New XS owner in San Diego

[tntmo]

Yeah, I use pretty much the same process for tank cleaning. I have mostly deciphered the octopus but since I'm running an aux tank to get it running I will wait to try it out. All the main jets were 115, I thought that the inner two were supposed to be different? Anyway, I got it all hooked up and it started easily. I got the carbs balanced and idle adjusted. It runs good, no leaks from the carbs after my first attempt. The T's between the carb bodies were leaking a bit.

I noticed that the clutch seems to be making a rattling noise sometimes. Not always, but when I hear it, if I pull in the clutch it goes away. Not sure what that is about.

I was able to ride the bike up the street, so far I think it's safe from the second gear issue. The rear brake is dragging, but it works. The fronts seem to work. No left turn signal. No hazards. But everything else works.

[Socer4m]

for clutch noise, its easy to pop off the clutch cover and check to see if all is well,, a clutch free play adjustment would be good while its open, just need a couple wrenches and a screw driver, follow the manual or do a search, 115's all the way across sound good, unless you have an oil cooler on that model, its on the venturer models, sounds like you got a good runner, rear brake maybe just needs some riding or worst case is pop out the caliper piston, do a good cleaning and flush out the brake line fluid, the pistons can get junk on them and behind, then should be like new,,,,,,,,,Mike in S.Diego

[tntmo]

Yeah, I just removed all the old brake fluid and filled up the reservoirs and bled them. The front was not working at all but now seems to be pretty decent. The rear was working, but dragging a bit. I'm sure some attention will get them dialed in.

I want to do a valve clearance check/adjust along with adjusting the cam chain tensioner next. Then I can take a look at that clutch. It appears to work fine, so maybe just some adjusting or who knows....part of the fun of bringing a bike back from the dead.

[cajun31]

Yeah, I just removed all the old brake fluid and filled up the reservoirs and bled them. The front was not working at all but now seems to be pretty decent. The rear was working, but dragging a bit. I'm sure some attention will get them dialed in.

I want to do a valve clearance check/adjust along with adjusting the cam chain tensioner next. Then I can take a look at that clutch. It appears to work fine, so maybe just some adjusting or who knows....part of the fun of bringing a bike back from the dead.

I always suggest that the entire brake system be at minimum cleaned... calipers and masters. Regardless of how well you think they are working it pays dividends to go through the entire system. If your budget allows I would suggest rebuild kits that include stainless steel pistons as well as stainless brake lines. Doing that makes the brakes so responsive you will think you are on a different bike. The dragging that you are experiencing is probably because the spooge hole in the master needs to be cleared / cleaned. Could just be a crudded up caliper piston too. Checking the valve clearances is a good idea. Do you have the tool to do that? Motion pro sells them on Ebay. As for the cam chain adjustment or rather adjuster look in the maintenance tips section and grab you ACCT. I recommend one from the older Vmax before 2009. The bolt holes match up perfectly with the xs11. Once you employ the ACCT you never have to worry about a leaking cam chain adjuster or stripped adjuster bolt etc.. Most on here have been running with an ACCT for years now and as far as I know no one has had any major problems with them. I have one on all of my bikes. One other thing I would like to add is before you run the bike too much take the time to change the oil in the middle and final drives. That is unless you know it has been done recently. You can use synthetic for those. I use the Super Tech 75/140 from Walmart. a word of cation.... make sure you get the fill plugs off before draining. The drain plug for the middle drive is close to the main oil drain plug so don't confuse the two.

[tntmo]

I always suggest that the entire brake system be at minimum cleaned... calipers and masters. Regardless of how well you think they are working it pays dividends to go through the entire system. If your budget allows I would suggest rebuild kits that include stainless steel pistons as well as stainless brake lines. Doing that makes the brakes so responsive you will think you are on a different bike. The dragging that you are experiencing is probably because the spooge hole in the master needs to be cleared / cleaned. Could just be a crudded up caliper piston too. Checking the valve clearances is a good idea. Do you have the tool to do that? Motion pro sells them on Ebay. As for the cam chain adjustment or rather adjuster look in the maintenance tips section and grab you ACCT. I recommend one from the older Vmax before 2009. The bolt holes match up perfectly with the xs11. Once you employ the ACCT you never have to worry about a leaking cam chain adjuster or stripped adjuster bolt etc.. Most on here have been running with an ACCT for years now and as far as I know no one has had any major problems with them. I have one on all of my bikes. One other thing I would like to add is before you run the bike too much take the time to change the oil in the middle and final drives. That is unless you know it has been done recently. You can use synthetic for those. I use the Super Tech 75/140 from Walmart. a word of cation.... make sure you get the fill plugs off before draining. The drain plug for the middle drive is close to the main oil drain plug so don't confuse the two.

Thanks for all the great information.

I plan to go through the brakes a lot more thoroughly after ensuring that everything works. So far I just have time + a gallon of gasoline, one can of carb cleaner, four quarts of oil and some brake fluid into this project. I want to take it up and down my street a bit more, get it into all the gears and make sure no problems initially pop up. Then I will do a full service to bring it all up to spec: All fluids, new spark plugs, pull the wheels and check/replace wheel bearings, go through the brake system, replace fork oil and seals if necessary, new tires, new battery.

