Windjammer or Cafe racer windshiled?

[Mad Dog Doug]

Classic Bikes

Both of these bikes are dynomite looking and the 500 single is just too cool and in a way reminds me of my first Yamaha...
Take care of that 500, it's very rare and cannot be replaced.

Dan

Both bikes pictured above are new to me this Summer. The SR500 is identical to another I have, but completely stock. This frees me to take my original SR500 to a custom cafe style. Here it is now:



Strangely, in my search for the perfect Thumper I came across the XS1100LH, which turns out to be rarer than the 500s. My MNS is one of only 500 made.

The 1100 is going to be my dally rider, the stock SR500 is going into preservation mode, ridden little but appreciated much. The number one SR will be my hooligan ride, loud, unruly, and an embarrassment to any who dare to follow me on twisty roads.

[madmax-im]

Mine is kind of in between the two. It's an old Shoei fairing. They are still out there, though they are getting a bit tough to find. It blocks the wind well, but cuts it to where I have a higher top speed than when the bike was naked.





Tod

Damn...Tod thats a cool fairing too...never knew Shoei made this kind of thing...it looks much better than the windjammer...if you know where to find another I would like to get my hands on it...BTW if you would pls post some more pics of this fairing from different perspectives....pretty pls???

[CatatonicBug]

Strangely, in my search for the perfect Thumper I came across the XS1100LH, which turns out to be rarer than the 500s. My MNS is one of only 500 made.

Thats questionable... So far, it's only a rumor that there were only 250 MNS's made each year ('80 & '81). The Serial numbers tell a different tale though. They go well into the thousands.

[Dan Hodges]

Blowing In The Wind

Mine is kind of in between the two. It's an old Shoei fairing. They are still out there, though they are getting a bit tough to find. It blocks the wind well, but cuts it to where I have a higher top speed than when the bike was naked.





Tod

Okay, I just gotta know, how fast will it go?

[trbig]

never knew Shoei made this kind of thing...

I came home from lunch not long after I'd put the fairing on and parked in my 2nd drive, which is gravel. After lunch, I jumped on and went to take off... but the front caliper hadn't released.. and plop. Broken turn signal. I called Shoei to see if they had any replacements and the kid on the phone said, "Ummm.. fairing?? Dude, we just make helmets." I told him their name was all over the thing including the turn signals. He put me on hold and I got an older guy from the back who told me that Shoei hadn't made a fairing in over 20 years.

I've seen a couple since, but not many. There are more of the smaller cafe style out there than these. I also had to make the mounting frame from scratch. I'll try to see if I have any other pics/angles, Ben. The fairing also has a square headlight, but the insides have been chopped out by the PO so there's no pockets or anything in this one. Since I dumped it a couple months ago, it has some fiberglass work and paint to be done.

Okay, I just gotta know, how fast will it go?

Ummmm... according to the speedo.. 85!

Tod

[Dan Hodges]

Velesco Fairing

According to a copy of Cycle World from 1984, the Velesco fairing was the best and most aerodynamic fairing ever made for the XS-Eleven. They were certainly cool looking but how well they worked is beyond me because I've never rode an XS equipped with one. I've located one of these things and now all I have to do is get the owner drunk and make him an offer he can't refuse.
Attached is a members bike wearing one of the fairings by Don Velesco and a beauty it is.

[Dan Hodges]

According to a copy of Cycle World from 1984, the Velesco fairing was the best and most aerodynamic fairing ever made for the XS-Eleven. They were certainly cool looking but how well they worked is beyond me because I've never rode an XS equipped with one. I've located one of these things and now all I have to do is get the owner drunk and make him an offer he can't refuse.
Attached is a members bike wearing one of the fairings by Don Velesco and a beauty it is.

[Dan Hodges]

I came home from lunch not long after I'd put the fairing on and parked in my 2nd drive, which is gravel. After lunch, I jumped on and went to take off... but the front caliper hadn't released.. and plop. Broken turn signal. I called Shoei to see if they had any replacements and the kid on the phone said, "Ummm.. fairing?? Dude, we just make helmets." I told him their name was all over the thing including the turn signals. He put me on hold and I got an older guy from the back who told me that Shoei hadn't made a fairing in over 20 years.

I've seen a couple since, but not many. There are more of the smaller cafe style out there than these. I also had to make the mounting frame from scratch. I'll try to see if I have any other pics/angles, Ben. The fairing also has a square headlight, but the insides have been chopped out by the PO so there's no pockets or anything in this one. Since I dumped it a couple months ago, it has some fiberglass work and paint to be done.



Ummmm... according to the speedo.. 85!

Tod

Sorry, I thought you had made the speedometer conversion like Maximan did to his XJ. On the Interstate, an 85 mph speedometer is practically worthless but you can use the tach once you crunch the numbers and determine what RPM it takes to generate X mile an hour.

I wasn't aware that you dumped your bike, hopefully you didn't hurt yourself or the bike too bad, it doesn't take much to screw one up good.

Dan

[trbig]

Nope, I never did the speedo conversion. I have, however, gotten GPS that's much more accurate than any of these old speedos were/are. The highest I've had registered on it was 136. And if you're a cop.. I meant that in kilometers!

