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Hello, first off let me start by saying THANK YOU for putting this great forum together. I have been using information off it for the last few days to get my "new to me" 1980 XS1100 special up to full working order.
first I'll give you a little background about myself.
I got my first streetbike at 14. when everyone else was racing out to scramble and find an old car to drive... I scrambled and bought a 350 and 450 Honda twin pair. it has been a love affair with street bike ever since.. and that has been a while ago... LOL...
I am a G.O.T.F. member of the Hondachopper.com board. no, that is not a plug, but just stating that I am a HUGE enthusiast of Single Over head cam 750 Honda's too.... the original 750's made from 69 to 78. I've owned more of them than I can count in parts and running condition. well over 50 of them.. but I don't know the exact count. I do know that I've purchased bikes that I found out I was the last owner on the title and didn't even realize it until I got home!!!
so.. my history with XS1100.. it is much shorter. about 8 years ago I purchased a 79 xs1100 that use to belong to a friend of mine but had been sold and sat in a shed for 5 years... it was in pretty bad shape. mice had chewed it up.. rust... varnish,, ect.. you guys have seen them. parked with a full tank of gas with the petcock on Pri....
I got it running and sold it.. it was really not in that great of shape. and i'll be honest. although he insisted it was a really fast bike when he bought it.. I was not impressed...
fast forward to this week. I am on a facebook trading site and see a 1980 XS1100 special. it looks GREAT!! and I mean GREAT!! it had been on the site for a few weeks so I assumed it was gone but messaged the owner anyway.
she replied back right away that it was still there and she needed the money NOW.... She said the bike started but.... It was leaking ALOT of oil out of a tube behind the motor. I knew that if the oild was over filled or gas had gotten into the oil this would cause it..
She also said it was leaking from the oil filter because her friend had pinched the oring when he put the filter on because the exhast was in the way.. she said her roommate was going to change the filter that day.. I thought??? WHAT??? the exhaust is in the way??? I asked her NOT to have her roommate change the filter.. I would like to look at it, JUST AS IT SITS... but I told her I was interested and would be down.
I drove down and was FLOORED right away. the bike is BEAUTIFUL.. no rust, no flaws, ne tires, no rip in the seat.. nothing... except a LARGE puddle of oil under it.
SO.. I asked her for the oil filter that she had and told her I would like to change it. I took the oil filter housing off and sure enough GASOLINE smell strong enough to make you wonder if there was ANY oil in it. that was also when I found out that Kerker 4 into 1 headers DO get in the way of changing the filter.. but not impossible.. just a pain in the butt....
Because of this, I dumped the oil too.. drove across town and picked up some 10-40,, just to use to start it.. put the new filter in, filled the oil. turned the key, put the choke on and VROOM!!!
so.. I told her because of the gas in the oil.. I wasn't going to drive it.. I would offer her $50 bucks less than she was asking. she agreed.
She went into the house. got a title and I gave her $350 dollars for the bike.
got it home unloaded it. changed the oil to Rotella 15-40 diesel
fired it up... SMOKE FROM HECK!!! but I expected that. the exhaust was full of oily gas... it took about 2 minutes for it to clear up.. and I've been driving it for the last couple days..
NOW.. I have to say.. HOLY **** are these fast!!!
THIS BIKE FLAT OUT MOVES!!!
the owner previous to her was a bike mechanic. I found the paperwork in the luggage trunk when I removed it. he had already jetted the bike, installed the Kerker exhaust, and from what I've seen, did a good job.
the headlight was the only Strange issue.
it would turn on when the bike started. and the you could drive it, but if you put it in high beam the light got DIMMER and the "headlamp" warning light on the dash came on. something none of my other bikes have ever had.
it's funny because I looked it up today, and figured out from this forum it might simply be the bulb...
and then when the administrator approved my membership, he explained the headlight Relay, and the Reserve Lighting unit, and said, it may be possible it is just a bulb. he knew if the Low beam went out that it dimmed the high beam, but wasn't sure if it did it the opposite.
well.. for my first post. I can confirm.. it WILL in fact work the opposite.
my high beam was out, so it was running the low beam normal.. and DIMMING the low beam when you switched to high..
I got a bulb, replaced it, and while I was at it switched out the plugs for good measure.
