Fuel System Restore

[Barnfresh]

Hey Folks... Now that most my kids are growed up and leaving me alone, I started looking for an old touring bike to restore. I was actually shopping for a Goldwing but came across a 38,000 mile XS1100G with fairing, Vetter bags and trunk. Everything I've read about these bikes says they are rock solid, reliable, sturdy machines. The PO dropped it by squeezing the front brake after accidently running a stop sign and finding himself on a Texas gravel road doing 60. That was in 2004. He drove it home and parked it, The bike has not run since. Damage is slight, but the brakes are seized and there is a nasty smell coming from the gas tank. I'm sure it is all goo in there and in the carbs. I've heard about 15 opinions on cleaning the gas tank from letting a radiator shop dunk it, Muriatic acid, Acetone, chains, gravel, nuts & bolts, molasses, etc. What is ya'lls opinion? What parts should I buy before starting fuel system overhaul - Carb gaskets and fuel line is all?
PS - this is the best looking site on the WEB for 1100's... The info is fantastic - Glad to be here!:

[cywelchjr]

Hey Folks... Now that most my kids are growed up and leaving me alone, I started looking for an old touring bike to restore. I was actually shopping for a Goldwing but came across a 38,000 mile XS1100G with fairing, Vetter bags and trunk. Everything I've read about these bikes says they are rock solid, reliable, sturdy machines. The PO dropped it by squeezing the front brake after accidently running a stop sign and finding himself on a Texas gravel road doing 60. That was in 2004. He drove it home and parked it, The bike has not run since. Damage is slight, but the brakes are seized and there is a nasty smell coming from the gas tank. I'm sure it is all goo in there and in the carbs. I've heard about 15 opinions on cleaning the gas tank from letting a radiator shop dunk it, Muriatic acid, Acetone, chains, gravel, nuts & bolts, molasses, etc. What is ya'lls opinion? What parts should I buy before starting fuel system overhaul - Carb gaskets and fuel line is all?
PS - this is the best looking site on the WEB for 1100's... The info is fantastic - Glad to be here!:

Start out by draining the tank, and look inside as best you can with a light to see how rusty it is. You might be lucky as I have had a couple sit for long periods of time (not my 11 but my 400 sat for 13 years) and had almost no rust in the tank.

Then get carb kits (I recommend at least those that replace the needle valve seat along with the gaskets) and pull the carbs and clean them well. IIRC there is a tech tip on carb cleaning, just expect to clean them multiple times before they work right, although come to think of it, you might just start by draining them and putting some fresh gas and seafoam in and see if it will run.

[DGXSER]

If the tank was left full, you might be lucky and it is not to rusty. Otherwise, there are several options as you listed and all of them have been tried and or recommended by one person or another on here. The only thing to think over is the Radiator shop option is the cheapest and easiest but most likely will require a repaint of your tank.

As to the carbs, I would go ahead and pull them. I doubt even seafoam would get those clean if the gas has setup enough to gel and stink like that. As stated, definitely get new float needle valve seats and valves and most likely new gaskets. The jets are typically reusable. The best suggestion I have heard for a tough job like yours is to take the carbs apart, and before you even start pulling the jets out, I would remove the diagphram and needle assembly, then sit the carbs in a pan inlet side down and fill it with carb cleaner up to just below the butterfly seals and let them sit liek that for a while. Then flip and fill to just below the butterfly seals on the other side and soak. After that soaking, spray PB Blaster in all the jets and then make sure you have a screwdriver that fits the jets REALLY well and try to remove them. They are bound to be really gummed up in there.

There is a tech tip on cleaning them and if you search you are bound to find HOURS of reading on this procedure alone.

Good luck on bringing another 11 back from the dead!!

[John]

I hope you're not as 'fresh' as some of the barns where I grew up

But it sounds like you need to come to Ft Worth in June to attend the Meeting of the Minds. It is more of a maintenance clinic than it is a rally/ride. We have torn engines down and replaced the cranks bearings, did a grind on the first and second gears, rebuilt/tweaked carbs, etc. A good chance to learn, meet some good folks, and eat some BBQ, and then attend a killer car show.

