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Just finishing up the front end on my 78 XS11E. I wanted to take this rebuild in 3 phases - front end, middle (engine) and rear. Every piece of the front end was dissassembled, polished, cleaned, replaced, painted, etc. - well, I still have the wheel to finish. I wanted stronger brakes, tighter suspension and just a cleaner look as I looked down on the dash. Started as a winter project but I lost momentum until about 2 weeks ago. Crappy weather in the midwest got me motivated to get this done.
Here is a list of what was done:
Took apart forks, installed race tech springs, new oil, new seals, polished fork legs. Stripped all triple tree items and painted black and replaced steering stem bearings. New master cylinder from Mikes XS, dual steel braided lines, rebuilt front calipers, polished the calipers, painted the brackets. New clutch perch from pile of parts, painted black, new clutch cable. Stripped and painted tach and speedo buckets. Polished every bolt or replaced with chrome. Bought a new right side switch from Mikes XS - need to figure out how to wire as it did not come with a diagram and wire colors are different. Put on bar end mirrors to get away from the crappy mirrors I had. Headlight shell cleaned up, polished the headlight ears and turn signals. All chrome is sparkling.
Overall the brakes are killer and the clutch now works quietly and pulls very easily. Brakes are very progressive and not stiff. I did notice that the front end now dives because the brakes are so good. The new springs and fork oil make the front end less likely to feel loose and wobbly. I may need to do some adjusting to get it right.
Overall, very pleased with the enhancements. Looks great and works better. Am in the process of stripping the front wheel to have it powder coated and also getting the brake rotors cleaned and painted. This will complete the front end.
Pics coming soon!
Here is a list of what was done:
Took apart forks, installed race tech springs, new oil, new seals, polished fork legs. Stripped all triple tree items and painted black and replaced steering stem bearings. New master cylinder from Mikes XS, dual steel braided lines, rebuilt front calipers, polished the calipers, painted the brackets. New clutch perch from pile of parts, painted black, new clutch cable. Stripped and painted tach and speedo buckets. Polished every bolt or replaced with chrome. Bought a new right side switch from Mikes XS - need to figure out how to wire as it did not come with a diagram and wire colors are different. Put on bar end mirrors to get away from the crappy mirrors I had. Headlight shell cleaned up, polished the headlight ears and turn signals. All chrome is sparkling.
Overall the brakes are killer and the clutch now works quietly and pulls very easily. Brakes are very progressive and not stiff. I did notice that the front end now dives because the brakes are so good. The new springs and fork oil make the front end less likely to feel loose and wobbly. I may need to do some adjusting to get it right.
Overall, very pleased with the enhancements. Looks great and works better. Am in the process of stripping the front wheel to have it powder coated and also getting the brake rotors cleaned and painted. This will complete the front end.
Pics coming soon!
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