Chain drive conversion

Don't know if they make one for the XJ chain drive

 

That IS an XJ! Just a really big, first-generation one, but the engineering would be the same, execution only slightly different.

Did you follow the link to the guy's thread showing it installed on the motor? Sheer genius.

Unfortunately, that "execution difference" between the 1100 and the 650/750/900 looks like it would have to involve case surgery. The middle gear case doesn't simply bolt to the side of the motor like it does on the Excess-Eleven.

Dammit Jim. And for a second there, I thought there might be hope for the 650 after all.

 

Lol. I don't see the point but I guess that's pretty cool.

And before too many people get annoyed and point out why chains are great for performance, let me defend myself by saying just go grab your:

yzf r1
trumpet speed triple
ducati monster
harley v-rod
confederate cycles hellcat

or whatever, if you want whichever one of those tickles your fancy for combination of performance and looks.

Not trying to be a big ol' sourpuss, just saying, if you make more than $7.50/hr it would probably be cheaper considering your time cost to get any one of those (maybe 'cept the confederate...they don't even list the prices)

and

 

Hey goat, I posted it because members are always asking about swapping from shaft to chain, people like to mod their bikes rather than buying a different model, not you, but you ain't everybody.

 

I know I know, not trying to naysay or anything. I know a lot of people like it and more power to 'em, I'm just saying...is it *really* worth it? I mean, a hobby is a hobby, but then again some people like to do 20000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

That being said, some people use a router to make their dovetails and I cut mine with 3 different handsaws. So I get it...kind of.

 

Hey guys, lets calm down a bit here. Modifications are always of interest to me. That in itself does not convince me that some of them are cost worthy but the more we learn and the more we see, just sometimes the more we tend to think out of the box? From out of the box thinking is where I see inovations coming out of such as Fuel Injection, single carbs instead of 4 carbs. Now can I afford them? Well not the computerized fuel injection ones but maybe one day I may consider converting over to a single carb. Each to their own but I think that most that come in here are pretty open minded and can pretty well make the decision for themselves as to if it is worth it or not. On the flip side I still lean to the direction that some of these bikes like the XJ's should be preserved in the beauty they were created since we are not to far from finding that they won't be so readily available. Guess I'm still old school. grunt007, 81' XJ 750 SecaR, Mi.

 

I think it's way cool, especially if you have an 1100 so it's actually just a "bolt on" proposition. Swap the necessary bits with compatible Yamaha parts from other bikes, and you've got a chain driven XJ/XS1100. Totally feasible without going broke in the process.

Doing a similar conversion on a 650/750/900 could get expensive, unless you had access to a full machine shop.

 

That one's got a belt !!

In fact - you could prolly put a belt on the XS-XJ1100 if you found the right front sprocket. No grease on the back of your leg, no adjusting the thing, no chain noise.

 

I know that a lot of magical stuff can come from a good machinist, but I think it's highly unlikely a way can be found to convert a non 1100 XJ to chain drive. And if it were attempted it would be expensive in the extreme. But like PygmyGoat said somebody with lots of money and lots of time and an impressive imagination can do almost anything.

 

And now some social commentary; this topic reminds me of how primitive our race still is; I believe that "ET's" are laughing at us. So lets take the wheels off our cars and replace them with skids and have a team of horses drag us around. Just because it looks cool. Or lets replace our finely efficient jet engines with neat old gasoline fueled radial engines, boy wouldn't that be COOL!! I guess advancing as a species requires us to step back before we can go forward. As a teenager, I thought it would be "COOL" to replace the nice quiet mufflers on my CB 350 with a couple of after market, slightly baffled, Chrome pipelets. But that is expected behavior for a teenager; then I did it again while in my twenties by putting a much louder set of mufflers on my BMW R75/5. but hey, it was COOL. So here's some advise from a wise old man;"IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT" I have nothing against "COOL" as long as wisdom is employed in attaining "COOLNESS". One last thing to remember here, "COOLNESS " is very subjective; what's COOL to Big Fitz may be un COOL to Manbot or visa versa. End of rant, thank you.