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I was thinking about doing some serious competeing on the dragstrip this summer with my XS11. Was thinking about some mods to launch better....
A longer swingarm would help keep the front end down letting me launch at full power more consistantly. I figure while I'm lengthening the swingarm, make it wider for a bigger tire out back. The biggest problem I see is driveshaft clearance.
Possibly convert to chain drive for tire clearance, this would give me the added benefit of easy gear changes. Was thinking of fitting in a FJ11/12 bottom end to solve this problem.
While I'm at it, the FJ top end would allow me to go to 1200/1300 cc's or even more. The more I think about it, the easiest/ most economical way to go would be to keep the XS as is, use it for pleasure riding like it was intended, and buy an FJ drag bike for racing. Probably save a lot of headaches and $$$$
In short, All these threads I've seen lately about wider tires, chain drives, etc... The XS is a great bike as is, I can see doing some minor power/ handling improvements (fork brace, jetting, exhaust) but as far as major mods to make it something it wasn't designed to be is a lot of time, effort, and money for marginal results. If you want a sport bike, buy one... If you want a chopper style cruiser, build one out of something more suitable... If you want a classy old power cruiser that is low on maintenance and comfortable for long rides, Buy an XS1100!
Just my $.02
A longer swingarm would help keep the front end down letting me launch at full power more consistantly. I figure while I'm lengthening the swingarm, make it wider for a bigger tire out back. The biggest problem I see is driveshaft clearance.
Possibly convert to chain drive for tire clearance, this would give me the added benefit of easy gear changes. Was thinking of fitting in a FJ11/12 bottom end to solve this problem.
While I'm at it, the FJ top end would allow me to go to 1200/1300 cc's or even more. The more I think about it, the easiest/ most economical way to go would be to keep the XS as is, use it for pleasure riding like it was intended, and buy an FJ drag bike for racing. Probably save a lot of headaches and $$$$
In short, All these threads I've seen lately about wider tires, chain drives, etc... The XS is a great bike as is, I can see doing some minor power/ handling improvements (fork brace, jetting, exhaust) but as far as major mods to make it something it wasn't designed to be is a lot of time, effort, and money for marginal results. If you want a sport bike, buy one... If you want a chopper style cruiser, build one out of something more suitable... If you want a classy old power cruiser that is low on maintenance and comfortable for long rides, Buy an XS1100!
Just my $.02
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