First Motorcycle, Need Advice

[Rasputin]

Nice. I wish some of the ones I have worked on started out that complete and looked that good. Lots of good advice and a great bunch of guys here to help you out for sure.

[79XS11F]

Good score but, unless already done, I would do nothing to it other then "claim it" until the title is fully and legally in your name!! Be a shame to fix her up and have someone show up with the papers and say THANKS.
Rob

[DGXSER]

Yep, make sure it is yours before you blow a bunch of money on it.

If it were me, first order fo business would be to put a proper fuse box in it. TopCat (T.C.) sells them. You can find the Tech Tip (look at the top of the page under "XS Info" then look in repairs. It will explain how to do this repair and how you can order the fuse box from TC.

To give you an idea how lucky you are, here is a thread on my project bike and how it started and what I found so far.

[trbig]

To give you an idea how lucky you are, here is a thread on my project bike

You're as bad as the guy that pulls out his wallet and makes you look at his kids.. lol.


Tod

[XJOK2PLAY]

Eastspur,

Great deal on the Special, and welcome to the forum!

Looks like you have all the basics necessary to have a great bike there soon... especially due to the 'purchase' price! Can't beat that... as long as you're able to get a clean title & registration in your name, get it tagged & insured.

I noticed in your first post, you mentioned that the forks are turned & locked?
There is an 'ignition type' switch down on the left side of the front forks... and sometimes those things can really be a bear to lock & unlock... even with the right key. Hope that unlocks ok for ya when you get a key made. Should take the same as the ignition & gas cap.

Carbs are always an issue if it's sat for a while, but there's plenty of pics and help here to walk you through it.

A fresh battery, oil change... check of the middle & final drive oils... all the usual stuff...

Was it parked outside & uncovered? You may have some electrical connection gremlins to deal w/ as well... good advice about swapping out the glass fuse panel... get the one that TC sells here... and just swap them one wire at a time.

The gas tank, petcocks, float valves... those are usual problem areas as well, and if it's sat w/ old gas in the tank for a while, you may want to pull the tank & flush it out first.

Safety course, good helmet, jacket, pants, boots... invest in some gear...
road rash sucks!

As stated before... these bikes made around 95 HP... and ran the quarter mile in about 11.75. They weigh in around 650 -700 #'s, so be careful 'til you get some miles under your belt and get used to it. Even more importantly... remember at all times that when you're riding, you are invisible to the other drivers! Always ride with an escape plan in mind as you go... cause you never know when some idiot sending a text with their head down may aim for ya!

I'm thinking along the same lines as Tod... can't believe if that Special was a good runner someone would be dumb enough to just walk away from it??? Anybody that's had one has a hard time sellin' it... much less just leave it! Who knows? Hope it's a runner for ya!

Ride Safe, and we're here if ya need us. Keep taking pics as you keep us updated, we love to watch the progress! Have fun!
Regards,
Bob

[DGXSER]

You're as bad as the guy that pulls out his wallet and makes you look at his kids.. lol.


Tod

Nahhhh...I don't have nearly as many pictures of my kids.

[CatatonicBug]

There is an 'ignition type' switch down on the left side of the front forks... and sometimes those things can really be a bear to lock & unlock... even with the right key. Hope that unlocks ok for ya when you get a key made. Should take the same as the ignition & gas cap.

Am I to understand the earlier models had a separate fork lock? I thought they were all the same, and used the actual ignition switch AS the fork lock. With mine, I can turn it either right OR left, and lock the forks with the ignition switch. I just push down and turn the key to the left, past the "off" position. If you take the ignition switch off the bike which the OP has already done) that removes the lock mechanism, and frees up the forks.

[draketrumpet]

WooHoo

I just bought my second bike, a '78 XS 1100 (my first bike was a 50cc chinese piece of junk, but it got me hooked on the experience). It needs a little tune up work, especially the timing, but hopefully the maintenance guides on the site will help (thanks to all who have contributed).

I'm wondering if there is any fellow XS 1100 owners in the OK city area that might not mind meeting up one day over spring break and showing a new owner of bikes and the XS a thing or two.

If y'all have any tips or anything you've learned about your XS elevens that can be shared here, please do.

I'll post some pictures later.

Stay vertical!

[fredintoon]

- - - - If y'all have any tips or anything you've learned about your XS elevens that can be shared here, please do. - - -

Hi Drake,
scan down to see all the tech forums.
Hit the "search" button and type in a keyword to see how others have coped.
"Use a bigger hammer" is good advice but not for every problem.

[DGXSER]

I just bought my second bike, a '78 XS 1100 (my first bike was a 50cc chinese piece of junk, but it got me hooked on the experience). It needs a little tune up work, especially the timing, but hopefully the maintenance guides on the site will help (thanks to all who have contributed).

I'm wondering if there is any fellow XS 1100 owners in the OK city area that might not mind meeting up one day over spring break and showing a new owner of bikes and the XS a thing or two.

If y'all have any tips or anything you've learned about your XS elevens that can be shared here, please do.

I'll post some pictures later.

Stay vertical!

If you have not already, take the MSF safety course, it will do wonders to help you with that stay vertical part! Depending on how long your bike sat before you got it, you may want to read the FAQ on "what to look for in a neglected XS".

Look up the thread for Catatonic Bugs post, look in his sig for the link to get a manual, and get one, there electronic and free. Then go through ALL of the maitenance section and perform every one of those task on the bike.

[jmnjrpa]

Eastspur,

I have plans to be in town next weekend. I am not near as good as some of the guys and gals on here but can answer some of your questions. Want me to stop by just hollar. I will show you how to fix that cover also but you can find the fix on here. If you are mechanically minded you will find this bike is mostly easy to work on. PM me.

[Mr.Bill]

http://www.motorcyclekeys.com/

Great to work with, I told him I did not have a registration yet, and he accepted a copy of my drivers license, and gave him the code on the ignition, gas tank, side cover lock and helmret lock, (All the same code on mine) and the year make and model of the bike, and got a key and a spare in a couple of days.

[webbcraft2150]

The amount of work required and the grief it will generate is insurmountable! Unless your ready for long term, professional help, step away from the bike. In the spirit of helping my fellow man, please foward location of said bike and I will remove the offending devise at NO charge to you.

[petejw]

hey Eastspur, welcome, thats a great find, thatll
come up real nice with a bit of work.
regarding the lock, you could always drill it out as a last resort.


hey bug,
ive got an 81 sports, should b the same as the midnite and it has both the ignition lock
and a seperate lock on the left side of the steering neck
to lock the forks.

heres a pic

[XJOK2PLAY]

Am I to understand the earlier models had a separate fork lock? I thought they were all the same, and used the actual ignition switch AS the fork lock. With mine, I can turn it either right OR left, and lock the forks with the ignition switch. I just push down and turn the key to the left, past the "off" position. If you take the ignition switch off the bike which the OP has already done) that removes the lock mechanism, and frees up the forks.

Maybe I mispoke, and the Specials are made differently in that area, too...

XJ's are the way I described...

Clearification, anyone? Special owners feel free to chime in...

Your's is a MNS, right CBug?