What bikes have you raced your XS11 against and won?

[xs650mike]

Yeah, rotary valve intakes. I was a model airplane enthusiast as a kid, mixed my own fuel and hopped up my engines...I always wondered why motorcycle 2-strokes were still stuck in the primitive, low horsepower, 3-port design when model engines had rotary valves since the late 1940s. 3-port is sort of like putting 22 mm carbs on an XS11. Then Bridgestone came out of nowhere with a modern rotary valve design. I wanted one really badly but being a struggling musician I didn't have the scratch.

[Geezer]

I had a chance to get a Bridgstone 350 cheap back when I was riding a R5 Yamaha but I passed because I thought parts for it would be too hard to get.

It turns out I was right. Parts for Bridgstones are unobtainium and the bikes haven't apricated in value comparied to old Hondas. Ugly old Honda dreams are collectable as hell.

Geezer

[motoman]

kinda off the quickness of the XS 1100, and I'll have that chance against my other steed, Honda ST 1100, think it would be a close one. Any way, was just out riding a bit ago on the Honda, when a young person in front of me left a light, and as I accellerated around him in the other lane in second gear, he nailed it and the race was on, dead heat, gear for gear. I didn't believe it and neither will you all. He was in a Dodge Magmum ST, the one with the little hemi in it. Know that all doesn't count, and maybe could have out pulled him on the XS with the good torque, but I backed off at a 110 in fourth, with him right beside me, and he would of keep going, having balls of steel, I presume! Anyway, that's one "four-wheeler" that you better have it clickin if your gonna twist that right hand!......Who would of thought?....

[mro]

hey Geezer,

quote:"Ugly old Honda dreams are collectable as hell."

My first bike. Your bursting my bubble. Thought it was beautiful. dual crome exhaust, turned over 9000 rpm. Big step up from my tote-goat. (road by elvis in that movie)

as for the XLCH 900cc, real fun to ride as long as you never left home. had to carry extra tools and duck tape in saddle bags.
course didn't know jack how wrench then.


mro

[pggg]

Fast bike versus fast bike - no real winner or loser on the road/street. It's the rider not the bike. As for fast bike versus quick car - ha! 90% of hot cars are easy meat from standing starts or rolling starts, even the hot hot ones. My old dunger XS has embarrassed any model or make you can care to name. All the jappos - the hot Mitsis, mazdas, Integras, WRX's, Skylines blah blah - Porsches, Beemers, Jags, Chevs, Mustangs, Mercs blah blah - turbos, V8's, V6's blah blah. They're all history to a 1 litre bike. Only the very occasional road-going cage gives any opposition. Just dont drag a gun cage driver thru the twisties - you'll most likely get whipped or killed. 4 fat wheels stick way better/way faster than 2 skinny ones.

[jeffe]

First bike was a Bridgestone 90. Wore it out. Had a 400 acre farm to ride it on. Great machine.

[Geezer]

While I don't think Honda dreams are beautiful, I should have said homely rather than ugly. I do love these old bikes. I sell lots of rectifiers for them...

I'd like to have a newer Sportster for an around town bike. Good MPG, plenty of torque, light and nimble but not at the price they're going for. Even a clapped out 15 year old Sportster goes for way more than I'll pay for one.

Geezer

Originally posted by mro
hey Geezer,

quote:"Ugly old Honda dreams are collectable as hell."

My first bike. Your bursting my bubble. Thought it was beautiful. dual crome exhaust, turned over 9000 rpm. Big step up from my tote-goat. (road by elvis in that movie)

as for the XLCH 900cc, real fun to ride as long as you never left home. had to carry extra tools and duck tape in saddle bags.
course didn't know jack how wrench then.

mro

[xs650mike]

Hey mro,

How about those sloppy forks on those old Sportys? I went riding one time with my friend on the hilly streets of San Francisco, he on one of his BSAs and me on his XLCH. We indulged in a bit of the time-honored Frisco sport of jumping hilly intersections. I remember the loud "clank" as the forks topped when I became airborne and the "klunk" as they bottomed when I landed. Flexible flyer frame, bike would turn one way under power and the other way on back off. A good engine in a perfectly crappy motorcycle.

