1981 XS11 Special - DEAD DUCK Cafe

[madmax-im]

damn...fine work...

[motoman]

Nicely done, amd just as nice with the added sport fairing.

[kboehringer]

Almost ready for a ride...

Thanks guys.....



I think it looks a bit better with the OEM signals (mounted slightly different from OEM). Will be more visible with them too.

A spare set of bar clamps from a Memphis Shade fits this unit well. Hope I never need a replacement screen as they are apparently a bugger to find. Shoei does not provide instructions for its legacy systems so I have yet to find instructions for this unit.

KURT

[kboehringer]

Safety Improvements - Lighting Upgrade x2

XS Friends,
When I wasn't washing & waxing cars this weekend , I was working on a couple upgrades to the Dead Duck.

At the suggestion of Marty, I ditched the mostly clear tail lamp in favor of a red one that will be more visible in the daytime. Marty spent a little time behind me in North Carolina and said the clearish one was junk.


I also converted the OEM Yamaha front signals to 1157 dual-filament bulbs to allow for constant lighting from the signals, like many of the newer bikes have. I tied them into the lighting circuit and they come on LOW anytime the key is on. The bright side of the 1157 is for the turn signals.

In addition, I purchased a couple of these CREE U3 LED driving lamps from China. They were pretty cheap ($20 pair) and I want to grab some more attention as suggested by Navy John months ago for my other bike.

These lamps have three modes: High, Low, & Flashing. Turn 'em off & on and they change modes. The flash mode could be pretty handy in ATL traffic in the day, or maybe even in the night. I only mounted one on the right as the intention was to just GET ATTENTION not light my driving path and I figured one would get some attention just fine.

I'm amazed at how darn bright this thing is! Makes my headlamp look like a 25w bulb! They claim this thing is good for 200 meters and it is all of that and MORE. I'm hopeful these changes will make the bike a little more visible and EYE CATCHING....




Thoughts?

KURT

[madmax-im]

Damn fine work...LOL... Love that little fairing...if it were me i would add another of those cree LED lights to the left side...as people oncoming or to the left of you might not get as good an angle on the visibility of the the right side light...more is better...plus it looks more in balance or symmetrical...now its asymmetrical...

[MaximPhil]

Hi Kurt,
I agree with Ben. a second one on the left side. Some states do not permit flashing lights that could be mistaken for Police.
How about a link for the vendor of your driving light.
Phil

[kboehringer]

Link to vendor....

How about a link for the vendor of your driving light.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172122141777...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Phil,
There is the link to the vendor "AUTODABY" on e-bay. These took 16 days to receive which is longer than I've experienced with other sellers from China. The Advertisement says U2 lamps but I received U3 lamps. Not sure what the difference is, maybe a newer model? Regardless, for less than $20 I think this purchase was a good deal. I just purchased another set......

I will probably go an install another lamp on the other side as others have suggested. HOWEVER, that's gonna be a while! I have to remove: Pull Bar, Seat, Tank, Fairing, Headlamp, etc. I'm not too excited about doing that again any time soon.... I need to drive a little first!


Since this bike will be driven regularly by my son Karl, these couple lighting improvements make me feel a LITTLE better about that. He's 20 (soon 21) and is certain he knows more about everything than me. My 40++ years of mini-bikes, motocross racing, trail bikes, 20++ street bikes, mean nothing to a 20 year old with a motorcycle license less than a year old and a grand total of less than 4 years of driving experience!

Sincerely,
Kurt

[jetmechmarty]

You need to ride behind that tail light and get a good look at it. Remember, your son is driving it. That Triumph we rode south with had a hardly visible Lucas light. Your old one was no where near that good. I'm glad you swapped it.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Kurt,
In my opinion LED should only be used in addition to the original style incandescent light. As already stated in other threads on the topic LED are very directional. A glow of red visible through a wide arc is a very useful warning to following traffic that is not directly behind you. There are LED that have a flash pattern built in which are real attention magnets without being too obnoxious to follow behind.

Phil

[kboehringer]

Can



I can't leave well enough alone.... R1-XS1100?

[jetmechmarty]

I like it!

[DeanR]

Very nice Kurt.. great idea.

[HalfCentury]

I can't leave well enough alone.... R1-XS1100?

That cap looks just like my FJR tank cap.

[kboehringer]

R1/R6 Tank Mod. - OUCH Difficult

Marty & Dean,
Thanks, this is a tough one to do.... But, I'm making progress.

Basic Details:

• I found a SEVERLY damaged R6 tank on Evil-Bay for $15 ($25 Shipped).
• The TOP of the tank was basically fine, the rest including cap was JUNK.
• I chopped out the cap recess and did the obvious....
• All the heat of welding and brazing had some effect on the recess and the tank that have made blending the two a bit more than moderately difficult.
• These older 5-bolt R1/R6 caps are apparently troublesome and frequently cause problems. There is a TINY little spring that gets keeps the key from being removed when the cap is unlocked. The spring gets rusty and sticks and won't release the key. I bought a couple and now have a properly operating cap.

It will probably take me a couple weeks to get this properly completed, painted, and installed on DEAD DUCK .

KURT

[kboehringer]

That cap looks just like my FJR tank cap.

It may be the same? I know the newer R1/R6 uses a 7-bolt cap. This cap came from a '99 R1 but the donor metal is from an '01 R6.