New Shocks on the XS1100

This makes me almost miss my ol '81 XS650 Special II. I miss the kick start, and its general affable nature. It was a bit too small for me, but it was a honk to ride and had been made into a bobber, prior to that being the cool thing to do, circa 2002. If I were to get another one, it would be an 1100. A CB1000, or R/100 would also not break my heart.
You had an 81 with a kick start? I wish I would have had that option on my 81 1100. If they made a new version of the XS 1100 I would have to test ride it and probably buy it. I would then have my two dream bikes. One for touring and one to rip around town.
 
Not many really rode the last of it's kind. Two stroke made for the street. You don't disregard that. By far the most memorial bike i ever rode. Everything else is just water under the bridge.
 
You had an 81 with a kick start? I wish I would have had that option on my 81 1100. If they made a new version of the XS 1100 I would have to test ride it and probably buy it. I would then have my two dream bikes. One for touring and one to rip around town.
The hilarity was that it had both electric and kick start options. But, the electric was too anemic to work properly, and it usually kicked over on the first try. But, you had to use the choke, even half-warm, as She was cold blooded. Had a -2 rear sprocket for better acceleration, but it was buzzy as hell above 65Mph. Occasionally the headlight also was intermittent due to a corroded contact in the starter switch, but I eventually fixed that.
 
1975 RD 350 bought brand new. Walked across the street from M.C.R.D. San Diego and bought it graduation day. Rode it solid for about three years. Traded in for a 1978 750 Honda. To this day still think about that little orange bike and smile.
I've got a 74 RD 350 I'll sell you right now. It's a project bike but it's almost complete....(it does have good compression......)
 
The hilarity was that it had both electric and kick start options. But, the electric was too anemic to work properly, and it usually kicked over on the first try. But, you had to use the choke, even half-warm, as She was cold blooded. Had a -2 rear sprocket for better acceleration, but it was buzzy as hell above 65Mph. Occasionally the headlight also was intermittent due to a corroded contact in the starter switch, but I eventually fixed that.
The electric starter required the decompression lever actually work to turn the bike over. The original bikes (the XS-1 and XS-2) had a decompression lever that actuated the stater. When you pulled the lever a cable pulled the decompressor cam as the lever made up the contact for the starter. It would start after a couple starter rotations (usually). I bought a 71 XS-2 back around 2012 and that bit still worked. My first bike as a college student was a 77 XS650. Lot of memories about that old scoot, most of them good (it died when I went over the hood of a Buick Electra 225 at 70mph).
 
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