I know a couple guys who never got over that malady known as "Sportster knee". Maimed for life. How about you?

[Geezer]

My knees are screwed up from crashing my old RD on some railroad tracks. I've never owned a Harley other than the Italian ones and only for a short period of time.

I turned wrenches in a Harley and Kawie shop in the late 80's. I got to ride a lot of Harleys then and I took to liking the evo-Sportsters. They reminded me a lot of the 1965 Norton I used to have but with less of the problems.

Much to my suprize I liked riding several Harleys. The weren't at all fast but if you just chug around on them, they were pretty nice riding machines. It amazes me in all these years Harley never came up with a 4 cyclinder when Indian had one in the 30's...

Geezer

[xs650mike]

"Sportster knee" was caused by over-extension of the knee joint from kickstarting the bike. Savvy Sportster pilots stood on the right side of the bike facing rear and kicked the bike that way. Even then some guys got hurt...and today's Harley riders consider a Sportster a "girls bike"! Those old iron head bikes were 56 cu. in. or 883cc, same as the modern "small" Sportster.

I read somewhere that Harley had a V4 in development in the late '60s. When they heard that Honda was coming out with a four they held off to see what the Honda was like. When the CB750 came out they shelved the idea. Almost caused Harley's demise. I understand Harley won't even comment on the subject. Ducati too had a V4 which actually got to the prototype stage, also shelved.

[Geezer]

I hyper entended my knee once helping push starting a superglide. It hurt like hell for a couple weeks but I already had bad knees by then.

I remember the Duck V4, it would have been killer, to bad they didn't market it. A V4 Hogg would have been interesting to say the least. The V-Rod is a move in the right direction but it's the fad of owning a Harley that keeps them selling.

Geezer

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Mike,

Was it really from overextending the knee, or was it from the engine kicking back when/if they didn't get it positioned right, and didn't get a full rotation of the crank during the kick??

Hey, now, this is an idea for OCC....how about they put 2 engines side by side and make a Harley V-4 the "Hard Way"!?

T.C.

[xs650mike]

Usually from over-extension, happened to me starting my friend's bike. Rat didn't warn me. I healed in a couple of weeks. Limped into the local hang out and people would say, "Ride a Sportster, don't you?" LOL. Got bit a few times by my Matchless 650 when I forgot to retard the spark. Yes children, bikes used to have manual advance levers on the handlebars!

Saw a post on an XS650 site asking about mounting a Fairbanks Morse tractor magneto on an XS650. That's what the old XLCH used for an iggy. My friend (same one that had that XLCH) has an ARD magneto conversion on his '65 Bonneville which uses that same tractor mag.

[Geezer]

I think I talked to that guy and talked him out of that modification. I also sold him a rectifier and voltage regulator.

Back when I had a shop, I had a FM mag set up for a Triumph on the shelf, It had a lot of dust on it when I finally sold it... I almost feel sorry for the guy but he came in specifically looking for it.

Geezer

Originally posted by xs650mike
Saw a post on an XS650 site asking about mounting a Fairbanks Morse tractor magneto on an XS650. That's what the old XLCH used for an iggy. My friend (same one that had that XLCH) has an ARD magneto conversion on his '65 Bonneville which uses that same tractor mag.

[Geezer]

My old Enfield 500 Fury beat the crap out of my right foot before I replaced the cable on the spark advancer.

The OCC morons couldn't do domething like that unless somebody else made a kit first.

Geezer

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
Hey Mike,

Was it really from overextending the knee, or was it from the engine kicking back when/if they didn't get it positioned right, and didn't get a full rotation of the crank during the kick??

Hey, now, this is an idea for OCC....how about they put 2 engines side by side and make a Harley V-4 the "Hard Way"!?

T.C.