The evolution of my SH into an overweight cafe styled monster

[jwhughes3]

Front maybe shorten or sculpt it - it provides good bracing for an already wimpy fork setup.

John

[Catmaigne]

Wow! Thank god for this site! I love cafe racers. They're so raw and menacing! All the bikes on this thread are incredible. I'm saving for my first bike which I should be able to buy around next May, and I'm trying to do as much research as possible in the mean time. I hope it can be an xs11. Would anyone mind throwing out some ballpark measurements/ comfortability on these xs models so I can gauge ride comfort for myself? I'm about 5'11 & 190. Also, do you guys recommend an xs11 as a first bike? Or, something less aggressive like an xs750? I know my skill level will develop as I learn, I just would like the power to be there when I've ultimately developed my riding skill..

I'm only 5'10" / 160lbs and I get around just fine with my current seat. The king/queen that used to be on the bike made stopping very uncomfortable because it was way too high for me (my legs are kinda short). Despite that, I never dropped it (even though it feels heavy as hell).

This is actually my first real bike and everyone thought I was insane for buying it. I was familiar with dirt bikes before buying it and had a ton of ride time with my friend's CB360. Even though the 11 was a big step up in size it's still manageable. I wanted something bigger that wouldn't get pushed around on the highway as much because the 360 felt pretty finicky at high speed. I don't regret buying the bigger bike even though it's got more power than I can handle when you really lay on it. You just have to treat it with respect and it won't try to kill you. Cruises very smooth.

I also plan on dropping the front end an inch or two. I bought progressive springs as well but have yet to put them in. Gonna wait until the season is over because all I want to do is ride.

Roc City finally sent me a tracking number. Looks like they made a shipping label but the package hasn't been sent out yet. Probably will be here mid next week.

[jdwm]

Right on! Thanks for the figures. I've read a lot of reviews on the xs11, and they all say it's fast, but heavy. I don't know what that latter review means! Heavy for who?? A person with negligible muscle mass or a pro bodybuilder?? I'm about to turn 23, so I'm a younger guy, and I have a decently sturdy, athletic build. Whether that is enough to properly maneuver a glorious xs11 remains to be seen, though. I was just reading a review that cited the '79 xs11 weighs 562 lbs. That's a tank!! Obviously with a cafe, certain parts will be removed, making it a little lighter than that, but IDK. I think some modern 600cc sportbikes clock in around ~470, and those riders exclaim about how light they feel.. Who knows! But anyway, though, your figures give me some auspicious feedback on how riding my own 11er will be in the coming months. I've also reviewed honda's cb line, too. They're a cafe racer fan favorite, for sure. I just think the Yami's sound so much more surly, with little modding. With that, I bet your bike sounds pretty beastly, too!

So, you actually DID the no bike -> 1.1 liter bike transition, huh! And you're glad you did! That's so cool! So, the transition is not that unheard of... That is good news. I don't have any background in bikes at all, though. But, I'm a pretty agile guy, and I don't anticipate learning how to ride will be that difficult. I only say this because I've immersed myself in the clutch/gears aspect of cars a few years ago, and that's a really integral part of riding. Once you control for that, all that's really left is respecting the engine's throttle, like you mentioned. I've tracked down an MSF class to enroll, but I'll be out of state for the next year for school. Also, the MSF in my city has a pretty steep $200 list of fees. I'll attempt to do it when I'm out of town over the next year while I'm adding to my bike fund, though...

Your upcoming mods will be very proper; The lower stance will be more menacing! Do you ride with a full face helmet, or open-face, when/if you ride on the interstate? Do you have any glaring caveats to riding a cafe style bike, because there's no fairing protection, on the street or interstate? Obviously the helmet type factors in.. But have you ran into any really big, potentially negative issues to relay toward an aspiring rider?

I'm only 5'10" / 160lbs and I get around just fine with my current seat. The king/queen that used to be on the bike made stopping very uncomfortable because it was way too high for me (my legs are kinda short). Despite that, I never dropped it (even though it feels heavy as hell).

