My 81 Project

[81XS1100-2006]

Thought I'd post my own start to my spring project. My 81 is slooooowly comming together, hopefully on the road here in a couple of weeks. Ya know the drill, waiting paycheck to paycheck.....

KP's XS Project

Hope ya like....

[DiverRay]

Good looking bike. It should be a fun ride.
Ray

[81XS1100-2006]

thanks, hopefully that "ride" will be sooner than later.

[GNEPIG]

.. hey, that is nice, nice exhaust also. what style handle bars are you going to use?

[81XS1100-2006]

I've mounted the Bikemaster "Chrome European" style

In doing my research on the intertron these were the style I liked best. Now they look so f'n good. I can't get my camera to talk to my computer or I'd have the next round of pics.

I degreased the whole thing last night and there is still a bit of road mung here and there, but the engine brightened up real good. Also made sure the rear drive was free of gunk. Tons of fun to acumulate, but a M'f'r to get off.

My next goal is to clean the tank, go through the airbox to make sure it's fee of crap, and pull off the carbs to de-gunk them too. Probably only go so far as to pull the bowls first to see what I'm in stor for.

[81XS1100-2006]

She Started!!!!!

Been a really good week her in MN. Picked up a new battery & charged it up. Removed the air box and carbs in ther entirity & cleaned em like a mo'fo. A bit more spit n polish here and there, seafoamed the gas & carbs. Went out this morning hooked up the batt & with a mighty BARUUUUUM...... she started right up!!

Of course this leads to a whole new set of questions....

Such as: Now none of the lights work. I'm thinking that when I had the headstock disassembled I may have done something funny. Could it be the new ignition switch? the right side controls work fine, maybe I fugged up the left side when I changed the H-bars..... hmmmmm.

Also, trying to figure out if all cylinders are firing. After running a bit (and not well due to the old seafoamed gas) I did a heat check on the pipes, seems the #1 was a bit cool compared to the other 3. Hopefully a change of plugs might help that one.....

And #3. Choke.... it's running tops with the choke wide open, and a little rough when at the 1/2. Doesn't like it when I close it completely. Again my first instinct is the old gas, and a couple of fresh gallons might clear it up. BUT, could it be that the previous owner had messed with the choke screw underneath and now I just have to find the sweet spot?

questions....

[TopCatGr58]

Hey KB,

Hate to say it, but you will probably need to pull the carbs again. However you can check to make sure it's not a plug/wire problem by swapping 1 and 4 wires and plugs, and IF 1 is still cold, then it's a carb problem. If the problem jumps to 4, then it's a plug wire/cap problem!

With it not wanting to run without the choke indicates that the pilot circuit isn't as clean as it could be! But you should have gotten rid of ALL of that old gas out of the tank! And probably should put an inline filter to catch rust and contaminates before they get to you newly cleaned carbs!

Thoroughly check your fuse block, the holders can be brittle and not providing proper connection, as well as just break! But could be new ignition switch. I put a new one on mine, and they didn't work either. The wiring was not correct. What I did was put the OLD connector and wire set which were THICKER heavier gauge anyways, onto the bottom of the NEW SWITCH, that way I had the new keys, and the heavier stronger wires in the right place, and then the lights worked!

Sorry, I don't know which wires in the new plug are wrong!?
T.C.

[81XS1100-2006]

Thanks TopCat, I know the #4 was firing earlier. Then I changed the plugs last night and came to find that my #1 & #4 plug wires have the old sparkplug caps stuck in them. Now it won't turn over again. In fact I end up with a bit of gas comming out of the low point on the muffler pipes on the left side. Obviously the #1 (if not both) plug isn't firing. I'm going to change all the plug wires, just like a basic old tune up. I've also got another CDI box, just in case I have to keep working back from the coils.

Drained & put a big tank of fresh-premium gas in last night too.

As for the lights, funny thing about that ignition switch huh? I suspected maybe a messed up connection, in reassemble I routed all the connectors through the headlight casing, also wondering if the old ignition switch was a 3 position(?), cause mine is 2 (on/off)

Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful 70 degree day here in Minnesota, if I can't be out riding the friggin thing, I can at least be outside wrenching on the thing!

