XS11 Newbee

[Bdriver]

Hi Guys,
Two days ago I purchased a 1980 XS1100 from Portland Craigslist. Its totally stock (exept for the luggage rack and mini faring), and only has 3810 miles on it. Seller was the second owner. Have owned several bikes (550, 750, 900spl, 1400 Intruder) but this is my first Yamaha road bike. Only had a chance to ride it once due to the lousy weather here. MY GOD, this thing pulls like a frieght train!!! I can see I'll be having fun riding this, but it trully will be an
'Excersice in self dicipline'. Anywhey, I thought I would ask some questions for you XS experts out there: I'll be leaving for a 2 week cruise in June. Is there anything I should check (other than normal maintanence) on these bikes before leaving on a long trip? Electrical? Mechanical? Would an engine oil cooler be needed? Any other tips you could give me would be helpfull. GREAT website. Thanks guys.

[draketrumpet]

Welcome to Channel 11! The best place if you want to keep your bike running for many years to come...or do anything with an 11.

A lot of your questions were recently addressed in this thread.

BTW, since you're going to get it soon from everyone else, post some pics! Need help posting pics on this forum? Check this section.

[psycoreefer]

sign up for the MSF course if you haven't already, and try to get as much riding in between now and your trip as possible, 2 weeks is a long time on a bike for a new rider with (I'm assuming) no experience.

As for the bike, do the normal maintenance stuff, engine oil, final and middle drive oil, check out your tires, adjust the cam chain etc. Do a search and I'm sure you can find lots of thread of people asking what to check before a long trip.

Might want to pack a spare set of spark plugs, some basic tools, some spare fuses and bulbs. I always like to bring a small coil of wire and a multi-meter, along with a few different crimp connectors just in case.

Is your bike a special or standard? If its a special you might want to consider where to strap the gas can, depending on where and what times of day your trip will take you. A lot of guys here only get 100-120 miles on a tank from their specials...might be more then that between gas stations.

BTW, you'll want to update your profile with your location (other xs'rs nearby are almost always willing to help out), and update you signature with the year and model of your bike so when you ask questions we know what you ride. There are some differences between the different years and between the specials and standards.

[Mr.Bill]

sign up for the MSF course if you haven't already, and try to get as much riding in between now and your trip as possible, 2 weeks is a long time on a bike for a new rider with (I'm assuming) no experience.

"Have owned several bikes (550, 750, 900spl, 1400 Intruder) but this is my first Yamaha road bike"

Oh and as you noticed alot of guys on here have very bad reading comprehension (myself included at times)

But otherwise very usefull information.

Enjoy read all of the tech tips.

[psycoreefer]

some how when I read that I thought he was saying the guy he got it from had those bikes....

Anyways, I'm going to go practice my reading skills now....

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome aboard Driver! There are lots of things that CAN be checked on these bikes. Of course, since you just acquired yours, the main thing to remember is that you CANNOT TRUST the previous owner (PO) that they took care of the bike properly. You're very lucky that you were able to just hop on it and ride! Most folks have to spend many months restoring their new XS before it is road-worthy.

One main thing is to change ALL the fluids. That includes engine oil, middle and final drive oils, and brake fluid. Make sure the tires are not too old. 5 years is generally the max life span for the rubber, even if they still "look" good. Check, and possibly replace the spark plugs, and lube the cables (throttle, clutch, and speedo). The battery sounds like it's good, since you were able to ride it, but keep an eye on the water level and voltage. They usually last only a few years.

If you're going to leave it and go on a cruise, I wouldn't say you need to do anything. You could put the battery on a tender if you want, but you don't really need to.

[Bdriver]

Reply/Update

Wow, such quick responses. Thanks guys! The thread from draketrumpet is great. Lots of good info, but brings up some questions. The 'greasing the splines' repair. Are they talking about the splines at the rear wheel hub or the splines on the driveshaft-to-tranny? Also, the gear problems in 1st and 2nd gears, skipping or jumping out of gear? What symptoms should I watch for? Do I have to worry about that with only 3800 mls on the bike?
Psycoreefer: My internet searches have turned up other owners with fuse block problems. Your pictures show a nice fuse block replacement. Looks very clean. Could you tell me where you got your parts from? Instalation hard?
Finally, some clarification on me and my bike. I've been riding since I was 15 yrs old. Owned numerous dirt and street bikes (Hodaka, Suzy, Honda, Husky,
BMW, and now Yamaha XS) My newbee reference meant new to the XS11
ownership. Was bikeless since last july due to me selling my last two bikes
(Nikehawk 650, Suzy Intruder 1400) for a down payment on a house. When purchasing my next bike, I had several requirements. One was a BIGGER gas tank. My Intruder gas tank was only 3.5 gal. Way to small to do any cruising. One of the many good points of the Yamaha XS was it has a 5.6 gal tank.I guess you call it the 'Standard' model? I'm old shcool. I just don't think that radiators, cat convertors, or fuel injection belong on a motorcycle. Just my opinion. I like the XS because its air cooled, carbureted, and shaft drive. I'm a firm believer of the K.I.S.S. law. Enough about me.
About the bike: Have been looking several weeks for some kind of cruiser. Looked at several (BMW R80RT, Kawa 1000 Police Special, Shadow) that all looked good on CG's list but were real junkers once I saw them in person. I'm sure you've been there. Passed over the XS several times simply because I knew nothing about them. I finally decided to take a look simply because of the mileage. When I saw him roll it out of the garage, I was hooked. It lookes brand new! Drives out nice and tight. I'ts 100% stock, no add on anything. This I like. The riding position is comfortable for me, all though I might up-grade to a better seat (any suggestion?). I'm overwhelmed with the engine performance. After reading several testimonies about how bullet proof the engine is, I guess I'll be keeping it a long time. Couldn't be more satified with the bike. Again, thanks for all your help and advise.

