New to XS11, how hard will this be to fix?

[Sojourner]

Hi all.

Stumbled across a '79 XS1100 Special on the local Craigslist. I had an '81 XS1100 many many moons ago and loved it, so I was surprised to see the $350 OBO price even when it was listed as "needs work"...

I called the number in the ad and the guy explained to me that he hit something or another and cracked the case and cover on the right. He said it was a $40 part, no big deal. Anyway, I just came back from looking it over. It appears to be in decent enough shape aside from the war wound described to me on the phone. Can you all have a look over these pics and give me some advise? Would a cover suffice to keep things in order, or does it need a new case? It appears to have been setting for quite a while juding by the flat tires and that it's sunk into the yard a couple of inches.

Here it sits:



Close up of the hunk missing:


From the otehr side. Here you can see the cage bent around where the cover was:

[bikerphil]

Looks like the lower engine case is NG. Gonna have to take the whole engine apart and replace the cases. They are machined in pairs. Seller is right though, I've seen engine cases for less than $40 on eBay.

[Sojourner]

Thanks for the reply. So how difficult a proposal is this for an "enthusiastic amature" bike mechanic? What about it sitting outside for so long uncovered?

[crazy steve]

Have you ever completely torn down and successfully reassembled a overhead cam engine before? If the answer yes, go for it. Not to say a dedicated newbie can't do this, but it would be a rather major project. A service manual would be a must.

As an alternative, if the owner has the broken-out piece of the case, you could pull the motor and have someone tig-weld it back in. It should be possible to do this without tearing the motor down. But I'd be concerned about a possible bent crankshaft, so that should be checked before you do anything.

But given the damage and the number of missing parts, I personally would consider this a parts bike (and an overpriced one at that).

'78E original owner

[fredintoon]

Go for it!

Thanks for the reply. So how difficult a proposal is this for an "enthusiastic amateur" bike mechanic? What about it sitting outside for so long uncovered?

Hi Sojourner and welcome,
after you have gone through the startup checklist that's findable through this list's search function, it might just fire up and run. Or not. You are gambling here. In the worst case that it's totally unsalvageable you can get most of your money back parting it out on e-bay.
Don't fret that busted out case. Andreas most likely has a used cover casting and that cover does not retain oil, it's just there to keep the dust out.
Me, I'd patch the hole with aluminum sheet & pop rivets, get the bike running and make long term plans about replacing the cases later.

[CatatonicBug]

Nothing about these bikes is impossible, with a good manual or two (available in the link in my signature) and help from the folks on this site. If you have some mechanical aptitude, and a whole lot of patience, go for it! Be prepared to spend a bunch more money on parts and supplies, but it's definitely fixable.

You'll need tires ($200 or so for cheap ones), a battery ($70), rear turn signals (not sure what member Andreashweiss is selling them for), probably carb kits ($100 for all 4), and of course, the engine case.

Then there's also things like oil, oil filter, air filter, brake fluid, wheel bearing grease, etc.

Some might consider it too much of a project, but others would only see the fun involved . If you are the latter, enjoy the process, and take lots of pictures! Oh, and that color-matched Pacifico fairing is definitely a keeper!

[Rasputin]

I would go for it. As has been stated, you could always part it out for more if it was hurt to badly. I hate to see one go to parts if it is salvageable. If you decide to go ahead,I have a good set of cases here. $10 plus shipping, of course shipping depends on where you are. As for the Stator cover, I may have one of those as well.

[xs11lover]

I'm in north east Pa, i'm not sure of your location. I have an extra motor, it runs nice and only needs a valve cover gasket. If you can pick it up it would be cheap.

[Sojourner]

There's no plexiglass in the fairing, and it's cracked in a couple of places. Besides, I planned on taking that off first chance I can get. I'm just looking for a CHEAP bike (SWMBO says $500) to piddle around with mechanically and ride back and forth to work on (only 8 miles of city roads each way), ride to band practice (20 minutes away), the occasional rural highway cruise, or out for date-night with the wife. I like riding, but I have to drop the kids off most mornings and the wife's not big on sidecars...

So let's assume I'm going to get it. I had talked myself out of it, but as fredintoon pointed out, it's just a stator cover. Just steer clear of dust and puddles! So what's the checklist for buying a used XS1100? Especially since this one appears to have been sitting exposed for at least 6 months.

Rims should be ok even though the tires are flat since the bikes around 600lbs and it's sitting on dirt.
Is there an easy way to tell if he bent the crankshaft?
Any easy "no no's" to check like oil?
Already looked at the carb boots and they looked crack-free to the naked eye and felt pliable.
It's missing the left side cover, but that's cosmetic IMHO.
I need to double-check that it has a clear title.
Any easy way to check the tank aside from pulling a fuel line and feeling for grit?
Battery looks newer, not like that means anything.
Headers look ok and so do the mufflers.

