hello everyone(newbie)

[usmc_scott]

hello everyone i just pickedup a 79 xs1100 the other day free off craigslist. looks like an awsome forum you guys have here to help me tear her down and build her back up. heres some pics of her



shes a bit lame right now



ready to tear her appart



REMOVED- exhaust, air box, carbs, front brakes, passenger pegs, handlebars half way(to get her thru the gate) tank.


im working on cleaning the carbs and painting them semi gloss black then throwing them back on with the pod air filters and firing her up before further progress. current issues i see- no keys, brake fluid, old fuel lines, wiring is a mess from guy i got it off of messing with it.

i got her with no keys or title. ran the plate and its not reported stolen so shes good to go =) im going to have to make flip switch ignition for now as getting the wife to let me blow 200 when it looks like it does now is hard haha. does anyone know where i can get the side covers in the battery area or how to make some cool custome ones? also how can i make a seat for it. im going to chop it and lower the rear 3" and the front 1.5" any advice? how can i boost the max HP? specs say 95 id like 100-115 if possible

[xs11lover]

That's a 1979 xs1100sf special you have there. Good deal, can't beat free. I've watched alot of xs11 special side covers go on ebay in the last month, It's not hard to make a Harley seat fit it. Looks like you have a good tank...stock exhausts are hard to get and good after markets are too. I have some pics in the member photo area. Did you check second gear before you ripped it apart or ask the owner about it?

[brcree]

nice one newbe

I'm new here myself.....picked up a 81 sx1100 sh off Craigs for 3 bills. Owner said it had ran not to long ago....lies! Went over the carbs and 2 of the fuel/air needles were broken off, most jets clogged up. The tank is missing the petcocks and the diaphram between the carbs and airbox is missing. One spark plug hole is cross threaded......well this is what i like to do...bring them back from the grave.

[tarzan]

As far as the missing keys go.I wouldn't hack up a perfectly good wiring harness to save $20.lol
You can take that four digit number off the top of the ignition or gas cap and
go to a locksmith.They can look up the code and cut a key.I have had to do this on four different XS's. Make sure the numbers on both locks is the same
or you will need two different keys.
BTW- Nice find too, and the price......FREE! WOW
Welcome to channel 11
Rick

[usmc_scott]

thanks everyone. well i have some issues now. tried to jump it off a car battery and....no power at all =( how can i at least jump the starter to see if she will turn over? any elecrical help/advise? anyone live in san diego?

also- how and what am i looking for in the second gear??

[CatatonicBug]

thanks everyone. well i have some issues now. tried to jump it off a car battery and....no power at all =( how can i at least jump the starter to see if she will turn over? any elecrical help/advise? anyone live in san diego?

also- how and what am i looking for in the second gear??

There are a few members in SD. I'm sure they'll chime in soon enough.

How did you try to jump it, when you have no key? Did you attempt to hotwire it?

With 2nd gear, once you get it going, if it tries to jump out of gear, or won't go into gear, that's what you're looking for. It can happen in any gear, but it's most common in 2nd fo the XS.

[GARTHXS]

hello from sd

I am down here in pacific beach

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Scott,

Okay, we can see your ANXIOUS to get into this thing to get it running, but you need to SLOW DOWN a bit! Find any post or search the member's list for Catatonic Bug...he has links to service manuals you can download. I think he may also have some OWNER's manuals which will give you some basic info on many of the parts, fluids, etc. on the bike.

These machines are strong, reliable, BUT are easily damaged doing just simple things like adjusting the cam chain tensioner....IF you don't follow the procedures in the tech tips and such, and cause you to have a cam chain too loose, skip teeth and bend valves real quick!

Speaking of strong, if you've never ridden an XS11, then you will want to get it running before you try to increase it's HP! That HP spec is at the crank, it's more realisticly about 80 at the Rear wheel. This is not a crotch rocket, and won't do 200 or even 150mph, max is about 135...if you're lucky. But from 0 to 100 is a blast!!!

There aren't any CHEAP ways to increase the HP on these, no simple bolt on pipes, cams, carbs, etc.! Putting a Big Bore Kit is about the most bang for buck you can get, but you can go wild IF you have the $$ with custom ground cams, but then you'll need special springs, etc.!!!

