New XS11 owner

[foreda]

Tires

Defiinitely replace them old tires! The rubber gets hard over the years and can make it feel like your riding in an ice rink!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Willoughby,

The 79SF carbs have 2 sets of inlets, the lower are the fuel, the upper are the bowl vents! The Specials also have a funky complicated hose setup with the octy, and it's easy for PO's to get them messed/mixed up! None of the fuel lines should be going to the UPPER T's, just vent hoses that go to the OEM airbox nipples.

As for fuel lines, the ones you can try to get from auto stores are all too thick/double walled stuff. Unless you find a Volkswagon or BPGeon type import store, then you can find the thinner single walled stuff. Don't let an auto parts store try to sell you single walled VACUUM hose for fuel line, it'll harden and crack within a few days, and could cause a FIRE! If you do have a cycle shop nearby, you should be able to get quality fuel line there as well, vs. shopping ONLINE! It's 1/4" ID btw!

T.C.

[natemoen]

As for fuel lines, the ones you can try to get from auto stores are all too thick/double walled stuff. Unless you find a Volkswagon or BPGeon type import store, then you can find the thinner single walled stuff. Don't let an auto parts store try to sell you single walled VACUUM hose for fuel line, it'll harden and crack within a few days, and could cause a FIRE! If you do have a cycle shop nearby, you should be able to get quality fuel line there as well, vs. shopping ONLINE! It's 1/4" ID btw!

I have found lots of farm supply type places have the proper fuel line as well. Usually marketed to ATV people though.

[Willoughby]

Inlet

Topcatgr58: Sorry I was'nt mor clear. I am talking about the air inlet of the carbs. There is a big intake hole on the airbox side, and on either side of that are two smaller holes. This is where most of the fuel is comming from on #1 and #2 carbs on start-up. I suspect the float valves are sticking or obstructed. If I still have problems after they have been worked over I will cry for more help. I suspect the poor thing has been neglected and abused, so I will be doing rehab. on each system/component in turn.

[Macamon]

Hey Willoughby,

If you do have a cycle shop nearby, you should be able to get quality fuel line there as well, vs. shopping ONLINE! It's 1/4" ID btw!

T.C.

Great point Top Cat, I'd like to add one caviat though.
I've had poor luck with a motorcycle shop purchase of fuel line... Lately a lot of shops are using a high silicone tube which doesn't hold up to the tight bends we require and simply kinks. The hose you choose should be fairly stiff and resist kinking but be capable of aproximately a 1" circle without kinking.
my 2cents

[cywelchjr]

Great point Top Cat, I'd like to add one caviat though.
I've had poor luck with a motorcycle shop purchase of fuel line... Lately a lot of shops are using a high silicone tube which doesn't hold up to the tight bends we require and simply kinks. The hose you choose should be fairly stiff and resist kinking but be capable of aproximately a 1" circle without kinking.
my 2cents

That stuff will work just fine as long as you don't try to make the lines too short. Just cross them from one side to the other and that will keep them from kinking, and the nice side effect is that you can just turn the tank around to sync the carbs and do other tuneup stuff that needs the tank off of its normal location.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey again,

The other reason I posted about the VENT T's is because IF they are clogged, then you can get flooding out thru the inlet bell like you described. So...would suggest you check to make sure that the hoses connected to the upper Vent T's are open, and that crud hasn't collected down inside the T's or the carbs at the T's. The airbox nipples can also get clogged, or sometimes you get a bike with the newer airbox mounted on an older bike, the newer boxes had the nipples, but they were closed at the factory, and folks didn't know to check them, drill them thru to make them real vents, and just stuck the vent hoses on there, and then wondered why their carbs flooded!?
T.C.

[CatatonicBug]

As far as fuel line goes, Tygon is the way to go. I got mine from O'Reilly (sp?) auto parts. They had to hunt for it in the back, and it was over $2/foot, but it's really good stuff. Kind of a transparent greenish yellow color.