Stampede Bike

[Pacifictime]

Hello,
I just joined XS100.com. I am going to build a bike for next year’s Stampede. The Stampede is a coast to coast race for hardtail choppers. No windshields, no fairings, no hard saddle bags and no chase vehicles. Struts are OK. This year The Stampede left from Lake Tahoe, CA and followed Hwy 50 more or less to the east coast then to Pine Bluff, NC, about 3300 miles.
I have considered using a Kawi KZ or a Suzuki GS as the basis for a Stampede race bike, but have recently been thinking of using a XS1100. I would never think of using a restorable XS, I just can't do that, but there are lots of bikes that have not been cared for cosmetically or have already been "customized" that are really not restorable (cubic dollars excepted).
I really have just a couple of questions that you XS Forum members could help with, first does the XS1100 have a rubber mounted engine, or any rubber bushings in the engine mounts? Second any thoughts on using the XS for the stampede. I've read most of the Hardtail threads and I like the looks of Hideki's build, (the first picture with the struts).
I know most don't like a hardtail but there are tricks to make them more comfortable. A properly sprung seat will do what the shocks do, ok, with a little more unsprung weight. Proper foot peg placement is important, that cruiser, foot forward placement makes your spine take up shocks where your legs should be doing that job.
Anyway thanks for letting me join your forum. I've got some pictures of Stampede bikes on my blog they are an interesting lot. I don't know if your Forum etiquette allows mention of one's own blog, if so just ask and I'll give the URL.

[3Phase]

Welcome to the forum, Pacifictime!

The Stampede sounds like fun so if you want to post a link to your blog I'd like to see the pictures of what other folks have done to their bikes.

To answer your questions:

1) The XS1100/XJ1100 engine has six rubber bushings with steel sleeves in the center for the engine mounts. There are four at the front of the engine, two upper and two lower, and two at the back on the transmission.

2) If you're still young and dumb enough to pound your pelvis through your pancreas and slam your spine up through the base of your skull with a cross-country trip on an XS11 that you turned into a hardtail with your own two hands: go for it!

[slow mo]

The Stampede sounds like fun so if you want to post a link to your blog I'd like to see the pictures of what other folks have done to their bikes.

To answer your questions:
2) If you're still young and dumb enough to pound your pelvis through your pancreas and slam your spine up through the base of your skull with a cross-country trip on an XS11 that you turned into a hardtail with your own two hands: go for it! [/QUOTE]

just loved the quote!!! ride safe ,,slow mo!

[fredintoon]

Hi Ray and welcome,
go with the struts!
That way you can put the shocks back in after the ride when you will really and truly believe in the wonder and glory of rear suspension.
The XS11's stock footpegs are OK as is to take your weight on at need and the seat can be improved in the modern mode with a layer of memory foam or in the old way with a sheepskin.
BTW, I have recently put a Lycett sprung saddle on my little BSA. It ain't as easy as I'd supposed to get a sprung seat low enough on a rear suspended bike
because the rear frame tubes run high up and horizontal so they get in the way.
I gotta do it over to get it more nearly right.

[Pacifictime]

Thanks, you guys rock

Thanks for the answers; you guys sure know your XS stuff. The URL for my blog is www.amotorcyclediary.blogspot.com.. This year Charlie the Nomad won again. If you look at his bike, a KZ900, it is a together machine. If you scroll down to the 1970 BSA A65 Lightening, well, I'm not so sure. 26 bikes started this year, 14 finished. I don’t know the winning time but last year it was 55 hours, but not the same course. It is hard to find info on The Stampede but if anyone is interested my email address is on the blog, I can send you more photos and other links.
I don’t think that any rubber is allowed in the engine mounts so the big XS may not be the best choice. I'm still shopping.
I'm not so young, but I do like a challenge. You can find a photo taken in the '70's of my old hardtail at the March 21, 2008 post. My first bike was a 1969 Yamaha DT-1 that I bought new, from K&N motorcycles, where Malcolm Smith was the head mechanic. He later bought the dealership and Ken & Norm started building air filters, but that's another story

[b.walker5]

I don’t think that any rubber is allowed in the engine mounts so the big XS may not be the best choice. I'm still shopping.

Dont let that stop you. It's easy enough to spin up some alloy inserts to replace the dampers. 1/2 an hour on a lathe for someone competent or an evening with a vice, electric drill and a good bastard file would take care of it. I wouldnt imagine that too much precision would be required for what your trying to achieve.

Sounds like fun. Painful, but fun.

[3Phase]

Ray, the pictures are great! Maybe next year....

If you can't fab some metal bushings for the engine/transmission mounts you might be able to find some metric bronze pilot bushings with an ID/OD that will work with the bolts and mount holes. Stack a couple of them side-by-side with some washers and you should be good to go!

My favorite sign in Death Valley was the sign on the way to the Heebee Jeebee crater that you visited; the sign that tell visitors to stay on the road to protect -- the volcano!

