Bought another XS today.......

[Shuriken]

Hi everyone - it's been awhile. I've slowed on the restore of my 80 XS11g. The last stuff I did was polish the forks, change fork seals, buy a new seat kit, etc.

Anyhow, I just picked up a 1977 XS.

The good stuff:
It has the fairing and winshield, cruiser pegs, some sort of chrome passenger bars, sissy & pad, etc. Looks like the guages might be good, I'm working on the carbs right now, the diaphragms are still good, etc. It still has tires and they hold air. The rims and front brake discs look good. The mirrors are really good and the gas tank seems to have original paint and no dents. The exhaust system is fair. I don't have a key to look at the inside of the tank though.

The bad stuff:
Lots of dust & rust - hey, if it ever runs, that may be it's name... Plugs 1 & 2 have cruddy oil crap all over them.

I haven't had much time to get to it. What I want to do is degrease it, spray it off, and then see if I could test the motor. I don't know if the motor will turn or not.

Ben

[Shuriken]

Correction

The XS11 specs page lists my bike as a 1978E model according to the serial numbers. The manufacture date of my bike says 11/77 (508).

What were the major additions to the later models?

Ben

[strom]

Re: Correction

Originally posted by ae7f
The XS11 specs page lists my bike as a 1978E model according to the serial numbers. The manufacture date of my bike says 11/77 (508).

What were the major additions to the later models?

Ben

Less power, more ugly...

LP

[Jerry]

Lots of cosmetic changes along the way. Some changes in brake caliper design and mounting, some changes in front forks. Biggest change was a reduction in compression from 9.2 to 1 down to 9.0 to 1. Later carbs are jetted leaner. Early models used tube type tires and later bikes used tubless tires. (Rims must be marked "Tubeless" to use the newer tires.) Special models came with a 17 inch rear tire instead of the more common 16 incher. (Swap is possible but not a bolt-in conversion.)

Most of the cosmetic parts, including side covers, seats, some gauges, are not interchangeable between years without difficulty. Major parts, like engine, transmission, rear suspension, and many electrical components remained basically the same through the years.

The first model year of the XS11 was 1978, so even if the build date is earlier, it was marketed and sold as a '78. Many vehicles have a build date earlier than the model year designation, not unususal.

Good luck. Always good to see another XS getting the TLC it deserves!

[Shuriken]

Throw in your 4 cents...

The bike doesn't have many cosmetic parts that are any good. It was stored outside.

I wonder if the heads/cyls/pistons are interchangeable...

?

Ben

[nashville_bill]

You can open the gas tank cap with a screwdriver!

You can open the gas tank cap with a screwdriver! Under the front of the cap is a small piece of metal (1/2" X 1/16") that you can push in, toward the back of the cap, with a screwdriver. It helps if you push down slightly on the cap at the same time.

[Shuriken]

Thanks .... I'll look at the gas cap internals on partsfish and try not to break it...

Ben

[Shuriken]

I removed the timing cover and it looks great inside. The motor turns over freely. I could see some cylinder wear and the plugs are black and cruddy. I've just soaked the carbs and am rebuilding them now. I'm going to try and start it but I doubt it will do anything.

Ben