2016 Colorado/Western Rally

[Bonz]

BA80 has a good pic of how it should look.

For the jetting, if you are running a stock set up and in good tune you will be fine at high and very high elevation.

I am runnng 107.5 mains in my 80SG living at 7200' of elevation (stock is 110's) and its a good running bike. When I go down to lower elevation (4000 feet) it runs great as well for the time I spend there, but would go back to stock if I lived and rode below 4000-5000 feet on a regular basis.

CaptonZap runs stock jetting in his 80G and it was a great runner on top of pikes peak as well, and it is in good tune. He lives in Denver at a mile high in elevation.

Run what ya' brung and rest assured you will literally have some of the best minds on this forum riding with you and can do literally anything should the need arise.

[edwardruth]

Pack as light as you can and load the heaviest stuff at the lowest point possible.

Good to know.

Nice picture but, your airbox is so shiny I thought you were riding with no filters for a second! haha At first glance it really looks like you can see right past the carbs to the concrete on the other side of the bike.

[BA80]

That pic was taken at the last gas stop in Hanksville headed to Mexican Hat, Utah on 95. Around 100 miles of nothing but desert, high plains, and canyons.

A little extra fuel never hurts out there.

[edwardruth]

BA80 has a good pic of how it should look.

For the jetting, if you are running a stock set up and in good tune you will be fine at high and very high elevation.

I am runnng 107.5 mains in my 80SG living at 7200' of elevation (stock is 110's) and its a good running bike. When I go down to lower elevation (4000 feet) it runs great as well for the time I spend there, but would go back to stock if I lived and rode below 4000-5000 feet on a regular basis.

CaptonZap runs stock jetting in his 80G and it was a great runner on top of pikes peak as well, and it is in good tune. He lives in Denver at a mile high in elevation.

Run what ya' brung and rest assured you will literally have some of the best minds on this forum riding with you and can do literally anything should the need arise.

Concern relieved, thanks. I should be good then. I'm running stock jets and it ran really good between here and down to Phoenix so far. It's not quite in perfect tune yet but really good. I did beat a guy on his new(used) '05 V-Star from a rolling start in a short drag down the airport ramp. I even let him get the jump. Same guy who asked me "why did you get That?" in which I replied, "because it's what I wanted" He seemed dumbfounded. He needed to be brought down a little... I had to do it.

Oh, I am rest assured. I've learned a lot from you guys and I enjoy the XS spirit. If it wasn't for this site and people like us, these bikes wouldn't still be tearing up the roads. lol Manuals just aren't all they're cracked up to be and the shops with guys fresh out of school don't seem to know what they're doing with old technology. Too mechanical I guess. At least, the Honda shop here said they would no longer work on my old 85 Honda I had because of it's age. It was a clean bike though and all I had them do was change tires! lol I go to the old Harley guys shop now. I'm glad he opened business and that he's not racist about my bike Not being a Harley. haha

[edwardruth]

That pic was taken at the last gas stop in Hanksville headed to Mexican Hat, Utah on 95. Around 100 miles of nothing but desert, high plains, and canyons.

A little extra fuel never hurts out there.

Gotcha, thanks.

[motoman]

I hear ya, The monsoons are no joke! We have them here where I live. I've been caught in it once or twice. In the desert it can be a nice, sunny, t-shirt riding day out cruising, good times... then BAM, out of nowhere the skies get dark and it pours or dumps big drops of rain that feel like little balls of lead being dropped from the nearest flying space ship... yeah. Not fun. I tend not to ride much after 3 or 4pm during monsoon season anymore. Rain gear, noted.

I live in the desert at 4,000 ft elevation in Arizona, how does that compare to high elevation sun? Is it worse or more intense with long exposure? I think my farmers tan is well adapted to the sun but I don't know anything about high elevation sun.

One thing I've been wondering about but haven't noticed anyone mention. I'm kinda concerned about the elevation and my fuel mixture/jets once you start getting up there, like 14,110 ft up. Does it have that much affect on the XS11?

These bikes having vacuum diaphragm carbs, has no effect other than power loss at high altitudes. Less vacuum at higher altitudes equals less mtering rod lift for the main circuit. That's why vacuum diapaphram carbs are known as altitude compensating carbs.

[edwardruth]

These bikes having vacuum diaphragm carbs, has no effect other than power loss at high altitudes. Less vacuum at higher altitudes equals less mtering rod lift for the main circuit. That's why vacuum diapaphram carbs are known as altitude compensating carbs.

That is awesome. I always thought the carbs were bad for taking the mechanical slide operation out just cause it's normal I guess, but then again I thought that they were good in the sense that the diaphrams ensured a more accurate and even fuel delivery as it could only take what it wanted, like you couldn't over do it. I guess I was kinda right but hadn't considered altitude into the thought. Good to know. I respect my carbs much more now. lol Thanks.

[Bonz]

Definitely, no matter how it is jetted it will have a power loss at higher elevation.

