new xs1100 owner

[todd seksinsky]

I recently became owner of what i belive is a 1980 xs 1100 sg it only has 5800 miles on it i put 2000 miles on it in aug and sept now its time to do some work on it half of the fun its is in very good shape i have taken off the carbs for rebuilding and just purchaed a mac 4 into 2 exhaust system should i incress the jet size in the carbs i noticed when i pulled off the old exhaust system that the 2 and 4 cyl pipes were white telling me they were lean also the engine is in need of cleaning any sugestions on cleaning thanks for the help great webb site

[natemoen]

I recently became owner of what i belive is a 1980 xs 1100 sg it only has 5800 miles on it i put 2000 miles on it in aug and sept now its time to do some work on it half of the fun its is in very good shape i have taken off the carbs for rebuilding and just purchaed a mac 4 into 2 exhaust system should i incress the jet size in the carbs i noticed when i pulled off the old exhaust system that the 2 and 4 cyl pipes were white telling me they were lean also the engine is in need of cleaning any sugestions on cleaning thanks for the help great webb site

Congrats and be glad that you could drive it when you got! Also welcome to the site!

If you need any card parts contact georgefix on ebay for parts, he knows his stuff and is reasonably priced to boot! The white on the plugs could just be from something in the carbs not necessarily being clean enough to pass enough gas and may go away when you do a good cleaning. So if everything is stock (shouldnt have to rejet for the mac exhaust, but I may be wrong) you should not have to rejet. Although a previous owner may have changed the jets incorrectly in the past, so once you know for sure the year bike you have then you can compare the jets in the carbs to what came stock.

Check your VIN (both the one on the engine and the one on the steering neck) against the list on this page.

http://www.xs11.com/faqs/153-serial-...ry-colors.html

[WMarshy]

Welcome to the site. You shouldn't have to rejet the carbs if your sticking with the oem air box, even adding a 4-1 exhaust you can typically get away with not having to change jets... You should to a through cleaning in the carbs before you go making adjustmens though. There are lots of tiny passages that get gummed up and affect the f/a ratio... Take a look in the tech tips for all the cleaning tips. You should pound out the emulsion tubes under the main jets to get a good cleaning. Anything you ever wanted to know is here its just a matter of finding it. Just ask for help if your searches come up empty handed.. welcome again and let the fun begin!

[crazy steve]

Welcome!

If you changed exhaust for looks/sound and your stock exhaust is in solid shape, be aware that you'll take a power hit by swapping to the MAC system. Yamaha put a lot of engineering into the OEM systems, 'tuning' them for a wide power curve and they're still the best choice for overall power on a basically stock motor. A good used stock exhaust will cost you more than a new MAC will....

[todd seksinsky]

thank you gentalmen for your help it is a 1980 sg and i know it has never been apart should i clean the engine with an aluminum wheel cleaner?

[WMarshy]

thank you gentalmen for your help it is a 1980 sg and i know it has never been apart should i clean the engine with an aluminum wheel cleaner?

There are some threads somewhere about engine cleaning/polishing, just try searching... the engine covers (without paint) had a clear coat on them. After aging the clear coat yellows and flakes. Some people use stages of sand paper to remove it then work their way up to a polish, others use scotch brite to knock it of, and some use steel wool. I personally use the steel wool (tripple ought) it does a nice job but it does tend to break down and leave shavings behind that will kling to the steel allen heads of the bolts. No problem, just use a magnet to collect them up... I've never used anything more thank some elbow grees and my hands so as far as using mechanical methods you'll have to search for it, I know people have posted tips you'll just have to findthem or wait for someone to chime in.