YAMAHA XS1100
YAMAHA XS1100 |
There was
not a great deal of subtlety about the XS1100. Yamaha's first four-
cylinder superbike was huge, heavy and rather basic. And the big
bike's styling reflected its personality, combining a bulbous fuel
tank and sidepanels with a large, rectangular headlamp that merely
emphasized the brute's enormous weight of well over 6001b (272kg)
when that tank was full.
Any
such criticism was forgotten when its rider, cruising at a gentle
pace in top gear, saw a straight piece of road stretching out ahead
and wound back the throttle. Even with as little as 50mph (80km/h)
showing on the square-shaped speedometer, the Yamaha's massively
torquey 1lOlcc powerplant sent the bike storming forward with a
breathtaking surge of low-rev acceleration that no other superbike
could match.
Such
arm-wrenching performance was fun, but not really what the XS1100 was
all about. Despite the Yamaha's twin overhead camshafts, 95bhp peak
power output and top speed of over 130mph (210km/h), it was designed
less for violent acceleration
and flat-out blasts than for effortless long-distance travel. For all
its size and intimidating look, the bike nicknamed the 'Excess
Eleven' was a bit of a softie. Softly tuned powerplant
There
was plenty of evidence to support that claim in the engine which,
although it shared its basic air- cooled eight-valve transverse
four-cylinder layout with the Suzuki GS1000 that was launched at the
same time, was a less highly tuned unit. The Yamaha's impressive peak
power figure was produced at 80()0rpm, but a more relevant statistic
was that much of its torque was developed much lower, between 2000
and 6500rpm.
YAMAHA XS
Not
only that but, like Yamaha's XS750 triple, the big four had shaft
final drive.
It
also had a heavy-duty chassis, based around a twin-downtube steel
frame that had ample bracing, plus fairing mounts as standard
fitment. The swingarm was made from box-section steel on the right,
and incorporated the driveshaft housing on the left. Like the rear
shocks, the front fork legs were adjustable for spring preload but
not damping. The specification sheet included cast wheels and a
triple-disc brake system.
How
efficiently the Yamaha XS1100 worked depended largely on how fast its rider
liked to travel, and on how straight the road was. On an empty
American freeway it was happy to sit at whatever speed the pilot
dialled in, remaining stable and always having a burst of
acceleration ready at the end of the throttle wire. Even on twistier
roads, its effortless torque made for pleasant riding and allowed its
rider to make minimal use of the rather slow five- speed gearbox.
YAMAHA XS1100 |
Yamaha
did at least make efforts to improve the basic XS, firstly by
creating an upmarket Martini touring version whose innovative full
fairing incoiporated a top section that turned with the handlebars.
The mean and stylishYAMAHA XS1100 Sport, launched in 1981, featured black
paintwork and a bikini fairing. It emphasized the Eleven's muscular
nature and earned a cult following, but by this time the big
shaft-drive four was even less of a genuine sport bike than ever.
YAMAHA XS1100 prices 2014
MINT $5,500 £4,800
GOOD $4,200 £3,200
FAIR $3,300 £2,000
PROJECT $950, £800
No comments:
Post a Comment