i did something baaaaaaad!!!

[bill4117]

hey everyone, im a newb in need of a little advice. i just bought an 81 xs11 from a barn. was sitting for god knows how long with no oil in her. i got it home and found out the motor was siezed up, i added oil, removed the plugs and sprayed some rust penatrant down the cylinders, and used an adjustable wrench to work the crank back and forth until i freed the motor up. i added some fuel and a battery and IT STARTED UP !!!!!!!!! i let her idle for a few seconds and then chucked a couple revs (i think that was probably a really stupid move) then it all came unglued, i heard a loud snap and when i looked down my baby was bleeding. so i shut her down and found the source. it looks like the front cam shifted to the right side of the bike and broke the camshaft cover and popped out the crescent shaped plug from the jug. (on a side note as upset as i was i tried again just to see and it starts right back up, but im not touching it till i figure out what exactly could have happened) any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[mro]

Take off the valve cover and have a look see...
If all looks OK check cam alingment (Remove left crank cover, rotate engine clock wise with a 19 mm wrench and line up the "T" with the pointer. Now check cams, dot on on cam should line up with arrow on center cam cap)

If a cam were to move enough to push out the half moon plug between valve cover and head would think head is now FUBARed.

The half moon plug is the result of needing the space for the machine tool to line bore the cam journels.


mro

[randy]

A cam moving sideways sounds farfetched, there are five caps holding it in place. Are you sure the valve cover is broken? Or did the half moon just pop out? If the crancase vent is plugged, enough pressure can build up to pop seals.

[bill4117]

i just took a closer look and the head is junk the one of the cam lobes appears to have snapped a chunk out of the front of the head.

[TopCatGr58]

But now you have the chance to do a good thing!

Well, Bill,

You now have a few choices. You can either Part out what's left of the bike......OR you can get a spare head from Ebay and put it back together!?

Just remember and realize that if it's been sitting in a barn for a long time, then you're going to have to put a lot more work and $$ into it than just gas and a battery!

If you've never had an XS11, then you may not realize what you have found. This site is devoted to the folks that know that the XS and XJ 11's are the best all around motorcycles that were ever built in their era. IT can be a sport bike, a long distance road bike, a boulevard cruiser, just about anything you want it to be!!

So...if you decide to take up the challenge, we're here for you!
T.C.

[mro]

If you can

...would like to see a few pics of the damage.


mro
BTW, parts are not too hard to come by and removing the head is not very hard to do.

[bill4117]

i'll try to take some pics today. this bike was definately bought as a project that i intended to tear down and rebuild. this is my first xs, heck this is my first bike period, with family, kids and the house i never got around to buying a bike. anyway the wife seems to think i should still move forward with the project. at the same time ive only got 200.00 locked up in this bike and could probably recoup that if i parted it or sold it whole. still up in the air right now.

[dbeardslee]

Bill - might be worth an e-mail to tupperj@juno.com. Pretty sure he's got some heads he might be willing to sell. Cams too. Don't give up. These old bikes require some sweat-equity but it's worth the aggravation when you finally get 'em running right.

[trbig]

You could also PM andreashweiss He sells lots of people parts on here and seems to check in pretty regularly.


Tod

[trbig]

He sells lots of people parts on here

OK.. as pointed out to me... he sells lots of BIKE parts to PEOPLE.. not people parts.... as far as I know.

Tod

[fredintoon]

First, do this

Hi Bill,
your very first bike?
Right after you e-mail the usual suspects for a used replacement cylinder head, go buy yourself a small low-cost dual-purpose bike and learn to ride it. First on dirt roads, then on the street. Once you know which control does what go take a bike rider's course. That way you won't become a smear of forensic evidence the first time you ride the XS11.

[trbig]

Man O man...

Bill... Continue on as planned. Fix the bike. The XS is a fun bike, but will not come near a modern one of even 600cc in the sport class. There's nothing wrong with the XS as a beginning bike, just realize that it does have a bit of pep for an older bike and is a bit on the heavy side. Adjust your riding accordingly and know that not everyone here agrees with Fred's posting.

It does sound like you've got a bit of work to do, but in the end, you will have a classic that will be noticed... for a ton less money than another bike would likely cost you.

My 2 cents.

Tod

[AustinPhoenix]

Fred is grumpy

Bill,

I definitely disagree with Fred. It doesn't matter what bike you ride, you will adjust your riding according to its weight, power, riding position, etc... The whole idea of buying a small bike to "get used to it" and then trade up is stupid. You waste more money and time because you still have to get used to the newer, more powerful bike that you just spent money on.

Take the MSF course though. Fred was definitely on about that. I can do simple things that my buddies that have been riding for years can't do.

Save your money. Save the time. Ride the XS.

[trbig]

All of the "What bike should you start on" isn't needed here. There's another thread where that has been whipped to death and hope that those who want to could go argue about or voice their opinions on the subject there. The guy is asking help on how to fix his bike.. let's try to see if we can.

I too would like to see some pics of the damage. You have 5 cam bearings/caps as stated on each cam, but the middle cap sits in a substantial slot between two machined collars on the cams to prevent any sideways movement. All I can think of is that those center caps either weren't there for some reason, or installed wrong?


Tod

[Toolmaker Tim]

First Bike

I have to say of all the bikes I've owned, my SF is the easiest to ride. I don't see the point in riding a diffcult to ride bike to start out with. When you get it running, and with these new friends to help you will, just putter around the neighborhood or some lesser traveled roads in the country to get use to it, before you ride around in traffic. You'll do fine. Good Luck
Tim