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  • #1

    Another bike project...

    Came across a Craigslist deal the other day. The guy didn't really know much about bikes, though he claimed he did, and so he sold me this 1987 Yamaha FZ600 for $340! Got it home and did a little tuning, and it runs like a champ. Very smooth, plenty of power. So I will be ordering some replacement plastics, rolling out the paint equipment again, pllus a few other minor procedures, and should have a pretty sweet little runner. Here it is:









    And a video of it running:
    http://s717.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=100_3059.mp4

    Got a little work ahead, but it should come out pretty sweet!
    Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

    Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson
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  • #2
    Cool find! I'm interested in seeing another one of your projects. Any ideas on what you're doing for paint?
    1979 XS1100 SF - My first project

    Comment

    • #3
      You certainly have lots of projects!
      Nathan
      KD9ARL

      μολὼν λαβέ

      1978 XS1100E
      K&N Filter
      #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
      OEM Exhaust
      ATK Fork Brace
      LED Dash lights
      Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters
      Green Monster Coils
      SS Brake Lines
      Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

      In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

      Theodore Roosevelt

      Comment

      • #4
        Whooo, too many projects! This one is to replace my wife's bike, the XS360 "Isadora". She is ready to move to a larger size bike, so I will be building this up, and selling the 360 (I know, I know, it will never be the same after I "ravaged" it)But four bikes for two people is wholly unnecessary, and I was unwilling to part with my 1100. This thing is her new ride. Actually this will be the most "close to stock" bike I plan on doing to date. I actually really like the fairing package, so i will replace all of the plastics, and actually add the lowers, too. The rear end is up for change though. I am going to modernize the rear and lose the chunky look, a la modern sport bike. Turns out she gets really wind fatigued by the normal cafe naked bike, so I wanted to provide her with a fairing for protection. And, the performance of this bike is near that of the XS1100, and handling is greatly improved. The bike is very light as well, so I think will make a good final bike for her, and an occassional ride for me. This is Yamaha's first foray into a dedicated sport bike.

        The PO sold it so cheap, claiming a life ending lower end knock. Turned out it was actually carb tune causing a timing chain slap noise, rectified by a carb tune and synch! Needs fork attention and oil leak immediately, along with tires, but beyond that is in pretty good shape with exactly 15K miles. This was a pretty good score, as all the information I can find indicates this bike is fairly rare, but has good bloodlines.

        As for plans, I am debating between candy blue over silver base, with black wheels, and a raw metal (clear only) stripe down the tank and Yamaha graphics, or the same theme in Ducati red. She is really hesitant on the dated look of the bike, mostly derived from the awful rear end, so I want to modernize it as much as I can. The remaining mods will be pretty minimal, since it is so user friendly as-is, and we all know that to satisfy most women riders, it has to be intuitive. So the major facelift will be to the plastic and frame of the rear end, but will be incorporating most of the front end, including the seat. Stay tuned, I already have parts inbound, and hope to have this thing streetable within the next two months!
        Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

        Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

        Comment

        • #5
          Cant wait to see it man! Yeah that backend is pretty bad. Other than that nice.
          Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.

          1980 XS1100G 1179 kit, Tkat brace, progressive springs & shocks, jardine spaghetti, Mikes coils, Geezer's rectifier

          Comment

          • #6
            Thanks, Elevener! I started with the back end last night, cutting off lots of parts, and incorporating other parts. I lost the chain guard, inner fender, side panels, tail assembly, rear passenger foot pegs and mounts, and a few other odds and ends. Then I set the rear cowl from my VTR on it. Now I can kind of see where I am going. All the electrics will end up under the seat out of view. The battery will remain centralized and in the stock location, though. This will allow the rear subframe rails to be exposed all the way to the rear. Obviously the fit and finish is not done, this is just a rough concept, but you all get the idea where this is going... keep in mind that I will also be adding the lower fairings to what is already there, so most of the engine will be covered. Anyway, here it is!

            Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

            Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

            Comment

            • #7
              That looks way better than it did before!
              Nathan
              KD9ARL

              μολὼν λαβέ

              1978 XS1100E
              K&N Filter
              #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
              OEM Exhaust
              ATK Fork Brace
              LED Dash lights
              Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters
              Green Monster Coils
              SS Brake Lines
              Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

              In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

              Theodore Roosevelt

              Comment

              • #8
                Thanks Nate!!

                I was a little hesitant about whether or not I could correct the ugliness at first. But I am starting to feel this build a little, so it should get rolling now!
                Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                Comment

                • #9
                  To be honest i was thinking the same thing you were

                  But after this first stage i think it has some potential!
                  1979 XS1100 SF - My first project

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    $340?! I would say nice find, sir! It will be interesting to see what you do with it.
                    Richard
                    '79 XS1100SF "Phantom Stranger" full fairing w/radio and cd player, H-D Roadking trunk, everything else stock
                    '02 Honda VTX1800C

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Dang.. i have been looking for one of those for YEARS!!! 340.00 you stole that thing.
                      1978 E XS1100 purchased for =$600.00
                      crap load of time spent modifying it = Priceless
                      My bike has the XS motor but can't really call it XS11
                      (or at least it still looks like the XS motor)
                      it has about 50% of the frame left from the XS bike

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        I feel pretty good about the price for the beginnings of a project. Of course there is a fair bit to be spent cleaning it up, but that is another issue!

                        No pics of tonight's work. I finished mocking up the tail, which will incorporate that cowl, and also the rear taillight from the VTR. Got the subframe cut down to match, and got my relocations for all the electrics marked out. Then I removed the tail so I can do all the welding and cleanup. I will post up some pics of the pre complete bike disassembly of my final fit.

                        Thanks for the props, gents!
                        Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                        Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Amazing how much of a difference just removing a few parts makes!

                          I think it looks killer. Keep it up man

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Thanks, Dan. Those few parts were pretty major players in the ugliness...

                            Got my taillight mount welded into the rear end of the tail subframe today, on my lunch break. Tomorrow's lunch break will entail fitting in the electrics mounts and the mounts for the cowl. But here is a pic of the side profile, with the taillight installed. The frame has been detabbed and cleaned up mostly. The junk on the seat is just for ballast to keep it upright for the picture

                            Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                            Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Well, it turns out I am good at destroying perfectly good things:



                              It is not apart for cleaning and minor repairs. I did however, get the tail/ subframe done, incorporating the VTR bits like I had envisioned:



                              Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                              Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                              Comment

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