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Imported into the UK back in 1997, with very low kms on the clock. This lovely Yamaha XS Eleven has obviously been cherished all its life to be this clean. Corresponding with its year of importation 1997, is the first UK MOT carried out to register it here, showing 18198 kms. Then MOTs show by 2006/7 it had still only covered 22361 kms. Its history log then shows a UK MPH clock was fitted ( showing 655 miles). Its last MOT 2010/11 shows 1270 miles ( there is its last tax disc still on the bike from Jan. 2011) and the odometer today still only reads 1358 miles! Now we cannot garantee any mileages let alone on a 45 year old bike, but if true that means it has covered less than 15000 miles in its life, this might explain why it has survived just so well.
Arriving with us needing little more than re-commissioning so we stripped and cleaned the carbs, did float heights, balanced them etc. Fitted a new battery, stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the brakes front and rear, new pads in the rear. After that it really was just a bulb in one indicator, that’s it!
Cosmetically as you can see it is in excellent order for a non restored bike, paint work is shiny and yes does have the odd mark, dink here and there but hardly noticeable. Chrome through out is lovely, no rust. The silencers are not original but do look and sound pretty close. Mechanically it is spot on, fires up instantly and as with all these old 4 pot air cooled bikes, once warmed up and off choke sits the happily ticking over. No nasty’s at all. On the road, the gearbox, clutch, brakes etc are all good and you soon remember just how grunty and what a nice bike to ride these bikes are.
Why are they so cheap when put up against other “muscle” bikes of this era? Honestly i do not know but they have to be one of the best value multi-cylinder, big capacity bikes available today.