So depending on the score above- what should I offer him? $100? $150? $300? I've got about $500 budget to prduce a running bike. Is it possbile?

The only immediately apparent problems are the lack of stator cover and the chunk out of the case. Oh, and the fairing has seen way better days. I'm guessing he hit with some force since it it bent the cage enough to come into contact with the stator cover. The chunk missing from the case starts at one of the tapped holes to screw stator cover into, so that makes sense. Nothing seems majorly out of whack so I'm gussing he kept it upright after impact, or laid it down pretty gently (maybe resulting in the playing card sized scrape on the *opposite* side of the fairing?). So I'm going to guess city driving (35 or a lot less) and he caught a high curb, bowling ball sized landscape boulder, etc. I'll have another chat with the owner and see if his story matches up...

Thanks all for the warm welcome and all of the advise. Greatly appreciated!
Oh, and FWIW, I'm in Cincinnati Ohio.

Here's the CL ad for the bike in question: http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/1558346419.html

Here's a CL ad for a crapload of XS650 parts. Not sure if they'd work on an 1100, but for $30!!: http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/1583410127.html

[DGXSER]

I bought one with less damage that had been sitting for two years or so in a barn. So far, the list of "improvements" include cleaning and touching up paint on the tank, rebuilding the carbs, Repaired 1st/2nd gears, replaced both side covers, battery, turn signals all the way around (your at least missing the rears), rebuild petcocks, replaced fuse box( mine actually had none ), new handlebars (betting those are bent) Torn down cleaned and reassembled all three calipers and both master cylinders, replaced brake pads all the way around, and painted alot of parts.

Here is the thread on it

Is that fairing intact on the crash side? The seat is off a standard from the looks of it and the bike is a special. By the time you buy the parts to correct the engine issues, you probably be better off buying an engine. IT is certainly a possibility that the alternator is screwed if not the crank if it hit that hard. Is the right side exhaust not bent to crap? You will definitely need to replace the one crash bar if you want them on that is. I would defintiely see if the engine turns over before you go one step further into buying it. I would at least pull the left timing cover and put a wrench on it to turn it over a few rotations.

I am in Colerain area, if you like I could look at it with you.

[Sojourner]

Holy crap, small world!!

The bike is actually in Colerain, near the High School/YMCA. I'd certainly appreciate an experienced set of eyes to help look it over! You free Saturday morning? I'd like to go over at the same time since I don't want him to think there's a ton of interest in it (keep that "OBO" price low).

I can at least buy you a beer for your trouble. Oh, and please don't buy it out from under me!!

[DGXSER]

I believe I am free Saturday morning. Let me know what time. I use to teach the Taekwondo class at that YMCA until this July.

No worries on me buying it, I have to sell my project bike this spring and let SWMBO see less motorcycle in the garage for the summer before I can buy another one.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Welcome to the Forum!

Looks like the bike's got potential... but has had some abuse, too. Needs some TLC.... Good advice has already been given, and you're in very good hands if DGXSer can help ya out!

You might also ask the seller if he still happens to have any missing parts... like the side cover.

After DGXSer looks it over more closely... if the motor looks locked from a bent crank... I'd still nab it for a parts bike, if he'd come down some on the price. If it'd start... you could come out on it probably for that price... be sure to check on the title! No title... no way I'd pay that much.

Don't forget... if that bike's set outside that long, the electrical connections will probably ALL have to be reworked... and that's a lot of work!

Keep us posted, and here's hoping it turns out to be another great one revived from the boneyard!
Bob

[dbeardslee]

I know a place here locally where you can get a complete engine for $100. Swapping the motors out is a one-day job. Rebuilding one isn't. Welcome to Channel 11, and be sure and stop by the SWOXS social group pages. Here's another welcome for you - link.

[crazy steve]

Is there an easy way to tell if he bent the crankshaft?
Battery looks newer, not like that means anything.

So depending on the score above- what should I offer him? $100? $150? $300? I've got about $500 budget to prduce a running bike. Is it possbile?

To check the crank, remove the stator (it's just hanging on the rotor, as it attaches to the missing cover) and spin the motor. If the rotor wobbles at all, the crank has about a 95% chance of being bent. Now you're looking for a complete motor.

Assume you'll need a new battery, as bike batteries do not take well to sitting for any extended length of time.

On a $500 total budget, you're going to have to get the bike for $200 or less to even have a chance of hitting your number, and even at that price you better be a first-class wheeler-dealer. You could save some bucks if you could find some decent used tires (these use the same sizes as most Harley Sportsters and Dynas) cheap, but you can get nickeled-and-dimed to death on small stuff if you're not careful. Just the fluid changes and plugs will run you $30-40.

Cosmetically, the bike looks better than many of the ones other XSers have started with, so that's a small plus.

Good luck!

'78E original owner