Best $150 mod??

[Bax]

Hi Ch11,
Been a messy weather day here in NH. Power back on at the moment and the driveway cleared. Sitting around kinda board so kicking off a mod query discussion.

What's the best $150 mod you've made to the XS?

Thinking for me it was the front fork emulsion cartridges. Bike always had plenty of get up and go but braking and handling.... These almost eliminated the dive and tire skips on any front brake action. I'm happy, $$ well spent.


---Bax

[DiverRay]

850 final drive mod! even the standard gets a boost from it! Lower RPM at 75mph is better MPG. The XS1100 has the torque to pull well with the higher gearing.

[bikerphil]

Brembo MC on my 79SF.

[cajun31]

Stainless brake lines.

[Socer4m]

Ditto on the ss brake lines,,,got them off ebay with the generic suppliers,,,,dot approved and super cheap,,,,around 30.00 for the complete set xj or xs, just measure the lines, pick out a color. SS lines really firm up the brakes, no more squishy feeling and strong stops. Also, the final drive swap is good, but I had a xs with the xs750 rear wheel rim which is 18 inch versus16 or 17 inch like the xs and xj1100 and it reduces the rpm's a lot also...cost is around 40.00 or less. Also an atv seat cushion can really help on either xs or especially the pain producing xj seat, cheap, like 20.00 at walmart. Ride on,,,Mike in Sun Diego

[Geezer]

Agreed, SS brake lines. Although my bike came with them on the front, I added the one for the rear brake. Although these days I would think it would be one of the best under $100 mods...

[cajun31]

Tony, I agree but then that depends on who you buy them from. I also believe your replacement Voltage Regulator/Rectifier would be included in a great mod.

[3Phase]

Adding a kicker and the XS750/XS850 final drive swap including the cost of welding the splines cut from a trashed u-joint yoke to the stock Middle Drive yoke instead of using a splineless spacer.

[MarkD]

My best mod was installing the Ian D MacDonald inspired Stainless steel Techna-Fit brake lines. Way better then old spongy 35 year old rubber ones.

[FJ111200]

I've made a few $150 mods but the best one for me is the conversion from the XS1100 ignition system to the XJ1100 system. This is the third XS1100 that i've made the mod to. No more broken pick up wires, no more dodgy vac advance unit. Works for me.

[red bandit]

SS brake lines, 750/850 final drive, blade style fuse block.

[LenB]

Gotta be my AGM battery and maintenance charger. Last acid bath just DIED with no warning and my 80G has no kick start. I'm sure some can relate to push starting a fully loaded XS by yourself - no fun.

[cajun31]

I've made a few $150 mods but the best one for me is the conversion from the XS1100 ignition system to the XJ1100 system. This is the third XS1100 that i've made the mod to. No more broken pick up wires, no more dodgy vac advance unit. Works for me.

ok... we all need to know more.... what all did you have to replace do concerning this mod?

[Bonz]

Forgive the lengthy post...

XJ system bolts right up to the XS, just have to swap in the XJ timing rotor. To my knowledge you won’t get the extra 16 deg of total advance that the XS has when the vacuum advance is pulled in, but that was a fuel economy aid and maybe even for emissions too. Since the XJ is the XS engine for every practical purpose, there shouldn’t notice $.02 of difference in overall performance with the XJ system in an XS with respect to acceleration or roll-on, and I’d be surprised if there is any real difference in fuel economy.

From an information perspective, my ZRX1200 is the basis for the ZZR1200 (fastest carbureted bike to wear saddlebags from the factory and the successor to the ZX11, fastest bike for around 10 years before the Hayabusa). In ZRX circles, grafting in a ZX11 ECU and ZX11 rotor (along with swapping in the ZX11 double-valve springs to control the valves) allows for an extra 1,000 rpm rev limit (11,500 rpm) and it comes with a much more aggressive timing curve and more total advance. I have my ZRX set up with a connector so I can swap between the stock ECU and ZX11 ECU, and also have stock timing rotors for each (10 deg baseline/static advance) and +2 and +4 rotors that up baseline, and thus total advance, the respective amounts. My ZRX also has ZZR 1200 cams and ZZR 40mm downdraft CVK40 carbs adapted to it.

I don’t see the above said “$.02 of difference” in overall performance or fuel mileage running any combination of ECU and rotor. Only real difference is throttle response off the bottom and in the mid-range is more crisp with the ZX11 ECU with its quicker pulling in of advance. With high compression JE pistons in my engine, more total advance of the ZX11 ECU doesn’t work as well. Thus I run the stock ZRX ECU and a +4 rotor that gives great response off the bottom and still has much less total advance than the ZX11 ECU at anything over 1,800 rpm. I don’t get the extra 1,000 rpm rev limit (despite having installed the double valve springs earlier before I had high-comp pistons) of the ZX11 ECU but I don’t spend any time up there anyway, so drivability and everyday performance is what I have gone for.

Ergo, in my parallel experience with the ZRX, since the XS vacuum advance is only working at light throttle loads, it should be no different in “performance” vs the XJ electronic unit.