Nostalgia anyone??

[dannymax]

There's an old XS1100 for sale in nearby Chatham if anyone is looking for a nostalgic bike to re-do. Think the sign said $800, maybe $700...:confused2:

I can check it out if somebody is interested.

 

[DakRatFink]

There is guy on base who stopped and helped me one day I ran the Vmax out of gas. He had an old XS 1100 he had just gotten restored (He had the work farmed out, he is an Officer after all, heheh) It looked good. I nice simple deep glossy black paint job and a set of turned down clubman bars gave it a nice cafe look.

 

[KJShover]

There's an old XS1100 for sale in nearby Chatham if anyone is looking for a nostalgic bike to re-do. Think the sign said $800, maybe $700...:confused2:

I can check it out if somebody is interested.

Those are great bikes, I miss my 80' LG. I still have some pistons, rods and a head in the shop, along with some covers.

 

[Fire-medic]

The local Snap On distributor in Ft. Lauderdale used to have an XS11 that was turbocharged and he was one of several done locally. I heard from him and the others I saw w/them that they have good bottom ends for the extra power, like the KZ1000's and GS1100's.

 

[SpecOps13]

I bought this a year or so after owning ax XJ1100. The bike was really clean after minor detailing. But it was so slow after having the Maxim with YICS.... Loved it anyway. Would be great to have one to put around town on... Oh, rode a Turbo 11 too, it was a Rocket Ship

 

[KJShover]

The local Snap On distributor in Ft. Lauderdale used to have an XS11 that was turbocharged and he was one of several done locally. I heard from him and the others I saw w/them that they have good bottom ends for the extra power, like the KZ1000's and GS1100's.

+1 you couldnt hurt the bottom of these puppies.

 

[Fire-medic]

For one of the magazines, I believe the XS11 was the first bike breaking into the 10's.

 

[KJShover]

I don't know about a 10, but a low 11. When it first came out, it was the fastest production bike.

*update*
Goes to show how my memory is working, lol

When Cycle magazine took an XS1100 to the local drag strip for its January 1978 issue, the massive XS laid down speeds never before seen by a Superbike of the period. Nineteen runs were made, with every trip of the lights coming in under 12 seconds. Their best run was 11.82, a time unmatched by any bike prior to the XS. A month later, Cycle World reported a best run of 11.78 seconds. The motorcycle world had a new king of the quarter mile.​

 

[KJShover]

XS11 Article:

When the time came for Yamaha to join the Superbike ball, the Yamah XS1100 (also known as the Yamaha XS Eleven) was fashionably late. Liter bikes from Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki were already at the dance and making a name for themselves. Although the competing entries filled different needs, each was powered by an engine displacing 1,000cc or more.

Honda had broken the 1,000cc barrier with the Honda GL1000 in 1975. It was followed by the Kawasaki KZ1000 in 1977, and then the Suzuki GS1000 in 1978. Until 1977, Yamaha’s biggest model was the Yamaha XS650 twin. The triple-lung Yamaha XS750 rolled into view for 1976, but left much to be desired when it came to a highway touring motorcycle and was a bit of a slug when you rolled on the throttle.​

Not just bigger, better
Knowing they needed a bigger partner to compete in the hoedown, Yamaha turned up the wick and introduced its XS1100 for 1978. Much of the media had expected a 1,000cc machine to fill the spot, but the designers at Yamaha threw an unexpected performer onto the dance floor. Not only did the latest XS carry more cubic centimeters than the others, but it also featured a 4-cylinder engine, a first for the tuning-fork firm. With Yamaha’s sights set on the long haul rider, the big XS was armed for bear.

On the surface, the XS1100 seemed pretty straight forward, but like a lady behind a feathered mask it hid a few surprises. When the engineers were drawing up the 1,101.6cc engine, they did far more than simply tack an extra lung to the existing 3-cylinder engine from the XS750. While being fairly typical in its layout, Yamaha threw in some technological features to enhance power. Dual overhead cams were expected, but the four 34mm Mikuni constant velocity carbs — a first for an inline four — weren’t. The XS also benefited from very unique combustion chambers.

