New member and 1979 XS1100 Special

[jlmoulto]

So, I just returned from purchasing my 1979 XS1100 Special. Bike seems to be in great condition and I am looking forward to getting in a bit of riding and becoming familiar with this bike.

[tv5150]

Congrats on the bike...looks nice with a few changes
Lots of good info on here and good people
RIDE SAFE
TV

[MaximPhil]

So, I just returned from purchasing my 1979 XS1100 Special. Bike seems to be in great condition and I am looking forward to getting in a bit of riding and becoming familiar with this bike.

Welcome jlmoulto,
nice looking bike.
Phil

[jlmoulto]

Aside from the bags and backrest, one thing I noticed was that near the rear shocks there appears to be two mounting spots that I believe you can see in the picture. Is that normal on these bikes?

Also, are there other changes that you can see?

[jlmoulto]

Welcome jlmoulto,
nice looking bike.
Phil

Notice you are from Mississauga. I tend to visit my Uncle in Mississauga at least once to twice a year. I like the city.

[tv5150]

NICE Bike

It looks like all the changes that are obvious were
done with the "ride" in mind and to be able to travel a bit
__________________

[donebysunday]

Aside from the bags and backrest, one thing I noticed was that near the rear shocks there appears to be two mounting spots that I believe you can see in the picture. Is that normal on these bikes?

Also, are there other changes that you can see?

Hi jlmouto !
Welcome !
Could we see the other side of the bike please ?
To me it looks like the PO changed the angle of the shocks, maybe to lower it ? ?

[fredintoon]

Aside from the bags and backrest, one thing I noticed was that near the rear shocks there appears to be two mounting spots that I believe you can see in the picture. Is that normal on these bikes? Also, are there other changes that you can see?

Hi James and welcome,
big holes in the frame aft of the top shock bolts? They are the stock mounting points for the rear indicators which must have have been moved to install the hard bags.
Need more photos to see if there are other changes.

[MaximPhil]

Notice you are from Mississauga. I tend to visit my Uncle in Mississauga at least once to twice a year. I like the city.

Let me know next time you are in town.
Phil

[jlmoulto]

Had a mechanic have a quick look at it last night and indeed someone has gone through the effort of lowering the bike by adding a link on the swingarm. He doesn't think it is an issue, but I'll probably put it back to stock.

Thanks for the welcome. I am combing through lots of posts to get familiar with the normal things about this bike.

One thing I am looking at having to do right away is change the gear oil on the mid drive. The current owner wasn't aware that there were two places to change the oil. Fortunately He only put 10,000kms on the bike and I am hoping the original owner did the correct servicing.

[WMarshy]

With that low milage you should be fine. Just have him take the fill plug out first, they can be a pain as they seem to self tighten over time due to the material difference. We recommend a semi or full synthetic hypoid gear oil in both middle and rear drive. You can also get a plastic crush washer at your local auto store to put under the full plugs so it wont self tighten between now and the next maintenance interval. The real trick yo getting the fill plug loose is a nice sharp impact to the allen wrench if you can (you'll see).

Nice ride and welcome to the form.

[Cuda 69]

Nice looking bike,congrat's and welcome aboard.Looks like it's set up nicely for touring.

[MaximPhil]

Had a mechanic have a quick look at it last night and indeed someone has gone through the effort of lowering the bike by adding a link on the swingarm. He doesn't think it is an issue, but I'll probably put it back to stock.

Thanks for the welcome. I am combing through lots of posts to get familiar with the normal things about this bike.

One thing I am looking at having to do right away is change the gear oil on the mid drive. The current owner wasn't aware that there were two places to change the oil. Fortunately He only put 10,000kms on the bike and I am hoping the original owner did the correct servicing.

Hi jlmoulto,
It is a good idea to remove the top /fill plug FIRST as they can be quite difficult. The correct allen key in good condition is a big help. I use the allen key with 3/8 drive.
Phil

[jlmoulto]

Thanks. In looking at it tonight, it appears to be stripped and also seems to have teeth marks on it from vice grips, so someone has definitely been in there before!

I'll have another look later this week and tackle the job. Been reading about some replacement bolt options so I'll be looking for that as well.

[JLeeper]

Cool looking ride, congrats!