XS11 PackRat - Time to toss trash....Decisions Decisions

[kboehringer]

XS11 Friends,
I'm the proud owner of three(3) XS11's. All currently in good running condition but they all seem to need a little bit of tuning/adjusting here or there. I've been waiting for this day when my biggest issue(s) was a little tuning and detailing the members of my XS11 fleet. All of the "Heavy Lifting" is done!!!

In order to get to this position I've purchased THREE(3) extra motors/parts bikes which I've stolen gears, & etc. from. I've got &%$^%$% extra parts all over the place and an attic full of parts too. I don't have enough room on my work benches to work on the "Minor Tuning" of the XS11 fleet. Although I have a nice garage, I don't really have storage for all these parts and I'm not about to pay money for a storage barn or build a shed to contain it all. I'm trippin' over this CRAP every time I try to work on something else.

With a heavy heart, nearly in tears, (LOL ) I completely stripped the guts (every nut & bolt) from a '78 motor and tossed the pre-damaged cases in the trash last night. The cylinders were garbage so they went too. This one must have been sitting in a swamp for a while as there was significant corrosion on/in it. But, the gears were GREAT and they went into one of my running heard a couple weeks ago.

INVENTORY OF CRAP:
Just a sampling.... I've got three sets of XS rims (converted to XJ rims on my bikes) I'll never use, old forks & tubes, I'll never use (unless I get in a wreck), three or more clutches, alternators, covers, starters, mid drives, cranks, old pegs, tore up wiring harnesses, misc. Standard parts (all mine are Specials), rusty fenders, crappy rusty pipes, saddle bags, multiple bag brackets (wrong for a special), etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. The only reason I held on to SOME of this stuff was in the event of a wreck I could get the bike operational again with these sub-par parts. Much of this stuff was "useable" but was replaced as better pieces were found........

I'm pretty darn familiar with the XS11 now and realize I don't have spares of the parts that are commonly needed (i.e. 2nd gear, GOOD spare carbs, etc.) and I have only one GOOD spare head ('78) but I've got tons of CRAP that is readily available and I will probably never need. If I see another XS11 motor locally I will buy it also just on the outside chance it might have nice gears. Two of my three extra purchase motors were only $100ea. and are commonly available on CL so the REAL value of this stuff is extremely minimal.

I'm also not at all interested in peddling this crap on E-Bay or elsewhere. Can anyone make me feel GOOD about tossing most of this CRAP in the trash can? What's the part you would NEVER toss in the trash regardless of how may you have?

Overwhelmed in Atlanta.
KURT

[BA80]

I know EXACTLY what you're saying Kurt. I'm looking to move to another place but I really, REALLY don't want to move all the stuff in the garage.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Kurt,

I know there are several members near you there in GA that might want to have some of the spare parts you have there? Also, have seen the photos of your garage, and it looks like you might have a fair amount of space above your head, not sure how strong your roof is for possibly rigging up hanging mounts for some of the stuff that you think in the back of your mind that you might want to keep for that just in case situation.....broken wheel or forks after a cage encounter! JAT.

BTW, even those cylinders you threw out might have still been serviceable for a big bore kit, not sure depending on how badly they mic'd out of round, but the big bore removes so much material it's hard to imagine that you couldn't get back to a round profile with one.

Also, have been thinking about how folks have wondered about reducing the unsprung weight of the bike, specifically the wheels/rims, and so having a spare rim to experiment on might be kinda neat? As you have found, the XJ spiral/swirly rims are lighter than the XS but apparently are just as strong....or are as strong as needed for the stresses exerted by the XS11's frame/engine. I think it was Crazy Steve that had talked about the possibility of removing the extra ribbing along the outer edge of the spokes that extend down to the rim. And others have wondered about drilling decreasing sized holes into the inner webbing of the spokes as well for further weight reduction. I remember looking up stresses of I/H beam structures and found that most of the strength was at the angles and not so much down the center of the beam itself, and so removing circular sections wouldn't cause any appreciable loss in strength. So....IF you had access to a serious press device, being able to modify the rim as described, then weigh it to see how much weight could be lost, and then stress it to destruction/fracture to see how much compression stress the modified rim could take could help answer this question about this process......for fun??

T.C.

[Eastcoaster]

I am in the same Boat

I am right there with you. I have so much stuff I have tried to toss a few things only to retrieve out of the trash. I have tossed a few of the worst of the worst but its a struggle. I would also like to move soon and downsize. The house maintenance is overwhelming. I have 10 bikes right now all in great running condition and tons and tons of parts and cant part with a thing.
Thanks for bringing this to light Kurt I really need to get this under control and glad to see I am not alone!

[kboehringer]

Setting the bar at $40??

SNIP...have seen the photos of your garage, and it looks like you might have a fair amount of space above your head. SNIP.... And others have wondered about drilling decreasing sized holes into the inner webbing of the spokes as well for further weight reduction.
T.C.

TC,
I have well more than 1/2 dozen boxes of XS11 parts in the attic above plus all the loose stuff that won't easily fit into a reasonable size box. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had more than three XS11's had to have been brought back from the brink of death!

Regarding the XJ vs. XS rims:
The front XJ was exactly 2.4# lighter than the XS rim. I can't recall the EXACT number but I THINK the rear was something like 2.6# difference. You'd have to cut a whole lot of material from an XS rim to get to those numbers! That sounds a little scary?

I'm thinking of getting down to ONE spare of each item (i.e. One Front Rim, One Rear Rim). Any multiple spare item that my experience has shown will cost more than $40 to replace I'll probably continue to keep unless the likelihood of needed replacement is very very thin. Any part that is likely less than $40 (after the first spare) will be tossed in the trash can. If I had 10+ bikes like EastCoaster maybe that number would be two spares but for me with only three bikes one spare should be plenty?

The $40 threshold should be a DECENT "starting point" to get some of this crap gone!

KURT

[JeffH]

One man's trash is another man's treasure

Yes, getting rid of "clutter" definitely is a big hassle.
Items may have some nominal value. Items could maybe be used somewhere by somebody but figuring that out creates a massive time pit itself.

Cataloging parts is a tough process and adding shipping costs don't make it worthwhile.
Maybe somebody local will come get the stuff. But its NOT going to be me. got my own mess to deal with

Real tough to just throw things in the trash and walk away. I've gone back and pulled out treasures in my trash that i just could part with.

Jeff

[Schming]

The "First Step" is addmission Yinz Guys are well on your way already.

Hit your knees:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't seem to get rid of,

Courage to purchase more rare parts than I'll ever need, and the wisdom to hide them from SWMBO somewhere in the man cave so I'll forget and buy doubles

Takes One to know One

[Gmac]

If it makes you feel better

I don't want it either.

My clutter isn't anywhere near as much as anyone else's, mainly because I only bought a few carb banks, alternators,, tachs, speedometers, front wheels, brakes, transmissions, and ignition boxes and stopped when I saw where it was going.

[motoman]

I know EXACTLY what you're saying Kurt. I'm looking to move to another place but I really, REALLY don't want to move all the stuff in the garage.

.......sounds like you gotta' load it, one way or the other.