While hemispherical combustion chambers, with intake and exhaust valves placed across from each other and a centrally located sparkplug (hence the term “hemi head”), were the performance norm, they had inherent limitations. Chief among them was upping compression ratio without resorting to pistons with huge crowns, increasing weight and slowing heat dissipation. To get around this, Yamaha developed a complex “polyspheric” combustion chamber, a design that required six machining operations to achieve. The multitude of cuts and shapes milled into each combustion chamber produced the same volumetric efficiency of a hemi but without any of a hemi’s drawbacks, allowing Yamaha to use slightly crowned and lighter weight pistons (211 grams).​

A second feather in the designer’s cap was the ignition system. Borrowing from the automotive world, the new XS included transistorized ignition with vacuum advance, the former for reliable firing, and the latter to greatly improve mid-throttle and trailing throttle performance thanks to its ability to advance ignition timing when it’s most needed. This helped the big engine to deliver power smoothly regardless of rpm or selected gear.

Final drive on the bike was shaft, chosen primarily for the goal of making the XS Eleven a highway touring motorcycle. Five gears sent their ratios to the shaft without any ruckus, and without undue rear-end lift under hard acceleration. It was there, just not as pronounced as what riders of BMWs were accustomed to. Disc brakes in triplicate, two fore and one aft, did a great job of hauling the heavy XS down from your chosen velocity. Each rotor measured 11.7 inches in diameter and was squeezed by a single-piston caliper.


Not just bigger, faster
Obviously, Yamaha didn’t go to all this effort to end up with lackluster performance. Curb weight for the XS1100 was listed as 602 pounds with a full tank of fuel. With a rider aboard, that number could easily reach 800. Add a passenger and the half-ton was within reach. Pushing that much mass through the atmosphere seemed to be a herculean task, but the XS1100 proved its worth.

When Cycle magazine took an XS1100 to the local drag strip for its January 1978 issue, the massive XS laid down speeds never before seen by a Superbike of the period. Nineteen runs were made, with every trip of the lights coming in under 12 seconds. Their best run was 11.82, a time unmatched by any bike prior to the XS. A month later, Cycle World reported a best run of 11.78 seconds. The motorcycle world had a new king of the quarter mile.

The styling of the big XS1100 standard was fairly staid, belying the power that lurked within. Hints of European design could be found in the 5.3-gallon fuel tank and rear seat cowl, both trimmed with gold pinstripes. Unlike most offerings of the day, the saddle did not hinge up for access. The cowl and seat was a singular item and needed to be unbolted to service the battery. A standard issue tool kit lived under a lockable side cover but displaced all the storage to be had. The seat itself was wide, well padded and made a great place to spend the day. Even the passenger portion of the seat was comfortable, allowing a friend to go along as you took to the long ribbons of tarmac.

The handlebars were another creature comfort that held a secret. At first glance they appeared to be too far back and at too extreme an angle to be user friendly. Once perched on the bike, riders found they were about as perfect as they could be, affording a comfortable, day-long ride posture. Another part of this ergonomic victory was due to the position of the foot pegs, which were slightly rear set.


A “custom,” called the XS Special, was offered alongside the standard, and included features like a tear-drop fuel tank, 2-step saddle and taller, buckhorn bars. The custom configuration was all the rage in the day and the XS Special slotted in nicely. A Midnight Special drenched in black with gold trim came later.

Brand new, the XS1100 carried an MSRP of $2,989, making it cheaper than its liter-bike-plus rivals. The Honda CBX commanded nearly $1,000 more, while the Kawasaki Z1-R and Suzuki GS1000E were almost $800 more.


The downside to bigger
It would seem the new XS1100 was the perfect bike for any occasion. Indeed, when devouring miles that came in a straight line, the XS was at the top of the food chain. The smoothness of the engine coupled to comfortable accommodations made for a machine that could eat highway miles without a hint of indigestion. It was only when the bike was pressed into cornering at high speeds that things turned ugly. Testers of the day all echoed the same story: The XS1100 was a solid bullet in a straight line, but cornering at high speeds was done at your own risk.

Cycle warned its readers that the bike could easily go, stop and steer — just never two at the same time. A high-speed wobble came on readily if you pushed the 600-pound machine too hard into the turns. And while the point at which this happened was above most riders’ skill set, that didn’t make the issue any easier to deal with. Excessive exuberance would quickly expose the bike’s weakness and send you offroading on a machine not intended to do so.

