Choppin an XS

[SCVic]

Hey Marty, can ya point me in the right direction as far as the legends guys???

[MartyA]

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...=&threadid=677

Brief postings about chain drive conversions.

I spotted this:
http://www.autoracingtrader.com/asphalt_race_cars.htm

Lists some Legend cars for sale. Seems they use bigger motors these days, but you might contact one of these listed and ask them where to go.

Gott go to work...

[sidecarKev]

Maybe this will give you a few ideas. Its a XS850 not an 1100, still a shaft though.

[fredintoon]

It's an artform!

Hi SCVic,
Who you callin' "middle-aged" you cheeky beggar?
As an Old Age Pensioner I have a card from the Government that tells people to treat me with respect!
50 years ago I was butchering what would now be priceless antiques by sawing off their stock hardtails and welding on water-pipe copies of the McCandless swingarm conversion to increase the comfort level so the thought of someone doing the reverse does make me smile and shake my head.
However, it has been pointed out to me that a chopper is not primarily a motorcycle at all, it is a work of art, a mobile scupture.
So, OK, go for it!
The chain drive conversion would be complicated. To get the XS11 shaftie right the motor runs backward, you'd need to put tumbler gears in the replacement drive module to get a chain running in the right direction?
The shaftie chopper posted here will be a lot simpler to do.
It's all for looks, right? If you go the chain drive route use a chrome plated duplex chain while you're at it.
No need to anger the purists by Sawzalling a titled frame.
It's easier to buy or to scratch-build a rigid custom frame than to hardtail, rake & stretch an existing one. That way if you carefully save all the parts you can re-convert the bike back to normal should you or your chiropractor decide that you should.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[jetmechmarty]

I asked, "Why the XS1100?" It would seem that there are better choices. Why use this bike as opposed to another?

[DiverRay]

If he has the eleven, it would make a FAST bike. I can understand wanting to do it, and I agree it would be a cleaner bike if he started with a hardtail frame, and installed the eleven engine. The 850 in the pictures is a clean job. If he used the open shaft, and a Venture rim, he could probably get a nice wide tire on the back. The other way would involve putting the final drive onto a rim. That should be easy, as it bolts in something like the chain system on most Japanise bikes.
Just my $.02
Ray

[John]

legends cars

I've been to a legends race, and strolled thru the pits once, but most of the engines were of the FJ 11-12 flavor. Some were Suzuki's, but most were FJ's. Maybe the XS is the engine of choice where you are but around here it wasn't. My wife rides an FJ11 and I was trying to find some parts...no luck.

[gaffer77]

your bike your dream ,plenty of em goin for scrap might as well put some love into one i spose ,if anyone did an sf in i wouldnt understand but hey its your wheels mate and its about being individual so stuff em all people should view thier thoughts but not slate you for yours some of the ways people keep thier xs's
i think are an embarrasement to the xs you know but if theyre happy thats all that counts a chop at least you might stop and look at it im going to go into one so ill just leave it as good on yer
you could have the most original pristine example and get it hit by a car etc so nothings forever just live it !!!!!

[Renegade]

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
[B]One man's Harley Style trash, is another man's TREASURE!?
SCvic, more power to you! What's funny is how folks talk about those chopper bikes as not having any power, when they often put those big ~120 Cu in. V-twins that put out a considerable amount HP and TORQUE, definitely putting stress on the frame, chains or drive belts and such, and they hold up quite well! SO the power from an XS11 shouldn't be a problem for a chain!

You got it. My brother used to work in a shop that built Harley drag bikes. They were building 300+ hp engines, and running the stock #530 chain with no problems. Using a sprocket that is too small in diameter is much harder on chains than high torque loads. With a very small sprocket, the chain does not travel in a smooth arc around the sprocket but is forced to bend its way around. That abrupt change in direction creates heat and the small size concentrates the load on a very small area.

A larger sprocket will spread the load over a larger surface, increasing both chain and sprocket life. About 20 teeth is the smallest you would want for good chain life.

Those hard tails take up some of the jolts by the large tire, also some have springer seats, but some are solid......my butt hurts just thinking about them!!!

The secret to getting a decent ride with a rigid is to make it longer and run a high profile tire with lower air pressure. (Learning to avoid the big bumps rather than blasting over them blindly helps too )
I have owned a couple of rigids over the years. Simply moving the rear wheel back 4 to 6 inches makes a huge difference in the ride. Couple that with about 39 degrees of rake (which will increase the wheelbase a little more) and they will handle nicely too.

[Dennyz]

A larger sprocket will spread the load over a larger surface, increasing both chain and sprocket life. About 20 teeth is the smallest you would want for good chain life.

Unfortunately, a 15 tooth 530 sprocket is about the largest sprocket that will fit on a converted XS coming straight out of the transmission. This is where I am hung up on my chain drive conversion.

I thought that a chain conversion would be simpler than moving the middle drive out for a shaft drive. It may actually be simpler to move the middle drive out. All it would require is a custom shaft and a spacer plate. The chain conversion is requiring a custom shaft and custom housing.

[Pat Kelly]

What is the gear ratio into/outof the middle drive? Is it 1/1 or would you need to gear down/up to get the right RPM at the rear wheel (if converting to chain drive).
Would using a gear off the trans. output shaft, meshing with a gear to the rear of that, then a sprocket run off the rear gear work? This would move the sprocket away (rearward or upward) of the engine and allow for a larger sprocket.
I wish I could draw and post what I'm thinking.
Then again, maybe it's a good thing I can't .

[Dennyz]

The middle drive is 1:1. One of the advantages to a chain conversion is adjustable ratios.

Taking the output from any other place than where the middle drive is driven would require case modification and way beyond me. I thought about some kind of jack shaft to move the sprocket shaft aft, but that would take some serious engineering and even more $$.

The R1 uses a 16 tooth with a 530 chain. There is a 15 tooth available for the R1. I am in the process of tracking one down to see if it will clear the case.

[gaffer77]

Hi ScVic i bought some stuff off ebay over here in England the guy was selling tons of stuff and a month ago he sold the frame engine etc with chain drive conversion ,so he had pics i mean and a bit of knowledge about it ,im sure you could get hold of the buyer anyway if you needed more info etc on how it was set up
i may even find a pic thru his feedbak for you if you want to see it

only thing is ,the only way i can see it done easily is bung the Fj 1100 engine in the xs frame

still these were just thoughts ,they might help ,might not but thought i'd mention it to you

see you have fun choppin !!!!!

ps also got a chopper builders manual for $10.00 off ebay on cd format everything you need to know hard tails ,soft tails etc etc etc

[gaffer77]

Hi again!! ebay item 7938224470 this was the chain drive that sold ,few pics of it ,sure you can contact gary or the buyer like i said earlier for any info you need,has a different swing arm not sure if your mods etc will affect the set up but still may give you some sort of info

if you are not used to ebay go to ebay (internet search ) then clik buy and in the search bar just put that number in and you will see it all

you might have to register to see the uk stuff

hope this is all of help to you mate

see you

[gaffer77]

[IMG]http:/img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/xs11f/chainxs4.jpg[/IMG]