1979 yamaha xs1100

The bike on display has travelled 1.7 km since new; essentially it is still a new bike. The bike was ordered new in a crate, the original owner sadly suffered a stroke before it was delivered. Knowing they needed a bigger partner to compete with the competition Yamaha introduced its XS1100 for 1978. Much of the media had expected a 1,000cc machine to fill the spot, but the designers at Yamaha surprised everyone with the 1101cc capacity engine. When Cycle magazine took an XS1100 to the local drag strip for its January 1978 issue, the massive XS11 laid down speeds never before seen by a Superbike of the period. Nineteen runs were made, with every run coming in under 12 seconds. Their best run was 11.82, a time unmatched by any bike prior to the XS.