This is actually my first real bike and everyone thought I was insane for buying it. I was familiar with dirt bikes before buying it and had a ton of ride time with my friend's CB360. Even though the 11 was a big step up in size it's still manageable. I wanted something bigger that wouldn't get pushed around on the highway as much because the 360 felt pretty finicky at high speed. I don't regret buying the bigger bike even though it's got more power than I can handle when you really lay on it. You just have to treat it with respect and it won't try to kill you. Cruises very smooth.

I also plan on dropping the front end an inch or two. I bought progressive springs as well but have yet to put them in. Gonna wait until the season is over because all I want to do is ride.

Roc City finally sent me a tracking number. Looks like they made a shipping label but the package hasn't been sent out yet. Probably will be here mid next week.

[Dylano*]

I'm partial to regular old Tremclad for the engine myself. For the body, its still rattle can all the way. As I said, yours looks very much like mine at the moment. Still need to get a seat pad made, hook up the tail and signal lights, and finally build some sort of fender to keep water and crud from being thrown into the pods.


Haven't decided on what to do with the front fender yet.

I chopped about 7" off the front of my front fender and maybe 4" of the back of it, then reshaped it on the bench grinder and semigloss blacked it, I think it looks great!

Both those bikes look awesome you guys.

[Catmaigne]

Right on! Thanks for the figures. I've read a lot of reviews on the xs11, and they all say it's fast, but heavy. I don't know what that latter review means! Heavy for who?? A person with negligible muscle mass or a pro bodybuilder?? I'm about to turn 23, so I'm a younger guy, and I have a decently sturdy, athletic build. Whether that is enough to properly maneuver a glorious xs11 remains to be seen, though. I was just reading a review that cited the '79 xs11 weighs 562 lbs. That's a tank!! Obviously with a cafe, certain parts will be removed, making it a little lighter than that, but IDK. I think some modern 600cc sportbikes clock in around ~470, and those riders exclaim about how light they feel.. Who knows! But anyway, though, your figures give me some auspicious feedback on how riding my own 11er will be in the coming months. I've also reviewed honda's cb line, too. They're a cafe racer fan favorite, for sure. I just think the Yami's sound so much more surly, with little modding. With that, I bet your bike sounds pretty beastly, too!

So, you actually DID the no bike -> 1.1 liter bike transition, huh! And you're glad you did! That's so cool! So, the transition is not that unheard of... That is good news. I don't have any background in bikes at all, though. But, I'm a pretty agile guy, and I don't anticipate learning how to ride will be that difficult. I only say this because I've immersed myself in the clutch/gears aspect of cars a few years ago, and that's a really integral part of riding. Once you control for that, all that's really left is respecting the engine's throttle, like you mentioned. I've tracked down an MSF class to enroll, but I'll be out of state for the next year for school. Also, the MSF in my city has a pretty steep $200 list of fees. I'll attempt to do it when I'm out of town over the next year while I'm adding to my bike fund, though...

Your upcoming mods will be very proper; The lower stance will be more menacing! Do you ride with a full face helmet, or open-face, when/if you ride on the interstate? Do you have any glaring caveats to riding a cafe style bike, because there's no fairing protection, on the street or interstate? Obviously the helmet type factors in.. But have you ran into any really big, potentially negative issues to relay toward an aspiring rider?

I'm only 160 but have a good amount of muscle so the bike is definitely manageable. The only issue was that the stock seat was way too tall for my short legs and made stoplights on slopes very uncomfortable. My new seat definitely fixed that because now I'm really able to plant my feet.

Other than that, the 11 is a very easy bike to ride. However, it's not a bike I'd recommend to take your maiden voyage. Heavier bikes with higher seating positions are much harder to maneuver at low speeds. I was fortunate enough to have a friend loan me his CB360 for a few rides around the neighborhood so I was somewhat prepared to ride the XS I brought back from the dead. Even with a good amount of ride time on the CB, riding my bike for the first time was scary as hell. Stop signs and tight turns were my biggest enemies along with other drivers on the road. However, I got a hang of it after a few days of riding. Thankfully, I never dropped it (although it looks like the previous owner(s) did quite a bit).

