the "What to look for in a neglected XS11" thread. Yep, carbs are usually the first good big step, but you'll want to look up the pickup coil repair tips, it's often second in what keeps these things from running right. Check out a recent thread in the tech discussion about the cam chain tensioner...a search for the phrase "got defeated", by Tod/Trbig will reveal it. The boots often don't need to be replaced...they are double walled, often the inner is just fine, just cosmetic damage on the outer, and can be cleaned up with a variety of techniques....black rtv, wrapping tape, liquid plasti-dip or spray, etc.!

Nice to see you already know or have learned how to post photos...thanks!!
I got my machine from a fellow serviceman that had your first bike, the 500, and had gotten the 81SH new, but was overseas(Japan), never registered it, and thought he'd kill himself on it back in the states, sold it to me with 17 miles on it!

The MISC forum will also help you to determine what MODEL style it is, special or standard..check the VIN #'s on frame and engine, should match, sometimes get swapped, and then still sometimes get mix/matched parts, the photos and articles section will also show examples of the different styles and years!
T.C.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Welcome UJM,

We're not too prejudiced towards people who ride bikes with names that don't begin with Y.

That GL500 looks almost identical to the CX500 I used to have.

Probably pretty much the same bike. It was great as long as you didn't want to cruise over about 60 or 70.

[DiverRay]

Welcome! Do some reading BEFORE you decide what needs to be replaced! The carb boots seem to hold up well, and show the age on the outside WITHOUT any leaks! I've also had CB750, CB450, and a '60's 250 Hawk. The XS just seems to keep going, and that's the reason I'm back to them. Sold my original '78 to a local LEO in 1981, to help support a Jenson Healy......

[DenyP]

Welcome! I look foward to hearing more.


Deny

[Wildkat]

Welcome aboard

That's one heck of a mounting system you have for that jet... but I would imagine that rear support offered quite a bit of drag.



Welcome to the forum

[UJM]

Thanks everyone

Here are a couple pictures of the XS1100 I am considering, if you have a moment to look it over and comment, I'd appreciate it.





Off the bat, I see it will need some work.

Seat cover, no big deal.

Looks like it was laid over on the right side - That fairing, has to go, not my style.

Last night, I was thinking, (scary thing) -

Repaint TZ750 Yellow -

1/4 "cafe" fairing, make it into a Yamaha "KZ1000R "Eddie Lawson"/ZRX/GS1000S "Wes Cooley" style bike, but done "Kenny Roberts" style -

Sort of along the lines of the RZ350LC.......

[DGXSER]

Looks like a pretty nice 78-79 Standard from what I see! Pretty well stock to, other than missing side cover emblems if that bothers you. A replacement alternator cover is not to tough to come by which is the only thing I notice as damage from the lay down. Seat cover could get by with some dye to color the fraying if needed, but a cover is not to expensive for that style seat. IT definitely has an errr...interesting striping thing going on there.

[tarzan]

Welcome,
It looks like you're no stranger to a scooter.
The XS has a lot of grunt.Won't be as agile as your 919, but lots of torque.
If you are thinking yellow, look up Bob Jones' Merriam Cycles.He passed a few years ago but was the ultimate XS guru.His wife still has his website up last time I checked.He Restored and customized a lot of them.He had a yellow one that was awesome
Rick

[Varnae]

Welcome to the site! Be warned, these bikes are addictive. Once you get one you'll want another and then another and the next thing you know, you'll have a garage (or in my case a front porch) full of them.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome aboard UJM! That is definitely a nice XS. A small amount of the standard "once-over" work, and you should be quite happy with it.

What part of MO are you in? Not too many of us around the St. Louis area, so I'm always on the lookout for XSives to ride with. If/when you do get the bike, be sure to get a manual (link in my signature will get you a couple of them), and be sure to keep us updated on the progress.

[foreda]

Fixer Upper

That's definitely a fixer upper!! Looks like it won't take but a little money and elbow grease to get her hoppin!! Good luck and welcome!

[xs11jack]

Compared to a lot of bikes we see here,

This looks good, not too much to redo. We have the resorces of many thousands of people that love XS11s to call on. I hope you do chose the XS11.
Ole Jack