new bike owner

[Ralphdogg]

just wanted to drop a post first to introduce myself. i am a new bike rider and a new xs 11 owner. i have been riding for about 2 years now and i just picked up my xs about 2 months ago. the 1980 xs100 special was wrecked when i bought it and i have been fixing it up for the past 2 months in my spare time. i am pretty pumped to get the bike on the road and ditch my old ninja 250.

here is a picture of the yamaha the day i picked it up. i consider it totaled because of the condition it was in, it didn't run and i think it was rolled over a few times.







as of right now the bike is just about finished. i have turned it into a bobber/custom bike. the bike still has fenders and most of the stock components, but i took off most of the additional things i didn't need or want.

[Ralphdogg]

here is a pic from the same day after we cut and removed some parts. it's what i was going for in my head.

[DGXSER]

Very nice looking. That is what I want to pick up next, a tortured old 11 to play around with and make into something unique. Love to see pics of what you have now. Also what did you do with the parts you removed, like the seat. Does not look like your reusing it. Looks like the king/queen from a 79.

[Trainzz]

Welcome

Congrats on your purchase. Remember we love pictures hear so keep posting them as you rebuilt. Good luck!

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome to the forum! Looks like you've got quite a project there! Definitely toss/replace that fairing, and I hope you got rid of that seat . Are you planning to restore it to stock, or do something a bit more creative with it?

Also, be very careful with this upgrade! You'll be very surprised the first time you hit the gas on this thing how much oomph it has - especially for such a heavy bike. It will try to rip right out of your hands and leave you on the pavement.

[Korr]

I loved how you moved the rear fender in. It looks pretty sweet!

[Ralphdogg]

i do still have the rear seat. it was a bit bent up from the crash but i had to save it. it reminds me of a video game chair. i am not going to put it back on the bike, i have a small solo seat now from ebay.

i picked up the bike from a towing company that had towed it from the accident. the original owner didn't pay the towing bill so that's how i got it.

i did manage to get it running before i started to fix it up. i wanted to make sure it ran before i dumped any time and money into it. i took it for a quick ride and then started to tear into it. it was much quicker than i expected, the handlebars were so bent up from the accident it was hard to handle.

the bike is just about finished and it is completely different. i have a few pictures of the buildup but i do not have them on the computer yet. it's kinda like a bobber/ 40's style bike. i am trying to keep the entire build under $500

a used un-dented tank was WAY to expensive!
here is a taste of the new paint, the tank all finished up. it was pretty dented from the crash so i added a ton of puddy to the tank to get it just right.

[latexeses]

Welcome to the site,

Man, that thing was really bruised up!

Doesn't look like you are a stranger to wrenching!

Keep us posted!

[3Phase]

Nice work, Ralph, welcome the the forum!


Regards,

Scott

[petejw]

Welcome to the forum,
Really nice work on the tank,
how did you go about repairing it?

[CatatonicBug]

Really nice work on the tank,
how did you go about repairing it?

No kidding! That's nice work! Tell us - how'd you do that!??

[fredintoon]

just wanted to drop a post first to introduce myself. i am a new bike rider and a new xs 11 owner. i have been riding for about 2 years now and i just picked up my xs about 2 months ago. the 1980 xs100 special was wrecked when i bought it and i have been fixing it up for the past 2 months in my spare time. i am pretty pumped to get the bike on the road and ditch my old ninja 250. - - - -

Hi Ralph and welcome,
see Andreas Weiss in the bikes and parts for sale sections for a tank and other items at reasonable costs. And let's be careful out there; switching from a 250 Ninja to an XS11 is like switching from a jeep to an Abrams, except you can't fall off an Abrams.

[Ralphdogg]

Welcome to the forum,
Really nice work on the tank,
how did you go about repairing it?

i had a ton of putty laying around. i started with fiberglass and then used regular bondo. it took a few coats but i am happy with the progress.

i have a small off road fabrication business and i had the stickers laying around. i used the stickers as stencils for the black paint.

[Ralphdogg]

Hi Ralph and welcome,
see Andreas Weiss in the bikes and parts for sale sections for a tank and other items at reasonable costs. And let's be careful out there; switching from a 250 Ninja to an XS11 is like switching from a jeep to an Abrams, except you can't fall off an Abrams.

exactly! the xs felt like a rocket compared to the ninja 250. i was looking for a 600-900cc bike since i am 5' 6" tall but ended up with the xs11. so far i am very happy that i found the bike and would not trade it for anything.

[8SpadeEpiphany]

Luggage?

Hey was the luggage in salvageable shape? Were you looking to keep or sell it if you still have them around? I'd be interested to buy if you're selling, depending on the shape of course. Private Message me if you're interested. Thanks