How I shot myself in the foot on Fathers Day....

[jimboreeno]

well....if you insist!

[manshack_one]

Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself sometimes then you're taking life too seriously.


On a serious note however, to continue this story, we finally found someone crazy enough to give us a loan so I'll be able to buy the bike this week. That means by Saturday at the latest I'll have it at the house, and by noon on Saturday I'll be cursing myself for thinking I could ever work on it! Just kidding, since it's now a reality, does anyone have a pdf version of the clymers or haynes for the 79 1100 special?

[manshack_one]

Wooohoooo!

Well, the loan came through and I got my hands on my first bike today. It needs a lot of cleaning and some replacement cover parts. Seems it was laid down at one time which you can see from the pic of the exhaust. It has the body of an '80 1100 special but the motor is from a '79 special. They did it so they'd have a kickstarter option but I didn't receive the kickstart bar so it's not helping me out at all. The battery is completely drained so I'll need a battery tender for that one. Can you jump start a bike battery like you do a car? Or maybe with my car I could jumpstart it? Just a thought. Oh, and it started raining about the time we loaded it up so that makes the bike look even worse. It really just needs a good shine in most parts.












This is the part that I'm supposed to replace. Some kind of vaccuum advance and ignition control. I'd be glad to have a snippet from someone's clymers for this part's replacement.

[mro]

Specials are........SPECIAL

This is the part that I'm supposed to replace. Some kind of vaccuum advance and ignition control. I'd be glad to have a snippet from someone's clymers for this part's replacement.

Will be found behind the left side engine cover.
Would be surprised if you really need to replace tho.

Blue/white/red wires on unit have a tendency to break.
Fix is in the tech tips.


mro

[manshack_one]

The part has something to do with the vaccuum system that is making the plugs foul out because it basically gets flooded. Or so I'm told. I'll have to get the battery part worked out before I can even try to start it. Unless someone has a poor man's kickstart solution.

[oseaghdha]

Congratulations

Good to see your foot healed up ok.
Just take your time and read everything on this site, you will be ok.
I would start with the carbs, petcocks, and brakes.
FYI Walmart has batterys.
You can jump start from the car but don't have the car running.

[jimboreeno]

Hey Manshack,
I see from the pics that you have already turned your cat loose and pushed over your kid's basketball goal in an effort to send him/her away. Good show! Let NOTHING get in the way of your new hobby!!!

[Ken Talbot]

Originally posted by manshack_one
The part has something to do with the vaccuum system that is making the plugs foul out because it basically gets flooded.

Yes, the part is the vacuum advance mechanism but no, that will not make it flood and foul out the plugs. Flooding causing plug fouling is a carb problem. When the vacuum mechanism, or more likely the wires coming from it, are the problem, you will get a loss of two cylinders (1 and 4, or 2 and 3). This loss is often intermittent and quite sudden. Granted, having no spark to two cylinders for a sustained period will cause those two plugs to foul, but I would place my bet on carb problems.

[manshack_one]

I'll try to answer all the replies at once (in no particular order):

1) Yes my foot healed up just fine. Hopefully I'll keep it that way for a while.

2) You're darn right! Move those kids toys and let loose the beast! I need room to work! Seriously, about 5 minutes after going inside I poked my head out the door and 3 cats were curled up on the seat already so I took the seat off and brought it inside. They're not so comfortable anymore and I don't have to worry about my seat being a scratching pad.

3) Well, I wanted to learn so I may as well start with carbs.....Still I may go ahead and replace the part since it could be possible the extreme case of the "no spark to two cylinders for a sustained period" might actually be happening.

4) Thanks for the info on the battery. I'll probably just buy the battery tender but I would like to at least hear the bike start at least once.

[manshack_one]

How long can a battery be dead before it's no longer re-chargeable? If the battery on this bike has been drained for about 6 months should I just buy a new battery?

[jimboreeno]

Check the water level and fill if needed. BORROW a charger that will do a low amp trickle and leave it on overnight.

THEN buy a new battery!

[manshack_one]

Let me ask this question jimboreeno, If I jump start it using a car battery, and it manages to idle without flooding, wouldn't the alternator charge the battery back up faster than an overnight trickle?

I'm still learning so go easy on me. I'm a right tool for the job kind of guy so spending $50 on a battery that I know isn't the cause of any further problems may be a better solution for me right now so I can concentrate on carb issues.

I don't have anyone to borrow a charger from. It might be a new tool I should have in my garage anyway. Hmmm....

[jimboreeno]

I gotta trickle...

Actually the electrical systems on these beasts are not the beefiest. I find that my bike will keep my battery pretty much where it is rather than actually charging it XSively. My battery is old and has run dry, literally, in the past. I have some running lights that will actually drain it if I use them for a prolonged period while riding.
Trickle charging every so often is a good idea in my book and will definitely charge you up more reliably.

[manshack_one]

When I get to Walmart tonight I'll decide between new battery and charger.

On to another topic. Anyone know where to get a kickstart lever at? Previous owner doesn't know because at some point the original motor was pulled and the 79 special motor was planted on it. It would solve my battery problems though right? I mean if i felt like kickstarting it every time....

[AlanB]

Hi Manshack,

Kicker will help if you have a "slightly tired" battery, but if the battery does not put out about 10.5V, the ignition will not spark so turning the motor over will not help; it won't start anyway.

AlanB