[CatatonicBug]

The splines are at the rear wheel. Make sure you grease them every time you change the rear tire (and maybe more often, if you feel the need). The fuse block is a REALLY good upgrade. TopCat sells them in the "parts for sale" section of the forum. There's a sticky at the top of the list. It took 1 hour to install (super simple). It comes with the connectors, so just add fuses.

The seat is probably the least desirable part of these bikes when it comes to long-distance rides. There are no after-market options, but you can have it re-built and re-covered for $100-$200. There are a few options as far as covers and pads (one that Wal-Mart sells for ATV's is supposed to be good).

Looks like you got yourself a nice bike. So post some pictures! We like pictures!

[psycoreefer]

The 'greasing the splines' repair. Are they talking about the splines at the rear wheel hub or the splines on the driveshaft-to-tranny?

The splines between the drive shaft and the final drive. So if your looking at the back of the bike, you would remove the four bolts that hold the final drive (where the tire connects) to the swing arm and then slide it off the drive shaft. First you'd have to remove the tire.

Also, the gear problems in 1st and 2nd gears, skipping or jumping out of gear? What symptoms should I watch for? Do I have to worry about that with only 3800 mls on the bike?

Some people have problems sooner then other, some never do. Depends on how the bike was treated and how hard you ride. If you've got the problem you'll know it. When you give it a good twist in first or second gear it will "pop" out of gear and make a noise like a machine gun. If you don't have it now, I wouldn't worry about it until/if it happens.

My internet searches have turned up other owners with fuse block problems. Your pictures show a nice fuse block replacement. Looks very clean. Could you tell me where you got your parts from? Instalation hard?

The fuse block in my pictures, and that most use comes from a member of the forum, TopCatGR, look at the top of the Parts for sale forum, there is a thread about services/parts from members. I think the cost is 10 bucks, not to hard to put on if you've got some mechanical ability and basic tools.

Use the search button at the top of the forum, lots of info available on this site....

[Mr.Bill]

And check out CatatonicBug's post in this thread and his signature and link to his website, NICE manual downloads

[draketrumpet]

If you're going to leave it and go on a cruise, I wouldn't say you need to do anything. You could put the battery on a tender if you want, but you don't really need to.

Pretty sure he's going on a 2 week cruise on the bike. Note snide remarks by others about most people's reading comprehension on this forum.

[Yahman]

Hello driver,

You said you're in Portland, is that Oregon or Maine? If you are in Oregon, there are several XS owners in your neck of the woods. I wouldn't know about XS owners in Maine. Although I'm sure there are some and that their good people too.

Welcome to the site,
Larry

[XS1100 Newbie]

Maybe you will be back in time to go on a ride with the group of us this summer. That is if it is Portland Oregon.
Bob

[crazy steve]

...Lots of good info, but brings up some questions. The 'greasing the splines' repair. Are they talking about the splines at the rear wheel hub or the splines on the driveshaft-to-tranny? Also, the gear problems in 1st and 2nd gears, skipping or jumping out of gear? What symptoms should I watch for? Do I have to worry about that with only 3800 mls on the bike?...

The splines they're talking about are the rear of the driveshaft where it goes into the final drive. But you should make sure that the grease on the wheel-to-hub splines is kept up also; any time the rear wheel is off at least take a look. There's also a spline at the front of the driveshaft right behind the middle drive, but that one has little movement so don't worry about that one unless you go in there for another reason.

Don't worry too much about the tranny problem unless it actually appears. The main thing here is to firmly shift it; these things really do shift like a tractor, and a 'light' touch when shifting will do more harm than good as you may not fully engage the gear and it can pop out of gear. Always use the clutch too. The popping out of gear is what damages the gear dogs more than anything, but once they start to go the 'fix' is the cure. After you've ridden it a bit you'll be able to 'feel' when it's gone into gear properly. Your bike has such low miles, I wouldn't worry. It's a noisy, clunky gearbox but very reliable if treated right.

And keep in mind that most of the horror stories you see here were from badly neglected/abused bikes. If your's look good and runs good, it's good. Change all the fluids (including the forks/brakes if the PO hadn't done them in the last 4-5 years) and ride. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

And that turbine-smooth, ever-building power curve is really sumpin', ain't it?

Welcome, and enjoy!

'78E original owner

[bikerphil]

Just take your bike for a cruise....

http://www.cruise-eta.com/motorcyclecruise.htm