Going from no bike to an 11 was a huge leap, but I knew to refrain from riding the bike near its limit for my own safety (which is still true). I'm pretty young (will be 21 in a few days) and know the 11 is still too much bike for me. Hell, I bought the thing when I was 18 with bus-boy money for ****s and giggles. The main reason I went with the big boy bike was because I wanted something I wasn't going to outgrow in a year. Before I even bought my XS, 2 of my 3 friends who were into motorcycles already had bikes and 1 of those 2 just sold his first bike (a dinky Ninja 250) and replaced it with a newer 1200 Sportster Custom because it wasn't cut out for long highway trips. The 2nd friend bought the CB360 as his first bike and still has it. Unfortunately, it rarely comes out anymore because he dislikes riding beyond 45-50 mph (something that is inevitable where I live). The 3rd friend bought a 1200 Nightster (the one pictured) as his first bike soon after I got my XS up and running. He dropped it once turning out of a sloped driveway but the damage was minimal, got along just fine after that.

There are a few reasons you don't see many XS11 cafes... They're much heavier than the other jap bikes of the time (about 150 lbs more than a CB360) which makes them a lot less maneuverable. The front forks need some work (a brace and some progressives can fix this). The shaft drive is less than ideal for handling b/c of what's known as shaft jacking. There are chain drive conversions for this bike but they're pricey. I'm sure with some new tweaks you could make the 11 a good corner carver but it will never be as taut as a modern sport bike. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to fly around a bumpy PA corner because I want to live to at least age 30, rickety old Yamaha or not. This definitely isn't a max effort build. I don't have a bone to pick with any cafe/sport bikes who wanna drag pipes and all that jazz. I'm content with it just riding nicely (at least a little better than it does now)

I have a 3/4 helmet and has a decent pair of riding glasses to go with it. I'll also tie a bandana around my face to keep warm in the spring/fall and keep the bugs off of my face. Plus, it makes me look like I'm from Grove Street which is cool.

[Catmaigne]

Took off the triple tree to paint it. The primer is drying right now.

Here's what I'm also working on.



Here's a rough shot of what I'm going for with the tail light. I still need to bondo some small stuff, repaint, and mount the light but you get the idea. I also trimmed a little from the bottom of the interceptor seat because the stock shock can contact it if I bottom out. Doubt it will ever happen (especially because I can't ride 2 up with the seat), but I still want adequate clearance just in case. I'm going to have to add some sort of spacer between the bump stop and the top of the shock to shorten the travel a tad (like 1 cm maybe). That way I can mount my seat and not have it at a funny looking angle.

This tail light is 20x better than what it's replacing. 9 leds and it's pretty bright.

I also cut up the broomstick bars for the clip ons. Now I can have mirrors again!

[Catmaigne]

^^^ I meant the stock shocks have enough travel to allow the rear tire to contact the seat pan. So I need to add some sort of spacer or swap shocks to ones with less travel (I'd rather not).

[jetmechmarty]

The key to this while continuing to walk the planet is to address all the most important issues. #1 is brakes! They aren't the best when functioning perfectly, so make sure they are. They should be as good as new at the very least. #2 is suspension. Sloppy forks and worn out shocks will help you to your own crash site and I write from experience. You don't have to spend a fortune, but if keeping the tires on the pavement isn't a priority, don't expect to last on the street.

Get to the rest as you will, but keep in mind if the choice is between looks good or performs well, keep the gook looking bike in the driveway. I think the XS1100 is a pretty good ride with everything working. Just don't expect it to be an R6. My $.02.

