300 mile stored barn find xs1100 in S.Diego

[soccer4m]

Craigslist ad for a super low mileage xs1100 here in San Diego,,,not miine butI wish I had more room. Anyway,,,,good for looking if seeking one of our classics...I am not sure how to post the link but here is the info........

Good Luck, Mike in Sun DIego

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/4725098044.html

[donebysunday]

Great find ! One of us will give it a home.

[Mathh]

Wow, I want that bike ..... But how ......?

[Prisoner6]

Ad says it is a '78, but it appears to be a '79F ...

[rdmcguy]

A beauty

Nice find Mike.
As for the year maybe an early 79? looks like it has the kickstart shaft poking out..For the purists out there You might be able to say ..All original including the air in the tires !!

[Prisoner6]

As for the year maybe an early 79? looks like it has the kickstart shaft poking out ...

It definitely appears to be a '79F ... if you look closely at all the pics, you will see the '79F Indigo Blue color ...

And it also has the slightly more stepped saddle of the F model (compared to the '78E) ...

[3Ddesignsxs11]

Hi from the new onwer of the 318 mile XS1100F

Hey guys, I am the one who got the bike.

The bike is a 78. It was sold 9/14/78 according to the original registration documents. I guess it mus be a 79 model considering it was sold in September.

It is basically a brand new old bike. It needs a bit of cleaning up, but it is in amazingly good condition. Even the tires have no cracks on them, and the rotors are hardly scratched. I will post more photos after I had a chance to clean it up (might take some time).

Considering its condition, I do want to keep it all stock, just make sure it's 100% operational. Change all fluids, and only replace what I must with old new stock parts.

In the meantime I welcome everybody's comments and recommendations.

[donebysunday]

Good job ! Sounds like your a proper owner for a bike of this condition. Ask questions here, any question, only dumb question is the one that is not asked.
What's your experience working on bikes ?

[Schming]

Hey guys, I am the one who got the bike.

The bike is a 78. It was sold 9/14/78 according to the original registration documents. I guess it mus be a 79 model considering it was sold in September.

It is basically a brand new old bike. It needs a bit of cleaning up, but it is in amazingly good condition. Even the tires have no cracks on them, and the rotors are hardly scratched. I will post more photos after I had a chance to clean it up (might take some time).

Considering its condition, I do want to keep it all stock, just make sure it's 100% operational. Change all fluids, and only replace what I must with old new stock parts.

In the meantime I welcome everybody's comments and recommendations.

Congrats on your NOS purchase

And yes, you are correct, an XS 1100F it is and a Beauty

You're definately on track by changing all the fluids and don't forget there may be 35 year old grease in the steering stem bearings, wheel bearings, swing arm bearings, and swing arm to final drive splines unless they are known to be maintained recently.

Welcome to the obsession and all the help and info is at your fingertips

[cajun31]

I realize

this is far from a neglected bike. This thread points out many things that you should be checking, cleaning or replacing... http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=792. If any of what is said confuses you .. looking through the tech threads will most times give specific instructions on how to tackle issues. By the way does the bike run. If not then that would be my first thing. Once you get past that then it will give you incentive to really dig in and get the bike street worthy. Second thing would be the completed cleaning of the brake system. You will probably need to replace the tires too. After they get some age on them they are simply not safe to ride on.
Good luck and welcome.

[3Ddesignsxs11]

Thanks for the comments guys. Pls keep them coming.

Non of the rubber pieces appear to be brittle or cracked with the exception of the carb intake boots that have some cracks. All brake lines and tires look and feel new. The bike was not sitting on its tires, so there are no flat spots. All nuts and bolts look as it came out of the factory including the paint markings on the wheel nuts.

The mirrors are all wonky and they are missing the plastic caps on the top of the tubes, and the end of the brake lever is broken off, but that is all.

Speaking of the levers, it appears to be completely covered in a black plastic (not painted). I would like to replace it with an original piece, but can't seem to be able to locate any. Ideas??

The bike does run but one of the carburetors has a leak. The tank was emptied and its clean. Nothing mechanical is stuck, or seized. Brakes work. It does need a new battery, and I think I am replacing the carb intake boots and what ever it needs for the leak.

I do have a question about your advice on oil. I have read through a lot of posts about the topic, and sounds like this motor should run on a conventional oil. What would be the best? I am not concerned about price, instead I want to make sure everything I get is the best for the bike. Technology and chemistry when it comes to engine oils came a long way since 78, but we also have to consider the design of the engine and the fact it only has 300 miles.

It also appears from the posts I read that for gear oil synthetic might be a better way to go. What do you guys think about that?

Another thing I noticed that the forks feel really soft. I realize they are adjustable, but not sure how soft is too soft to be honest. I guess we can just go just by feel.

Other than these things the rest is just elbow grease. For the last few months the bike collected some over spray from nearby painting and the whole thing needs to be properly cleaned up. I will probably post some more questions as things come up, and some pix when I have some.