[dragxs11]

I would only add that I recommend Motion Pro fuel line. It's soooo much easier to work with than crap rubber hose from NAPA or whatever. Cost more, of course, but trust me... it's worth it. I like to run in-line filters as well. The screens in the carbs and tank just filter the "big" stuff.

[fredintoon]

Hey Folks... I - - - came across a 38,000 mile XS1100G. The PO dropped it - - in 2004. - - - The bike has not run since. Damage is slight, but the brakes are seized and there is a nasty smell coming from the gas tank. I'm sure it is all goo in there and in the carbs. I've heard about 15 opinions on cleaning the gas tank from letting a radiator shop dunk it, Muriatic acid, Acetone, chains, gravel, nuts & bolts, molasses, etc. What is ya'lls opinion? What parts should I buy before starting fuel system overhaul - Carb gaskets and fuel line is all? - - -

Hi Barnfresh & welcome,
First fix the brakes. If you get the bike running before you fix the brakes you might get tempted. Riding a 120+mph bike with no brakes is a bad thing.
Do not use chain to shaker-clean a Standard gas tank. Chain wraps around the Standard tank's gas cap drain tube and won't come out.
Chopping the tank open in a fit of stupidity to remove such a chain forced me to buy yet another Standard tank. A long while past I successfully used a blackstrap molasses & water soak but that takes a month or so to work.
Washing soda & battery charger electrolysis looks to be a neat way to clean a gas tank and it's what I'll try if there's ever a next time.
Remove the gas gauge sender and the gas taps and blank off their holes before the cleaning process. Check the gas tap filter towers are in place atop the taps, they have a nasty habit of falling out to rattle around inside the tank. Just like high blood pressure, there are no symptoms until you switch to reserve and find there ain't one. You have also been running on unfiltered gas from the instant the filters fell out.
Carb gaskets & fuel line for sure, new float needles & seats are a good precautionary measure and think about in-line fuel filters.

[dbeardslee]

I used a handful of drywall screws and laquer thinner to get the rust out of the inside of my first tank. It'll knock the loose stuff off, and get it in suitable condition for lining the tank. Count the screws before you put them in. I dropped a whole handful in, and when I was through I turned the tank upside down to get the screws out. Not one screw came out through the gas filler neck - had to fish 'em all out with a magnet through the gas gauge hole.

I've used the electrolysis method to, which is really amazing. It may take several days to get all the stuff out, and you may have to move the electrodes around a little to get it all out. Worked really well with my 50-year-old battery charger. It throws a constant 4 amps - no matter what. It'll fry a battery if you leave it on too long, but it's just the ticket for electrolysis.

I'm with Fred - definitely put some line filters on it.

[Barnfresh]

Good Advice...

Man – What a great site! Great advice and BBQ in Ft Worth – this is too good to be true!
I just got the bike yesterday… we pushed it in the garage and I gave PO a wad of hundreds. This thing is huge. I found the original tool kit under the side cover and the owner’s manual in the saddle bag. The PO had 18 cats, so my dog is real interested in it… much more than the wife. I had to agree to get a will before I could buy it - that kind of ties in with fixing the brakes before the first test drive idea…
So it sounds like I can take the chain back to wally world and hook up the battery charger. I have a friend that restores old FJ Landcruisers and cleans his parts that way… I can get him to help. I am ordering carb kits, inline filters and Motion Pro fuel line (as soon as I figure out what size…). I have seen several options on the tank coating once it is clean… nickel plate, Epoxy, cadium, plastic… Eastwood sells a tank coating.. What have ya’ll used? Thanks again for help!

[dbeardslee]

I've used Caswell Platings kit. Works well, just make sure you clean out the bolt holes after it's cured for 1/2 hour or so. Here's a link: http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm