New to forum

[Zeke on Wheels]

Hi all,

Just got a new scooter. My old scooter was an '83 Honda 650 Nighthawk.
I had just put 2 brand new dunlops on her when 4th gear decided to go out.
Didn't even get 100 miles on the new tires!

Fast forward: Found out last week that the Mrs had one of our friends looking for bikes for me. Once the cat was out of the bag, she told me to find a bike I would be happy with. Came across a Craig'slist ad for an '80 XS1100 Special that needed tires. Guess what? Same size tires!
Going to have them swapped onto the new scooter today!
I am also going to have him service that rear wheel bearing that I was reading about on this forum.
Anyhoo, the bike has 20k on it and doesn't even look like a 30 year old bike.

I didn't know anything about the bike other than it was in real nice shape and I really liked it. Then a buddy stopped over and looked at it who is a bike guru and he told me that this was "The Bike" back in the day. I love it!

The first thing I noticed when taking it for a test drive before buying it was that it is NOT my 650 Nighthawk!

This bike came with both the factory seat and a custom seat, and it has Honda handlebars on it but I also have the original bars too. The guy I bought it from had put the original seat back on it because he didn't like the look of the custom seat. However, after riding it home that day, I decided to put the custom seat back on, and oh what a difference! Way more comfortable for me.

O.K. I'm done raving about the new scooter now! Thanks for having a great forum available to what appears to be an XS community.

Here is my new (32 year old) scooter:

http://sitebuilder.myregisteredsite.com/sitebuilder/picture_chooser_preview.jsp?PhrogId=Mynewbike.jpg

[jimbyjimb]

Welcome to the site!

Now you just have to name the SG to fit in with all of the other XSives!

Make sure to search tech tips and forums for mods, repairs, general knowledge.

There are some great upgrades on the site to help when something breaks OR when you want more performance from any part of the machine.

Many members make and sell parts/upgrades/mods at very reasonable rates to help us all keep our dino's on the road.

[Tat2demon]

Welcome!

Hope you enjoy the new bike.

[xs11lover]

Congratulations, you've got a great old bike. We need pics around here. You need to open a photobucket.com ablum and then copy your pics into it in order to post them here.

[Cuda 69]

pic's,pic's- congrats on your new find.They are a great bike.

[TopCatGr58]

Hi all,

Just got a new scooter. My old scooter was an '83 Honda 650 Nighthawk.
I had just put 2 brand new dunlops on her when 4th gear decided to go out.
Didn't even get 100 miles on the new tires!

Came across a Craig'slist ad for an '80 XS1100 Special that needed tires. Guess what? Same size tires!
Going to have them swapped onto the new scooter today!
I am also going to have him service that rear wheel bearing that I was reading about on this forum.
Anyhoo, the bike has 20k on it and doesn't even look like a 30 year old bike.

Hey there Zeke,

Congrats on the new acquisition and finding our site!

Now, with only 20K miles, the left rear tire bearing is probably just fine, it's NOT serviceable persae', just gets replaced, but they are no longer made/sold by Yamaha. A fellow in the UK has been able to get small groups of them custom made and selling them here essentially for cost. But after inspecting it, and performing the service on the FINAL DRIVE unit, MIDDLE Drive unit, replacing the gear oil, pulling the final drive off and lubing the driveshaft splines, it will probably be fine for many 10k miles!

Although the 650 might have taken the same sized tires, they may not be rated strong enough for the weight of the 1100. You may get a couple of years out of them, but they will probably wear out fairly quickly! Check the website for the brand you got, and compare the weight ratings of the tire against other models recommended for and XS11. Okay, just re-read and saw that you had Dunlops....if they were the 404's, they aren't strong enough to last vs. the Elite 3's.

The OEM special buckhorn handlebars are known to be a pain in the wrists, hence why lots of folks put on Honda or other brand/style bars with a better angle.

T.C.

[James England]

Now, with only 20K miles, the left rear tire bearing is probably just fine, it's NOT serviceable per se, just gets replaced, but they are no longer made/sold by Yamaha. A fellow in the UK has been able to get small groups of them custom made and selling them here essentially for cost.
T.C.

That's me! You'll be pleased you found this site. I find it amazingly useful for info and it's like social networking too!

Re that bearing. TC is right, you can't 'service' it. Basically, you just have to make sure that it is larded up with plenty of good quality grease. Had it been a tapered roller bearing, it could have been adjusted as it wore but it's just a plain ole caged needle roller type. Clean the one that's in the wheel and get all the old grease out. If you find any rollers missing, or obviously damaged or if the central tube of the bearing is loose in an up/down way, then replace it. If not, just put grease on it and that's that.

I just got hold of 23 more of these bearings, so if you find you need one, or want a spare, just PM me.

Have a good read of the threads, especially the pickup wires one (the first I ever looked at) and TC's fusebox. Everything you'll ever need to know is right here!

[Zeke on Wheels]

Hey there Zeke,

Congrats on the new acquisition and finding our site!

Now, with only 20K miles, the left rear tire bearing is probably just fine, it's NOT serviceable persae', just gets replaced, but they are no longer made/sold by Yamaha. A fellow in the UK has been able to get small groups of them custom made and selling them here essentially for cost. But after inspecting it, and performing the service on the FINAL DRIVE unit, MIDDLE Drive unit, replacing the gear oil, pulling the final drive off and lubing the driveshaft splines, it will probably be fine for many 10k miles!

Although the 650 might have taken the same sized tires, they may not be rated strong enough for the weight of the 1100. You may get a couple of years out of them, but they will probably wear out fairly quickly! Check the website for the brand you got, and compare the weight ratings of the tire against other models recommended for and XS11. Okay, just re-read and saw that you had Dunlops....if they were the 404's, they aren't strong enough to last vs. the Elite 3's.

The OEM special buckhorn handlebars are known to be a pain in the wrists, hence why lots of folks put on Honda or other brand/style bars with a better angle.

T.C.

I just went to the Dunlop site and for the '83 Nighthawk they recommend the GT501, and for the XS1100 they recommend either the GT501 or the Elite 3's.

The only differences I noticed were: Honda front rim size=2.15x19 XS front rim size=1.85x19 AND for the Honda they said 40 psi for the rear tire XS they said 32 psi for the rear tire.

Any thoughts on that?

I will have to look when I get home, but I am pretty sure that the tires I have are the GT501s.

Anyhoo, the phone rang about 5:30 last night and the voice at the other end said; "I know I told you that you wouldn't see your bike until the end of the week, but I was doing some things around the shop and it is ready for you to pick up."

It was a good ride home with the Dunlops!

[Zeke on Wheels]

Congratulations, you've got a great old bike. We need pics around here. You need to open a photobucket.com ablum and then copy your pics into it in order to post them here.

Here she is:

[jwhughes3]

color coordinated

I have never seen a seat like that!

Very chic

Welcome.

John

[TopCatGr58]

Hey James,

Thanks for chiming in...my CRS got to me and I didn't try to open another browser tab to find your name! Again, I get to talk and prove that I'm just a shadetree survivalist....I haven't actually had my left rear bearing out of my wheel. I've had the rear wheel off many times for tire changes and work on the swingarm and such...but I didn't know that the bearing wasn't SEALED...that you could get to it to remove old grease and repack it??? I could have sworn that the NEW one you sent me was sealed!

Zeke, there's been recent discussions regarding tire pressures, most recommend using the values printed on the tires...not necessarily the max values, not the OLD owner's manual values, but adjusting according to your preferences...ride comfort and such. Many run at or close to the 40 psi for the rear. If too low, will heat up too much when riding, and can cause excessive premature wear.

You'll want to document your miles, and keep track of how long the 501's last, the rears usually last half as long as the fronts. Another recent discussion on Elite 3's came to a conclusion that Dunlop may have softened their formula, because a long distance rider has gotten quiet a bit less life/mileage out of a recent set of E3's vs. previous E3's. Others have suggested other brands because they are now giving similar tire life as the much more expensive Dunlops, with similar performance, wet/dry grip and overall handling.

Now you've got to give your bike a NAME. You haven't had much trouble with it YET...so I guess "grapes of wrath" won't apply!

T.C.

[Zeke on Wheels]

I have never seen a seat like that!

Very chic

Welcome.

John

The guy I bought it from had put the original factory seat on it because he didn't like the looks of the custom seat. However, I found the custom seat way more comfortable. The sticker was still on the bottom of it where it was custom ordered in Brighton Mich when the bike was brand new. Now I need to see if I can get the same color leather to cover the backrest with.

The guy at the cycle shop who mounted the tires said it was a really nice bike and you could tell it was well cared for. I am certainly loving it!

I seen somwhere here where someone modified the tailight with LEDs. Wondering if anyone has just simply tried the LED replacement bulbs like these?

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&category=CAR&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2F1156-x18-T.htm#photos

[jwhughes3]

LEDs

I tried some of Supbright's LED bulbs....changed out flasher to electronic type.

Had too many issues trying to get and keep a good enough ground. They would periodically stop working. Didnt seem as bright during daylight. Wife noticed difference while following. At night seemed equal. Hard to tell really.

In the end I switched back. Just not enough reason to switch.

And they were way expensive.

John

[jimbyjimb]

Zeke, beautiful XS!

While I'm on the side of thinking that seat is an eye-sore it looks very, very comfortable. I do just fine on my stock seat but I'm only 27 so if Alberta is still around in a couple-a-few I might be sitting on a different seat myself!

Otherwise that bike is beautiful and the color is fabulous. Good find/purchase and make good use of the resources on the site to keep it running as good as it looks!

[cywelchjr]

The guy I bought it from had put the original factory seat on it because he didn't like the looks of the custom seat. However, I found the custom seat way more comfortable. The sticker was still on the bottom of it where it was custom ordered in Brighton Mich when the bike was brand new. Now I need to see if I can get the same color leather to cover the backrest with.

The guy at the cycle shop who mounted the tires said it was a really nice bike and you could tell it was well cared for. I am certainly loving it!

I seen somwhere here where someone modified the tailight with LEDs. Wondering if anyone has just simply tried the LED replacement bulbs like these?

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...8-T.htm#photos

I'll say if you only have the stock light, they replacement bulbs won't be enough light in daylight. They were enough with my tailtrunk with the 4 extra lights, but when those started to flake out because of age I found replacement light units and replaced the 4 in the tailtrunk with 2 LED units that are a LOT brighter than the LED bulbs.