However, carbs can easily be jetted for the overall prevailing conditions the bike will be run in, has been done for a hundred years, and will allow the bike to run better overall. Whether that is main jet size, pilot jet size or needle position if applicable. Dropping down one main jet size and leaving all else "stock" other than pilot screw adjustment in the 80SG made it a crisp and clean machine at 7200'. And down to 4000' and up over 14,000'.

[edwardruth]

Definitely, no matter how it is jetted it will have a power loss at higher elevation.

However, carbs can easily be jetted for the overall prevailing conditions the bike will be run in, has been done for a hundred years, and will allow the bike to run better overall. Whether that is main jet size, pilot jet size or needle position if applicable. Dropping down one main jet size and leaving all else "stock" other than pilot screw adjustment in the 80SG made it a crisp and clean machine at 7200'. And down to 4000' and up over 14,000'.

It's an XS11, who's concerned with power loss?

I hear ya though, as with all O2 burning engines. I do know quite a bit about vehicles, overall. I know old Chevys about like you guys know these bikes. The details. I'm gettin there though. I just didn't quite get the purpose of these carbs or why there wasn't much mention about jetting, until I read "altitude compensating" then it all made sense. Almost a DUH moment, haha

Like you were saying, I'm thinking at 4000' and being closer to sea level elevations that I won't be messing with jetting.

Thanks guys, I'm getting excited.

[Bonz]

Back in 1980 there was nothing that could touch the XS11 at any elevation! Now, with respect to our dear old bikes... 80-ish hp and 60-ish ft/lbs of torque is not much today in a 605 lb bike that doesn't come out of the power hole until 3000 rpm. Good thing Yamaha geared it short.

What still surprises me is that there isn't much to be added to the XS11 in terms of performance, it was about all-in right from the factory. That is what I admire most.

The XS1100 is THE smoothest inline 4 cyl engine I have ever owned, and rediscover how much I like that smoothness each time I ride it.

Glad you are coming, thanks for the discussion.

[BA80]

Well Bonz...LOL...if you add the computer controlled fuel injection and the lower end capable of 12K RPMS you'll realize that the XS was the forerunner of these advancements. Even though the XS tach red lines at 8.5 K it'll bury it past 10 without issue.

The thing to look at here is that in 35 years these modern bikes will be just a memory, but an XS, if you can still find replacement parts, will still be out the chugging along.

There aren't any other bikes out there I know of that have the following or the longevity of these relics. Not even the highly overrated Harleys.

I've never had a big problem with the XS on EPIC rides. These damn things, even if you drop a cylinder will carry you home at 70 MPH. Fuel mileage will suck but you won't walk.

The only issues I've seen on the road are pretty easily repaired. Most of those were on trbigs bike(s) but then, he could tear up a steel anvil with a rubber hammer.

I'm not afraid to take my XS anywhere in any weather. I'll get there.

[edwardruth]

You guys might like to know, or have similar stories but my first XS11 changed the mind of a die hard, life long Harley guy. He took it for a ride and when he came back, he wanted it. It was then I knew it was special. lol That and when I was rolling in first gear I decided to see what would happen if I rolled on it all the way, a mistake being new on a street bike, non the less an XS1100. It wound for a half second then unleashed, taking off and nearly leaving me standing still in the sitting position in mid air like Wiley Coyote trying to ride a rocket. I barely held on to that rocket, with one hand. haha I was about 18yrs old, 150 lbs. and not prepared for what was going to happen. lol

[edwardruth]

I've had and rode a few other bikes too, even a Harley Cafe racer once, which wasn't fast at all compared, but I've always liked how the XS rode much better for me than anything else so far. Just feels more natural I guess. Responds really well to counter steering.

[BA80]

You guys might like to know, or have similar stories but my first XS11 changed the mind of a die hard, life long Harley guy. He took it for a ride and when he came back, he wanted it. It was then I knew it was special. lol That and when I was rolling in first gear I decided to see what would happen if I rolled on it all the way, a mistake being new on a street bike, non the less an XS1100. It wound for a half second then unleashed, taking off and nearly leaving me standing still in the sitting position in mid air like Wiley Coyote trying to ride a rocket. I barely held on to that rocket, with one hand. haha I was about 18yrs old, 150 lbs. and not prepared for what was going to happen. lol

Yup, Found myself grappling for the handlebars the first time I did that too.

I've had and rode a few other bikes too, even a Harley Cafe racer once, which wasn't fast at all compared, but I've always liked how the XS rode much better for me than anything else so far. Just feels more natural I guess. Responds really well to counter steering.

It'll do pretty much anything you ask it to if you have the balls to ask....

[Bonz]

If the weather is questionable, the 80SG gets the nod hands down. Plexifairing 3 gives great coverage for my tallness when on the move. The ST1300 I owned for a while with full sport touring bodywork isn't any better.

I have to keep in mind I did the FD swap in 2011, and that has tamed the overall acceleration a bit I suppose, and made the bike more of what I thought it should have been from the start. Yamaha did a great job with top end rush and short-ish gearing for a bike of this size to get the 11 second 1/4 mile they wanted.