Thanks again!

[Mathh]

Congratulations! I only use mineral oil in these bikes except for the 80/90. As you said. If you get tired of the bike let me know, I want it

[soccer4m]

Yeah Man,,,,nice Buy!!!!

Congrats on the buy,,,I almost jumped on it, it should be a great bike to ride and enjoy.
Keep using 20/50 conventional oil and it will run for a good 100k easily, the Yamaha engineers designed it for regular oil and the shifting and clutch will work better with it. I use Walmart 20/50 on my xj1100 and at 127000, its still going strong. Also, change the brake fluid as it probably absorbed some water over the years.
Most of us on the site are glad you are keeping it as stock as possible, as it will be a headturner and cool to see a classic bike in nice, stock shape. ANyway, great buy and hope to see you at a rally or two. If you get into Sun Diego give one of us a call. YOu have a few members up your way with A LOT of XS1100 knowledge,,,,3Phase, Planedick, masters of xs1100's See ya, MIke in N. Sun Diego

[IanDMacDonald]

[QUOTE=3Ddesignsxs11;452460]Thanks for the comments guys. Pls keep them coming.

Non of the rubber pieces appear to be brittle or cracked with the exception of the carb intake boots that have some cracks. All brake lines and tires look and feel new. The bike was not sitting on its tires, so there are no flat spots. All nuts and bolts look as it came out of the factory including the paint markings on the wheel nuts.

Speaking of the levers, it appears to be completely covered in a black plastic (not painted). I would like to replace it with an original piece, but can't seem to be able to locate any. Ideas??

/QUOTE]

Two things: no matter what you think, those tires are crap and need to be replaced; no exceptions. Second, the plastic-covered levers are stock, and you can find them on ebay, etc.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Zsolt,

Awesome find! Okay, as others have already stated, a good quality 20/50 "dino" style oil, just ensure that the lower half of the SAE seal is empty, no friction modifiers are wanted/desired=can contribute to clutch slippage. Clitch slippage is still possible due to the 30 year old OEM clutch springs, they can be replaced with Barnett types when needed. The Intake Boots often age/crack on the outside, but are double layered, and are almost always intact on the inner layer...so depending on how much $$ you want to invest, you can either apply some cosmetic dressing on the outsides, or you can replace them.

Yes, the tires are hard as nails and will be very slippery as well as just a blowout waiting to happen. 300 miles...it's not even broken in, and will probably need to be gently ridden to partly rebreakin/seat the rings...and so this brings up another thing.....it's usually recommended to use a single viscosity oil during the breakin period, and then switch to the multiviscosity after the ~500 mile mark. I had my NEW odometer stop at 975 miles, so I would jack/raise the front wheel, and spin it a bit to make sure that the odometer is actually advancing, and not STUCK at 300??

Now, follow this link: http://www.mikesxs.net/products-64.html#products and scroll down, you'll see these:

Brake Lever - (Black) - fits (80-81), XJ1100 (82), XS1100 (78-81)
SR500 (78-79)

*** has finger indentions

OEM Reference # • 2H7-83922-00

Part #08-0111 $6.99 USD Ea.
******************************************
Clutch Lever - (Black) -

Part #08-0028 $6.99 USD Ea.

The spongy forks is probably just OLD fork oil, will also need changing, you can use $$ fork oil, or Dexron III ATF fluid which is ~ 15 wt fork oil, and has non-foaming and cleaning properties.

Synth Gear oil is great, but use the 75-140 range, not 80/90 in the synth, for middle and final drives. The rear wheel left large bearing is NO LONGER AVAILBLE, and so it would behoove you to take it apart while you're changing your tires and clean and repack it, along with the wheel rim hub to final drive splines, as well as the final drive to driveshaft...need to take the final drive unit apart from the swingarm to access and clean/regrease. Might as well take the swingarm bearings off and clean/regrease....there's a misprint for the torque value of the bearing lock nut...do a search I can't recall the exact value...perhaps someone else will chime in.

Due to the years/decades of it sitting, would still recommend taking the calipers off/apart, pull the pistons, remove the O-ring, clean out the O-ring groove...it builds up corrosion in it which then causes it to squeeze the piston too tightly not allowing it to release properly which can lead to dragging and possible warping of the rotors.

Folks will still suggest separating ALL of the electrical connectors, cleaning with DEOXIT and then reconnecting....atmospheric exposure/corrosion is another more common problem, and proper cleaning will go a long way in eliminating possible electrical gremlins! Due to it's truly STOCK configuration, the OEM FUSEBLOCK with the thin brass clips and glass fuses "MAY" still be in good condition, but you'll need to closely inspect it and the glass fuses. IF the brass clips are weak or corroded...you can then decide to upgrade to the solid ATCO style fuseblock/fuses.

Follow this link: http://www.mikesxs.net/products-45.html#products to look for mirrors/stock style. Be aware that Yamaha uses a reverse thread for the right hand mirror vs. other brands!

T.C.