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Yamaha XS 1100E
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Make Model |
Yamaha XS 1100E |
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Year |
1978-79 |
|
Engine |
Air cooled, four stroke transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 2
valves per cylinder. |
|
Capacity |
1101 |
|
Bore x Stroke |
71.5 x 68.6 mm |
|
Compression Ratio |
9.2:1 |
|
Induction |
4x Mikuni BS 34SS Carbs |
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Ignition /
Starting |
TCI additional vacuum adjusted! / electric kick starter - Witch is
separated from the engine, for emergency mounting only |
|
Max Power |
95 hp @ 8500 rpm |
|
Max Torque |
9.2 kg-m 66.5 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm |
|
Transmission /
Drive |
5 Speed / shaft |
|
Front Suspension |
Telescopic fork. |
|
Rear Suspension |
Dual shocks Swing arm, preload adjustable |
|
Front Brakes |
2x 298mm discs |
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Rear Brakes |
Single 298mm disc |
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Front Tyre |
3.50-19 |
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Rear Tyre |
4.50-17 |
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Wet-Weight |
258 kg |
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Fuel Capacity |
22 Litres |
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Consumption average |
40.3 mp/g |
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Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0 |
- / 39.7 m |
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Standing
¼ Mile |
11.7 sec / 114.2 mp/h 183.8 km/h |
|
Top Speed |
126 mp/h 202.8 km/h |
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Reviews |
XS11.com
/
Motociclismo |
The XS1100 was Yamaha's conception of the ideal
touring motor cycle. It was large and heavy, at home on the highway but uneasy
through bends. It was intended for the USA, where it persuaded would-be and
current owners of 750-1,000cc BMWs that Yamaha were offering a value-for-money
package that had the German flat-twin beaten hands down.
The XS provided four cylinders against the BMW's
two, dohc versus primitive pushrods, three disc brakes instead of sometimes no
more than one, up-to-the-minute transmission with quieter gear-changing, 20 per
cent more power... all this, and its price was approximately half, certainly not
more than two-thirds, that of the BMW. Hitherto reckoned to be the ultimate
tourer, the BMW slipped to second place behind the Yamaha in many western
States.
In Europe, and especially in the UK, the Yamaha
had a less enthusiastic reception. 'Dry' weight of the XS1100 was 600lb, which
made it 1001b heavier than the original CB750 Honda; this plus the long (61 in)
wheelbase gave the Yamaha slow cornering reactions that dismayed riders reared
on the likes of a 110mph Triumph Bonneville or, later, accustomed to the
behaviour of the fast but critically lighter Suzuki 1000.
What the XS1100 offered was sheer power. Not the
lightning-response, high-rpm variety provided by apparent rivals, judged on
displacement, such as Honda's CBX; but power — more precisely torque — to take
this 600lb motor cycle plus say 500lb of rider, passenger and luggage from 30 to
125mph in top gear in under 20 seconds.
Less than a year younger than the XS750, the big
four of 1978 showed significant differences from the three, apart from the
obvious one of the extra cylinder. Where the primary drive of the smaller engine
was taken off one end of the crankshaft, the 1100's Hy-Vo chain came from the
middle of the shaft. Other unspecified modifications to strengthen the broadly
similar transmission were carried out in deference to the 1100's 30 bhp
increment. The engines differed in the reduced finning allowed for the four's
cylinder head, which was more than compensated for by an oil cooler, carried in
front of the twin down tubes. Combustion-chamber profiles were different, too,
with the four's designed to take more kindly to low-octane fuel.
A preload-adjustable front fork was present to
help owners with a taste for experiment and some patience with tools; but,
however finely set, it did nothing to improve the basically mediocre handling.
Review
When Yamaha
announced their XS750 three-cylinder four-stroke, it was acclaimed as an
excellent tourer with the best shaft drive of any machine available. If one
thing was lacking it was outright performance for, although quick, it could
not match the top-of-the-range models of the other Japanese manufacturers.
The obvious idea would have been to graft an extra cylinder on the 750 to
make it a 1000, but Mitsui Machinery decided to go one better and so the
XS1100 was born.
The engine of the
bike is an air-cooled unit of just a shade under H02cc and, with its valves
actuated by twin overhead camshafts, •produces 95bhp at 8ooorpm and 66.51b
ft of torque at 65oorpm. The whole unit is canted forward a few degrees and
an oil cooler just under the steering head helps keep the motor running
cool. Chain and gear primary drive goes to a wet-multi-plate gearbox and
thence to a five-speed gearbox and the shaft drive which runs along the left
side of the bike. The gear lever pedal is pivotted at the front so that it
looks back-to-front but it does work in the normal one-downfour-up sequence.
Top speed of the
big Yamaha is i38mph, while it will accelerate to a quarter mile from a
standing start in just under i2secs; fuel consumption is 4impg.
The most
awe-inspiring thing about the XS1100 is its size and mass, for it dwarfs
just about everything apart from Harley-Davidsons. Once travelling at a few
mph and the weight is forgotten, but it does affect the high-speed handling
of the bike and the braking. Even though the Yamaha uses three 11.23m
diameter discs, they are not up to stopping the 5641b bike repeatedly from
high speed, although the 3.5m front and 4.5m wide rear tyres keep their
grip.
Although the
Yamaha has a sprint-like turn of speed, it is primarily intended for touring
as its high bars and 5.28gal fuel tank prove. Not having to adjust the chain
every 150 miles or so is a boon for long-distance travel, too.
The styling of
the XS1100 is rectangular, with headlight, instruments, indicators and
reflectors all this rather odd-looking shape.
Standard equipment on the bike
includes fuel gauge, a cut off switch for the ignition should the bike fall
over, self-cancelling indicators and sockets for intercom, fog lamps or
other accessories that could be fitted.
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