XS11's forever?

[CruisingRam]

Originally posted by CruisingRam
I have never had anything against Yamahas at all- I like them- and have always thought of them as the "risk taker" of the big four, kinda like my mopars- the gritty innovative, customer driven one- but I do not know enough about them, and have been doing alot of research lately about Yamis.

Wierd thing is- I have never owned a Yamaha until the XS 1100, and drove it a few times before I owned it- and was not blown away by it or anything like that- just a "hey, not a bad bike"

I have to say, and add to this by saying- I am a complete bike whore. If I had too much money, I would have too many bikes. A big ol' blimp hangar full of them. and a matching building for my hotrods.

Perhaps it is a good thing some of us are not rich!

[wa407mpp]

life time with the XS1100

When I moved out here in 2000, I sold or gave away 6 other bikes some real collecters and the XS1100 was the only one I kept. I've owned it for 15 years and will keep it as long I can still keep the two of us running.

[Cobia]

Keeping the XS

But if money were no object I would keep the XS and get an FJR. They look awesome and the reviews backup their performance.

[CruisingRam]

Re: Keeping the XS

Originally posted by Cobia
But if money were no object I would keep the XS and get an FJR. They look awesome and the reviews backup their performance.

If money were no object- those would be a couple of the bikes I would have. Along with an M/V Augusta Tamburini Corse S 1+1.

You see, the cooler the bike- the longer the name.

Still, pure hawtness. Same with a Yama old two smoke racer- something YZ 750 death machine-ish.

A KZr750- the motogp-ish version of the H2 Kawi two smoke triple.

A Gixxer- a brand new one. For track days.

A KTM 450 Dirt bike. With all the ohlins stuff.

A yamaha couch liner V4 tourer.

An ST1300

A ZX14 (can't have too many sport tourers)

A collection of four of the first go-round of the "muscle bike"- Honda V65 Magna, Yamaha V-max, Suzuki Madura, Kawi eliminator. All shaft drive, all V4 except the lone holdout- Kawasaki- which basically stuffed a full on sport bike ninja motor in it.

GS1100E

Harley Xr750

Harley XLCR

A honda cafe racer from Carpy

The entire Triumph line up for 2007 and 2008, just to be sure I got them all- they are just that good now!

A buell 1125r and a buell ullyses

A ducati Elefant 900 Ss

A ducati Mick Hailwood replica, perfectly restored

A totally custom Bevel drive V-twin 900 Ducati, built by me.

Anything KTM makes in fact, this year, last year and next years too!

A boxer replica from BMW

An Aprillia RSV, the R version with the ohlins

Am I missing anything here?

[The Lorax]

just a '74 Ducati 750 SS. its just a thing of beauty.

[trbig]

Just reading through this thread, I see that two people voted that the XS is the equivelent to the AMC Pacer??

I guess there are some really bad drugs out there...



Tod

[ccogswel]

The drugs must be spreading as I see it's up to three.

Just for the record it wasn't me.

Ha Ha Ha! It all rhymed together!

[trapper_492001]

I had some other bikes in the early 70's then in 79 got the 750 speacial and in 81 got the eleven and it has been heaven every since. on my 3rd 81 SH now. Would like a Goldwing to pull a camper with but can live without one.

Trapper

[egsols]

When it comes to the 11, I have mated for life.

Might get another bike in the future but the 11 will never leave the stable.

[ross]

have driven many bikes over the years from harleys to crotch rockets.....when my a** sat on my xs, it found home...i know it's not a luxury cruiser, but i work for a living and my xs is my transport to work....i bought it to save money and it is paying me back with good memories and good rides.....if i had the $$$ i would restore it to showroom condition and have the big bore kit in it...luv my bike!!!!.....ross

[madmax-im]

Its not the only bike I have

But the old Max has yet to see its 2nd owner...'82 XJ11 bought new in '83.Paid full price for it now that i recall...lucky too cuz it was the last one they had...the rest is history.Also have my '81XS11ooSH and its a keeper too.Only had it since Jan of this yr. Now Max is gonna get the best birthday present I ever got...LOL...by the time you turn your XS calendar to Aug...poster boy will be sporting a different look...to be cont.....