I had a brief opportunity to ride Joe Bortz’s XS1100, our feature bike. Being vertically challenged (OK, I’m short), the 32-inch saddle lifts my boots higher off the pavement than I like while at rest. But once under way that issue disappeared as I transitioned to the experience of mind-numbing acceleration and a mount I could ride all day. Turning the beast around is effortless and smooth, as if I’d been riding it for years. The 61-inch wheelbase would seem to suggest a different experience, but the XS Eleven surprised. I remember riding a Midnight Special version of this bike when they were new. A buddy had purchased the bike and was eager to let me take a spin. Even in the height of my youth, I was amazed at the speed and balance of the Yamaha. My personal mount at the time was a Honda CB750 with the early single-cam engine. It had been impressive until the day I threw my leg over the XS1100. How quickly legends fall …
​

Owner Joe loves the Yamaha. “I find it very appealing,” he says. “The first year for the XS1100 is really the most striking because of the maroon paint, gold pinstriping and the gold emblems on the side covers. This is an extremely comfortable bike, and when I compare it to the other large bikes of the period, such as the 1979 Honda CBX 6-cylinder and the 1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 6-cylinder, its riding position, seat, and distance between the seat and the handle bars is the most comfortable of the three. As far as spending many hours in the saddle on a road trip, I’d prefer the XS1100 over the Kawasaki or the Honda.

“Motorcycles appeal to all the human senses,” Joe continues, “and one of those is sound. Of the three bikes — XS1100, CBX and KZ1300 — the XS1100 definitely has the best low-end growl. It’s not quite as good as an MV Agusta America or a Laverda Jota, but it’s darn close.”


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The XS1100 was replaced by the Maxim in 1982, as Yamaha did its best to keep up with the manic changes within the industry. Those were the golden days of cycling, with classic machines coming out every year. Had I seen the writing on the wall, I would have saved a few that I owned, but my common sense gene had yet to make its appearance. Youth, as the saying goes, is wasted on the young. MC

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[Fire-medic]

Ueah, looks like ot was the "11 second" barrier the bike crushed, now I'm wondering if it was the GS1150 or the GSXR 1100 or the first Ninja 900 that broke into the 10's. The ATP KZ1000 Z1R would break the 11 sec. flat barrier but that was a limited edition from Kawi dealers on special order.

Looking into this a bit on the web I see the first V65 Honda Magna is claimed to be a high 10 sec. bike and they came out in 1983.

Here is the Cycle magazine article with the notorious picture of a slightly-built guy w/a fuzzy caterpillar-of-a-moustache astride the bike. They took some heat for not having a 'more-substantial' rider for this fire-breathing ride.
THE TEN SECOND BATTLE
Honda's V65 Magna is an authentic 10 second motorcycle We re sure of it but unofficially so
Readers following the battle of the 10 second quarter know that the GPz1100 tested by Cycle last month ran 10 91. The Honda 1100F hovered at the 10 second threshold in January but didn't quite make it. Honda was confident, though, that the V65 Magna was a 10 second jet, and there was plenty of evidence pointing in that direction. First, John Gleason, professional quarter mile pilot, had taken the V65 Magna into the tens for Honda, a feat well publicized by the company. Second, Honda had every reason to believe that the Magna would turn out to be a 10 second bike in Cycle's hands - Mark Homchick (out of real curiosity) had run a pre production V65 through the traps at 11.06 seconds long before the magazine's test unit, a line production bike, showed up for evaluation.
Before Homchick could get our test Magna to the strip, he became the proud owner of an unwanted accessory: a plaster cast running from thumb to armpit. The cast had (and still has) optional features - stainless steel pins to immobilize a left wrist broken in a number of places and pieces. It was a bad break for Honda, too. As explained in February, it takes a deft touch to get a Superbike into the tens; only two or three journalists can, and MH is our quota. Honda had the weapon; Cycle, the broken trigger finger.
On the one hand, Cycle couldn't officially consider any quarter mile times outside the ones turned in by staffers. On the other hand, Mark's performance with 10 second motorcycles is much closer to John Gleason's than to other staff members'. If Gleason could take our test V65 Magna and put it well into the tens, it would clearly indicate that the V65 would be a 10 second bike in Mark's hands. And that would give our readers a much fairer picture of the Magna's performance than if we published an 11.3 figure generated by Buzz Buzzelli.
Gleason turned in a 10.84 second, 124.82 mph shot with the Magna. That's about 0.04 second quicker than he managed on the GPz1100 while coaching Homchick on ten second riding. The total run of Gleason's times on our test unit V65 were as follows: 11.29 @ 120.48; 11.14 @ 124.82; 11.13 @ 124.48; 10.92 @ 124.48; 10.87 @ 125.17; 10.91 ? 125.17; 10.86 @ 125.00; 10.90 @ 124.65; 10.95 @ 124.30; 10.91 @ 124.82; 10.84 @ 124.82.
The Honda V65 is easier to ride at the strip than the GPz1 100 because the Magna has more mid range punch - note the dyno charts. This means it gets off the line more easily. Furthermore, most street riders will have the impression that the Honda is a lot stronger than the GPz1100 because of the V65's hellacious mid range power. And that's a fact. The V65 shows more horsepower than the GPz at every rpm level on the dyno charts, and the power is more broadly distributed. At the very top the V65 produces 105 horsepower at the rear wheel, a touch more than the 104 horse GPz. Only at 8500 rpm does the GPz edge above the Monster Magna. At 3500 rpm, for example, the V65 has an additional 10 pounds feet of torque. At 4000 rpm the V65 has over 10 horsepower and 14 pounds-feet on the GPz 1100. The V65 is, by a mile, the strongest stocker we've bolted to the dyno. Though most riders might find the Honda easier to deal with in the quarter, be as sured that getting a 10 second motorcycle into the tens is tough. If you doubt that, pay a visit to your local drag strip.
Unofficially, the V65 is a 10 second bike. Officially, it's the Horsepower King. You can take those numbers to the bank and deposit them.
When Mr. Pins and Plaster Homchick mends, we want to run our V65 Magna again to get our official figures. At that time, we'd like to gather all the 10 second contenders for a little high drama around the old drag strip
Christmas tree. We can hardly wait.

