xs1100 question - std or special

[alaskan_man8]

Hello,
I am a new 1980 XS11 standard owner. In fact I am new to motorcycling and have just now recieved my motorcycle license. I recently purchased the above referenced bike. I like the bike except that it is extremely tall. I researching parts, I ran accross references to the "special" bike. This bike is suppose to be lower built I think. Now for the questions, is this 'special' bike lower built? Can parts from a "special" be interchanged with a std. Are the frames the same? Are the wheels the same? Thanks in advance for the help

[bkr]

Lower Bike

Welcome alaskan_man8 Am not sure about 80 xs but my 80 Special parts bike has a 130-90-16 rear wheel. Somewhere on the site has info. on what you are trying to do. Putting a 16 in. wheel on in place of a 17 in. seems to be standard practice to lower the rear. Try modification .?? My bike is an XJ so i don't have a problem, low seat. bkr

[rover]

std or special

Welcome to the wonderful world of XS. The special debuted in 79. There are some differences, spc came with an air assisted fork, damper adjustable rear shocks, a 16 inch rear wheel, and a different seat. Starting in front, the spc lower fork legs have the axle mounted in front of the forks, the std at the bottom. Spc has longer fork tubes to offset this difference, also the triple trees are made different, so both models have the same rake, trail, and ride height. The brake calipers are different, as is the front fender. The fuel tanks are different, the special having a peanut type small tank, and the standard has a larger tank,and the guage/instrument clusters are different. Spc has round guages and std square, also the same with the headlight. Spc has a low fuel light in the tach, std has fuel guage. Spc has a different seat pan, and the TCI box is located under the seat. Spc has a 16" rear wheel, std 17". Spc has shocks with a four position dampening adjustment and five position spring preload. Std has only spring preload. The frames are the same. Parts are interchangeable, but the complete front end can be changed if you use all the related components. Seat can be interchanged, but TCI box must be relocated, and wiring harness is unique to each model. Rear wheels can be changed, the spc wheel will lower the std about 1/2 ", but the kickstand will be too long. If you have an aftermarket double bucket seat, it will be higher and thicker than the stock seat. There are some other differences, but all will fit in the frame, if you use the related components. If you want to lower your bike, do a search on lowering, and you will find much info on that. Happy riding, and don't let this powerful beast get away on you.

[alaskan_man8]

Thanks for the help, will things like saddle bags work for either special or std since it is same frame?

[rover]

Sure will. I have a 79 std and a 79 special, and I switch bags between the two bikes. I can't seem to see any difference in the mounting spaces, except maybe where the muffler brackets are, but you can easily make a small extension from flat stock, if there is any difference. It would only be for a lower mount.