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**soccer4m** · 11-22-2002, 03:37 PM

xj redo

Hello new xj guy, the best place for parts for your old xj is ebay.com. There is also an xj group for your size bike. This group is yamaha 1100's. I cant remember the site address but do a search for yamaha xj and it should come up. The xj's are all great bikes so good luck.....mike in san diego

**oldfart** · 11-22-2002, 03:51 PM

rebuild

Are you looking to rebuild the whole bike,the engine or what? Chrome gone bad? Need pads and tires?We can help here, but your kinda vague.Salvage yards are great places to start,especially if you can take the old part with you for comparison.Go over the bike and make a list of parts you have to have (for a safety inspection)and parts you would like to replace.(for esthetic reasons).......Will

**redwiz** · 11-22-2002, 04:17 PM

Oldfart - I was thinking mainly of doing the engine. The service manual mentions that you can access the pistons and rings (I think) without pulling the engine but that's not what I want to do. I want to take the whole engine off the bike and rebuild whatever needs it. I think I have a vague idea of the parts I would need - new pistons, camshaft, head gasket, valves (guessing). But that's about all I know about. Do you think it would be possible for me to do this without really knowing how to recognize a worn-out part? I'm not a "gear-head" but I am somewhat mechanically inclined. My only concern is that I don't want to rip this thing apart and put it back together with parts that should have been replaced. I might take your suggestion of heading out to a salvage yard just to see if they have my bike. I already cracked the camshaft cover trying to get the allen nuts torqued correctly after pulling it off (I think the torque wrench I bought is a piece of junk - it never signalled me I was at proper torque even though the cover cracked...).

**sixtysix** · 11-23-2002, 01:50 AM

You will never rebuild an engine for 5-700 bucks! Unless it doesn't need anything to begin with. The tools you will need will cost more than $500! If I was you I would look into buying a good quality inch/pounds and foot/ pounds torque wrenches. There $300 of your $500 is spent. Then I would go buy a quality compression gauge and a leakdown tester. Now your $500 is gone. With these tools you can find out if your bike needs anything before you start. Take the other $200 and buy new plugs, oil change and filter, new air filter, get valves done, clean out carbs. Basically follow the tune up procedure in the book. Chances are your motor is fine, and rebuilding will gain you nothing. Usually there are cheper places to get parts, I like Zanotti's, (see info below) we get about 40% off what the other dealers are charging! Bike bandit is a little cheaper than full price. But much more than Zanotti's. Good luck with the bike

!

PS- Even if all you did was had the cylinders rebored and honed and installed new pistons/rings it would cost over $500. (on a four cylinder) Sorry to jolt you back into reality.

Zanotti Motors
Web Site: http://www.zanottimotor.com
Email: zanmot@aol.com
Butler, Pa. 16001
Phone: (724)283-2777
Fax: (724)283-0383
Zanotti's is a Harley/Honda/Yamaha factory dealership. They offer deep discounts on Internet sales of factory parts. Discounted parts can be ordered at their web site, by e-mail or by telephone. On phone orders you can still get the Internet discount as long as you tell them it's an Internet order. An additional small discount is given if you supply the factory part number from a parts listing or microfiche Some XSives have said that it is also helpful to mention the XS/XJ 1100 Owners Association (XSOA). They will also special order some non-Yamaha parts, including tires, at discount. Check with them for details. For phone orders ask for John in Internet Sales.

**oldfart** · 11-23-2002, 11:35 AM

rebuild

I agree with 66,it would be much more to rebuild if you replace everything you speak of. You should have used a inch pound torque wrench(you probably did get a foot pound,not accurate at low settings at all)Also why do you feel you need pistons and such?Are they seized?If the engine turns freely then do a compression check(any shop can do this for next to nothing,only takes a few minutes)And unless it was run low on oil or very high mileage, the cams and such should be fine.A hone and fresh rings,maybe a cam chain should be more than enough.the head might need a valve lap and valve stem seals,then a valve adjust when all back together.BUT,If you are not quite familiar with sort of work,do not attempt yourself even with manual!Valve cover is prime example.It was just a matter of not being familar the operation.....hope we don't discourage you...the xs is a fine motorcycle,and will serve you well! ....Will

**redwiz** · 11-23-2002, 02:16 PM

Will and sixty six, I appreciate your comments and the "reality check." I was going off of information I got from one guy at work who estimated the parts pricing. It sounds like I need to reevaluate exactly what I'm going to do to the bike.

I bought a new battery in hopes I could solve my idling problem (dies on me if I'm not revving it) - I'm going to buy the acid to put into it today and charge it then I'll try it out tomorrow.

The other problems I'm having is that the bike backfires and leaks oil. Also, when I drained the oil / changed the filter - I smelled gas in it. These were the things that made me think of a rebuild. Especially since the bike is 17 yrs. old and has over 50k miles on it (which I've heard from people is a lot of mileage for a motorcycle).

Can you guys think of where I should start to address the gasoline in the oil smell and the backfiring problem? Maybe I'll just do the bare minimum I can to get the bike running well. At least I can start with the bare minimum and go further later if I want...

**sixtysix** · 11-23-2002, 03:54 PM

If the bike will not idle you have the pilot jets clogged or the screws are broken off in them, also with gas in the oil you have leaky petcocks and at least one bad needle seat in the carbs. Sounds like you need to clean the carbs. Check under carbs in the maint/repair and modifications section, yours are probably very similar to an Xs carb, if you don't want to do it your self send 'em to Rob at www.motorcyclecarbs.com.

If not tell us where you live (approx) and maybe a local will volunteer to help you out.

**Dave** · 12-02-2002, 09:30 AM

Check here.

http://www.xjowners.com/mailinglist.html

Best place for Maxims/Secas. Mostly the
900cc and under since the 1100 is
more XS than XJ.

Dave

**redwiz** · 12-02-2002, 04:36 PM

Thanks for all your help guys - I may try to get working on the bike again here in the next couple of days -- I've had a lot of things come up that have been taking up way too much time. But at least I've got somewhere to work from when I'm ready to go. Thanks

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