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Pics of the project journey...

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  • #1

    Pics of the project journey...

    I have never posted pics of the my bike as original, largely because I could not find them. I finally tracked them down tonight, so here are the pictures of the journey...

    Day one:


    First paint and cleanup:


    Buckhorns gone:


    Second paint:


    Ace bars, no bags:


    Third paint (current):




    What a journey! I have had the bike since April of 2008, and like it more every day!
    Last edited by T99Ford; 06-29-2010, 10:29 PM.
    Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

    Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson
    Tags: None
  • #2
    OK, what did you do with the old exhaust?
    79 XS11 Special (Lazarus)
    80 XS850 Special (Old Faithful)
    80 XS11 Standard sorta stock (Beatrice)
    79 DT 100

    Comment

    • #3
      Here is my question....... The bike is a 'special', but the 'final' tank is a standard....

      how did that work? I acquired a grabrail/taillight assembly for nuthin and want to add it to my standard...but the seat issue stumps me. the standard seats will not allow for the grab bar..and most have stated that the special seat wont fit the standard bike all that well....

      Is it a fitment thing that only the "standard" tank will fit the special okay...and the special seat wont fit the standard frame or what?

      i dont want to throw down big coin on a seat that wont do me any good......

      bike looks AWESOME. I am looking to do something similar with 'Sunshine..just not so low with the bars...maybe drag style...dunno yet.
      '81H (my first XS ) "Grey Ghost"
      Stock Pilots/ 110 mains (to change)
      4:1 Jardine w/ headerwrap
      Windjammer(wiring issues)
      SonyMarine unit for Ipod/Polk Speakers
      New paint/brakes to come!!
      ===============
      '80G FrankenBike (parts bike)
      ===============
      '80G to fix "BlackSunshine"
      Stock Pilots/125 mains
      Pod filters; 4:1 Kerker??
      SS Brake lines w/ new M/C's
      LED Brake Lite
      Needs paint....

      It is better to be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt....

      Comment

      • #4
        Ha ha! I knew that question would come up. It actually was not in as good of condition as it looks. It was broken in several places, and was actually rusting out around the cracks since they had not been repaired. The bottoms of the pipes were pretty rough also. It would have taken a lot to repair, so I did not save it. In retrospect, maybe I should have...but they were really not very good.
        Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

        Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

        Comment

        • #5
          Looks real nice, mean! I like the final paint, the only thing I'd change if it were my bike is the seat and rear fender, they just don't fit in my mind.

          Any problems with the headlight whacking the front fender? Looks really low on the forks.
          1979 xs1100 Special -
          Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

          Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

          Originally posted by fredintoon
          Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
          My Bike:
          [link is broken]

          Comment

          • #6
            Bike looks great, but just curious, T99...

            Do you have full stop to stop steering with those bars in that position? ... they look like Clubman, right? If not, how do you manage without that full steering range?
            80G Mini-bagger
            VM33 Smooth bores, Pods, 4/1 Supertrapp, SS brake lines, fork brace

            Past XS11s

            79F Stone stocker and former daily driver, sold May '10 now converting for N.O. to cafe style
            79SF eventually dismantled for parts
            79F Bought almost new in 80, sold for a house
            79F The Ernie bike sold to a Navy dude summer 08
            79SF Squared-off Special, Vetter/Bates tour pkg., Mikes XS coils, G rear fender and tail light. Sold June 09

            Comment

            • #7
              It looks Awesome!! I'm wanting to make mine a cafe racer once I get the money and time to do so. You'll have to be my resource!
              1981 xs1100SH, my first bike and bike project!

              Comment

              • #8
                Thanks for all the props, guys! The clubs don't interfere with the tank at all. They clear on the one side by about 1/4 inch. So I do have the full steering range, even with the Standard tank. The clubs fit well, but require some cable re-routing to work. Nothing serious, though.
                The standard tank is pretty much a direct bolt on, except that the fuel level indicator is different, and there is a drain tube that runs from the fuel cap well and exits just ahead of the seat. This poses only a minor seat fit issue that is easy to overcome. The rest benefits of the standard tank are many!
                The headlight hit the fender a lot more when I had the lower steady rest bracket still on the bottom of the bucket. I cut that bracket off since the new mounts are more secure anyway, and now the light just barely ticks the fender on a hard bump. Actually, it has been run to fit, and does not hit at all anymore. Lowering the headlamp is probably my favorite mod next to the tank that I have done for changing the "peaky" profile of the stock bike.
                The rear is an ongoing project. I have been working on fiberglass cowl models that keep the two up seat, and haven't been able to light on anything yet. That is actually the next scheduled change for this bike, though, since I am not really wild about it either. Originally I wanted a Thruxton single seat, but it turns out my wife likes to ride along, and I would rather have that than the solo seat...
                Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                Comment

                • #9
                  Oops! drooled on the keyboard!

                  I may just have to borrow these photos for the good ideas folder
                  1980 XS1100LG (MNS)
                  Tucson, AZ
                  It's just like the beach, but with cactus and the tide comes in only a few times a year.

                  Be nice to scooters.
                  How would you feel with out the ability to get away from the cars?

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    I like it a lot. I'm hoping to hunt down a standard tank on mine too. Your bike was one of the the reasons I picked mine up. I was looking around to see how much work it would take to make this bike look better.
                    80 xs11 special- pods, kerker, cafe seat/tail, clubmans.
                    2000 s10- 5.3 v8 swap, cam, stall, ford rear with 3.73s and posi, upgraded brakes, lowered, traction bars, larger sway bar, and a bunch of other stuff..

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Very nice. I like it.

                      blkryno

                      81 11 SH (83 Venture cct, Tkat fork brace on )
                      79 11 SF (83 Venture cct on the shelf for it.)

                      Semper Fi

                      Loud Pipes
                      Draw Cops

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        The metamorphosis was great and you ended up with a very well finished bike. It's easy to ruin a bike. It takes a good eye, and a good plan to get that nice of a result.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Your bike is a huge improvement on the original (no disrespect to anyone who has this version and likes it) IMO. Third paint is excellent. It's a stylish, exciting looking bike that's been done tastefully and is much nicer than the original!
                          XS1100F 1980 European model. Standard. Dyna coils. Iridium plugs. XS750 final drive (sometimes). Micron fork brace. Progressive front springs. Geezer regulator/rectifier. Stainless 4 into 2 exhaust. Auto CCT (Venturer 1300) SOLD. New project now on the go. 1980 European model.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Thanks for the kind words, all! I really enjoyed this bike, and the whole evolution, and was sad to see it go when I sold it. It was a great beginner bike, and if I didn't have a whole stable full of sport-type bikes, I would have kept it for sure!

                            For anyone interested, I did notice that it is back on Craigslist as of a couple days ago...

                            http://bozeman.craigslist.org/mcy/2551045324.html
                            Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                            Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                            Comment

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