http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/v65/v65article.htm

So from my short time researching the internet, it looks like Honda can claim to be the first into the 10's with an everyday bike, in 1983, w/the V65 Magna, but other bikes of special construction but w/dealer representation and sales were out there first, albeit admittedly harder to come-by.

 

[RaWarrior]

The V65 was the first true "muscle standard", and in all likelihood prompted Yamaha to one-up Honda by introducing the Vmax 2 years later. It was the brute of it's day, though it was flawed from the factory.

The V65(1100cc) grew out of the V45, which was introduced a year earlier in 1982 as the first generation of the "VF" series (model code was VF750), with the VF meaning, surprise, Vee-Four. Unfortunately the oiling system that was barely adequate on the 750 just didn't cut it on the 1100 version, and the upper head would get essentially no oil at hot idle. Idling in traffic killed these things. They, like the Vmax, and really any fast bike, were known to blow out 2nd gear. Seem to remember from my time on the Honda forum the "real world" wheel HP for the 1100's was somewhere in the mid-90's, with 115 or so at the crank.

The VF750 magically turned into the VF700 in 1984, to dodge the tariff on 700cc+ imported bikes that HD lobbied for since they were about to crash and burn in the face of better built, better performing, and cheaper Japanese bikes.

I had a VF500, which was the motor from the "baby interceptor" dropped into the Magna frame. Kept it's chain drive and sportbike-tuned 11,500 redline....was a fun bike to ride, and at 65hp it was only like 10hp weaker than the 750. It'd give 50mpg if driven easily also.

 

[Fire-medic]

A couple of my friends at the fire dep't. bought new '82 750 Magnas as-soon as they were released. At the time I had a 1980 Honda 750F. I recall being impressed by the performance and fit/finish. Typical Honda products. One guy eventually slid-down the interstate on his & that ended his riding days, he lost the nerve to ride. I fixed his bike for him but he never rode again. I eventually sold it for him. The other guy usedf his for awhile, sold it well, and downsized. He had a Honda CB500T & then a Kawi 440 I think.

Another buddy had a 750 V4 Interceptor, I think his was the 2nd yr, he kept it for awhile & went bigger, I do not recall him having any oil-related problems. Now he has a CBR1000 he's had for a long time, still runs/looks good. He also still has an old Elsinore I think, bought new. Doesn't use it much. He's had lots more-expensive toys too. Currently he's south of Cape Canaveral & has a home he built in Durango recently, he's a G.C.

 

[midmoraider]

My dad bought a 1980 XS1100 Special new and still has it. Only has a little over 9000 miles on it. Due to problems with his wrists, he doesn't ride it at all anymore, just sits in his shop under cover. I've tried every way imaginable to get the bike from him, but he won't come off it. I really want to get it and make a cafe style out of it, like in this pic.

 

[Barry barker]

I had a 85 V65 Sabre, bought it with 2700 miles on it. It was a very fast bike. I suprised a Vmax owner one evening on I-10. We race from maybe 70 to over 130. I had him by about a lenght. We raced 3 more times he could not believe it. The v65 had some top end power. We never ran from a dead stop, hard to do on i 10. Not positive this guy's vmax was all there. I had raced one of my V twin Titon buddies with that v65 and about 5 years later my 03 max. The v65 would walk away from the titon, the Vmax left him in the dust. Not sure what all this means, other than you never know how your bike runs until you line them up!!!