My 78 XS11 Project

[tri650]

My 78 project:



A few close ups:




The donor bike. Paid $400 for a complete running bike. Lots of great chrome and other parts that I am transfering to my project bike.


Forks from donor bike that I have polished.


Thinking about new springs and emulators. Front end is Phase 1 of this project. I have already rebuilt the front calipers and polished them. Awaiting on brake pads. Will put on braided lines and new master cylinder. I want to run dual lines from the mc as opposed to one line with a splitter. Also want to strip front wheel and repaint and have front rotors resurfaced.

I put on lower superbike bars and they are almost like clip-ons. Really like the position as I feel like I am riding a sport. I am thinking of making this bike my cafe racer - albeit a big one.

Will provide updates on progress.

[cywelchjr]

Nice looking bike. I'm not sure I like the bars, but I don't like having to lean way over so that's just a personal thing. Other than that, looks nice and clean. I like what you did with the polished parts, and the calipers look pretty good too.

[tri650]

Funny, but I got tired of the cruiser riding position. Once I was hunched over it gave the bike a totally different feel. I was riding it a lot more aggressively and having a blast. Granted, I wouldn't want to be in that position for 500 miles, but it was a lot of fun on the twisties for an hour.

[slow mo]

very nice looking bike ,and i kind of agree that the forward seated position might lead to a more aggressive feel,,thanks for posting and ride safe ,,slow mo!

[cywelchjr]

+1 on the more aggressive feel. I would debate the stock position being a cruiser position, the pegs and controls are too far back for that. There are as I understand it three basic riding stances in production machines, sport bike position, this includes most sport touring bikes, and allows for some variance, but basically more of the laid down stance. Then there is the standard bike position, which is more upright, feet more down below, back pretty straight, AFAICT the goldwing uses this position, and is one of the few bikes still on the market that does. Then last is the cruiser position, with the feet rather forward, leaned back a bit, for a more laid back ride. These bikes stock fall into the standard stance, but I've seen them modified both directions, both into cruiser mode with the forward controls, and sport bike mode with rearsets and bars like yours or clipons.

I personally prefer the standard riding position, which is most comfortable for me, but the fact the everybody has their own preferences is why there have always been modification kits for so many models out there, to make it better match the stance YOU enjoy.

[mack]

unwanted stickers

wouldn't you just love to catch the guy in the process of placing the sticker on your fork leg.

[fredintoon]

My 78 project:
- - - want to - - - have front rotors resurfaced - - -

Hi Tri,
Yamaha stainless rotors are a right swine to resurface. A brake & muffler shop's rotor resurfacing machine will only make the thing look like a ploughed field.
It's not too bad to drill a hole pattern in them (drill press, cobalt drill bit, low speed, high bit pressure, lotsa cutting fluid) and the surfaces on a drilled rotor actually improve with use.
Better yet (and far less work) is to swap in slotted rotors from a later model.

[bcknblkbird]

i painted my wheels with satin black rust-oleum,thinned it out a little so it would not leave brush marks. did both wheels with a modle car brush in a half day and later polished the outer rims, turned out great!!

[bikerphil]

Drilled rotors....

[crazy steve]

[QUOTE=cywelchjr;304408I personally prefer the standard riding position, which is most comfortable for me, but the fact the everybody has their own preferences is why there have always been modification kits for so many models out there, to make it better match the stance YOU enjoy.[/QUOTE]

I'm with Cy, I like a 'standard' riding position. The way I define it is, if you can stand straight on the pegs and still easily reach the bars with decent control, it's 'standard'. That's generally impossible to do on a 'cruiser', and you're leaned way forward on a 'sport'. Being able to stand up straight is particularly useful if riding crappy roads with big potholes that you can't avoid...

[lee_dutcher]

lol my wife hates it when i stand going over pot holes... i think its becuase my ass is in her face or my wallet not in my back pocket

[NotDeadYet]

I like those handlebars. Any idea what kind they are?

[cywelchjr]

I'm with Cy, I like a 'standard' riding position. The way I define it is, if you can stand straight on the pegs and still easily reach the bars with decent control, it's 'standard'. That's generally impossible to do on a 'cruiser', and you're leaned way forward on a 'sport'. Being able to stand up straight is particularly useful if riding crappy roads with big potholes that you can't avoid...

Hey Steve, Greg XSOkieSpecial asked me to tell you "it feels pretty good to stand up and let the blood rush back into your a$$ after youve been on the road for about 4 or 5 hours too. LOL "

He can read here, but can't write, so asked me to pass this on.

[crazy steve]

Hey Steve, Greg XSOkieSpecial asked me to tell you "it feels pretty good to stand up and let the blood rush back into your a$$ after youve been on the road for about 4 or 5 hours too. LOL "

Well, that's not an issue for me anymore as my back is bad enough that I can't ride that long anyway. But it does make a difference for me when going out my private so-called 'road' to the county road. You can't miss all the potholes, so standing and taking the bumps in the legs is much preferred over jolting my spine.

But I know what he means; stopping for fuel and falling over when you get off the bike 'cause your a$$ is asleep is not cool...

[cywelchjr]

Well, that's not an issue for me anymore as my back is bad enough that I can't ride that long anyway. But it does make a difference for me when going out my private so-called 'road' to the county road. You can't miss all the potholes, so standing and taking the bumps in the legs is much preferred over jolting my spine.

But I know what he means; stopping for fuel and falling over when you get off the bike 'cause your a$$ is asleep is not cool...

He says "I've come close but haven't had that happen yet. The hardest thing for me when I stop for gas after being on the road is those tight turns to get to the pumps. My arms don't want to work."