help in ohio

[QRFan]

I live near chillicothe ohio. I recently inherited my dad's xs1100 special 1979 yamaha. I used to ride it all the time when I was a teen living at home. The bike sat for quite a while so the rings seem to need replacemnt .It smokes(burns oil) at high rpms & when u first start it. There's a bowl or drain behind the carbs that leaks on occassion.Supposedly the mechanic rebuilt the pet cocks but my gas was running out like a sieve today just idling. It's getting about 27mpg . I had the carbs rebuilt w/ the exception that they said ididn't need new diaphrams & so they were not replaced. I feel like i have spent 900$ (btwn 2 different garages)& all i got out of it was 2 med grade tires & a new battery. I'm no mechanic,although i do have some common mechanical sense.The last mechanic told me the bike is 26yrs old it'll never be like it was. I think he's full of $hit or else he has no idea how serious i am about getting this bike back on the road.Is there anyone in Ohio or surrounding area who I could trust to fix the problems this bike has. It seemed to run fairly well after i had the carb rebuilt except that it drank gas(20mpg),that is until i took it in again for adjustment(i put the orig exhaust back on it) & now it runs worse I could give any interested parties the full details,but those r the highlights...... I feel like I am looking at an engine rebuild(since the rings need replaced) & pet cock or carb attention. Please email me or reply if anyone has any suggestions. I love this bike,,,,,, not only because it was my fathers... but in my opinion,there is not a better looking bike ever made........It's just a sharp damn bike & sooooooooo comfortable & powerful..........I love it! Thx for taking the time to read & for any suggestions.

[mro]

Hi ya QRFan

Click here for Ohio Members
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...t=ohio+members

Sounds like your carbs are leaking. (float needle not seating properly and float may not be adjusted correctly), also would pull fuel hose off petcock to be sure they shut off when engine not running. (In-line fuel filters are a good idea if you don’t already have them)

Fuel in air box might also mean fuel in crank case.

You may have trouble finding a shop that can work on XS era scooters. This site has more and better info than any source I've been able to find. If you know which end of a screw driver to use chances are you can service your 79.

On left and on main page this site are tech tips. Read thru em. May sound intimidating at first to pull carbs off and apart, but much easier than sounds and with a little experience under your belt you will gain more confidence in the bike itself.


mro
btw, guy who says a machine this old can’t be made to run properly would be someone to avoid. Have worked on several, and have seen other XSers and they all ran great.

[QRFan]

Thank you

Especially for reaffirming what I believe about that guy's opinion
You are right,it is very intimidating. I have been reading a lot of the posts that you mentioned .The biggest problem that I run into is that I don't have any hands on background relating to working on a bike. I'll keep reading though,,, thank you again.

[mro]

Smoken.....

How long was it sitting?
How many miles on it?
How many miles have you put on it since it was sitting.

79 Special, check that fuel and vacuum lines are connected correctly.

Shop that did the carbs, did they change any of the jets, which brand used?
(if so that may be a problem too, have read here where K&L ?parts may not be equilivent to stock and cause performance issues)

May need to do a compression and leak down test which can help deturmine ring/valve problems, but then if it's been sitting a long time may just need to be run long enough for rings to seat agin.


mro

[jeffe]

I live in in Westerville. There is a shop on the southernen end of Westerville that pretty much only work on old Japanese bikes. It is the Westerville Service Center. (614) 882-4224 He works another job so leave a message if he doesn't answer. The fellows name is George. He has always been up front with me. He has always been willing to offer advice when I've tried to do stuff on my own. His rates are about what a regular shop will charge. The only problem he has is that he usually has more work than he can get done. If you want to exchange phone numbers send me a private messsage.

[trbig]

We hear time and time again of people here that took their bikes to someone else to have it done, and ended up having to do theirselves anyway. I am in no way trying to change your mind on Jeffe's info about the shop, but it appears you have a love for this bike that is more than sentimentality. I can tell you that from personal experience ( I was in your shoes less than a year ago... no clue about working on a bike) that there is NO comparison to riding a bike down the road that someone else fixed... and listening to it purr after YOU did the work, sweat, and effort into it to make it do that. These bikes are notoriously dependable, but they are 20+ year old mechanical beasts. Things do wear out, or need adjustment. Even if you had the finaces to do so... taking it to someone and waiting for them to do it every time would become a pain.
So roll up your sleeves, and dive into the info here... and by all means.. GET A MANUAL for it. With a little time and effort, you CAN make that thing run as good as new. With technology today and the the trials and errors of some brave folks on here, many have made these bikes run even BETTER than original! Don't believe that last mechanic for a second!

[QRFan]

The bike has 58000 miles. It sat for prob 5-8 yrs. I have put roughly 350 miles on it since I had the carbs redone.I don't know what kit they used.The 1st garage put all new gas lines on & rebuilt the pet cock & the carbs.They suggested I ride it a couple hundred miles & see if the bike reseated itself.I thought the problem w/burning oil was fixed although it still leaked .After I picked up the bike from the 2nd garage , I noticed it was smoking during start up again. the 2nd garage -who specializes in yamaha & is suppose to be very reputable w/older bikes- fixed a few electrical problems & readjusted the carbs after i figured out that the 1st garage was in over their head w/my bike. I knew it was leaking & burning oil & was told to just keep check & ride it like it is when i picked it up at the second garage,,,, that the rings need replaced,,,,,,,when i questioned the mechanic about how to fix the problems ,he became defensive & thats when he told me the bike needed to go down the road. He's very arrogant & I;d tried to ignore that as long as he could do the job but now I don't want to hassle w/him period.

