WTF did you do to your bike?

[Arthur_of_Hex]

After reading this thread start to finish, I strangely feel in the middle of both polarities here. I'll explain. The guys and myself at our shop pride ourselves in restoring the classics as far as our customers want us to. We do replace the outrageous handlebars from the early 70's with more manageable ones, update worn out oem with reasonable new replacements and modify to fit where necessary. Breathing new life into old barn finds brings a level of appreciation not often duplicated...Flip the coin and we have completed a number of unique custom hard tail conversions, chops, and bikes with MAJOR facelifts. Both of these styles reflect immensely on all of us, and on what imagination can create, and what appreciation can help us keep original. Flip the coin again and I am usually the first one in line to grief my friends and coworkers when they drone on and on about some costly modification to car suspension or snowmobile clutches, simply because they think it might be cool....I usually bellow something regarding the manufacturer's R&D team spending millions to ensure the factory design worked flawlessly and exactly as desired for maximum performance and longevity. Strange how one person can breath a trifecta of hippocracy (me ) love restoration, love customizing, love giving my friends a jab for suggesting either
I'm not sure where to put my specific build. I had the bike literally dropped in front of me. I'm trying to make a fun, manageable, personalized cycle out of a badly abused, forgotten, nearly ended up at the scrapyard, faded shadow of her former glory. I hope I can accomplish this with the least amount of permanent irreversible changes, and I hope my local friends and all of my new friends here can help guide me.

[BA80]

Partly true.


This photo of Godzilla is several modifications ago.

I have never seen a hardtail at an XS rally. I saw one at an XS650 rally several years ago, but it was manufactured that way by Big Dog. The owner chased XS650's on it all day. It beat the snot out of him. It was a nice bike, just not meant to be ridden like that.

All of the customs shown here were altered cosmetically, not mechanically. Well, except maybe Godzilla. It has a custom by crash front end.

[Garagamus]

Gotta say, all the points and statements made in this thread are valid, for and against. One mans classic is anothers project. No matter if the bike was $5k or $5.00 As one who's "bastardized" an XS and stayed with the forum, I thank the members that have helped along with the changes made to it. Is it your idea of the perfect bike? Probably not...even if cafe's are your thing. Is it my idea of the perfect XS? Pretty close, but always room in the back of my mind for improvement. Would I have done this to an Indian, or a Vincent, or a Velocette? Most likely never, but a $300 shot in the dark as to what shape a PO left it in wouldn't matter be it honda, suzuki, or yamaha. I didn't search out an XS1100, it found me. Good mods or bad in others eyes don't change the reality that I get immense satisfaction driving it. When building, (or bastardizing), it all the other cafe sites said "its too heavy to be fun", or "the lines aren't there for a proper cafe", XS11.com showed me how to prove them wrong without overly judging my vision.
I've received PM's from members asking how I built parts or where I sourced them, even offered guidance when I've seen some builds heading into the same roadblocks I faced, but I would never tell them "give it up, the purists will be angry", not my place to say it.
"you buys the ticket, you take the ride" has never rung more true. Purist or junkpiler...only the ticket holder knows what expect from the ride.

I could have meticulously rebuilt my XS, sourcing every OEM washer and bolt from black market secret sources, scouring ancient manuals for "spot on" paint codes, and personally fly overseas to shake the hand of the guy who installed my exhaust at the factory. Then, when all finished, trailer it to some meet hundreds of miles away just so I could sit beside it in a cheap lawnchair drinking $5.00 tap water in a pretty bottle...But I won't. I'll spend a winter stripping a part off here, a cut or two there, wait for the ebay gods to deliver then plunk away some more, learn to hand lay fibreglass, learn to weld without setting the yard on fire, paint this, polish that and hope by spring the thing I saw in my head now stares me in the face. It may not fetch the admiration or ribbons on the golf course concourse in Monteray, but that was never my intention. Enjoying what I've built well and on the cheap is enough.

[IanDMacDonald]

Your Traumaha has always fetched the admiration of the majority, no worries!

[MPittma100]

1979 XS1100SF Special Suspension/brake Upgrade



My 1979SF has some worn out/outdated suspension and brake parts on it and I've decided to renew those components.

I took Marty and Jeff's suggestion and went to Traxxion Dynamics in Woodstock, GA. A very knowledgeable group of guys. They are upgrading the forks and I will likely get some rear shocks from them as well. After I install everything back on the bike, I will be taking it to back to them for setup.

While the bike has been apart, I rebuilt all brake components - both master cylinders and all three calipers. I used the ss pistons to insure no more pitting. Also replaced all four 35 year old brake lines with ss alternatives.

Going to replace the current windshield in the near future on the bike as it causes too much buffeting of your helmet. Going to a Plexifairing III fairing/windshield.

After all of this, I will have no excuses not to ride it.

MP

[fredintoon]

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?

Hi marty,
well, the ad's not wrong about one thing, $500 IS a steal.
Some good things about it, the frame is still salvageable and he ain't thrown away the parts yet.

[MaximPhil]

My 1979SF has some worn out/outdated suspension and brake parts on it and I've decided to renew those components.

I took Marty and Jeff's suggestion and went to Traxxion Dynamics in Woodstock, GA. A very knowledgeable group of guys. They are upgrading the forks and I will likely get some rear shocks from them as well. After I install everything back on the bike, I will be taking it to back to them for setup.

While the bike has been apart, I rebuilt all brake components - both master cylinders and all three calipers. I used the ss pistons to insure no more pitting. Also replaced all four 35 year old brake lines with ss alternatives.

Going to replace the current windshield in the near future on the bike as it causes too much buffeting of your helmet. Going to a Plexifairing III fairing/windshield.

After all of this, I will have no excuses not to ride it.

MP

Hi Mike,
I suggest you start a thread about this rebuild. It will give us something to follow along in the cold winter months and be an inspiration to others to improve repair or upgrade their own rides.
Perhaps even me
Phil

[Crusty Snippets]

Chop it

Well actually: I am on pretty safe ground. My Yami is mostly stock and original. I have to keep it that way to be able to use " Collector " plates in BC. The 4 into 1 pipes are allowed.
The seat is off another model, but only some of you guys would spot it. It is comfortable for me, and much better than the useless king queen seat, that was on before with the PO.
Yami has Krauser ( BMW style ) bags but those are optional extras.

I will change the colour scheme to make it drab green and black. This will tend to make it look older, which will work well, IMO, with the Inder sidecar.

Unkle Crusty

[donebysunday]

After reading this thread start to finish, I strangely feel in the middle of both polarities here. I'll explain. The guys and myself at our shop pride ourselves in restoring the classics as far as our customers want us to. We do replace the outrageous handlebars from the early 70's with more manageable ones, update worn out oem with reasonable new replacements and modify to fit where necessary. Breathing new life into old barn finds brings a level of appreciation not often duplicated...Flip the coin and we have completed a number of unique custom hard tail conversions, chops, and bikes with MAJOR facelifts. Both of these styles reflect immensely on all of us, and on what imagination can create, and what appreciation can help us keep original. Flip the coin again and I am usually the first one in line to grief my friends and coworkers when they drone on and on about some costly modification to car suspension or snowmobile clutches, simply because they think it might be cool....I usually bellow something regarding the manufacturer's R&D team spending millions to ensure the factory design worked flawlessly and exactly as desired for maximum performance and longevity. Strange how one person can breath a trifecta of hippocracy (me ) love restoration, love customizing, love giving my friends a jab for suggesting either
I'm not sure where to put my specific build. I had the bike literally dropped in front of me. I'm trying to make a fun, manageable, personalized cycle out of a badly abused, forgotten, nearly ended up at the scrapyard, faded shadow of her former glory. I hope I can accomplish this with the least amount of permanent irreversible changes, and I hope my local friends and all of my new friends here can help guide me.

I've enjoyed your posts, can't wait to see your finished bike !!!!! I've always tried to stay mechanically stock and only alter the cosmetics if the original cosmetics were fubr. But I like new solutions to old problems, so take it to the limit and show me what they can become, please.
Thank You for being here ! Done

[TomB]

something regarding the manufacturer's R&D team spending millions to ensure the factory design worked flawlessly and exactly as desired for maximum performance and longevity.

I've had this said to me by folk looking at my modded XS11. As an engineer who's worked in production engineering for a long time I have a few comments to give back to those folk.