I've got to say.. hands down.. this is the nicest $350 bike I have ever owned.... and I have owned a few...
first I'll give you a little background about myself.
I got my first streetbike at 14. when everyone else was racing out to scramble and find an old car to drive... I scrambled and bought a 350 and 450 Honda twin pair. it has been a love affair with street bike ever since.. and that has been a while ago... LOL...
I am a G.O.T.F. member of the Hondachopper.com board. no, that is not a plug, but just stating that I am a HUGE enthusiast of Single Over head cam 750 Honda's too.... the original 750's made from 69 to 78. I've owned more of them than I can count in parts and running condition. well over 50 of them.. but I don't know the exact count. I do know that I've purchased bikes that I found out I was the last owner on the title and didn't even realize it until I got home!!!
so.. my history with XS1100.. it is much shorter. about 8 years ago I purchased a 79 xs1100 that use to belong to a friend of mine but had been sold and sat in a shed for 5 years... it was in pretty bad shape. mice had chewed it up.. rust... varnish,, ect.. you guys have seen them. parked with a full tank of gas with the petcock on Pri....
I got it running and sold it.. it was really not in that great of shape. and i'll be honest. although he insisted it was a really fast bike when he bought it.. I was not impressed...
fast forward to this week. I am on a facebook trading site and see a 1980 XS1100 special. it looks GREAT!! and I mean GREAT!! it had been on the site for a few weeks so I assumed it was gone but messaged the owner anyway.
she replied back right away that it was still there and she needed the money NOW.... She said the bike started but.... It was leaking ALOT of oil out of a tube behind the motor. I knew that if the oild was over filled or gas had gotten into the oil this would cause it..
She also said it was leaking from the oil filter because her friend had pinched the oring when he put the filter on because the exhast was in the way.. she said her roommate was going to change the filter that day.. I thought??? WHAT??? the exhaust is in the way??? I asked her NOT to have her roommate change the filter.. I would like to look at it, JUST AS IT SITS... but I told her I was interested and would be down.
I drove down and was FLOORED right away. the bike is BEAUTIFUL.. no rust, no flaws, ne tires, no rip in the seat.. nothing... except a LARGE puddle of oil under it.
SO.. I asked her for the oil filter that she had and told her I would like to change it. I took the oil filter housing off and sure enough GASOLINE smell strong enough to make you wonder if there was ANY oil in it. that was also when I found out that Kerker 4 into 1 headers DO get in the way of changing the filter.. but not impossible.. just a pain in the butt....
Because of this, I dumped the oil too.. drove across town and picked up some 10-40,, just to use to start it.. put the new filter in, filled the oil. turned the key, put the choke on and VROOM!!!
so.. I told her because of the gas in the oil.. I wasn't going to drive it.. I would offer her $50 bucks less than she was asking. she agreed.
She went into the house. got a title and I gave her $350 dollars for the bike.
got it home unloaded it. changed the oil to Rotella 15-40 diesel
fired it up... SMOKE FROM HECK!!! but I expected that. the exhaust was full of oily gas... it took about 2 minutes for it to clear up.. and I've been driving it for the last couple days..
NOW.. I have to say.. HOLY **** are these fast!!!
THIS BIKE FLAT OUT MOVES!!!
the owner previous to her was a bike mechanic. I found the paperwork in the luggage trunk when I removed it. he had already jetted the bike, installed the Kerker exhaust, and from what I've seen, did a good job.
the headlight was the only Strange issue.
it would turn on when the bike started. and the you could drive it, but if you put it in high beam the light got DIMMER and the "headlamp" warning light on the dash came on. something none of my other bikes have ever had.
it's funny because I looked it up today, and figured out from this forum it might simply be the bulb...
and then when the administrator approved my membership, he explained the headlight Relay, and the Reserve Lighting unit, and said, it may be possible it is just a bulb. he knew if the Low beam went out that it dimmed the high beam, but wasn't sure if it did it the opposite.
well.. for my first post. I can confirm.. it WILL in fact work the opposite.
my high beam was out, so it was running the low beam normal.. and DIMMING the low beam when you switched to high..
I got a bulb, replaced it, and while I was at it switched out the plugs for good measure.
I've got to say.. hands down.. this is the nicest $350 bike I have ever owned.... and I have owned a few...
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