other bike issue

[oldyam80sg]

A lot of people have complained about leaking carbs and other woes with the XS1100.I think my Kawasaki KZ 400 had the worst design with the carbs.When i got the bike(first bike) the carbs leaked gas and the crankcase had these vent holes directly below the carbs so if the carbs leaked you were getting gas in your oil.I remember that issue well as the bike ran like crap and i didn't even have a license.I had just gotten my permit and my local Kawasaki dealer was like 12 miles from my house.I called them up one Saturday morning and they said to bring the bike in.My parents followed me to the dealer in the pouring rain.About a week later the bike was ready to be picked up.Again my parents took me to get it.They changed the oil 2 times and fixed the leaking petcock.I sold the bike that summer to a girl who wanted it for her first bike.The next year i bought a XS400 and had that 2 years before i sold that to a friend who wanted to learn how to ride.I was without a bike for maybe 8 months before i got my XS 1100 and have had it since.

[mharrington]

Unfortunately all old bikes are prone to leaking carbs. The term is gasoil. Old bike owners need to check their oil level often. To see the oil level AND to smell for gas in the oil. I like it when the bike has a dipstick instead of a site glass- that way you can smell the oil. I like manual petcocks. Get into the habit of manually turning on and off the lever. I have 2 XS650 manual petcocks on my 79 1100 and manual petcocks on my 80 XS650. In the 1970s on GM cars it was common to rap on a Rochester Quadrajet with a screw driver handle to free up a sticky float needle and cure a flood condition.