new to the site, need assistance.

[Demily47]

Hi all!

I am new to this site. Last year my brother gave me his old 79 XS1100 F. The cam chain had jumped and bent all the valve. It took me about 9 months to get all the parts to completely rebuild the entire motor and have recently mounted the motor back into the freshly painted frame. I hope to have it complete soon. I have changed a few things like removing the fairing, round lights instead of square, chopped the set down to get me closer to the ground and a few other things. The point of all this is that I am looking to reduce the size of the back shocks. I have seen a few post on this subject and felt it would be the best way to lower this monster. My question is this: What other bike'sshocks will mount up to the rear end of this bike? I have looked at progressive and just can't afford to pay the hundreds of dollars they want for a pair that will give me lowering capabilities. Are the eyes on most shocks the same size, are they mostly different, can any be modified or altered to fit?

I appreciate any ideas anyone may have.

Thanks

Dan

[uk1.1s]

Alternative shocks

Hi Dan,

Have seen some mention of alternative shocks on this site - tho' where I couldn't find....

What I DO remember is that someone was trying out V-Max shocks whick they reckoned were a bit shorter. Could vouch for their spring rate or damping, but you never know, both big shaft drive Yams, so may be close enough.

My advice would be to go to your friendly neighbourhood bike breaker (parter) and measured the lengths between fixing points and compare with what you've got. Don't forget to compare without compression on the spring (best when off the bike if poss - or at leat with the rear wheel off the deck).

Con't say I know what the fixing points are like at either end, but you'll need to have a check over in case the bushes are really different wherer they bolt up to the frame.

Best of luck.... Graham

[uk1.1s]

Spelling??

Boy my typing was off in that reply above

[Jerry]

First of all, check out this article:

http://www.xs11.com/stories/handling.shtml

This will give you a good working knowledge of how the XS suspension works, spring rates, and other technical information.

Second, few, if any, shocks bolt right up to the XS. Reason: the left and right rear shock have slightly different lower mounts. Most of the time it is just a matter of swapping the rubber bushings, but you will have to tinker with the replacement shocks to get the right fit. One lister posted that he used shocks from a Honda Ace to lower his bike a bit. Other than the bushing these went right on.

Stock length is 12.5 inches. An 11.5 or 12 inch shock will give you a lower stance and retain some suspension travel. Some Harley lowering kits use these length shocks, and they come up on eBay from time to time.

Remember you have only about 4 inches of rear wheel travel using the stock shock, so gong to a .shorter shock will reduce your suspension travel by far more than the difference in shock length.

There have been a few other threads on this topic, and include seat mods and even frame mods to get a better or lower seating position. There may be an alternative if what you are after is a different seat height.

[Demily47]

Thanks for the info UK1 and Jerry. I will see what I can find out there. One other question, Can a lower profile tire be used on the rear of that 79 xs1100 to give me a bit more clearance?
I had thought of modifying the frame but the additional work with the battery tray, fuse box and seat made me rethink that one.

[newmaac]

Dan, the Special uses a 16" wheel, where-as your Standard uses a 17" wheel.
There have been posts in the past, regarding swapping them. I would do a search, and see what is involved.
The 16" wheels are readily available, but I don't remember if you have to make any mods to anything else.

[Jerry]

I don't know of a series 80 or 70 tire in the 130 size. You pretty much have one choice, 130-90, unless you change the swing arm, not an easy mod on a shaft-drive bike! There have been some changes made to replace the shaft with a chain drive, but you are talking custom work and big bucks to go this route.

On the 17 to 16 swap....
There is a small difference in the offset of the rim, which means to do the swap you have to modify the spacers that center the rim on the axle. There is no kit to do this; trial and error is the rule of the day. Given the overal circumfrence of the 2 sizes you gain only a few percent in overall height and RPM at any given speed. Generally it isn't worth the labor unless your 17 is a tube-type, as many of the 16 inchers are tubless. Still, few people have done the swap with great success.

Front tires interchange with no problems.

[Demily47]

Well, it sounds like my best bet is to drop the back shocks an inch and cut down the seat. Thanks for all the suggestions. Your experience and expertise with the xs well prove to be a great resource for me as I move forward.

Thanks again all!

Dan