New XS owner in San Diego

[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!

[Radioguylogs]

Nice looking bike!

Welcome to the forum.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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

[cajun31]

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.

I would strongly advise you to just rebuild the Octi and petcocks. The combination works very well together. Doing away with it will just expose you to an unnecessary problem. Many recommend removing it because they get confused about the hoses etc. Bottom line doing away with it can end up with flooded carbs that drains down in to the oil resulting in more problems. You stated you are experienced with bikes. The Yamaha engineers created the Octi.. It is actually a vacuum controlled fuel pump. If you do eliminate it and ever forget to turn your petcocks off... voila... possibility of what I said before. With it in operation and working correctly ... forget to turn the petcocks off ... it stops fuel flow... no problem. They are easy to rebuild and very easy to test. Of course as with all other things it is your bike and you will make the appropriate decision for you and your bike. I just wanted to throw my view in because far too many people just keep saying do away with it because they don't understand or want to fool with all the hose routing off of it. There is a diagram here in the tech tips as well as one on the bottom of your seat that clearly shows how to route the hoses. The main thing I always think about and consider is the Yamaha engineers are the ones that came up with the idea and they sold thousands of these bikes with that configuration. Think about it.

[Socer4m]

Cajun is right,,,,IF you can get the octopus working correctly it is a go,,,,,however many get frustrated with all the hoses and diaphragms and it can be a nightmare. Many toss it and modify the petcocks to stop the flow manually, which is fool proof, but if the needles are not seating fully gas can contaminate the engine oil. Also some have put in inline shutoffs, but are a bit of hassle to turn off each time,,,,,so Cajun is right, if you can get the octopus working correctly its the way to go, if not, there are alternatives...also someone already grabbed all my free stuff, sorry, I would recommend a big handlebar clear fairing like slipstreamer or plexifairing for your bike as the full windjammer is a lot of weight and tends to bounce around a bit,,,a rear rack is great with a box on it, ebay is cheap, and the vetter hardbags are the best, lots of room and solid......then its ready for any mileage your butt can handle,,,,,these bikes humm at 75 mph all day long,,,,,,,,,,,,its good to see another xs1100 being restored to its glory, Mike in Sun Diego

[Socer4m]

Hey Cajun,,,,just a heads up,,,on letgo.com a guy has fairing, rack, box, crashbars, etc for an xs1100,,,,search windjammer and it will come up, maybe the guy still has it, good luck,,,,,Mike

[cajun31]

Hey Cajun,,,,just a heads up,,,on letgo.com a guy has fairing, rack, box, crashbars, etc for an xs1100,,,,search windjammer and it will come up, maybe the guy still has it, good luck,,,,,Mike

Thanks for the info Mike.... but I wasn't the one looking for these things.

[tntmo]

I'm going through the carbs today. It appears that the prior owner has already done all the work, they were 99% clean and have new jets, float valves, gaskets and even allen head screws top and bottom. I did a good final rinse on them and am about to install the carb bank along with the air box. There are 2.5 octopus setups in the box of parts that came with the bike so I can likely get it set up.

The fuel tank is a mess and I imagine the petcocks are as well, I usually use vinegar to clean rust from fuel tanks. I have an auxiliary tank that I use for getting projects going so we will see how that works for a test fire.

[tntmo]

Oh, and I'm mostly looking for a rear rack. I like having a trunk, it's something I put on almost every bike I own.

[cajun31]

I'm going through the carbs today. It appears that the prior owner has already done all the work, they were 99% clean and have new jets, float valves, gaskets and even allen head screws top and bottom. I did a good final rinse on them and am about to install the carb bank along with the air box. There are 2.5 octopus setups in the box of parts that came with the bike so I can likely get it set up.

The fuel tank is a mess and I imagine the petcocks are as well, I usually use vinegar to clean rust from fuel tanks. I have an auxiliary tank that I use for getting projects going so we will see how that works for a test fire.

When I see new jets I have to ask the question. Are they genuine Mikuni with the Mikuni logo on them? Petcocks are easily cleaned and rebuilt. I always fill up my acquired tanks with rust in them with apple cider vinegar. Let that sit a few days then strain and drain (to be able to reuse the vinegar) rinse it out thoroughly with the hose followed by my heat gun and marvel mystery oil to coat the inside. Works great and the process keeps the tank from flashing before application of the MMO.