As for lowering the rear 3"! It's a drive shaft design, and it doesn't like being bent that far for very long. You can find shorter shocks, would highly suggest shocks over HARDTAILING it! To lower the front, that's easier, with just sliding the upper tubes up in the triple clamps to get the lowering affect without any $$. This can even allow you a place to put on clamp on bars if you want, vs. using the TT top clamps!

The electrical system is a common source of aggravation. You'll need to explore and probably replace the fuseblock..the glass fuse holders disentegrate easily, I sell a replacement block to use solid fuses, see the tech tips for ordering info.

Speaking of tech tips, please INVEST the time to read them ALL, not just repairs, but Maintanence, mods, etc., even MISC!!! They will KEEP you out of trouble when you get into working on the bike, especially the engine and internals. You can't tell much about the 2nd gear until you get it running!

Also, check the MAIN Key Switch for corrosion, same for extra ground at rear of engine to frame. Best to spend a few hours separating, cleaning, dielectric greasing ALL of the electrical connectors, don't miss the ones behind the fuseblock. Also the components under the tank bolted to the frame, that finned thing is the Reg/Rect, unbolt and clean frame/bolt contacts!

Not trying to bust your chops, but wanted to give you a more realistic expectation about what it's going to take to get your machine on the road in a SAFE reliable condition!

[usmc_scott]

thanks for all the input and not to be misleading but im on the ball with the manuals and such im a ch-46 helocopter mechanic in the marine corps so i know how to play around with mech stuff a bit. i did look into the shocks and found shorter ones so ill probably go that rout. im just not to good at the electrical =( and i want to hear her purr already its my first bike so im axious to ride it already. i did workalot on my dads 06 i think honda vtx1800 alot so iknow my way around bikes a bit. theres so many interesting things in the repairs forum im still going thru it.

to those in sunny(cloudy today) san diego, would you be up to helping me out with getting her running? its expensive to get electric help and half the mechanics around me dont want to touch it because its so old.

oh and i tried to jump it how some shop i called said to do. connect ground to casing of motor and touch the other wire to the started line coming out of the starter housing on the tranny under the air box. nothing happend maby i did it wrong??

[motoman]

+1 what T.C said! S-l-O-W down or you WILL regret it! In a hurry WILL cost you more than I think you realize!

[Larrym]

Hullo Scott,

Yeah, usually no one will get their meter's dirty on anything over 7 years old. The guys/gals here can help "actively" when you have problem that stumps you. The best thing here is that the forum already has a bunch of resources about electrical which is usually put forth in a very understandable way. Really helps to look around for the stuff before diving in, like TC sez. You never know what you'll find in the search. Have you found this yet:

Bobber Candy

Different months of different 1100 bobbers.

Can't add too much more bout the electrical situation...good advice by all.

Welcome to the two-wheeled land version of "non-fixed-wing" flight.

[Ken Talbot]

Be sure you've got the engine sitting in neutral before you try anything.

Try touching the positive jumper to one of the screws on the solenoid, under the sidecover on the right side - near the fuse box. One of the solenoid terminals goes to the battery, the other goes to the starter.

If nothing happens, you might be on the battery terminal, so you could try the starter button. If you touch the other terminal, it should try immediately to runthe starter.

[usmc_scott]

well i tried that...nothing. the starter button is missing also...? the guy who had it before me screwed something up ugh. bit it had the wires pulled out to hotwire it i guess....not to smart whatever the previous owner was doing. the motor cant be seized either because it turns with the kick start

[GARTHXS]

where do you live

are you at pendleton, or off base, I might be able come up next Monday or Tuesday sen me a private message and we can talk

[3Phase]

are you at pendleton, or off base, I might be able come up next Monday or Tuesday sen me a private message and we can talk

And just like that he hits 1,000!

Way to go, Garth!

Hey, Scott, I might be able to ride down and join you and Garth next week (except Tuesday, DMV appt. on Tuesday, sorry) to see what's worng with your electrical system.

These old bikes aren't helicopters but they will hurt you just as quick or even quicker if you don't pay attention and treat them with respect. Take your time and, like T.C. says, get a manual. Relax and read it, then dive in and start fixing it up!

Regards,

Scott