[SteveK]

XS11's for ever?

I'll try not to be too long winded here. I have always been too busy to look at catalogues, visit dealerships and drool over bikes. The focuse was either school, the part time job,
then marriage, the full time job and the part time job,
then marriage, kids and the job
and you get the idea.

The kids are grown(but not gone) and I've started to look at the finer things in life, such as deer hunting, and drooling over bikes. I always watched my neighbor ride around on his 81XS SH. He used to tell me stories about going neck & neck with a Harley at 120 mph and still not having red-lined it.

When he bought his Venture, I knew that his wife was not going to let him keep all 3 bikes. As he was showing me the Venture, my eyes were fixed on the XS. The rest they say, is history.

Since getting the bike, I've been observing and I see all the hype over Harleys and I just sit in awe... over all the BS that has been spun about that bike. I found this site a couple of weeks ago and have begun to realize just what a bike I have.

Now for the answer to the question, if money was no object....
I think I would buy a second XS and a bigger garage to keep them in.

[Special Ed]

In praise of XS

My fist bike was a Harley "Super 10," (for 10 cubic inch, or 165 cc.) I traded that in for a brand new Harley Sprint when I turned 16, followed by a used 650 Norton Manxman. I then moved away from home and realized the need for more wheels and weather protection, so I sold the Norton and bought a used Morris Mini 850, which was identical to the Austin Mini. Man, was that a fun little car!
I drove that to Eugene Oregon from Lubbock Texas where I got out of bikes and into trouble for a few years. My next was a Suzuki X6 Hustler, which became my favorite bike until I got the XS11. I had a Triumph 500 Trophy for a few months. (I sold it cheap to somebody 'cause nobody could figure out why it wasn't running right. The guy I sold it too switched the wires around on the coils and it ran just fine!)
I had a CL 350 Honda for a while, and later a 440 Kawasaki LDT, which I would have kept for years except the starter kept giving me trouble. I was so POed that Kawi built a bike that small without a kick starter that I sold it cheap to some one who didn't mind push starting it!
Then came (FANFARE!) my '79 XS11. Torn seat, rusty, obviously neglected by its two pervious owners, I bought it for 900 bucks. I figured, "a beat up Jap bike, I'll keep it for a year or so and trade it for something better." I cleaned her up, changed all the fluids. strapped a sheepskin down on the seat to cover the rubber falling out, and off I went.
I putted around the mountains for a week or so, never getting over 4000 RPM. Then one day I decided that getting onto the freeway was a legitimate excuse to see what she would do. When it hit that sweet spot at around 4500 RPM and the front end got light... I was in love! After having a couple of other bikers chat me up about the bike and then discovering this on line family, I soon realized that there really wasn't a better bike to trade my XS in for. I have become Xseedingly enthusiastic. ever since.
That was about five years ago. It had 28000 miles on it when I bought it, and it's about to tick over to 100,000 miles. It doesn't burn a drop of oil, has good compression and runs like a top. In the next year I hope to be able to give her a new second gear, a top end overhaul and a cosmetic going over. I may buy smaller bike to get around on while I do this, but I don't plan on ever selling my XS11!

[Wayne]

Sweet bike there.
Yep hang on to her. Im trying to find a good deal on one now and they are not as easy to find as they once were.

Cheers,

[screamin deal]

XS is great

I have not had a bike in 21 years. In may of this year I had a friend talking about selling his bike and I got the itch again.Ibought this screamin deal from him and it is perfect for me. I don't wrench on stuff real well other than real minor stuff, so I had to have a bike that would run forever. I just keep her polished and covered in the garage when I'm not out goin as fast as I want to. This bike will last longer than me. And almost looks as good.