a new stable mate

[SFSPECBIKER79]

i just bought a 80 xs1100 standard the seat is in bad condition . i am wanting to put a special tank and a special seat. on it. will i runn into any trouble doing that?

[CatatonicBug]

Well, the mounting brackets won't work without some modification. However, there are plenty of people who have done it. Congrats on the new addition!

[fredintoon]

i just bought a 80 xs1100 standard the seat is in bad condition . i am wanting to put a special tank and a special seat. on it. will i run into any trouble doing that?

Hi rowdyboy,
there maybe some minor fit-up and adaptation issues. The Standard's seat cone won't match the Special seat, you must keep the Standard's rheostat fuel level sender to be compatible with it's fuel gauge and as the the two tank's sender ports are on different sides the sender has to go in backwards and I'm not sure it will fit like that. Or stay with the Special's thermistor sender and rig a red light for it. As the Standard don't have an octopus valve and the Special's gas taps are not vacuum-opened (The taps don't swap) you gotta be like dad and remember to turn the gas off when you stop.
The only trouble you will run into is running onto reserve after 100 miles and finding that the Special's reserve ain't no US gallon, it'll get you 15 miles tops.

[SFSPECBIKER79]

trying to lower the seat height

what i need is to lower the seat height on my 80 standard.i just trying to do it with out much hassle. my legs are just 29 or 30 inches i need more feet on the ground to feel comfortable. i know that the rear wheel is 1 inch bigger than the special. they could be a possibility of changing the rear wheel. with that said, what would have to be changed for that to work, im thinking the brake caliper and the disk are the same as the special, but i'm not sure if the differential will match up to the 16 inch special wheel. if this worked i could lower the front end in the tripple tree. and that would work out. giving me a inch or so. i have read about the rear shock tip,but it does not mention what kind of shock to use,like what bike year and model the shock used to get the lower effect.if any one has done any of the above, and would share what they have done to get it to work out.i appreciate any help or ideas thanks in advance and thanks for the previous replies.

[fredintoon]

Duck's disease?

what i need is to lower the seat height on my 80 standard.- - -

Hi Rowdyboy,
me too, it seems we share an inseam measurement. I cheated and hung a sidecar on mine.
The 16" wheel plugs in without too much hassle but I've never done it; the search function is bound to have the details.
It won't gain you as much as you hope for because the 16" Special wheel runs a fatter tire.
Yes you can fit shorter rear shocks and raise the fork tubes up in the triple trees to match and that WILL lower the bike.
BUT it will scrape easier on corners and you will have to modify the side stand or the bike will fall over and modify the centre stand unless you are as strong as a gorilla.
From the handling aspect it's best you lower your arse rather than lower the bike.
You can re-upholster the seat with only half the padding or you can remove the stock seat and use one of those solo seats you see on choppers.

[CatatonicBug]

You can re-upholster the seat with only half the padding

I think this is probably the best bet from several angles. You get to keep the original pan (which you already have) so it naturally fits on the bike without modifying the bike in any way. If you ever decide to pass it on to another rider, they can always just redo the seat back to stock. The covers are reatively inexpensive, and you can either do it yourself or have it professionally done for just over $100 (so I hear).

[scalded dog]

I think this is probably the best bet from several angles. You get to keep the original pan (which you already have) so it naturally fits on the bike without modifying the bike in any way. If you ever decide to pass it on to another rider, they can always just redo the seat back to stock. The covers are reatively inexpensive, and you can either do it yourself or have it professionally done for just over $100 (so I hear).

The special wheel will fit, but I had to use the special spacer and the special caliper set up, but then my kickstand didn't work to well, had to be careful where I put the stand down, but I only ran it for a couple weeks. Later 'Dog