Another new owner.....

[Giggity]

Glad I found this forum. I've been reading it for the past week since I bought a 79 xs. The bike is a project as it came with the carbs off and all the wiring undone. My immediate questions are: When re-fitting the carb boots should there be a gasket? Or should I use a sealant?
Also, should I tackle the wiring or the carbs first.
The next step will be new fluids then fire her up.
Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome to the site!! Definitely the right place for info. With your carb boots, there was no gasket when it was originally put together, but when you buy them new now, you get a gasket with the kit (from partsnmore.com anyway). As for which thing to attack first, that's entirely up to you, since it won't run until it's all done anyway. Generally, the carbs come off and back on again while everything else is all put together, so if it were my bike, I think I would concentrate on the electrical first, then the fuel. You can sorta test electrical without the carbs, but you can't fire it up and fully test all the electrical until the carbs are done. JMHO. If you don't already have a manual, here is a free downloadable copy. HTH!

[Ivan]

I used a bit of Permatex "Aviation Form-a-Gasket" Type A on the carb holders, to help seal them to the head. No troubles since.

[John]

I use a modified thermostat housing gasket from an old 2.3 Ford engine (Pinto motor).

[fredintoon]

Effin' wires

Hi Giggity & welcome,
Gasketing the intake boot to head joints won't harm anything even if it's not stock. The wiring harness is a right swine if the dreaded PO has been messing with it. Far too many wires and they all need to be hooked up properly or stuff don't work right. Thing is, my BSA only needs 7 wires to run (OK, 10 if you want to add signals) so why has the Yamaha a harness that's thick as your wrist?
But I digress.
Use the wiring diagram as a guide, clean and dielectric grease each and every connection and terminal. Check the fat multi-pin connector that holds the 3 white wires from the alternator, that connector tends to melt if it's contacts ain't kept clean.
The stock glass tube fuse block is unreliable, look at swapping it out for a mini-spade fuse block. A neat feature, the tach is also a de-facto voltmeter,
the tach don't work unless the alternator is charging.
A thing you may not have noticed, the XS11 engine runs backwards which some have claimed makes the bike steer worse than it would if the engine ran forwards.

[Giggity]

"A thing you may not have noticed, the XS11 engine runs backwards which some have claimed makes the bike steer worse than it would if the engine ran forwards."

Are you checking to see if I'm reading?
What does this mean?

Looking at the base of the boot, it seems as though there will not be an air tight fit.

Perhaps I could just buy some gasket material and cut them to fit.

[The Lorax]

The engine rotation is bass ackwards compared to other engines, clockwise...counterclockwise ...I don't remember anymore. As to your carb boot querey, I havent had mine off as yet (I've had darn near everything else off of it, but not the carb boots). Oh, and welcome to the forum, best resource out there for these old beasts. have a nice day and ride safe ...Ahl-Raaat!

[DGXSER]

Hey Giggity, Welcome to the forum.

I think Fred new it was unrelated to your issue. He just wanted to let you know about that as it may come into play when you start trying to figure out the wiring and get to checking something.

Most cycles do run with the crank coming forward over the top, these however the crank runs toward the rear of the machine coming over the top. So should you get to a point of setting timing or gapping the pick-up coils as you chase down electrical gremlins, or more importantly checking timing chain tension, you HAVE to turn the engine the right direction or your setting will be off and you can even end up crunching valves.

As to the gaskets for the boots, Sounds like you need something in there. What to use is dependant on how cheap you want or need to be. Cutting your own out of good material is an option, or John gave you a great alternative that should be relatively inexpensive and alot easier than all that cutting.

[Giggity]

Got it! Thanks for the info. I will go with John's suggestion.

Anyone on here live near Boulder, CO?
I'd like to see a properly wired bike up close.....