Salad bar bike?

[Nommadd57]

Finally have my '81 SH project in the wind. Got it last fall from a guy that said it had been parked for "a few" years. It was a 'full dresser', upper & lower fairings, hard bags (w/ chrome tubing), luggage rack & (70's tall) back rest. This was all factory. (I don't understand why Yamaha would turn a 4 gal. tank cruiser into a touring bike.) Anyway, I pulled all the 'stuff' off. (Had to pull the bags just to get the seat off.) I found some random Midnight Special parts on it. Fork tops are gold, cam cover and cylinders (not the head) are black. My theory is that Yamaha had some inventory parts to get rid of so they built the 'salad bar' bikes. Does anyone know anything about these (guessing there is more than one). It has original 'Black/ Blue paint job.

I'm keeping the rack & backrest (after a slight 'modification'). Fairing & bags will be 're-homed'. Looking for a headlight for an XS Special (7" round). I think any of the years will work.

[DiverRay]

Welcome to the forum!
Check the top of the gas cap for a medallion. Should have one if Bob Jones did some of the work on the bike. The headlight bucket from an early '80's 650, 750, 850, or 1100 should work. The later lamps used halogen bulbs, and are easier to replace with the type of bulb that you want.

[jetmechmarty]

cam cover and cylinders (not the head) are black. My theory is that Yamaha had some inventory parts to get rid of so they built the 'salad bar' bikes. Does anyone know anything about these (guessing there is more than one). It has original 'Black/ Blue paint job.

Looking for a headlight for an XS Special (7" round). I think any of the years will work.

You're engine paint scheme is stock for 1981. The XS650 got the same treatment, and maybe the XS850. 1980 and 1981 XS1100 and XS850 have the same headlight. XJ Maxim is also the same headlight.

[Nommadd57]

Thanks for the info guys! Much appreciated!

[Geezer]

It sounds more like a dealer done thing. Shops would often use up what they had on hand to fix up a trade in bike that was still late model enough to be worth selling or under warranty. On the XS11 only the midnight models had black engine parts but if one was in for warranty cylinder work and the dealer had the black cylinders on hand, it wouldn't be a far stretch to imagine them offering them to the customer rather than waiting for the silver ones... Having worked in a few Yamaha dealers around that time I saw a few things like that happen...

Tony