Most sought after XS?

[jetmechmarty]

Special vs. standard

I have heard that the Special actually handles better than the standard due to the different front end set-up. I've even heard this from the mouth of our very own Ralph Meeks if I'm not mistaken. (He owns both.)

I fantasize about building a cafe bike from an XS1100. I'd put clubman bars on a Special with a solo seat from OMAR'S and a tank from a standard with a little fly screen. Rearsets and a Kerker exhaust to finish it off. Off coarse, a standard could lend itself to this project very well. I'm currently collecting parts to do this project from an XS650. Parts are much less an issue with that bike.

[Geezer]

I would have to say it's the Aussie or Euro XS1100 sport that was never sold in the USA. I'd love to have one but odds are it's not enough different for me to really care about.

Geezer

[Pat Kelly]

Re: Special vs. standard

Originally posted by jetmechmarty
I have heard that the Special actually handles better than the standard due to the different front end set-up. I've even heard this from the mouth of our very own Ralph Meeks if I'm not mistaken. (He owns both.)

Despite Standard and Special having different configurations the rake and trail is the same.
When I first got my MNS the handling was awful compares to my E. Lubing/adjusting the headset cured that and they now handle the same (relatively).

[LoHo]

This question is a gimme...the most sought after XS is the one your wife says you don't need...

[Pain]

What about those tricked out one merriam is offering now?

I have both a special and standard. I will freely admit I like to zip around on the special more. But I think that it is just because I got the special first, and put a lot of miles on it before I got the standard.

As for which handles better, I don't know. I took the BRC in the standard (With all the bags on) and managed the same manuvers people on 250s were doing (The instructor didn't tell me I had more room until after the test). Of course, I had a few more miles under my wheels than they did.

[strom]

The most sought after XS is the 650.
Of the elevens... I guess 78E would be best choice. The most power, large gas tank,...
The specials.... hmm... midnight looks good... the rest... useless IMHO. They get you where you wanna go with more fuel stops than the standard. Useless in yurp, hence none were sold here.
Martini... looks.... interesting. (ugly)
Venturer... looks good, yada yada yada.. but goldwing does touring better IMHO.
Then there is the XJ. Might have one, looks great, but still the custom look and things... it has 2 cylinders too many.
Gotta get me a TR1... see how that works... :P

LP

[kennewick58]

merriam

Here is the XS11 I want. What a ass kicking bike!

http://www.merriamcycle.com/

[pggg]

Hey, those bikes are good-lookers, but the continuing B.S. dribbling from that merriam outfit gets on my wick!! 150hp and 9 sec 1/4's from a 600lb street XS with only a wisco kit and port job is total crap!!

[kennewick58]

Ask them, What Up!!

[Goin Commando]

Nice bike but I'm bettin that no one here from this web site buys one. I can make one of those for WAY less than 10 grand. I love the guys enthusiasm and his love for the XS11 is real cool but the dude is off his rocker on the prices!

"However, for $23,000 you can get a SSR/2 TYPE I XS ELEVEN or for $25,000 you can get a TYPE II. It takes a minimum of 90 days to build one. We need 50% down when we start on your bike and the remainder on delivery. We build them numerically from the order dates. It takes a $2000 non refundable deposit to get on the list before we can start on it. When we start on your unit we will call you for the additional $9,500.00 on a TYPE I or $10,500.00 on a TYPE II, whichever the case may be. The remainder when it’s finished. These prices are FOB and freight or shipping would be additional depending on where you live or want it to be sent. Several people have come here to the Kansas City area and picked up bikes we have built for them and rode or trailered them home. This is the only way we can build this bike and offer it at the present pricing, as each unit must be done by hand unless we stop all other business to increase production capabilities. This of course would cause them to be far more expensive. Prices will stay the same as long as costs do not go up or supply and demand is possible. This is an exceptional motorcycle and an opportunity to own one reasonably by most anyone. If you have always wanted one of these bikes. This is the chance to get one in its most advanced form ever. It may never come again."

[Ken Talbot]

I don't think I would pay that much either. However, if I was to start with an $800 beater, cost out my salary and benefits for three months, add in parts and supplies like pistons, bearings, tires, battery, brake components, gaskets, then sub out head machining, powdercoating, and a professional paint job, I think I could build one for $30,000. But that's without including something for heated shop space depreciation of tools.

For me, building one from the ground up for myself or SWMBO like I'm doing right now, is a hobby, something do for the fun of it and because I can. If I was to do it in place of my day job, I'd be looking for $25K or more too, and I'd want to be pusning through four of them ever year.

I keep Bob's page in my favourites, just in case I win the lottery!

[tsears]

how to make the XS11 famous

What we need to do is to get one our bikes in an 'easy rider' style movie. If we could our bikes attached to a certain mystique the values would skyrocket ... whether or not that is a good thing is up for debate.

As far as Merriam's outstanding bikes go, Jardine 4:1s and Maier windscreens are pretty much off the shelf ...

[kennewick58]

Movie

How about a modern Mad Max type of movie. Say.......Pissed off Eleven. A radical Xsive goes crazy and steals a bike from Merriam but when pressed hard the truth comes out about the lack of real horsepower and the dude is overrun by a Yammy R1. But when all looks lost the real rat dog backyard Eleven bobber ( total cost 2500.00) blows in with killer gound pounding out law power and saves the day. Yeah that would do it.

[Goin Commando]

Has anyone seen the movie On Any Sunday 2(I think it was that one, been alot of beers since I've seen it) Dude the road racer is ripping around on an XS11, flashing back on a recent crash-out he did on the track. Cool movie, I need to find it again.

I suppose that if I built bikes for a living, I would have to sell them for more money than they are worth. But 25 Gs for a bike that I can find leaning against the back of someones garage for 200 bucks, just about any where in the world!?.. I don't know man..
Maybe in 20 more years.

Whats that saying about polishing a turd?

[malber]

I don't think I've seen a bike on the Merriam site I like. The technical mods are fine, but the colors he picks and the styling, to me, are just gaudy. I think one of the bikes was yellow and brown! I like the classic styling of the stock XS. If Jones thinks that Yamaha got it right with the XS11, why mess with perfection?

Went to the Mall of NH last night and there were a couple of classic cafe racers there (Hondas I think). I wanted to stop and check them out and talk to the guys but SWMBO was with me. Can't complain though. She bought me my Christmas present: 155 piece set of Craftsman tools and a cordless drill.