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My new (free) ride, an 81 xs!

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  • My new (free) ride, an 81 xs!

    Picked this up yesterday and unloaded it today. Very good shape but needs some work. The inside of the tank is rusty, there is some "questionable" wiring from a PO in the ignition circuit, no front blinkers and the carbs are messed up good, but for free I can't complain.

    Looks good!







    Some random wires hanging out, not sure why the wiring isn't tucked into the headlight bucket like it should be....


    Not a factory weld, looks like its been modified....
    Last edited by psycoreefer; 03-14-2010, 11:24 PM.
    1979 xs1100 Special -
    Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

    Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

    Originally posted by fredintoon
    Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
    My Bike:
    [link is broken]

  • #2
    Wish i could have beat you to that one.
    1980 XS1100LG Midnight
    1991 Honda CBR1000F Hurricane


    "The hand is almost valueless at one end of the arm if there be not a brain at the other"

    Here's to a long life and a happy one.
    A quick death and an easy one.
    A pretty girl and an honest one.
    A cold beer and another one!

    Comment


    • #3
      Psycoreefer,

      Congrats on the great find!

      Can't beat that deal w/ a stick!

      Lots of potential there. Glad it wound up at a good home!

      Assuming the title is clear, too?

      Keep us posted as it progresses.
      Bob
      '82 XJ1100J Maxim (has been sold.)

      '79 F "Time Machine"... oh yeah, Baby.... (Sold back to Maximan)

      2011 Kaw Concours 14 ABS

      In the warden's words from Cool Hand Luke;
      "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

      Comment


      • #4
        Hey...
        Just read the other thread and saw that ya got it from Destro w/ a clear title.

        Heck of a deal. Too bad he never got to ride it!
        '82 XJ1100J Maxim (has been sold.)

        '79 F "Time Machine"... oh yeah, Baby.... (Sold back to Maximan)

        2011 Kaw Concours 14 ABS

        In the warden's words from Cool Hand Luke;
        "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

        Comment


        • #5
          Nice find! That is the Venturer, missing the fairing/lowers, side trunks and frame-work, and originally used the square headlight out of the fairing. Extra wires likely for fairing pig-tail plug-in.
          81H Venturer1100 "The Bentley" (on steroids) 97 Yamaha YZ250(age reducer) 92 Honda ST1100 "Twisty"(touring rocket) Age is relative to the number of seconds counted 'airing' out an 85ft. table-top.

          Comment


          • #6
            Guess I'll make this a mini re-build thread. Pulled the carbs last night and started digging into the bike. Fixed a faulty ground in the left side controls caused by "black" bars instead of chrome ones. Pulled the plugs and checked compression, I've got 160 - 150 - 150 - 155, so a good start.

            Here are some pictures of the carbs, I have 2 broken float posts, 2 stuck/striped idle jets, and 1 stuck/striped idle mix screw to deal with. Guess I'll be ordering some carb kits. I also found a lot of junk and some sort of varnish soaked mouse turd or something in the #4 float bowl. #4 butterfly was stuck closed but a little carb cleaner and some PB blaster got it freed up.



            Here on the right next to the idle screw you can see the mouse turd....






            Look at the crud on #3 emulsion tube....wonder why it didn't run very well?


            All in all not to bad, nothing that can't be fixed and cleaned up. Now I'm just waiting on carb kits! Going to do a little cleaning in the mean time, have to remove the choke plungers first though.
            1979 xs1100 Special -
            Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

            Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

            Originally posted by fredintoon
            Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
            My Bike:
            [link is broken]

            Comment


            • #7
              Carbs are clean...




              Tank is "cooking"






              And it is running!!!!
              http://rides.webshots.com/video/3070...03299774WFCHmc
              1979 xs1100 Special -
              Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

              Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

              Originally posted by fredintoon
              Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
              My Bike:
              [link is broken]

              Comment


              • #8
                Very nice score.It sounds healthy.
                Are you going to keep it naked?Or try and find the lowers fairing and
                all the Venturer stuff?
                80 SG XS1100
                14 Victory Cross Country

                Comment


                • #9
                  Not sure yet, picked it up because we've been looking for a bike for SWMBO, she likes the look of it, we'll see how she likes riding it. If she decides she doesn't like it I might make a dresser out of it, find the right fairing bags and such.
                  1979 xs1100 Special -
                  Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                  Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                  Originally posted by fredintoon
                  Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                  My Bike:
                  [link is broken]

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I have a "spare" set of stock bags for it. If you want them, let me know via pm.
                    Nice looking machine for the price.
                    Ray Matteis
                    KE6NHG
                    XS1100 E '78 (winter project)
                    XS1100 SF Bob Jones worked on it!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Well the tank is still cooking but I put the tank off my special on it and went for a ride up and down the street yesterday. All I can say is WOW!
                      I can't be the only one who thought I had a "good" running xs until I rode another one. I've spent two years working on my special and it doesn't run as good as this 81 does. I know there are some differences in the models but I can't believe that this bike I just got thats been sitting for who knows how long runs better with a single carb cleaning then the one I've spent 2 years working on.

                      Anyways, it runs very well, the forks are messed up, I can darn near get the fender to touch the lower triple tree so I'll have to pull em apart and find out what going on there, still have to go through the brake system as well, and find some front blinkers....

                      Guess when I'm done with the stainless lines on my special I'll be digging into it to figure out why it doesn't run right.
                      1979 xs1100 Special -
                      Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                      Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                      Originally posted by fredintoon
                      Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                      My Bike:
                      [link is broken]

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        progress

                        Well, I drained the forks and filled with ATF, I'll put some miles on it to let the AFT clean things out then swap in some proper fork oil. Seemed very low on oil so maybe leaky seals? Also added some air, hopefully that will improve the excessive fork travel/dive.

                        Got some front turn signals from another member, mounted those up and spent a little time trouble shooting the signal circuit. The left side seemed to work but not the right. Took me a bit but found out one of the PO's put electrical tape between the stalk and the blinker housing in the back = no ground. I added some ground wires to the bulb sockets and ran them back up and hooked into the ground wire for the tail light. Problem solved, and probably improved vs grounding through the housings.

                        I'd say its nearly ready for the street, just need new tires.....
                        1979 xs1100 Special -
                        Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                        Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                        Originally posted by fredintoon
                        Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                        My Bike:
                        [link is broken]

                        Comment

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