I should have what I need for the valve check and adjust, not sure that I have the right size shims so I need to check my stock. I have an ACCT from a V-Star 650 that I think will work, already looked at that mod a little bit on here. Glad to hear from you that it's the way to go.

All said, I should have a solid bike in the end. Then I can start looking at cosmetics, which this bike is pretty solid on....really just needs cleaning up and a new seat cover.

[tntmo]

I'm tackling the tank today. The petcocks are pretty nasty, full of gunk almost like thick putty. Anyway. the plastic internal filters are done for. Does anyone have a good source for replacements? Does Yamaha still stock them?

Thanks, looking forward to having the actual tank on the bike for a test ride rather than my 1978 Suzuki RM50 tank.

[Socer4m]

Howdy Tntmo,,,,do a search on the site for the plastic tower filters, I faintly remember someone rebuilding the mesh part cheap,,,,if you cant find new ones, a lot of guys have removed the screen part and its fine as long as you put inline filters from the petcock lines to the carbs,,,I am guessing if the petcocks have thick sludge the tank does also,,,a good cleaning is in order....have fun, Mike in S.Diego

[cajun31]

I'm tackling the tank today. The petcocks are pretty nasty, full of gunk almost like thick putty. Anyway. the plastic internal filters are done for. Does anyone have a good source for replacements? Does Yamaha still stock them?

Thanks, looking forward to having the actual tank on the bike for a test ride rather than my 1978 Suzuki RM50 tank.

Those filters are still readily available. Here is a source for them that I use quite often. Yamaha 3Y1-24514-00-00 - NET, FILTER 1 | Partzilla.com

[tntmo]

I have four gallons of vinegar in the tank, will see what it looks like tomorrow. The front brake is feeling like it's at about 90%, but I'm going to order some seals or rebuild kit, whatever is out there. The front brake pads are worn at a very weird angle, will be replacing those as well.

The bike runs pretty good, still needs some tuning but for a first go 'round I'm happy. Until I take it on the street. It revs out fine, but when I go to shift into the next gear it takes a second or two to drop down to idle. This doesn't seem to happen revving it up in the driveway. Any insight on that from the group?

[Socer4m]

howdy,,,was out surfing,,,anyway, the slow drop after revs is usually the carbs need to be synched with a gauge, either vacuum gauge or the ol mercury ones, I prefer the vacuum gauges as all carbs can be synched at once and no mercury getting sucked into the engine,,,,if I remember the special pads are made to be at an angle, looks wierd but works, I know my xj maxim had those but havent changed in a long time,,,so adjust the idle mix screws, then synch, then repeat along with new plugs and it should run like a raging ape, also check for vac leaks around the carb boots, spray some carb cleaner or wd40 while running around the boots and if ANY change in rpm,,,there could be a slight vacuum leak, boots or carb couplers.....

[DiverRay]

The front pads on the Special are! Each pad is different!! They are tapered because they rotate around the one bolt that holds them. If you have at least 4mm on the thick part, you are still good. If they have been soaked in brake fluid or oil, then yeah, replace them.

[tntmo]

. On reassembly I always replace the butterfly shaft seals. No matter their condition... most are as old as the bike. Vacuum leaks are your enemy ....

Well you called it. I double checked my carb sync, they were pretty close but as I was lightly revving up the bike I could see that the mercury on #1 was going down sower than the others....probably hanging up and causing the issue I was feeling shifting between gears. I sprayed carb cleaner around the throttle shaft and the idle picked up.

Getting eight of the seals on order ASAP. The tank has had it's first rinse after a vinegar soak and it's about 90% clean. I will hopefully have the tank clean tomorrow and then will pull the carbs and get the vacuum leaks under control.

Bit by bit, the bike is coming back nicely.

[Bergman16]

Tntmo: how do you prevent flash rust after the vinegar soak? I want to try it again but that happened last time I tried it on an old H tank.

[tntmo]

Tntmo: how do you prevent flash rust after the vinegar soak? I want to try it again but that happened last time I tried it on an old H tank.

I mix a few cups of gasoline with a few tablespoons of motor oil, install the petcocks and the gas cap and swirl that around in there for a few minutes. I drain it out and it's usually good to go. You reminded me to go take a look, no rust after sitting all day.

[cajun31]

Tntmo: how do you prevent flash rust after the vinegar soak? I want to try it again but that happened last time I tried it on an old H tank.

What you have to do is get the tank dry as quickly as possible then throw some sort of oil in there and slosh it around to coat the inside. I always use my heat gun. I take the fuel gauge electronics and petcocks off then hold the heat gun in the gas cap fill opening to thoroughly heat the tank up until it completely dries everything then i put the components back on and throw about a half a cup of Marvel Mystery oil in and rotate the tank until the entire inside is coated. The reason I like to use the MMO is because it actually mixes well with gas and will run ok. I actually add some to my gas on fill ups. It quiets down the top end noise.