I wasn't aware that you dumped your bike,

Yup.. I can apparently do twisties at over 120 with Cody, but can't do 20 in parking lots with gravel.


Tod

[Cobia]

Don Vesco Fairings

Hey guys,
Did a little google-ing and found that this company http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/yamaz/vesco.htm has the molds to the Vesco fairings. They look very, very nice!!
Good luck.

[Dan Hodges]

Nope, I never did the speedo conversion. I have, however, gotten GPS that's much more accurate than any of these old speedos were/are. The highest I've had registered on it was 136. And if you're a cop.. I meant that in kilometers!




Yup.. I can apparently do twisties at over 120 with Cody, but can't do 20 in parking lots with gravel.


Tod

There is an old saying, there are those who have crashed and there are those who will and the slow ones are what get's ya, been there done that.

136 mph is smokin for a mildly modified Eleven on a level road and yes all speedos are generally a little optimistic. I figure mine based off the rear tire diameter, gear ratio and RPM but even that isn't dead nut on because the tach isn't dead nut on but it's close. I have a hand held radar gun that I bought used from the police department but I've really never been able to find a place that was secluded enough where I could plant someone with the gun and make an all out run toward it.
If I'm passing a string of cars and trucks that are going 75-80 I like to know what I'm doing when I pass them rather than just guess at it which is why I put a 79 Special speedometer on mine when I first got it in 1981.

I've had some pretty quick bikes in my life and still do even though my V-Max is becoming somewhat dated and long in the tooth and needs a big bore kit, cams and so forth, kinda like the same mods I did to my XS. I didn't buy any of my bikes without knowing how fast they would go in MPH and my XS Eleven is mighty quick, for an XS Eleven.

I like racing from a dead stop and running flat out on the open road. I don't like racing in the twisties, if I did I would get a different type of motorcycle.

Good luck on your repairs.

Dan

[Silent]

Hey guys,
Did a little google-ing and found that this company http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/yamaz/vesco.htm has the molds to the Vesco fairings. They look very, very nice!!
Good luck.

I've ordered complete body kits from Airtech before, and the quality is "ok". You'll have to find and drill any mounting holes yourself if you go that route, and do alot of triming to get them to fit the way you want them to. You'll also have to fill, prime, and paint the pieces. They are race based plastics ment to look good from 10 feet away.

[CatatonicBug]

all speedos are generally a little optimistic.

I dunno about that... My speedo is a pesimist. I compared it to my GPS, and when the Speedo says 70, I'm actually going about 75. Basically, it's accurate up to about 50-55, but after that, it drops off considerably.

[Dan Hodges]

Speedometer Accuracy

I dunno about that... My speedo is a pesimist. I compared it to my GPS, and when the Speedo says 70, I'm actually going about 75. Basically, it's accurate up to about 50-55, but after that, it drops off considerably.

I went to my file of Cycle World test on the XS and in the February 79 issue they had a complete test on the 79 Special. The speedometer error was, at 30 mph, the speedometer indicated 27 mph and at 60 mph the speedometer indicated 57 mph. All Specials were equipped with a 3.50H-19 Bridgestone Mag Mopus front tire and if you change the diameter of the front tire you change the accuracy/reading of the speedometer. A stock Eleven had a 4.76 to 1 gear ratio in 5th. gear and with a 26.18 inch rear tire (mine) you are doing 81.76 MPH @ 5000 Rpm. On my Special the speedometer is indicating 80 MPH @ 5000 Rpm and I'm actually going 81.76 MPH. @ 8500 Rpm with this combo you are doing 139 MPH and the math doesn't lie. On a drag race car the rear tires will grow by at least an inch at 140 MPH depending on the tire and weight of the car however the growth of the tires on a street bike tire at this speed is nil to nothing according to Dunlop. I have a direct read out hand held tach that will read/check the Rpm of any spinning object, IE, fan blades, flywheel or timing plate and it's dead nut on. I use it for a multitude of things one being to check the accuracy of my motorcycle tacs. I have an MSD shift lite on both my Special and V-Max and it can be set to come on from 3,000 Rpm to 13,800 Rpm in 200 Rpm increments and I sometimes set it to come on @ 5000 Rpm to check my set up for accuracy and 9000 Rpm is the self imposed limit on the XS. Once you know the tac error if any, you can do the math and know exactly where you are at.

A stock speedometer or a GPS if you prefer is fine for the Interstate but for serious folks a shift lite is preferred and on a V-Max it's mandatory because at full throttle git it on time you ain't got time to gawk at that peanut sized tac on the guage panel.

What is the margin of error on your GPS system?

Dan

[Dan Hodges]

I've ordered complete body kits from Airtech before, and the quality is "ok". You'll have to find and drill any mounting holes yourself if you go that route, and do alot of triming to get them to fit the way you want them to. You'll also have to fill, prime, and paint the pieces. They are race based plastics ment to look good from 10 feet away.

Thanks for the info on this combination. Hopefully I can talk the fella at Donelson Cycles out of his because all it needs is a color change from red to black.
If I can't I'll be checking this out.

Dan