Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Nothing beats the 4 cylinder machines from early 80-ies
A GSX 1100 is total bullet proof. Update the charging system.
Than you can run forever.
The engine was used at drag racing with double power. Using standard bottom. No issue.

What is goos is that they where sold in mass during those days. And you can find them cheap.
But one. Spend a winter to go over it.
Possible ti di with very limited set of tools.
And than just run it for many years.

I still have one (Upgraded with big bore kit. Flats slide carbs, Öhlins shock absorbers, V&H 4 to 1 exhauset, ...

Picture of a barn find that I used as daily bike to the work for some years.
And a GS 750 after a winter up TLC.
If was used for a couple of years

A guy I used to know worked for a Yam dealer.

They had one of those big old air-cooled XJ1100/1200 whtevers in with a leaky base gasket.
It had done 100,000 miles. while it was apart he examined the bores, pistons , rings etc...all well within service limits.
The bike had been serviced regularly, good quality semi-synth oil used and had done a lot of long trips.
The engine looked like it would go on for ever, he said.
New gaskets and seals and away.

Yes, the big 4-cylinder Yams are durable, I know of some in the XJROC which are way over 100k miles, none having had any engine-related issues. I still have my XJR1300SP bought in 1999 - only 40k on the clock, but unused for the last 13 yrs.

Mine 30 years old now and still going strong

My XS1100 given the XJR treatment. Think i've posted this before.

WP_20200519_14_42_57_Pro_LI by Billy Bananahead, on Flickr

Just put this FZR1000 USD front end on my XJR1200. That engine started life as a FJ1200 which i modified to become a XJR. Not a straight swap.

WP_20201030_11_10_43_Pro_LI by Billy Bananahead, on Flickr