[knewsom]

Side or Centerstand?

Hey man,

Good luck with the bike, it's sure a beaut! I'm in a similar situation - I'm working on the baboon outside in my garden as well (much to the wife's dismay), and when I FIRST started it up after I got it, it seemed that cylinder no. 1 wasn't firing EITHER. Now, I think replacing the wires is probably a solid idea ANYWAY (and do let me know where you get the best deal on new ones), but I have to ask you just how deep you got into your carbs. See, when I disassembled mine, I found that underneath the main jet in carb numero uno, the atomizer surrounding the pin was COMPLETELY gunked! So much so, that I don't think ANY gas was getting through. The pilot jets from the rest of the carbs weren't in pretty condition either, so I replaced the pilots, and scrubbed the bejezus out of the long atomizer thingies under the main jets.

My theory: the bike was sitting on its SIDESTAND, and NOT it's CENTERSTAND for 5 years, and the petcocks were left in the WRONG position or just plain leaked. Now, I only had HALF an airbox, which would explain why the crankcase wasn't FULL of combustibles - the gas readily evaporated out of the boots. Now, this slow leak/wrong position theory would explain 1. the low level of gasoline in the tank, 2. the rattleing inside the crankcase (I'm sure inevitably SOME gas got in there, but probably not a LOT since the burn test was inconclusive) which will hopefully resolve itself now that I have good new oil and am going to ride it until the cobwebs all blow out, and finally 3. the extra gunky carb number one and consequentially, cylinder number one not firing, or not firing much, due to all the gas IN the carburator overfilling that one cylinder, and sitting in the needle atomizer thing growing algae or depositing varnish on everything.

That's my theory, take it for what it's worth (IE probably junk), and if you only took off your float bowls and pilot jets, maybe you want to conider a complete carb overhaul.

(gee, it seems like every piece of advice I give is "take apart yer carbs!" - I guess misery loves company...)

Good luck!

-Kris

[81XS1100-2006]

It's kinda funny, I'm still trying to think up a name for the bike, I suppose I'm waiting for the thing to be running, and maybe painted before, but I digress......

As far as the carbs Knewsome, I was pretty basic. Pulled them off, de-gunked with carb cleaner, inspected the bowls, floats, and the atomizerthingy. The bowls themselves were pretty clean, just a little green residue in the bottom of 2 of them, pretty much wiped right out. everything seemed alright, I had two sticky floats, after more de-gunking the floats seemed to move effortlessly.

Now, I'm pretty sure the carbs are working okay, as when the motor was running, everything seemed hunkydorey. but there was a moment where some extra gas leaked out of my exhaust pipe. and it ran rough. After changing the plugs, and then discovering the plug tops were still in the #1 & 4 wires, that's when I couldnt get her to turn over again, and in cranking it, more gas came out of that same exhaust pipe, so I'm pretty sure that the gas is passing through the head w/o igniting. (and then flooding it) Thus I need to get spark again .....hmmmm.

here I sit in front of a damn computer when I want to be in the yard fixin!

[knewsom]

well, let's hope new plugs and wires'll fix it! I'm kinda mystefied myself, I've never had gas come out the exhaust - sure, the intake, but not the exhaust.

A quick note - I had to take the little screwcaps off the tops of my plugs to get my wires to clip onto them right. If yours are the same way, how did the top of the plug come off with the wire?? Got a pic of it?

[81XS1100-2006]

interesting, it was getting late last night so I was getting a bit rushed, maybe my wires are the same as yours, is it the same for all 4 plug wires or just 1 & 4?

[knewsom]

all 4

[knewsom]

BUT, maybe you have mismatched coils/wires - perhaps one coil and wires in from a newer bike where you DONT have to unscrew the thing, and maybe another is from an OLDER bike where you DO..?

[81XS1100-2006]

always a possiblity. The beauty of used motorcycles!!

we shall see tonight when I get home as to the state of things. Tomorrow I hope to tackle the wiring... of course this means complete disassembly of the headstock, again. <groan> good thing I saved the old ignition switch.