Motorcycle News - White Hot: Upcycle hot rods the Yamaha XS1100
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The unusually long air-cooled engine pumped out 95 hp, and although the handling was widely regarded as terrible, the XS1100 still made it into Cycle World magazine’s Ten Best Bikes of 1978 list.
Unlike most builders, Johnny builds bikes to suit his own taste, and then sells them. “None of my projects are client-based,” he reveals. “I just build what my heart wants—I like the freedom!”
The entire engine was then chemical washed and soda blasted, and Johnny replaced the rear cases with a tight mesh.
This machine is likely to have no problem matching the 136 mph (218 kph) top speed of the original factory bikes.
Clip-on bars are matched to Biltwell grips and CNC’d aluminum push button switches. Forward lighting comes from a 6500K LED ‘HaloMaker’ headlight, from HogWorkz, more commonly fitted to Harleys and Indians and installed here minus the bucket.
“The electronics are now all crammed under the tank, and the battery is an eight-cell Antigravity lithium battery in a custom-made box.”
Although this XS1100 looks like a heavily chopped bike, there’s actually very little grinder work. “The subframe was left alone,” says Johnny. “I just chopped the rear end off—and did weld on some risers for the seat.”
The seat was outsourced, though: upholstered in a gray suede with white stitching and piping, it’s the work of Costura Seats, a neighbor of Johnny’s in Orange County, CA.
Normally we’d beg to differ, but in this case, they suit the build perfectly. It’s a curious mix of the weird and the conventional, but Johnny has managed to pull it off. We’re betting it won’t be long before this Yammie finds an appreciative new owner. Facebook | Instagram | Images by Ryan D. Cheng Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c September 27, 2019 at 12:25PM Leave a Reply. |
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9/27/2019
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