[QRFan]

LMAO: ) I keep wondering if I should jump into this myself.I keep reading & looking at the haynes book. There is so much information here & support.I really do appreciate it by the way. Ok,,I guess I will give it a shot,,,,,,,,,I just need to figure out which problem to start on first.... & jeffe I will talk to the guy u recommended.I do truly love this bike...... I can't wait until I can just climb on & go,,,,,,, I miss the way it feels...... My only reservations are just my inexperience.. so I guess maybe i should look into the oil problem? check the compression to dtermine if the rings r bad & if so,,,,,,,, should the engine be rebuilt? Thats the advice I keep getting that scares me the most

[trbig]

Smoke could also be from the bike running very rich. Can you tell if the exhaust smells oilly or too rich? My first attack would be to do a compression check... (Bike warm, hot battery, then pull ALL the plugs and check them while you crank the engine with the throttle WIDE OPEN) Then I would want to check the carbs and see exactly what it is they "Rebuilt" and what jets I had. If they are leaking... either they didn't do a very good job, or you have gotten more junk past your "Rebuilt" petcock filters.
These carbs really are fairly simple. Under the 4 screws on top of each carb, there is a rubber diaphram and slide assembly. This is the one thing you really need to take care with. The rubber is very thin, (But strong enough to flex up and down for 20+ years) and if you damage it, they are expensive to replace. Don't obsess about it.. they won't crumble in your hand, just don't attack them with a big screwdriver to pull them up. On the bottom side (Bowl) just try to save your gasket. If you can't they are cheap enough.. or you can make your own as many here do. Under here, you'll find a few jets and a float attached to your float pin. The jets are made of brass, so if you remove them, use the best fitting screwdriver you can get, and you should be ok. Most people in here are FAR better at carbs than I ever hope to be, but I am taking the long way around saying that there really isn't much to them... so nothing to be scared of. If you screw something up... you can still get all the parts. The hardest part is just getting the carbs in and out if you have the stock airbox still.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey QRFAN,

Forget those shops!!! As has been said, almost all the info you need is in your manual, and the rest is HERE!!

Smoking could be the rings being slightly stuck from sitting, and needing to be driven to get loosened up and then reseat?!
It could also be fuel related, or worse...since you say it's still leaking, could be thinned out oil contaminated with gas from the leaking carb!! You'll want to investigate your oil for presence of gas....I just typed a how-to to another thread from another newbie, hopefully you'll see it, read it, and be able to check it....you don't want to be running it that way, or you WILL need some serious engine work!?

Sorry, you've already spent so much $$ for naught! That same $$ invested in a few tools would have gone a lot farther!

The PILOT jets are probably the wrong kind from the first shop probably using the K&L kits...call them and ask them what they used! They probably also tossed your old jets! They can be gotten from many sources, and will probably solve your fuel hunger problem!

Okay, get an automotive compression tester, fits the bike perfectly. You'll want to get a carb synchronizer...~$50.00 for a set of standard type vacuum gauges vs. MERCURY! Also a good set of various sized screwdrivers. The other shop should have already had the carbs apart, so unless they had a Gorilla working on it, then you should be able to get them loose provided you have the right size...the pilot jets are down in a small/narrow tunnel!

I was going to suggest putting a little Marvel Mystery Oil in your oil, running it with NO LOAD, just on center stand for about 5-10 minutes, no high revs, and then drain it, put in regular oil, all to help free up any stuck rings...but hate to see you change your oil twice IF you already have gas in it!?

Hang in there, you'll get it running, we guarantee it!!
T.C.

[bandet01]

i live in middletown ohio if you want to pm just pm me and talk to you on there and see whats going on with the bike

[HobbyMan]

some words of inspiration

Its to late time wise to give mechanical advice. But I can tell you that you are able to do it yourself. Hey, I can do it and I am no genious. Heck, I can barely spell. Also, when you do it yourself, you begin to have a relationship with YOUR bike. It is no longer a mystery what goes on inside there. When you take it apart and learn what is going on inside, then, with experience, you can diagnose for yourself what is going on. Yes it does take time, but it is well worth it. So the moral of the story is, loose the shops, they probably just want your money and they also seem to have their heads soo far up their butts, they don't know the intake from the exhaust. 9 words:NO XS IS TOO OLD TO BE BEYOND REPAIR. It just takes a little extra work to restore the glory. Some more on this later...

[QRFan]

ok,I'm going to give it a go.... I need to round up a few things over the next couple days ie compression tester etc ,,,, Lmao,then I'll be back ........ Thx for all the support....

[trbig]

WOO HOO!! *Cheers and yells from the peanut gallery!!

We've hooked another one boys... throw the lines back out!! lol.

Tod

[QRFan]

Yes U did Hook line & sinker,,,,,,,,,, btw- I'm really excited now.... The King/Queen seat that I just bought off ebay arrived today....... I had my dad's old one, that had rusted in two & the vinyl split. The foam however is in good condition... if anyone is redoing a seat,they are welcome to it.....