Howdy..

[DiverRay]

Tires will make a BIG difference in the way it rides and handles! My '80 MNS has tires that are 8 years old, less than half worn, and NEED to be replaced! I have a "street shield" on my bike. Keeps the pressure off the chest, but is noisy on longer rides because of the wind through the helmet. The good exhaust can fetch $1000 US on EBay, but they DO give you better all around performance than any other system.
For the running, check the valves first, check the timing, and then adjust the carbs.
Welcome, and NICE BIKE!

[motoman]

Hey all, I'm Rod and and new to the XS11 forums. I recently was looking for a old bike, a beater to chop up and make into a little bobber type ride. In my search I came across a 1981 Yamaha XS1100 Midnight Special. According to the ad it sat for 20 years in the garage without being touched. The gentleman that owned it said it had been properly prepared for storage and explained all that had been done. When I went to look at it the battery was dead and he wouldn't allow me to put fuel in the tanks to see if we could fire it up. He was worried the 30ish year old and brittle fuel lines would start leaking and soon turn into a big mess he wasn't prepared or wanting to deal with. The bike looked almost mint though. Soo on a bit of a risk I shook hands with the fella and greased his palm with my hard earned cash. A few days later I replaced the brittle fuel lines, fixed the leaking petcocks and it fired up and idled like a fine tuned machine should. Well almost..... it was a little rough and needs some tuning done which I'm starting to get ready for. If I can get my ass off the seat and hand off the throttle long enough to get anything done. I would love to show some pictures on here but not still figuring out how. I'm no computer whizz that's for sure.
Any info or tips regarding this gem of a bike would be greatly appreciated. I recently found a set of used Mac4-1 with taper cut cans on Craigslist that I am going to replace the stock pipes with. The stock headers are that black chrome and in nearly new condition so I want to preserve them. The mufflers unfortunately are not in the greatest condition. Although the bad parts are hidden on the back side and mostly not visible. Even the tires are like brand new despite being at least 20 years old. They still had the little nubs all over when I bought it. They haven't even lost a lb of air in the few months I've owned it.
Any way I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about this old ride and NO I won't be chopping it up and turning into a bobber. If I could figure out how to post pics you'd see why.
Talk to ya all later
Rod

OMG!..............swappin for short-life span 4 into1 Mac system.........I've bout heard it all now!.......along with a performance drop.

[trbig]

Tuned and stock, the Venture and the XS are pretty equal on HP, but the Venture weighs in at close to 200 pounds more, so you should be able to take it if tuned right. Lots to learn about the bike, but with you saying "Erratic at times", I would start with a fresh set of plugs and the timing. Under your left front sidecover (4 bolts) is your timing mechanism. It is vacuum operated and should move freely on the bearing back and forth by hand. Because this pivots, these bikes have problems with the wiring there stretching and breaking, causing it to usually drop two cylinders. Most times, the wires will be broke, but insulation around it intact.

Anyway, before going too far into that, I'd simply check the big bearing the whole timing assembly rotates on. Just a clean and lube will free it if it's sticky. Not saying your carbs don;t need a good cleaning and synchronization, but carb problems are usually repeatable.. certain rpm or certain throttle position.

Anything on that bike can be fixed by YOU with help from the people on here. We've heard of problem after problem taking these old bikes to the shop. Generally it's expensive as heck and when you get it home, you'll still have to go back and fix it right yourself.

On a final note, it is your bike to do with as you please, but I have a feeling that if you chop up that bike, several members would like to see the same happen to you! lol. Good luck and Happy New Year all.

[trbig]

Oh, and one more thing... My bike had a new looking tire on it when I bought it. It blew out unexpectedly and was quite an exciting ride for a bit. It was 15 years old. I'm shaking my head at 20 years, and I've been known to be one of the crazy ones around here. lol. Rubber loses its elasticity over time. General consensus is max of 5-8 years when you only have two of them touching the ground. One little lay down, even if you don't get hurt, you'll have a lot of parts you'll have a really hard time trying to replace on that midnight, if you can at all.

Not trying to start a tire war here, but you can get a set (Front/rear) of Shinko 712 tires delivered to your door for @ $115. Many use motorcyclesuperstore dot com here but there are others. I have had them at the door on the 2nd day after ordering. It's like magic. You'll just need to find someone who will mount a tire you didn't buy from them. Most people here like them, some don't, but there's no denying it's one of the cheapest options available and it'll be better/safer than what you have.

[motoman]

Excellent, correct advise in both of trbigs postings, especially pertaining to the vacuum advance assembly. Have a SAFE and Happy New Years Tod! Hpefully, my balance and equallibriem will be all good for a short subdivision test ride this Spring.............keep your fingers crossed buddy!

[XJOK2PLAY]

and I've been known to be one of the crazy ones around here. lol.

Listen to the man... He knows what he's talking about.


Hahahaha!


Beautiful Midnight, btw! Congrats!