Sissy bar Mounts

[nwforester]

Anyone know if a sissybar of a 77 650 will fit a 79 1100 special? Here's a pic of it mounted on the 650. Looks like if I were to shear that vertical mounting tab off, it might work???

[DiverRay]

You need to ask yourself "what is the distance between the mount bolts on the 650 shocks VS the XS1100 shocks?". ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY!!!
I don't know for sure, but as I've owned BOTH bikes at one time or another, I would say you CAN make it work. The question is, how much work do you want to do???????

[CatatonicBug]

My first thought would be "no". It needs 2 mounting points, and though you may be able to use the shocks on the 1100, the only rear point t mount on the Special is where the grab bar mounts, and that bracket is perpendicular to the sissy bar itself. You're probably better off waiting to find one that is actually made to fit the Special. They are around, you just have to be patient and keep your eyes peeled.

[fredintoon]

Close, but no cigar.

I tried the cast aluminum grabrail from a 1981 XS650 onto my XS11SG. Didn't fit.
My attempted trial fit-up showed that the XS11 shocks are perhaps an inch wider apart than the XS650 shocks.
So just perhaps you could, as you say, remove the upward mounting tabs.
You'd also have to hot-bend the shock-mount tab loop further apart, bolt or weld on a flatbar strut to the XS11's
rear flasher mounts and mount the flashers in the XS650 sissybar's flasher mounts.
(MikesXS sells the egg-shaped XS650 flasher stem bases)
But that's a load of work and the sissybar chrome would be discoloured from the torch heat.
I'd say only do it if you can't find an XS11 one.

[nwforester]

I've been searching for months. It's killing me. I bought a friggin' sweet, high back stepped seat in the fall of last year and am almost done refinishing. But I'm a bit worried about telling my wife to just lean back and relax on it without having a sissybar there for 'just in case' support.

Thanks for all the input. Any if anyone has a lead on a bar for the XS, definitely feel free to send it my way!

[fredintoon]

I've been searching for months. It's killing me. I bought a friggin' sweet, high back stepped seat in the fall of last year and am almost done refinishing. But I'm a bit worried about telling my wife to just lean back and relax on it without having a sissybar there for 'just in case' support. - - -

Don't sweat it, if the seat pan of your hi-back is anything like the one I sawed the back off
(I hate the things, takes all sorts, don't it?)
the seat pan's raised tail is as strong as a bridge, betcha if you reefed on the back of that seat the mountings would tear out before the tail bent back.