79 frame vs 80 frame

[thewright1]

Hi All,

Would anyone happen to know if there are major differences between the 1979 frame and the 1980 frame for the XS1100 model?

[rockjok]

A few years ago I broke the frame on my 79SF. I had a non running 80SG and I swapped everything from the 79 to the 80 frame. There were a few places that the mounting bolts etc didn't quite line up but I managed to get everything installed.

It was primarily in the rear since the fender was changed between the years and I wanted to keep the 79 fender and taillight which is completely different from the 80. I also ended up using the entire 79 wiring harness since some connectors are different and component mounts weren't quite the same.

It helped to have the bikes side by side for comparison and I took lots of digital pics during the process, mainly of wiring routing. I wish I hadn't deleted them all when I was done since I can't remember the specific problems I had. It is doable, just don't get in a rush.

Luck, Rob

[DGXSER]

I am by no means experienced at this like Rockjok, but I do recall the mounting of the side covers is different between those years as well.

[thewright1]

Cool, I was thinking of taking on a lengthy project of moving everything over to a new frame (by the end of summer type of thing). I'm still debating it though. I may just wait for a 1980 frame.