alternator maybe

[XSokieSPECIAL]

yeah kinda got burned on the battery....live and learn. so here is the update. i put the new battery back on and it ALMOST started. i got a few put puts out of the engine, but it never really caught. the headlight came on, and would brighten as the engine turned over (so i think that is a good sign), but i still couldn't get it catch and run.... i cleaned the spark plugs (filthy, black, nasty...but not flooded, so at least i didn't do that) and i was hopeful but it was no use. also, on the right hand side of the bike connected to the positive terminal of the battery is a short jumper cable running to a square box. that box was extremely hot, and the jumper had a plastic cover on it, and that started to melt. perhaps that has something to do with it all. i am going to clean the connection from the short jumper to the square box tomorrow, but that is about all i have for tonight...does that help anyone?

The wire that comes from the + side of the battery to the box, is that the only connection from that side of the battery? If so that box is the probably starter solenoid and if you've been cranking on it it WILL be a little warm. Mine is cylindrical in shape and looks to be the original but yours or may have been replaced at some time. There should be 2 small wires, and 1 large wire running to/from it also. The 2 smaller ones being to the starter button and the kill switch, the larger to the starter.

If it is melted, (the box), there may be a problem with the starter drawing too much amperage.That could take away power to the coils and make it difficult to get a hot enough spark to start. Especially when the ambient temp is cold.

In my experience these engines don't really like to start when it's COLD anyway.

[1st bike]

that sounds like it! i gotta look and follow the wires and see if i have two running to the starter button and kill switch and one to the starter. but that is for tomorrow. thanks again to everyone! i can't wait to hear it start again!

[XSokieSPECIAL]

My mistake!

That will not be the ONLY wire running from the + side. There will be another smaller wire running to the fuse box.

I will clarify by saying the only LARGE wire should run to the solenoid.

Sorry, hope I didn't confuse.

[1st bike]

so i get to have a lot of fun now! i decided to charge the battery and change the plugs and see where we ended up....i bought new spark plugs today, and i think i know the real problem. the wire to the spark plug came off in my hand....kinda hard to start the bike and have it run when one of four isn't firing at all. so i guess i get to re-wire that. which means (i think) i have to take the tank off...which means i get to paint or buy a new tank...which means my bike will no longer be pink and i can put some pictures up! yea!!!

[DGXSER]

Ouch....actually that means TWO of four were not firing!!!

These bikes use a wasted spark system, which means that they send the spark to both plugs at the same time so both spark but one is not on compression stroke so it don't do much. At the same time, it counts on both wires having a ground to function, so if you lose one spark form a disconnected wire, you lose both!!

Now for the bad news, if that is a stock coil, those wires do not just plug back in, so you need to look at this thread.

You know, pulling the tank is pretty easy and would not necessarily require new paint....however....in this case, I can see why you would require it prior to remounting the tank!!!

[XSokieSPECIAL]

so i get to have a lot of fun now! i decided to charge the battery and change the plugs and see where we ended up....i bought new spark plugs today, and i think i know the real problem. the wire to the spark plug came off in my hand....kinda hard to start the bike and have it run when one of four isn't firing at all. so i guess i get to re-wire that. which means (i think) i have to take the tank off...which means i get to paint or buy a new tank...which means my bike will no longer be pink and i can put some pictures up! yea!!!

1st bike,

COOL!

I'm sure you'll let us know what happens. Did you ever do anything with that melted solenoid?

[XSokieSPECIAL]

DG is right. If you don't want to go with what he suggested, I've seen several sets of coils for sale on ebay also.

[1st bike]

to be honest, ebay is tempting, but i bought this to play and to learn, so i am probably going to go the hard way (and mess it up a little, i am sure). i'll take my time, and i cannot thank you enough for the link, that is amazingly helpful!! and yes, painting or just a new tank altogether is for sure in the mix of this whole deal. any other suggestions while the tank is off? something i wouldn't think of to do or inspect or maintain?

[XSokieSPECIAL]

to be honest, ebay is tempting, but i bought this to play and to learn, so i am probably going to go the hard way (and mess it up a little, i am sure). i'll take my time, and i cannot thank you enough for the link, that is amazingly helpful!! and yes, painting or just a new tank altogether is for sure in the mix of this whole deal. any other suggestions while the tank is off? something i wouldn't think of to do or inspect or maintain?

You've got all winter for that now. Learn all you can so that when your riding season comes around you know every nut and bolt on a first name basis. That way you know who to yell at if someting goes wrong.

