can be adjusted harder or softer by inserting the tool kit screwdriver into
the slotted adjuster, to compensate for added weight of windshields,
fairings or other touring add-ons. The big 1100 is fitted with premium
3.50H19 front tire and a big 4.50H17 rear tire (at one point, Yamaha was
going to fit the rear with a monster5.00H17 skin to handle the weight and
the power of the machine, but the 4.50 tire was found adequate and
substituted for the larger tire late in the bike's development program). The
machine is rated at 5.90 inches of ground clearance with these tires fitted,
and this figure is adequate for all but the most spirited street riding,
which tends to put the exhaust pipes on the right side in touch with the
pavement.
They called this bike the XS Eleven because it has run legitimate 11-second
quarter-mile times in this country-at Irwindale raceway, in fact-with an
American rider aboard. And naturally, any big motorcycle with this level of
performance built into it had better have the capability of stopping from
high speeds as well. Yamaha saw to that by simply carrying forward the very
effective, smooth and predictable triple-disc, dual-hydraulic brake system
from the shaft-drive 750 models. The discs are slightly smaller and thinner
than the 10.5-inch units from the 750. The twin discs in front and single
rightside rear disc attach to Yamaha's
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own seven-spoke "mag" alloy wheels,
and these pieces go a long way toward establishing the XS Eleven as an
esthetic force to be reckoned with. At this writing, the bright-engined,
mag-and-disc-equipped machine will be available in only one color, Macho
Maroon, with golden fuel tank and side-cover emblems contrasting the
brightwork. Other concessions to styling include four-into-two megaphone
mufflers with integral "expansion chambers" for a slight power gain, a
5.25-gallon tank with internal gas gauge sender, a rectangular headlight,
and matching rectangular tach, speedo and fuel gauge housings, a fiberglass
sculptured tailpiece and an integrated, stepped saddle. The saddle is
mounted stationary, allowing XS Eleven owners to select from a wide range
of Yamaha and/or aftermarket saddlebags and cargo boxes without about
clearance worrying hinged seat. Minimal storage is found behind the
key-locking left side cover, and that's all there is.
Riding the XS Eleven is nowhere near as violent as the availability 95
horsepower would suggest. The engine is ready whenever the rider is, ready
to pour it on from any rpm level in any gear, from 25 mph to redline in high
gear. Yamaha has done an excellent job in matching the engine's power curve
to the gearbox and final drive ratios, as well as in noise control. The air
inlet system,
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the mechanical noise from the engine and gearbox themselves,
exhaust noise and tire noise were all studied carefully; and all have been
dealt with to the max. This is one of the quietest truly quick and fast
bikes there is. We observed two other test riders on XS Elevens, drafting at
full chat in high gear no more than 30 feet apart, from a vantage point less
than 40 feet from. the machines, and we were astounded at how quietly they flashed past us. Obviously these machines meet all current state and federal noise drive-by regulations by a comfortable margin.
Improvements in rider comfort are many on the Eleven. The bars are swept
back comfortably, the seat/bars/pegs relationship excellent for upright
cruising positions, as well as high-speed crouching, and the square-housing
instrumentation large enough for easy flash readings. The tailend of the
fuel tank is narrower than the 750 tank, and it slopes downward farther to
meet the saddle than does the tank on the 750, making the riding position
more "in" the bike than "on" the bike, and we call that an improvement too,
considering the awesome capabilities of this machine. The saddle itself is
thick and dense, affording all-day riding comfort and necessary support, and
the new clutch and brake levers, with dust covers, are a pleasure to use.
The XS Eleven prototype was as
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