New member 80 XS Eleven Special

[Cavemanfrmc]

I've been into bikes since I was 10. I've owned Honda, Kawasaki and Ossa off road bikes. I've owned Triumph, Harley, Moto Guzzi, Kawasaki and Honda street bikes. I've been in 2 MCs and retired after 25 years. I was just recently given a '80 XS Eleven Special with the full Vetter touring package including the lowers and the radio pack. We drug her out of a shed where she's been sitting since '93, she had 2 flats. Got her home and cleaned her up. She doesn't look too bad. I was told 1st and 2nd were out and a coil pickup was bad. That's how I came here. So, we're going to try and get her back up with the help of this site.

Caveman

[DiverRay]

Here is the transmission repair for the gears.https://xs11.club/forum/repairs/tran...part-1-2-and-3. Pickup coils are getting hard to find, but with a little searching you should be able to get one, IF needed. It's usually the wires that are bad, as Yamaha crimped them too tightly at the factory.

[DiverRay]

The other read is this post:https://xs11.club/forum/miscellaneou...ted-xs-xj-1100 It tells you the main problems with these bike after sitting for a while. Keep in mind, ALL fluids and rubber items are suspect, and getting the brakes working will involve some work, as the calipers are probably stuck. I use a grease gun on the bleeder, with a short 10mm bolt in place of the banjo bolt, to force them out.

[Cavemanfrmc]

Yeah, it was diagnosed as the pickup without opening it up at the time. So I suspect wires on the pickup. I've put a few bikes back on the road, a couple that probably shouldn't have been as well. We'll work through it. Luckily I have a shop/junk yard down in Indy that specializes in old jap bikes. I've been there before for old wing parts.

[kboehringer]

Yeah, it was diagnosed as the pickup without opening it up at the time. So I suspect wires on the pickup. I've put a few bikes back on the road, a couple that probably shouldn't have been as well. We'll work through it. Luckily I have a shop/junk yard down in Indy that specializes in old jap bikes. I've been there before for old wing parts.

Welcome Caveman,

FWIW, I've had great luck just replacing the wires. I purchased a bag of various color PURE SILICONE COATED wire on Evil-Bay or Amazone for something like $10. It had 10' lengths of like 20 different colors. The silicone covered wire has the great flexibility required. I used a very small crimp up near the pick-up with a TINY piece of heat-shrink tubing over it. Left a decent little loop so the thing could move and not wear out in one small spot . Much easier and more reliable than a used one that might be in nearly as bad or even worse condition as the one on the bike.

The test for bad wires is to pull on it in small segments. If you find a small segment that stretches, the wire inside is broken.



KURT

[Socer4m]

Howdy Caveman,,,,,just went through the pickup dilemma on mine
test for the pickup wire or the pickup themselves
1. turn engine over and check for spark at the spark plugs first. If you get it to spark on all four plugs, your pickups are ok,,,,
2. if once you get it running and it runs like crap, cutting out, stalling,,etc,,,then while running pull on each of the pickup wires, 4 total and if the engine changes or cuts out the problem is in the wires themselves. Above member discussed the fix, and do a search in the search section for pickup wire repair,, ,tons of info, fix in under an hour.
3. if you are good with an ohm meter, you can check the pickups down by the engine case at the pickup connection and check the resistance,,,,I forgot the exact amount,,,check each one,,,,,on mine, one pickup was bad and I got zero spark on all four plugs, so if one of the two pickups is bad, then its a case of getting another pair.
good luck, ...... on the tranny, maybe get it running first, it could be just a case of bad clutch adjustment, gear oil,,,,or maybe nothing, these things shift like tanks,,,,a lot of pressure needed to get them in most gears...

keep us informed,,,,XS 1100's rule,,,,Mike in San Diego and Pa.part time

[Cavemanfrmc]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, We'll take it one step at a time. Here's a pic fresh out of the shed. A definite barn find.

[Cavemanfrmc]

Finally got the keys for the XS. Looked in the tank and it's super clean. Tires are next then I can get her in the garage. I got the bags open and they're not too bad. The trunk and right bag need some fixing. Slowly but surely bringing her back to life.

[DiverRay]

I'm riding a '79 that looks a lot like that! Mine didn't take that much to get it running, but I'm still playing with locks and keys for everything. The "750 final drive mod" is my next project, as the special, with the 16" rear tire, is geared too low for Idaho and the 80mph highway speeds.

[Cavemanfrmc]

Quick update: Hooked up a battery and the engine cranks. Great news! Now to get her up before Spring.