FWIW, I think the whitewall café bike is looking good!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Cat,

Looking good. I just have a little something to add regarding suspension/performance. IF those are STOCK shocks,ditch them!! Your comment about shaft jacking is correct with the OEM type shocks, because they only had compression damping. Without expansion damping, they allow the shaft jacking action fairly easily. I remember experiencing that very sensation after I got my NEW 81SH broken in and getting on the throttle!!!

I rode that bike for 9+ years, then tranny crapped, parked 9 years, then tore into it and rebuilt it. I put on just cheap ( year 2000 $69.00 pair shocks), and after it was complete, I took it out and again after the short topend re-breakin period, I was able to get on the throttle and was expecting to again experience the shaft jacking/bucking bronco sensation....but it wasn't there. Smooth strong accelleration and no seat rise!!! Those cheap shocks had both compression and expansion dampening, and eliminated the shaft jacking experience!!! I canyon carve my bike right up there near the front of the pack with the Sport bikers that lead some of our rally rides...granted They aren't pushing themselves as hard as they could, but I can still stay pretty close with them.

T.C.

[Catmaigne]

I'm gonna hold off on getting shocks for a while because money is tight, but they will probably be my next purchase. I added washers above the rubber stops to effectively limit shock travel and prevent the rear wheel from contacting my seat pan. That'll have to do for now.

The seat is pretty much done. I'll be redoing the seat mount and installing the Roc City pad when it gets here Monday.



I also painted the final drive black. I think it looks much better than the ugly scratched/faded silver.



I still need to find my other bar end mirror, make seat mount, mount seat pad, R&R exhaust bolts, and fab up my license plate mount. I'm using the old tail light bracket and factory Special plate light for it. I'll post up pics when it's done, should be nice. I also want to reset my float heights and rig up a PCV system for the vent tube. I was thinking about running lines to the carb boot barbs.

Almost back on the road.

[CaptonZap]

I also want to reset my float heights and rig up a PCV system for the vent tube. I was thinking about running lines to the carb boot barbs.

.

Bad idea. If, by carb boot, you are talking about the ones between the carbs and head. When things are normal, there is no air flow through any of the carb boot barbs. If any of them have a leak, you get a hanging idle, and venting the crankcase to them would really cause you problems.
Vent to the intake side of the carbs.

[Murrayf]

looking good

i have more work to do to catch up lol

[Catmaigne]

Alright, so venting the crankcase between the carbs and head interferes with the motor's ability to atomize fuel which makes sense. So I need to find a way to vent on the pod side of the carbs. I was thinking about putting barbs in 2 of the pod filters and installing them on cylinders that use different coils. Does that sound like a good idea? Not sure if venting to 1 pod is a good idea and I'd rather not tinker with all 4 pods (higher chance of a leak and will be messy).

[Murrayf]

here is what i did

[Catmaigne]

^^^ I'm gonna try something like that but on the front of the pod. Is that on just 1 cylinder? I'd like the vent to distribute to at least 2.

The Roc City seat pad showed up today (finally). I'm not 100% pleased with the fit as it's a little oversized, but my ass sure is happy. Debating whether or not to contact RCC to see if they can fix it because I'm not sure if I want to try modifying the pad. Where the pad meets the cafe hump is my biggest concern. You can see creases in the cover along the edge and the back is too tall to hide them. The cover looks like it's glued on and I'm afraid to tinker with it. It's also a little loose on the horizontal part of the pad near the back.











--Final drive is painted black now.
--You can also see the plate mount I rigged up. I think it looks pretty good other than the missing reflector and wing nut (the driveway ate it).
--Working on getting a new tank that's less denty.
--She's leaking!!! I need a new o-ring for the oil filter cover because of a slow leak up front.
--Painted the front master cylinder (looks much better). I still need to paint the front right caliper, valvecover, and cylinder sleeves.
--Still need to adjust the float heights and retune the idle screws.
--Still need to fab up my crank vent system.
--I put the plastic inner fender back in to keep grime off of my battery box.

Work in progress.