New XS owner in San Diego

[Socer4m]

HI, basic stuff, flush brake lines with new fluid, new sparkplugs, above all put in two gas inline filters in the each of the petcock lines asap,,,,,98 percent of xs issues are carb related, I have vacuum synch if needed, drain old gas out of tank, toss the octopuss assembly, new fuel lines rubber, change engine oil, check trans and rear oil level,,,,,,,,,,fire it up and ride to determine what else could be needed,,,call me if needed, I have same bike, they are freakin steroid apes when running right....also great for long trips..........Mike in Sun DIego

[tntmo]

Hi Tntmo,,,I am a local San Diegan,,,Carlsbad area, give me a call and I can help go over the bike as I have had a lot of xs1100's, still have one,,,,Mike at 7605258565, also the octopus is a pain in the axaxxxs,,,most members throw them out and just run lines, anyway, we can go over it....NICE BIKE, A definite runner

Hi Mike, I think I replied to your other post about some free items. I may be interested in some of that stuff if I can get this bike running well because I'd like to use it for a long trip. Yes, have seen a few of the posts on eliminating the octopus deal. I like making things simple, so it's likely the way I will go.

[tntmo]

I saw your post on Facebook about the magazines. Quite a nice collection. The bike looks to be in great condition too. We are here to help. Don't know what tools you have but I would recommend a good set of synch gauges. I personally use Morgan's Carb tune as well as the color tune tool ... both from England. I have figured out over the years how to use both very well. When you do the carbs... I suggest complete disassembly for a thorough cleaning. I take them completely apart and remove all the jets and o rings so that I can completely soak all the metal parts in a can of Berryman's B9 Chem Dip. It does a very good job of cleaning all the junk off of and out of all the tunnels on the carbs. I then wash them down in hot water and take a high pressure air hose and blow them dry. It also does a great job on the jets and small components. The tray in the can holds all the small stuff including the floats. The gunk that can accumulate on the carbs with the cheap ethanol gas now being used has to be removed to get the carbs running and tuned correctly. 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 ... so eliminating them is essential. Once you get the bike running right ... which may include adjusting the valves then you can move on to the cosmetics of the bike... brakes etc... You really do need to go through the brakes with a thorough cleaning and installation of rebuild kits. I always suggest replacing the caliper pistons with stainless steel pistons as well as replacing the brake lines if still the originals with stainless. Many vendors available on Ebay that supply the kits, pistons and lines. Look for Brake Crafters on Ebay. Doing that upgrade makes a world of difference on braking. Once done it is good for a very long time if you get in the habit of flushing and replacing the brake fluid in the bike once every two years. The DOT 3 brake fluid is hygroscopic (attracts moisture) and if not changed regularly the moisture will corrode the brake system. Once you get these things taken care of you will be well on your way to a safe enjoyable bike.

Thanks for the info. I have a YouTube channel, I fix up a lot of bikes so I'm plenty familiar with the basic process but having the XS11 specific information is extremely helpful. Will be starting to work on it today. My initial plan is to see if I can go through this bike and have it ready to ride in a few months. I have a class reunion coming up this September in Minnesota, possibly ride this bike up there. It's an idea, anyway.

[Socer4m]

Hi Tntmo,,,I am a local San Diegan,,,Carlsbad area, give me a call and I can help go over the bike as I have had a lot of xs1100's, still have one,,,,Mike at 7605258565, also the octopus is a pain in the axaxxxs,,,most members throw them out and just run lines, anyway, we can go over it....NICE BIKE, A definite runner

[cajun31]

I saw your post on Facebook about the magazines. Quite a nice collection. The bike looks to be in great condition too. We are here to help. Don't know what tools you have but I would recommend a good set of synch gauges. I personally use Morgan's Carb tune as well as the color tune tool ... both from England. I have figured out over the years how to use both very well. When you do the carbs... I suggest complete disassembly for a thorough cleaning. I take them completely apart and remove all the jets and o rings so that I can completely soak all the metal parts in a can of Berryman's B9 Chem Dip. It does a very good job of cleaning all the junk off of and out of all the tunnels on the carbs. I then wash them down in hot water and take a high pressure air hose and blow them dry. It also does a great job on the jets and small components. The tray in the can holds all the small stuff including the floats. The gunk that can accumulate on the carbs with the cheap ethanol gas now being used has to be removed to get the carbs running and tuned correctly. 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 ... so eliminating them is essential. Once you get the bike running right ... which may include adjusting the valves then you can move on to the cosmetics of the bike... brakes etc... You really do need to go through the brakes with a thorough cleaning and installation of rebuild kits. I always suggest replacing the caliper pistons with stainless steel pistons as well as replacing the brake lines if still the originals with stainless. Many vendors available on Ebay that supply the kits, pistons and lines. Look for Brake Crafters on Ebay. Doing that upgrade makes a world of difference on braking. Once done it is good for a very long time if you get in the habit of flushing and replacing the brake fluid in the bike once every two years. The DOT 3 brake fluid is hygroscopic (attracts moisture) and if not changed regularly the moisture will corrode the brake system. Once you get these things taken care of you will be well on your way to a safe enjoyable bike.

[tntmo]

I also got a nice collection of 1980 magazines featuring the XS1100 Special and a few ads and original Yamaha brochures. I will take some pictures of that stuff and post it up somewhere on here as well.

[Radioguylogs]

Nice looking bike!

Welcome to the forum.

[tntmo]

I just trailered home a 1980 XS1100 Special, my friend saw it in his neighbor's garage and I talked them out of it. Hasn't been run in several years but I have brought back to life plenty of neglected steeds over the years. I think I have all the parts, but will be hitting up the forum for some expertise on the things I'm not familiar with like the dual petcocks/octopus deal!