The joys of PO's

[kjohnson]

So I got a centerstand to replace the missing one on my XJ1100 (thanks madmax-im for the stand, sarcastic thanks to the PO for removing it). Went to put put it on while replacing the oil pump on the cage (to make a nice day in the garage).

So anyway, I go to put the centerstand on expecting a 10 minute job, and low and behold the PO had cut off one of the centerstand mounts. So now I have to dig out my welder and be creative to fix this. Didn't want to do welding on the bike, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is on top of a bunch of electrical hacks I've had to work through. I know many of you have gone though the same.

[Larrym]

Prob'ly would be nice if there were a place on the site where owners could post all the things POs did wrong. That way new owners would have a way of finding out just what 1 minute with a saws-all took to deal with properly. Plus a good rant is a healthy thang.

Me? I wish that Voodoo dolls really worked. My PO doll would have lots of rusty pins jabbed in some very graphic locations.

[madmax-im]

Oh Man Kevin...sorry to hear that...PO's can get ya PO'd in a hurry.I've been real lucky...the one Yamaha I have, that had a PO took real good care of the bike...in fact it was his centerstand you got...he took it off to install the Kerker 4 to 1.Just checked to see if both mounts are still there...Yep Glad you know how to weld

[kjohnson]

I think the hardest part is going to be finding some proper gauge scrap metal to make the mount out of. It looks like it is made out of 1/8" at most, and most of the fab shops around here don't work with anything less than 1/4".

Might get lucky and the maintenance shop where I work might have some to "steal".

Once I get that fixed, I'll be on to stripping my triple down to the frame to fix/stop rust that is happening because the PO didn't hook up the battery vent tube......

[oldyam80sg]

PO for my bike took a engraver and put his social security # on the rear brake pedal.I was involved in an accident with the bike and the Police looked up the # and told me that there was an ownership problem.I had to go to my Moms house and get the title that showed that i was the new owner.

[wingnut]

Here is what the PO did to my latest XJ650 project.



Had to cut the mount and get the old screw out with vice grips. Other than that he left it pretty much alone.

[bikerphil]

Yep, PO of my Special torqued the idle mixture screws (3) down and snapped them off and also put the fork tubes in a vise leaving big teeth marks.

[fredintoon]

Had to cut the mount and get the old screw out with vice grips. Other than that he left it pretty much alone.

Hi Wingnut,
a way I have used to get bad bolts out is to drill down through the bolt head the same diameter as the bolt so the head pops off. Then you can lift off the part the bolt was holding down and take a vise-grip to the remaining bolt shank.

[wingnut]

I hear ya Fred but he had drilled this one so off center it had walked out and was into the aluminum. No way was I going to be able to walk the drill back in center. Plus I had a spare set of hold downs in the parts bin. Whole job only took 20 min and 10 of those were spent digging around looking for the spares. Like I said I got lucky with this project. 98 percent of the bike is just the way our friends in Japan put it together.

[RS Thornton]

Grateful to PO's

Wait a minute, think about how much more we learn about these bikes resolving the creative solutions of PO's. I have also gotten great deals on these bikes because PO's eventually give up.
Current project came with all sorts of bizarre electrical things, the connector for the brake and tail light was reversed. The male switched with the female and both put in with crimped connectors. The fuse block wires were pulled off and twisted together, and some other creative wiring in handlebar switches. BUT...
A wire harness and alternate fuseblock from forum members and I am pretty close to having another ones of these bullet proof, reliable as gravity bikes ready for next spring.
Let's face it, without PO's you cannot be a CO (current owner)
Scott

[cywelchjr]

Wait a minute, think about how much more we learn about these bikes resolving the creative solutions of PO's. I have also gotten great deals on these bikes because PO's eventually give up.
Current project came with all sorts of bizarre electrical things, the connector for the brake and tail light was reversed. The male switched with the female and both put in with crimped connectors. The fuse block wires were pulled off and twisted together, and some other creative wiring in handlebar switches. BUT...
A wire harness and alternate fuseblock from forum members and I am pretty close to having another ones of these bullet proof, reliable as gravity bikes ready for next spring.
Let's face it, without PO's you cannot be a CO (current owner)
Scott

True, but did the PO HAVE to poke a hole in the gas tank next to the right petcock? I tried to JBWeld it, and it didn't quite hold so I'm looking at a tank on ebay right now that comes with petcocks and everything, supposedly clean on the inside. I know I can probably take it to a radiator shop and have it boiled out and the hole brazed, but I just found damage on the left side that doesn't look like it was fixed very well either. I know it was laid down at least once as there are some broken fins on the left side of the engine and head, but everything else seems straight and it handles well at all speeds.

Of course all the normal wiring problems, but I guess I was lucky as I've pretty much got all but one sorted out (starter button is GONE and is wired to a momentary push button on the fairing, which works ok, but it's awkward) and I just need to get the right control pod and replace it to fix that.

Then I've got the mounting hardware for vetter hardbags on the bike with leather saddlebags mounted on it. Plus the passenger pegs have been replace with those stupid things they put on the front wheel of bmx bikes for stunting and they sprayed that tool handle plastic on it. They are a pain in the heel (keep hitting the back of my foot with them at lights), but at least there are some pegs there rather than having nothing at all.

All in all, I think I came out well although I expect that I'll be replacing the engine this summer (77,000 on the clock) as I have the start of some piston slap going on. I have found several engines in dismantlers within 2 hours of here for a reasonable price for low milage engines so I expect that to be the easy part (other than wrestling a 225 lb engine out and then another one in.)

[bikerphil]

starter button is GONE and is wired to a momentary push button on the fairing, which works ok, but it's awkward) and I just need to get the right control pod and replace it to fix that.

Here's what you need to fix the starter switch, $6 as mikesxs.com

[GNEPIG]

I love previous owners, I bought a perfectly good 79 XS11 Special for $150 bucks, as the P O was real sure it was blown-up. It spewed oil from everywhere, smoked real bad and ran like sh!t! The problem= the P O filled the oil up to the bottom of the filler hole, just like you do on your lawnmower.
An oil and filter change, some new plugs, about a 30 mile trip and it quit smokin.

Another I purchased for $75 bucks: it ran sh!tty, idled rough and had a motor knock. The cause= the vacuum hose for the advance mechanisim was plugged onto the intake manifold instead of the carb. That P O was real pissed when I fixed it right there in front of him and rode it home.

I have owned 14 of these bikes(XS11s), all were very used and funkily fixed, but I have never paid more than $200 bucks for one= Thanx to the P Os

I've gotten some real cool bikes for cheap from some P Os that didn't know jack about anything. My best one being the 73 Norton Commando that I bought from a guy that kept saying "I'm really a Harley Guy and didn't know anything about foreign bikes". I got that one for $100 bucks and was ridin it two weeks later.

I say All Hail the P Os!

[cywelchjr]

Here's what you need to fix the starter switch, $6 as mikesxs.com

Won't work for this, wire and everything about the starter button is GONE!! I need the entire button assy including the back part, the only way of which I know to get is the entire pod. The kill switch is cosmetically challenged anyways so I want to replace it for that as well.

[CatatonicBug]

Another I purchased for $75 bucks: it ran sh!tty, idled rough and had a motor knock. The cause= the vacuum hose for the advance mechanisim was plugged onto the intake manifold instead of the carb. That P O was real pissed when I fixed it right there in front of him and rode it home.

I bet he was kicking himself like crazy over that one! I can only imagine how pissed I would have been at myself if I had been him. Some people just give up too easily sometimes.