I'm back!!!

[RUSH]

Just bought a '78-'79 XS1100 again! Feels so good to have one back. Not my original one, but very close to the same. Not sure of the year. The title says '79, but the frame date says 6/'78. Title matches vin number, but title also says 6 cyl.so it's going to be a mystery till I run the vin.

Time to revise my signature info.

[jetmechmarty]

That looks to me like a '78 XS1100E. It also looks like it has a four cylinder engine.

[650mark]

the motor vehicle people apparently counted the brake master cylinders as well...

[crazy steve]

'78 sidecovers and seat, '79 tank, so he'll have to check the vin......

With a 6/78 build date, it could be either although it's more likely to be a '78.

[RUSH]

new battery and tires. tank is rusted and holed. carbs are all gummed or rust sediment stuck. sittling in seafoam after 2 hours of degreasing. fairing, trunk, case guards, and tail rack are off and up for sale.

[RUSH]

new lights up front

[sparkfly88]

Links for all the sale stuff aren't working.

[RUSH]

Are the pictures viewable?

[IanDMacDonald]

Oh wow. Umm, what are you going to do with that birds nest of wires behind those two lights? Are you fitting some type of cowl up-there, or going with a weird street fighter thing in all black?

Kinda sucks u modded a great looking E. Not trying to offend u, but E's hold a special place for me un-molested.

[RUSH]

This one came with a fairing and trunk which I quickly pulled off along with the UGLY king queen seat. It had been sitting outside under a cover since 1984 and needed a lot of work.
Having owned an XS1100E for 20 years, learned all the in's, out's, and tricks BEFORE INTERNET made answers a click away, and ridden it to Prudhoe Bay Alaska, San Yasidro California, Key West Florida, and Madawaska Maine, I think I've earned the right to have some fun with this rebuild.
As for the nest of wires behind the light, I remember my E model had them all hidden away in some vinyl or plastic bag, so I'll probably do something like that.
Glad to hear you appreciate the E model, but I really doubt there are any unmodified examples of these bikes left.

[skids]

I hope that you brazed the leaks at the tank bottom before you bondoed it. Now maybe it was a combination of bondo and Caswells tank sealer, but I screwed up some intake valves that way. The lights look good. I bet you can devise some trim to cover the wiring.

[RUSH]

I used an epoxy resin for the exterior sealant and filler and then coated the interior with polyester resin. Both are ok for gasoline, but only time will tell. I'd love to buy a new standard tank and Jardine 4-2 pipes, but the budget for this is low and I really didnt want to dump a huge amount in until I could get her on the road and see how the gear box is.

[IanDMacDonald]

It must be fun to know the ins & outs of these bikes. I found that you really learn them doing frame-up restos as I did with my Triple 750/850. I have seen more differences than similarities between the XS bikes that made me question whether is was just merely a 750 with an extra cylinder slapped on. Definitely not the case. Even the wiring harness and some electrical components are different. I'll be pulling the engine over the Winter for paint, and I'll go over anything I have not done yet.

[Garagamus]

I think you just solved my dilemma over "keep the square headlight on my 81 XS cafe build (with round turn signals)", or replace the rectangular one with a, (hard to find) large round one...
Two round headlights, a la Triumph, problem solved. Looks really good.

[RUSH]

The nice thing about knowing all the in's and out's is that it's more like KNEWING all the in's and out's. I had my first XS in perfect working condition, but that was after many years of figuring it out the hard way. I still remember the morning my pick up coil wire crapped out on me. 5am trying to get the bike started. CRANK CRANK CRANK, then turn the key off and BANG. sounded like a rifle shot!. I caged it for two weeks till I worked out the problem. I bought new pickup coils that time. Then when they failed I found the weak point in the wiring and spliced them.
Carbs were more fun. I got to where I could pull them off the bike, strip them down completely, and have them back in and running in under 45 minutes. Now it's about 4 hours for that work. Part of me wishes I still had that skill, part of me is happy I've not had to do it in a long time.

RUSH