Mass production design is not the same as best design, this doesn't mean they are the best the company can come up with, it means they are the best the company can come up with that can be mass produced. Other factors come into mass production like cost of materials, type of materials that can be mass produced with the cheapest tooling and operator. Some parts are out-sourced from suppliers for the best optimum cost vs quality. Other factors affecting design are emissions, current safety legislation, and market forces.

If the R+D got their way our bikes would have been MUCH better but cost ten times as much to produce/buy.

And there are other considerations as far as manufacturers millions$$$$ in R+D..... factory recalls???!! they sure do happen, how if the R+D are so good??. I'm sure we can all think of an absolute lemon some manufacturer has brought out. If the million dollar backed R+D depts are perfect why do they bring out later models? updated models? surely an admission that they can do better. So why not borrow ideas from Yamaha's later offerings when modding your XS1100? surely we should all be doing that if the Yamaha R+D dept is so good.

And everyone here already seems to agree when looking at the gearbox mods written up here, anyone undercut their gear dogs? I have, is that me doing a better job than Yamaha originally did? A member here produced a better than original Rec/Reg, how? you decide

Just my 2p

[crazy steve]

Here Here! Tom hit the nail on the head....

Manufacturers try different things for different reasons, and not all of them are successful. While the XS was/is a fine machine, it's a product of it's time and harbors more than a few compromises, not all of them obvious. Funky wiring in places, spaghetti forks, and brakes that are at best only adequate are just a few. It is a monument to just how much Yamaha got right that in spite of these things these bikes still compare as favorably as they do to more modern machines.

[Arthur_of_Hex]

I've had this said to me by folk looking at my modded XS11. As an engineer who's worked in production engineering for a long time I have a few comments to give back to those folk.

Mass production design is not the same as best design, this doesn't mean they are the best the company can come up with, it means they are the best the company can come up with that can be mass produced. Other factors come into mass production like cost of materials, type of materials that can be mass produced with the cheapest tooling and operator. Some parts are out-sourced from suppliers for the best optimum cost vs quality. Other factors affecting design are emissions, current safety legislation, and market forces.

If the R+D got their way our bikes would have been MUCH better but cost ten times as much to produce/buy.

And there are other considerations as far as manufacturers millions$$$$ in R+D..... factory recalls???!! they sure do happen, how if the R+D are so good??. I'm sure we can all think of an absolute lemon some manufacturer has brought out. If the million dollar backed R+D depts are perfect why do they bring out later models? updated models? surely an admission that they can do better. So why not borrow ideas from Yamaha's later offerings when modding your XS1100? surely we should all be doing that if the Yamaha R+D dept is so good.

And everyone here already seems to agree when looking at the gearbox mods written up here, anyone undercut their gear dogs? I have, is that me doing a better job than Yamaha originally did? A member here produced a better than original Rec/Reg, how? you decide

Just my 2p

I agree completely with you Tom, we are the recipients of the result of healthy bottom line figures, rather than perfection. And like you said, if designed perfectly then why modify? I ride all these trains. I just like beating up my friends when they want to lower their Pontiac G5s and Chevy cavaliers waaaaaay too many inches. Apparently scraping the inner fenders with crooked tires and ZERO suspension travel isn't only a better ride, but it's cool to look at?

Back to bikes, Tom I'm glad you have many years of manufacturing behind you, I hope to get some suggestions from you and others as I throw ideas regarding my build up here.

Today I mocked up a cardboard rear fender very similar to the 1995 xjr1200. I really like the stance of that machine. Also went through a few tail lights to try and get some sort of idea to spark, I want LEDs, just can't sift through so many options....sigh

[jetmechmarty]

If I cut the tabs off my SG frame, will E or F sidecovers fit if I weld on new hangars?

[jetmechmarty]

If I cut the tabs off my SG frame, will E or F sidecovers fit if I weld on new hangars?

This XS1100 Sport might look a little better that way.



Will brackets #35/36 interchange between the G and SG, changing the foot rest height?

[BA80]

Don't know about the side cover thing but the peg brackets won't interchange. I tried it on the SF I had and the bolt holes don't line up. The standard frame is slightly longer and right there is where the extra length is.

Also, the cutouts for the swing arm bearings and the rear brake shaft are different.