Showing off my bike

[martialstax]

It's almost done. I had it taken down to the frame. It got a new engine, new front forks, new gas tank, new side panels, rebuilt carbs, rebuilt brakes, and I swapped out the rectangular headlight, turn signals and instruments for circular units from the XS11 Special. Next, I need to find a larger European gas tank and the 17-inch, disc-braked radial-spoked rear wheel off a European XS11 Sport, and then it will be time to paint it.

I only wish I had pictures of it when I bought it nearly two years ago. It was in a sorry state. That's one more XS11 back on the road.

[prometheus578]

Looks nice
Looking at the first picture... man, I wish Yamaha had done something else with those mirrors. (I sanded mine smooth before painting them.)

[martialstax]

Originally posted by prometheus578
Looks nice
Looking at the first picture... man, I wish Yamaha had done something else with those mirrors. (I sanded mine smooth before painting them.)

When I bought the bike, it didn't have any mirrors on it. I had to buy a pair just to get it home.

[mason79]

was the special gauges easy to mount? did you lose the gas gauge?

[martialstax]

Originally posted by mason79
was the special gauges easy to mount? did you lose the gas gauge?

Yes, they were very easy to mount. The cables from the original instruments mounted right up. And yes, I did lose the gas gauge. An acceptable loss in my opinion.

[JWSanders]

Wow, looking great! Keep up the good work!!

Always nice to hear of another one saved.

[martialstax]

I finally got my bike back from the shop. Here are some photos for you.










This is only my fifth motorcycle. I started on an '81 Kawasaki KZ250LTD in 1982, then I had an '84 Kawasaki KZ550LTD, an '86 Kawasaki Vulcan 750, then a '75 Gold Wing, and now this bike. I have a soft spot for Japanese bikes from the '70s, since that's when I was a teenager and my neighbor gave me a huge stack of about 100 motorcycle magazines. I read all those Cycle World, Cycle, Cycle Guide and Motorcyclist magazines like they were scripture.

I've wanted an XS11 since they were new, and now I finally have one. It's been in the shop for more than a year, getting a new engine, new forks, new brakes, etc etc. All it's lacking now is a fresh coat of paint. I've only had a few short rides on it, but I'm loving it so far. I love the meaty torque, and it has a great throaty sound to it. I'm going to put a few hundred miles on it on my next weekend, which for me is Mondays and Tuesdays.

[trbig]

Hmmmm...

I don't guess that I have ever seen pod filters with the airbox still on?? Maybe I just don't examine pictures as well as some... lol. It makes me wonder though, with the vent tube still going to the box... it would seem to me that this would eventually lead to an oilly mess in the box over time... running out of the box all over the bike? Also... with the box being open, a prime spot for a home for any mice that may be in the area. Very nice restore though.


Tod

[79XS11F]

Hmmm ... I don't see the air box there?? Looks like back of the battery in the close up. Crankcase vent likely goes up to a high and dry location with a filter on it maybe.
Nice looking bike in any case
Rob

[Czekus21]

Good looking bike.

[cajun31]

Painted or Midnight

Just curious, did you paint the engine or did it come off of a midnight? Nice looking bike!

[trbig]

Again... my mistake... Hence the title!.. lol. I only looked at that one picture really and saw the vent tube going to where it used to go on the airbox. In other pictures, you can clearly see that it is gone and only the battery is there. Sorry....

So... where is the vent going?? I just ran mine down behind the back of the motor with a filter on it. Water can't go up into the case that way... that way.


Tod

[martialstax]

Re: Painted or Midnight

Originally posted by cajun31
Just curious, did you paint the engine or did it come off of a midnight? Nice looking bike!

It's painted. My eventual goal is to paint the bike a very dark green. I think it will look good against the black engine, frame and forks. I'm also thinking about adding fork gaiters.

[martialstax]

Originally posted by trbig
So... where is the vent going?? I just ran mine down behind the back of the motor with a filter on it. Water can't go up into the case that way... that way.


Tod

Here are a couple more photos for you. In the first one, you can see the crankcase vent tube and filter. The other picture is just the other side of the engine for completeness sake. There's some road grime on it since I took it out for a rather frigid 90 minute ride in the Cascade foothills this morning.




Thanks for all the compliments, everyone, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Southend Motorcycle Service in Burien WA did all the repair work. All I did was keep bringing them money until it was done. I'm real happy with their work.

[martialstax]

Crap. I've got problems. On the way into work, the bike was fine until I got off the freeway and realized the bike was idling at 3000rpm. When it was time to go home, the bike wouldn't idle at all, and had no power at all below 3500rpm. I had to keep the revs over 4000rpm to keep the bike going forward at all. I had to feather the clutch like mad just to get away from stop lights. The shop I had all the work done at is closed this week, so I can't do anything about it until next Tuesday. Any suggestions?