The only things I would suggest is, if you haven't done it aready, replace all the fuel lines with clear tubing. That way you will have no problem seeing if you have fuel in your lines or not if you DO have a problem.

Also, check all the nuts and bolts you can get to with the tank off that are inaccessable with it on. Make sure they are properly tightened.

And CLEAN! Clean everything you can.

I am certain others will have other suggestions I have missed.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hey, 1st Bike...
Did you catch what Don was saying about the wasted spark system on these bikes, or did you already know about that?

It's something that turned out to be really useful info for me when first I got my XJ...

If you're ever riding later on, and notice the bike popping on decel, or popping at idle... that's when that little tidbit of techno info will come in handy to troubleshoot!

The wasted spark system works well, when all is well. But it can cause some interesting side effects when it doesn't... especially if the carbs aren't synched or adjusted / jetted right...
Just an 'FYI'...
Good luck w/ the project.
Still not brave enough yet to post us a pic of that pink monster?

[DGXSER]

While you have the tank off, as Okie suggested, clean , clean, and clean some more. Take apart all the electrical connectors and clean each of them the best you can. Also, there is a silver block with fins on it right under the center of the tank or there abouts, pull the screws that mount it, and clean the point where that attaches to the frame and the back of it where it attaches to the frame, this is the voltage regulator/rectifier and it needs a good ground to the frame.

As to the coils, if your budget can take the hit, MikesXS.com has some green coils that sell for about $80 a pair if I recall correctly, that will defintiely give your bike a big jump in performance. I have not bitten that bullet but I know a few local folks that have and love them.

Alos, while you have the tank off, check the frame for small spots starting to rust or chipped paint and get some rusty metal primer to put on it and then top coat it back to the black.

[fredintoon]

Hey Fred, - - - it seems like I have read that removing the battery when jumping the bike is a bad thing. Then again, maybe it was removing the battery and trying to run the bike with no battery connected like you could with a car. Seems to me there was talk that it would hose the TCI perhaps. - - -

Hi DGXSER,
so long as there's a battery in the circuit the TCI etc. will be fine. I suggested the bike battery be disconnected and a different battery be substituted in order to remove the bike battery from the fault-finding tree. A car battery because it's more likely to be available than another XS11 battery and will have lotsa cranking amps.
But how could you start or run an XS11 without a battery anyway? Even if you ran the thing down a steep hill to whiz the alternator round at 2,000 rpm with no battery voltage to create a magnetic field the alternator can't produce power to be rectified to DC to run the coils?

[DGXSER]

Hi DGXSER,
so long as there's a battery in the circuit the TCI etc. will be fine. I suggested the bike battery be disconnected and a different battery be substituted in order to remove the bike battery from the fault-finding tree. A car battery because it's more likely to be available than another XS11 battery and will have lotsa cranking amps.
But how could you start or run an XS11 without a battery anyway? Even if you ran the thing down a steep hill to whiz the alternator round at 2,000 rpm with no battery voltage to create a magnetic field the alternator can't produce power to be rectified to DC to run the coils?

Fred, I was thinking of trying to put jumper cables to car battery, start the bike then remove the cables like you would when you jump start a car, but with no bike battery in the mix.

I think BikerPhil covered what I thought I had remembered, that if you try to run the bike with no battery it will toast the reg/rectifier. Having once been young and dumb and still young enough to recall most of it (although that changes year by year, not for the better) I could picture myself doing that with the bike, pull the battery hook the jumpers to the car battery, get the bike running and pull off the jumpers. Done that many times on an old Dodge truck I had years ago.

[cywelchjr]

As to the coils, if your budget can take the hit, MikesXS.com has some green coils that sell for about $80 a pair if I recall correctly, that will defintiely give your bike a big jump in performance. I have not bitten that bullet but I know a few local folks that have and love them.

On the subject of the coils, I know that some run the green coils, but right now those don't fit into my budget. Has anyone run the black coils. I know the green are a hotter spark, but the black coils sound like they are hotter than the stock, and they have replaceable plug wires besides. That and the price difference could put those into my budget range, otherwise I'll stick with the stockers for now.

[bikerphil]

On the subject of the coils, I know that some run the green coils, but right now those don't fit into my budget. Has anyone run the black coils

Yep, I did for about 6 months, until one of them quit on me 5 miles from home. An XS11 twin is just slightly better than pushing.