Lot 34: Yamaha XS 1100 MOTORCYCLE

When introduced in 1978, the XS 1100 was the first four-cylinder four-stroke motorcycle from Yamaha and the largest Japanese Superbike to date.� Its clean lines, cast wheels, shaft drive, twin front disc and single rear disc brakes stacked up to an impressive specification.� Not lacking in power, it was not an overtly sporting motorcycle and its considerable bulk required a rider of some physical strength and ability to corner with gusto.� Though its ability to cover mile after mile, laden with rider, pillion passenger and luggage, along with the shaft drive that required minimal maintenance and did not fling oil all over the rear of the bike, found it some favour with more mature riders.� To this day the XS 1100 remains somewhat overshadowed by some of its competitors, but remaining examples are well loved by their owners.� Motorcycle journalist, Roland Brown, comented in his book, Superbikes of the Seventies, "The Yamaha's lack of reputation gives it one advantage these days, though, in that a clean XS such as this one costs less than its more successful contemporary rivals - whose performance advantage, so crucial then, is far less important now.Could he have been writing about this very bike?� An exceptional example that has covered just over 1,400 miles from new, one of the earliest examples in the UK, it was purchased new by the vendor in the company of a friend who purchased an identical bike. This was used very sparingly and has remained in almost perfect 'as new' condition, original throughout, save for the fitting of a handlebar mounted fairing, a rear luggage rack and the replacement of the exhaust system due to internal corrosion.� Finished in silver with a gold and black pinstripe, the fairing has been painted to match.�Supplied with the bike are a duplicate of the original V5, together with the current V5C document to verify the single ownership, along with old MOTs from 1998 to 2001 over which just 65 miles were covered.� More recently there are MOT from 2005 to 2007 showing just 165 miles covered, the most recent of which records 1405 miles and is valid to October next year.� The vendor explains that the low mileage is due to extended periods of storage and highday and holiday use only.