Way Beyond Thunderdome

[4eight0wagons]

I want to share my bikes and build ideas with you guys. They are a pair of 1980 Yamaha XS1100 Midnight Specials. I'll just give some background info. My father-in-law was having a scraper come look at his bike, and I talked him out of it. He bought it brand new in 1980 and it had sat in his barn since 1987. He parked it running. Not much rust and workable. I have heard that these bikes are rare, (two built by Yamaha for every dealership in the U.S.). Not crazy rare but not an abundance of them running around. I figure parts would be impossible and I wasn't entirely wrong. So, I decided to sell some of my extra's and was contacted by someone wanting to get rid of one. He said he didn't want it anymore and it was ridden just a year or two ago. He dropped the bomb on me that he only wanted $250 for it. So, I now have two "RARE" bikes in my garage for a mere $250 bucks. Now, I don't know if one will run, but with two complete bikes here I think I can make one out of two. I know a lot of people want them brought back to originality, but I didn't like how they looked originally so I will include my Photoshopped idea. I haven't done much more than just tinkered on bikes so it is going to be a learning process, but what do I have to loose. Any and all advice is welcome. Enjoy!!

Oh yeah the name of this project is called Beyond Thunderdome because the bikes remind me of Mad Max.

[4eight0wagons]

Just checked the vin #'s and the last four of the one i had is .....1792 built in 12/1979, the one i just bought is ....1800 built in 12/1979...so they were only eight apart on the line...thought that was pretty cool, they could have been on the same truck long ago..

[Charley Davidson]

There's a guy in Indian Lake that sets his old Motorcycle out in his front yard every Sat. Sun. just for people to see it's a completely restored Triumph or BSA I forget which.

I used to live on Indian Lake over next to the old Blue Goose and Moose club in a camp ground. Used to perform on Indian Lake at a few places.

"Indian Lake is the place to raise your family" The Cowsills

[4eight0wagons]

Originally Posted by Charley Davidson

There's a guy in Indian Lake that sets his old Motorcycle out in his front yard every Sat. Sun. just for people to see it's a completely restored Triumph or BSA I forget which.

I used to live on Indian Lake over next to the old Blue Goose and Moose club in a camp ground. Used to perform on Indian Lake at a few places.

"Indian Lake is the place to raise your family" The Cowsills

I'll have to look for that!! That's cool you used to live here, the Blue Goose was torn down years ago, and now has houses built there. The Cowsills, or their children rather, were here to preform last year at the beach. I didn't attend, but I heard good things about it.

[Torch]

I graduated back in 1986 back then these along with Kaw900's were top contender street bikes.

Looks like there's alot of them over at your place... I aint got none over here at my place if you dropped them off they'd be even more rare over here.

[4eight0wagons]

Originally Posted by Torchmann

I graduated back in 1986 back then these along with Kaw900's were top contender street bikes.

Looks like there's alot of them over at your place... I aint got none over here at my place if you dropped them off they'd be even more rare over here.

Haha Yeah I am not real concerned with the rarity issue. Although, I did get nearly chastised for posting pics of my bikes and ideas on XS11 forum. Apparently saying that these bikes were ugly from the factory was a terrible choice of words. Oh well, they are mine and I am saving them from a likely death.

Did some work today and I got one of them to crank by hand, so thats good to know that at least one motor isn't seized up. The only problems I really have are, 1.) I only have one title as of right now. 2) One head has broken off spark plugs that are going to need machined out. So, basically I am going to try and put one motor together on the frame I have a title for. Hopefully the PO can find the title for the other one soon. If not I don't really know what to do with the other frame.

[Charley Davidson]

Apply for lost title, easy to do and pretty painless. Good luck

[Flootiebuell]

I have had a few of them...they are bad ass bikes and super fast...surprized a few of the Crotch Rocket Dudes...

[Neverdone]

Looks like it will be a fun project!! Good luck with it. I was out at Indian lake a couple years ago. Was a nice area! I used live around Bucyrus OH. My girlfriend and I at the time used to cruise out there.

[4eight0wagons]

Originally Posted by Neverdone

Looks like it will be a fun project!! Good luck with it. I was out at Indian lake a couple years ago. Was a nice area! I used live around Bucyrus OH. My girlfriend and I at the time used to cruise out there.

Yeah I love it here. Its always a vacation. My mom's side of the family is from Upper Sandusky and I have family living in Bucyrus. Small world. I orginially grew up in Marion, but we moved here when I was in high school. Still have a bunch of family in Marion also. Glad you got the chance to expierence the lake!