[natemoen]

Thanks for the answers; you guys sure know your XS stuff. The URL for my blog is www.amotorcyclediary.blogspot.com.. This year Charlie the Nomad won again. If you look at his bike, a KZ900, it is a together machine. If you scroll down to the 1970 BSA A65 Lightening, well, I'm not so sure. 26 bikes started this year, 14 finished. I don’t know the winning time but last year it was 55 hours, but not the same course. It is hard to find info on The Stampede but if anyone is interested my email address is on the blog, I can send you more photos and other links.
I don’t think that any rubber is allowed in the engine mounts so the big XS may not be the best choice. I'm still shopping.
I'm not so young, but I do like a challenge. You can find a photo taken in the '70's of my old hardtail at the March 21, 2008 post. My first bike was a 1969 Yamaha DT-1 that I bought new, from K&N motorcycles, where Malcolm Smith was the head mechanic. He later bought the dealership and Ken & Norm started building air filters, but that's another story

Send a PM to member xschop, he was making solid metal motor mounts and he may still have some. I know he was trying to sell off his stock a couple months ago.

[Pacifictime]

I'm glad you enjoyed the blog.
Making some bushings to replace the rubber would not be a problem. So I guess now it's just down to finding good deal. I will be checking Craig’s List as there is a large motorcycle community here in the SF Bay area. I will either go with a XS, GS or KZ. I've got till next June to get things done. I'll let you guys know how things go when I get the right bike. Thanks again for your help and friendliness.
Ray

[3Phase]

Ray, stop by when you decide which bike you're going to use even if it's not an XS!

[Mueller92672]

me to

I heard about the stampede a while back and I would love to do it. I’ve been thinking of ways to rigid my 80 special also; if you get an 11 I would get a standard because the tank is twice the size of a special tank. Struts and plugs is pretty much all it should take, tc bros choppers makes a set of forward controls for them and they have more comfortable bars then the stock ones like apes or drag bars , cool 7/8s bars are kind of hard to find. The stock ones kind of suck for long rides, at least for me they do. Also how much money does it take to do that run, right know my bike gets like 30 mpg so that would be about $4 or $500 just in gas then food I could be wrong but it seems like about a $600 trip one way and that’s if you sleep on the ground under your bike. Do you know how long it took about for all the riders that made it to get there? Man that sounds miserable but so much fun at the same time, I hope you get to do it next year and if I win the lotto ill be there on my rigid xs11 haha.

[latexeses]

Hmmm. 3100 miles devided by 55 hours. Little over 56mph for the 55 hours.

Didn't it take the Motorcycle World riders something like 60 hours to tag team across the country???

I'm going to guess that the winner was packing along a 10 pound bag of No-Doz.... or something stronger??

[Fireplug]

Pac, that's the best mag on the market. I am trying to get my xs ready for that run also. Just need to figure out the whole welding thing.

[Pacifictime]

Iron Butt riders are doing New York to San Francisco in less than 50 hours all the time. I'm an Iron Butt member and have done 1500 miles in less than 24 hours. I did mine entirely within California, which I think is harder because of the ever vigilant California Highway Patrol. I rode an Electra Glide which is a lot different than riding an unfaired, hardtail with a solid mounted engine.

I had a XJ750 Seca back in the 1980's, I really liked that bike and I have been doing some homework on putting a hardtail on a shaft driven bike. The hard way is to stretch the frame and drive shaft. The easier way and the way I would probably go for the upcoming year would be to just add a bar from the frame to the shock mount on the rear drive unit. It makes the bike look a little short for a chopper but with my skills I think it might be right for me for this year. Struts just don’t seem right especially when the seat needs to be sprung.

Anyway, if you go to my blog and click on the place at the bottom of any of The Stampede articles, all The Stampede articles will come up. Then just scroll down to the Tues Dec 7, 2010 article, all the finishing times for last year’s stampede are listed. The winner was 50 hours, my friend Wes Keysor came in 7th at 76:23 and the last finisher 141:48.

Sorry for being long winded and barely within the topic for this discussion section, but there seems to be a lot of interest in The Stampede and the XS1100 seems to be a natural for the event.

[Pacifictime]

I'm almost ready to go

I did not buy a Yamaha for the Stampede. I bought an '83 KZ1000P. It's an old California Highway Patrol bike that I think was a trainer bike. It has about 45k on the clock. I got a good deal on it. I lowered it 3" using struts and put 3" springs under the seat. It rides about like my wife’s Sportster.

It had rubber mounts and after a little learning curve, I put slugs in where the rubber was. I think the bike rides better than with the rubber mounted engine. The rubber was probably shot anyway.

I'm waiting for a 3 gallon gas tank from Coyote Gear, I'll mount it up, and then I'll be ready to go. The Stampede leaves from Barstow this year on June 17. I have been neglecting my blog but will try to get some photos of the bike published soon. Wish me luck and thanks for your help and interest.