Re Build from ground UP SX-1100 Looking for clues...

[ewack]

Hi,
I have just finnished building my ute back up from the chassie. Now it is down to the fun stuff. I have 2 xs1100's one with a side car. I intend on rebuilding the entrie bike Gearbox motor Cam shaft complete rewire of the whole thing before I retire. So I am calling on any segestions as to where is the best place to start ie motor, gearbox Shaft?
What would be the Ideal list of things to buy before I start the process? That sort of stuff. Any Clues..

Regards

Ed Stals

[Steve Linderman]

Rebuild

G'Day Mate,

A complete "rebuild" would be a daunting task for a person in the States...Australia is like another world...parts may be SEVERLY limited.
You may find alot of what you're looking for on E-bay...but be careful. there are people who'll misrepresent what they have and you could get "stuck" with something you do not need or want.
In my general expierence with XS 1100's they are usually "BULLETPROOF"
If the machine was "Adult" owned and maintained properly it could have very little wrong with it.
On the other hand it could have been used as a 4x4, ridden hard, then put away wet
And it could have suffered major damage to it's components.
the gearboxes (can) have a tendency to "jump" out of second gear...and the fuse panel usually goes south...Carbs & petcocks can be "leaky".
If you have ridden either of them then you should be the best judge of the one to start on...there are plenty of articles (here) that can assist one in "reviving" an old or neglected XS 1100
We don't see many Hack-rigs (XS1100's) here in America...so for sentimental reasons...I'd build the Hack
A careful "evaluation" is in order...that way you can start & finish in this lifetime...and still be alive enough to ride her
Good luck...keep posting and we'll be more than happy to assist you with "all the little things"


"I don't wanna Pickle, I just wanna ride my motorsickle"
ARLO GUTHRIE cir-1963

[ewack]

Steve,

Thanks heaps for the reply. Well your right about the second gear slipping, that’s for real.

I am going to keep the bike with sidecar and use the second bike to rebuild and replace the one with sidecar. Hopefully I should have fewer worries about parts.
I was thinking about the re bore and rings with regard as to how far to go?
I suppose you would rebore the thing to a min.

I wonder if anyone has ever overhauled a gearbox and found a way to fix the second gear thing?

I will have the motor (of the rebuild bike) on a bench and very secure in a comfortable situation, (the garage, my second home).

Steve is there any essential tools I will need?


Finally Steve I live by a particular code. It goes like this. Let your yes be a yes and your no be a no, and NEVER give up on anything you start always finish. I hope it won’t take too long though. How long roughly would you say for an armature Hack? Also is there any particular part of the motor/gearbox that will need a very go-slow approach?

[Jerry]

What to buy.....

Complete rebuild is going to be difficult, as Yamaha no longer supplies certain parts. Pistons and rings, mufflers, some trim pieces come immediatly to mind. If you need these items, start looking for them now.

Some parts are available through alternate sources, such as the carb boots (carb to intake) are not stock but look stock and are cheaper from other sources such as Parts and More.

I would look for rubber parts such as engine mounts and the boot that covers the engine-end of the drive shaft. These are pretty much Yamaha-specific items. Some parts, such as steering head bearings, are interchangeable with standard industy parts. There are good Tech Tips on this site that will halp in finding compatible non-yamaha parts for better availability and/or price.

Where would I begin? Just like your ute, I would strip the bike down and start with the frame. Check for any cracking near welded brackets such as center and side stand mounts. Then do suspension, gearbox/engine, wiring, and insturmentation.

Personal opinion...I would do an upgrade while doing a rebuild of this magnitude. Replace the rubber brake lines with stainless-steel units. Upgrade the coils. Put on better shocks...the factory ones were not much good to begin with. Put progressive-rate springs in the front forks. Add a fork brace. You will need to replace the fuse block, so you might as well put in one of the after-market solutions (see Tech Tips) when you tackle the wiring.

Good luck...and keep us posted on your progress!

[Steve Linderman]

Complete re-build

Ed,
As you can tell there are many dedicated people who will offer their assistance in your quest to re-build your XS 1100.
The second gear thing is very common...I saw a complete transmission (in pieces0 sell on e-bay the other day for $40.00USD...and from what I saw in the picture it appeared to be "complete"
If you already have the parts bike at hand , you may want to begin your disassembly on that one, that way you have the opportunity to familiarize yourself to the machine.
A Manual is of the utmost importance, and there are several available...each one has it's good and bad points...so try to obtain( at least) both the CLYMER Yamaha XS 1100 78-81 and the Geniune Yamaha XS 1100/F/SF Service Manual.
Between those two a comprehensive view can be obtained of the entire machine.
I have the "Factory Manual" including every supplement for the entire production run, and I assure you the information in those Manuals is pretty good,(the Yamaha has larger Tech photos)

The trannie gears can be "ditch cut" or "tri-filed" there are several good articles and links to trannie "fixes"
One is only limited by his own desire and ability, patience and a good "knowledge base" such as the one found here can be invaluable to the "tinkerer"

I can provide you pics of EVERY tool yamaha used on this Machine from the Factory Manual, if you need them.
Most can be fabricated in one way or another, seeing the pictures allows you to determine the "method' in which each particular tool is used.
It's not Brain surgery...we just keep tryin'...and hope for the best.

If you go to the ride report section and check out the pics from the PNW 2003 Rally you may see Two of our Buddies (ROB-N-HOOVER) from MONTANA... riding in their XS 1100 and sidecar.

Either way "GOOD LUCK" and keep posting
S'long from the good ol' US of A...


"I don't wanna pickle, I just wanna ride my Motorsickle"
ARLO GUTHRIE cir-1963

[Geezer]

Originally posted by ewack
I wonder if anyone has ever overhauled a gearbox and found a way to fix the second gear thing?

I don't know if this is a fix for the XS11 but when blueprinting transmissions for race bikes I used to take the gear sets to a machinist and have the dogs undercut for a stronger engagement and I would polish the face of the dogs so when they collided, there would be no clutching action to slow engagement.

I would also shim everything into (almost) perfect tolerances. The first 2 things will improve shifting vastly. I plan to do blueprint the gearbox on one of my XS11s over this winter. I’ll report here when it’s done.

Geezer