WTF did you do to your bike?

[madmax-im]

Ok I know this isnt an easy topic...and will prolly touch a few nerves.....But with all the "new" members that come here wanting to chop and hack away an XS11 to make it a hardtail bobber or cafe racer...Why the F*** should we help you? In my mind we should not...You all do have the right to make your bike into whatever you desire...BUT please dont bring it here...
This site is supposed to be dedicated to preserving and maintaining and in many cases resurrecting old bikes that need alot of TLC to get back to roadworthiness. The XS11 was only made 5 years and thus are limited numbers compared to many other bikes of the era...
Ofc the folks here are prolly more polite than I am but I know down down deep most of the regulars on here are disgusted with this mindset....
If it were up to me I would change the way things operate around here and not allow or offer help to anyone who is planning to bastardize an XS1100...You all are lucky I dont run the show ...But lets be clear...I do not condone the bastardization of our XS1100s'... While there is public information here as to how to do all the necessary things to fix or improve upon for the XS11...and you are all welcome to share said info...I see no reason whatsoever to welcome someone who doesn't respect what these bikes are or just what they mean to the rest of us....y'all can go pound sand...

[jetmechmarty]

What if I bought this:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/mcy/4667636352.html

And decided to make a go of it. Would we no longer be friends?

[TADracer]

Wow, MAXisreallyMAD

I guess I am in the middle on this one. I agree we should try and keep our machines as close to what they were intended as much as possible because they are disappearing in numbers daily. But on the other hand, one has a right to do what he (or she) wishes with their private property.

Now someone that is taking a basket case XS11 that can never again be what it once was and uses the parts to make it into a running and functioning machine, well I feel that is way better than just letting another XS go by the wayside. But taking a perfectly good, unmolested XS11 and cutting it up....well that is a bit much.

So here is the way I handle it....I just do not offer any comments or help to someone that is transforming their machine into something radical nor do I offer any real encouragement or kudos on their build, no matter how fine it is produced.

[natemoen]

What if I bought this:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/mcy/4667636352.html

And decided to make a go of it. Would we no longer be friends?

Funny thing is, that is someone here. I know I have seen pics of it here somewhere!

[madmax-im]

I'm all for enhancements to improve function and performance but when you are talking about bastardizing a perfectly fine XS1100 I see no reason why we should condone such behavior by actually offering help or even commenting on these builds. Like you say Mike...some got their bikes as projects and they have already been bastardized and the PO's project never came to fruition...so yess its a fine line...Yes people have a right to do as they please...I cant control that but again I see no reason why we as an XS1100 community should offer any support to those who really do not appreciate the XS1100 for what it is or care to preserve them as they should be...YMMV

[jetmechmarty]

Does that mean TC can continue to help us, but we can't help him?

[madmax-im]

Does that mean TC can continue to help us, but we can't help him?

Ha ha ...you just like to be the devil's advocate ...eh? No TC has enhanced his ride with mods that suit his needs and wants all the while still respecting what the XS11 is...

[jwhughes3]

Ease up Ben....bikes are highly personal like someones appearance. That is why no two are identical at this point. What if I was offended by those who added stickers onto their hard bags?

There are many folks who like a lot of piercings. Not my cup of tea, but I don't tell them how to live their life, I just don't join in.

Bike customization is the same way.

Every XS1100 that remains on the road one day longer because someone bobs it or paints it rainbow colors just adds to our collective longevity mystique.

Just enjoy quiet satisfaction that yours is closer to stock than theirs.

John

[Wildkat]

"Motorcyclists welcome here
Regardless of what you ride"

[BA80]

What if I bought this:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/mcy/4667636352.html

(

That is what happens as a rule to "project bikes" of any breed. They end up for sale as a "project bike" or parts on ebay. The problem is that someone trys to make it "thiers" and when it gets intercoursed up enough that they don't want to mess with it anymore then they want to make it "someone else's bike".

Any fool who buys someone else's after birth like that better get it cheap because it's just parts unless you want to spend FOREVER trying to figure out all the issues the PO has created. There really isn't any applicable info here to help with a step child like that.

[madmax-im]

well I do appreciate all the points of view expressed here...they will help me temper my attitude...and attempt to not be as closed minded as i have seem to become as I age..at least on this particular topic...

[crazy steve]

"Motorcyclists welcome here
Regardless of what you ride"

It's amazing how many members forget this phrase posted on the entry page...

This is a debate that comes up to some degree on almost any site dedicated to marques or types of vehicles and is usually entirely subjective with the poster. With that said, I personally would never encourage anyone to hack one of these into a café, hardtail or bobber as, in my opinion, these bikes just don't lend themselves to that styling... but one mans mess is another's thing of beauty.

One problem with these bikes is they don't get the 'respect' that their contemporaries have (and that's yet another debate) due to their generally low prices in used/abused condition; it's pretty easy to hack up a $200-500 bike while one worth a grand or so would give most people pause. Add the fact that as a group, many XS owners are notorious cheapskates (keeping prices down), and the low values make these too attractive to the lo-buck hackers...

Lastly, one reason this site has maintained it's success over the years is it has welcomed all comers, not just the 'restorers'. While it's not easy to modify one of these into a bobber or café (I can't think of any bike I'd convert to a hardtail unless you're a masochist), it can be done as several very nice examples have turned up here.

[jwhughes3]

What if I bought this:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/mcy/4667636352.html

And decided to make a go of it. Would we no longer be friends?

I think our new member Cgross bought that failed project and is going to save it. Not as stock mind you but still as a runner.

Kudos.

John

[LoHo]

Craigslist is a good lesson in amateur chopping and customizing. It is full of failed projects and ruined bikes.

I don't think the geometry of an XS11 lends itself to chopping and bobbing. That said, I have seen some really nice bikes on here that someone with a vision, skills, and tools has made into a nice bike. It does seem that a lot of guys never get past the Sawzall stage.

But I also don't think that the list must ignore those foolish enough to undertake such an endeavor. Like anything else on the internet, if you don't like it, don't click on it. I ignore the chain drive threads because I think that is pointless, but anyone else should feel free to chime in. And since market forces affect the list like everything else in life; if a guy has a stupid idea and stupid questions that no one cares about, he will shrivel and die of neglect, as God intended.

[jetmechmarty]

I saw this over on Do the Ton and thought this guy nailed it! It may not drive well, but I love the look. Different strokes, as they say.