XS1100LG Dipstick? - Page 2

 CS wrote:


This guy is passionate about XS11's.

http://www.merriamcycle.com/

If I had an Excessive-1100, I would be looking for wider wheels and tires to
put on it, even if I had to lace up a set of spoke wheels. The front wheel
would be at least a 2.50 X 18.00.

Your bike probably needs shocks, I do not recommend Progressive Suspension
front springs unless you have the patience to fiddle with the fork oil level.

PS makes the same spring for various forks, and they have never installed
their springs in all possible forks, so they cannot tell you what the oil
level should be.

They just give a ball park figure of about 130~140 mm as I recall. I had to
adjust the oil level in my GSXR750 three times, and my GS1100 forks were
never right after putting PS forks springs in it.

I do not recommend Dynojet kits, I believe an intelligent rider can do
anything he needs to a Mikuni carburetor by drilling out the EPA anti-tamper
plugs (if it has them) and tweaking the idle mixture screws by 1/4 to 1/2 a
turn.

I do not recommend removing the stock airbox or installing K&N separate
filters.

A single element K&N replacement filter that goes in the airbox is the way to
go. I just wash the element in kerosene and never use K&N filter oil.

Yamaha was believing that Americans wanted custom motorcycles back in those
days, and Kawasaki and Honda were going along with all the frou frou
styling with anodized parts and black chrome and Midnight Specials and
Radians and Fazers, etc.

Yamaha sent its market researchers out to the motorcycle hangouts and asked
us what we wanted. Many riders told Yamaha that they wanted a Japanese Harley,
so Yamaha killed off the XS11 and came out with the V-twin Virago line, and
Honda and Suzuki came out with their Custom and "L" models, but riders who
could afford a Harley bought Harlies and the Yamaha dealers who stocked up on
Yamahas were stuck with them for two or three years.

--
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/yamaha/200709/1

 
you're a man after my own heart. make it safe first, then spiff it up but
above all ride it! if you ever come near mojave or death valley, i'll show you
the most beautiful places on the planet. riding in death valley is awesome and
not at all unsafe despite the name. you don't ride during the day in
june-september, but the rest of the year is fine.
keep us updated on your resto. and come visit.
if you can take pictures of the process, post them in a.b.test. you can't but
them here because this is a text group.
have fun....

 

someone@some.domain wrote:


In nearly half a century of driving/riding motorcycles, I must have stopped
in Mojave half a dozen times. It's a place that you pass through, on the way
to
Bakersfield or Lake Isabella, or the eastern Sierra Nevada range.

When I was stationed at Edwards AFB in the 1960's, my shooting buddy and I
used to roam all over the desert. One time he took me up Jawbone Canyon to
Paiute Mountain and we stopped at a place that must be Claraville now.

There was an old general store up there and we asked the old man who was
running it if we could get out of the mountains by heading south on the road
behind the store.

He advised against it, saying, "That's a jeep road, your car won't make it."

But, it was all downhill and I had to back the car up twice to make some of
the tight switchbacks.

The road came out in Walker basin or on Caliente Bodfish Rd, I don't know
which, but it was an adventure getting up into the Paiute mountains.


If I was headed up 395 and I got to the Death Valley cutoff, I would pass it
by and keep going towards Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, June Lake, Bridgeport,
etc. I've been to Death Valley four or five times and it's not as beautiful
as the Sierras.

--
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/yamaha/200709/1