shorter fenders for an 80' eleven.

[new model army]

Mostly cosmetic inquiries from me today.

What options are out there concerning shorter back fenders along with smaller tail lights for an 80' xs standard.

thanks,


Mark

[natemoen]

Whatever you can modify to fit in there. There is NO aftermarket support for this bike.

[new model army]

Good info. to know there Nate concerning the NO aftermarket parts.

Would a 78' or 79' xs eleven back fender work on the 80' standard?

I ask this because in a couple of photos I have seen of the 78's and 79's, that their back fenders look shorter and the tail light smaller. I am kind of assuming that these photos were of stock xs'. I very well could be wrong.

Could I have the 80' xs standard back fender shortened by way of having it cut?


thanks!,


Mark

[fredintoon]

- - - Would a 78' or 79' xs eleven back fender work on the 80' standard? - - - Could I have the 80' xs standard back fender shortened by way of having it cut?

Hi Mark,
'78 & '79 XS11s have a smaller stop/tail light that bolts to the rear fender's numberplate mounting bracket.
'80 XS11s have a larger stop/tail light that bolts to the cast aluminum grab rail.
XS11 Standard rear fenders hinge up and XS11 Special rear fenders don't and they look shorter even if they ain't.
A Special rear fender should change the look of your Standard. They don't perfectly interchange because there's one pair of bolts that don't line up but the fender stays on OK without them.
I'd not advise cutting the existing fender. No way you could re-make the rolled edge and besides, the chrome would get wrecked.

[crazy steve]

..'78 & '79 XS11s have a smaller stop/tail light that bolts to the rear fender's numberplate mounting bracket.
'80 XS11s have a larger stop/tail light that bolts to the cast aluminum grab rail..

Sorry Fred, but the only XS11 that used a 'smaller' taillight is the '79 Special. All the rest are the same basic assembly with variations in mounting brackets/position.

You do want to be careful about hacking on the fender; Yamaha used a pretty thin-gauge metal and spot-welded reinforcements on the underside of the fender for any mounting points. Not using the factory points can lead to fatigue cracking of the fender.

Direct fender interchange here: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36551

[jetmechmarty]

Will the Special rear fender mount on a G without modification? (Excluding lights, of coarse)

Mike's XS has a few tail lights that will work on the XS1100 as well as they do on a XS650, as do many other places.

http://www.mikesxs.net/products-54.html#products

[Yard Dogg]

I don't know how much your willing to cut or modify, but there aren't many options for rear fenders other than making your own stuff. The short rear fenders you may be thinking of are the ones who have done the cafe style fender. Cutting the frame is required for that. I used a trailer fender and added about 1 1/2" to the sides to make it look more like a motorcycle fender. Purists may not like what I did cause I cut the rear fender brackets off my frame but I like the look of it much better. Keep in mind the brackets on the XJ like mine are much bulkier and harder to clean up. My rear tail light was on a 78 XS750 but it may be a trailer fender adapted to fit that bike. Here's a pic of what I did. The tank on it is from the 750 standard as well but I just got a new XJ tank for it today so disregard it cause it doesn't look natural the way I had to mount it.

On my last bike I used a Honda Shadow rear fender cause it had an upsweep in the back like a Harley Wide Glide to describe it best, that's always another option, I didn't cut the frame cause it was a Midnight. I suppose you could make a trailer fender similar to my current bike and mount it without cutting anything like I did in this pic.

[Yard Dogg]

You can find trailer lights that are much smaller and use them as long as they have the clear lens on the bottom for your license plate, that's what mine has. The only trouble with trying to use OEM fenders and mounting them in a different way is all the extra holes that will either need to be filled or simply not used. I had plans to use an XS650 rear fender but it had huge rubber mounts and way more holes than I wanted for a finished product. It's still not finished of course, LOL, I just slapped it together to get it to State Patrol for inspection. It's in progress.

[Schming]

A comparison...

Mostly cosmetic inquiries from me today.

What options are out there concerning shorter back fenders along with smaller tail lights for an 80' xs standard.

thanks,


Mark

...between my '80G stock rear fender and an '82 XV 920 Virago rear fender on my '80G

stock






XV 920 Virago with Cateye LED tailight







side by side



I plan on using the XV 920 fender and Cateye on my XV 700, but I thought I'd try it on the '80G just for You as I'm full dressing the '80G.

When I'm looking to modify one of my Yamahas I've been anal in sticking with Yamaha parts. It takes alot of searching, but if one mixes another brand of motorcycle with Yamaha, Carbs go South and Electrical Gremlins are known to appear.

[Yard Dogg]

That's funny, my friend left his XV920 sitting in my yard and may not ever come back for it. While he lived next door he was always trying to scam fenders and crap off of me, hmmm. That's a pretty clean oem style look there.

[Schming]

Oh... Ok I see where ya' got those gauges...

Yah, I spend a little time on ebay just looking at Yamaha parts to get ideas and alot of 'em will interchange.

For example, I'll be using a Seca front MC on my XV700 along with making forward controls with the Seca shifter and brake pedals, and the XV920 rear fender, as you mentioned, it is a cleaner look.

[Yard Dogg]

I traded him a set of bags for those gauges. He had a Virago parts bike. I swear.

[Yard Dogg]

And shming, I see a Virago sitting right there in your garage. You should part it out and put it all on your XS. After working on my friends Virago, I swear I'll never own one. Is the starter gear hammered on it yet? Seems to be a common problem on them.

[xs11lover]

That is an 80 xs11 special fender moved front...not cut.

[Schming]

And shming, I see a Virago sitting right there in your garage. You should part it out and put it all on your XS. After working on my friends Virago, I swear I'll never own one. Is the starter gear hammered on it yet? Seems to be a common problem on them.

Yes you do

That's my '84 XV 700L, which I got for $250.00 two years ago with title.

It has approx. 3400 mi. on it but was neglected engine wise.

It does run though.

I'll be hot rodding it for mostly solo fun rides and local bike nights.

Yes, the box 'o rox (1st gen starter) is coming out to be replaced with the second gen starter from an '85 XV 1000 as they use a solenoid to engage instead of the old type that used bendix to mesh the starter gears together.

Here is a link if your interested in the upgrade:

http://viragotechforum.com/viewtopic...14170&start=20