My new xs1100

[g15usmc]

Do I need to have both petcocks turned to the Pri possition when riding? or can one be off and the other be on?...I cleaned my tank as best as i can and installed 2 inline fuel filters, but one of them doesn't fit very well...any suggestions?

[bikerphil]

If you run the left petcock to the right two carbs and the right petcock to the left two carbs, there will be more room for the inline fuel filters. When running the bike, both petcocks should be in either the on or reserve position. Prime is for filling the bowls when they are empty after sitting for a period of time. Please state if you have a Standard or a Special model, it will help people diagnose problems easier. Welcome to XS11!

[g15usmc]

Sorry about that...Its a 79 xs11 special...should i remove the stock splitter and run it direct to the carbs or leave the splitter...I'm thinking if i take that off there might be more room for the inline fuel filter...

[bikerphil]

Ok, the Special model comes with a vacuum shutoff valve (octy) with a bunch of hoses. It makes working on the bike a bit more difficult so many owners remove it as it is also prone to failure . If you do so, remember to turn your petcocks to the off position when you are done riding. The front spigots on each petcock (prime) should be capped off and the rear spigots are the ones to run to the carbs. Don't forget to cap the intake boot where the octy vacuum line was connected.

[g15usmc]

Thanx for all the insite biker...the interesting part of all this is i'm taking advice from the guy whos name is on my carhart ive been wearing in the garage working on my bike..."phil"...but no my name is nate...so thanx mister Carhart for all the help, I'm sure i'll need more again...like where to get 4 bolt on air filters for around 20 bux... atm I'm using some bootleg filter i made myself out of some knee high stockings...they actually work pretty good...but look horrible...and ghetto...

[natemoen]

Thanx for all the insite biker...the interesting part of all this is i'm taking advice from the guy whos name is on my carhart ive been wearing in the garage working on my bike..."phil"...but no my name is nate...so thanx mister Carhart for all the help, I'm sure i'll need more again...like where to get 4 bolt on air filters for around 20 bux... atm I'm using some bootleg filter i made myself out of some knee high stockings...they actually work pretty good...but look horrible...and ghetto...

Well, its not 4 filters for 20 bucks but that is almost unreasonable but its one filter for 16 bucks and it says XS on the chrome cap of the filter

http://www.mikesxs.net/products-40.html#products

[bikerphil]

g15, I was wondering where I lost that thing, lol.

You can get some cheap Emgo pod filters (54mm) for that price, but you'll have to cut/grind the restricting lip away so they don't block the air jets.

[g15usmc]

So weird the two people who replied on here...phil who i apparently stole the jacket from and Nate who shares my name...crazy...anyway Thanx to both of you for the the reply's Nate I do like those filters but i just searched the ones phil suggested and i found this on ebay, i'm curious as to whether the two of you think they will work... here is the link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-AIR...mZ380087505187

And as to my questions...I just completed setting up inline filters, i wasn't possitive on what exactly needed to be done to remove the octivalve, so what i did was just t-split the petcock into the inline filters and reattach them with another t-split to go into the octivalve, now though i got it work as far as getting the bike to start up, but when on the kickstand it acts like its getting starved of air/fuel...i've tryed to mess with the idle some, but to my dismay it either ends of dying on me or it turns on and the idle ends up sky rocketing the RPM's which is compeletely irritating...getting it to continue running requires standing the bike up...but with the RPM's so high it would be near impossible to get it into gear to go...unless of course i would be into ****ing up my tranny and rebuilding that...which i'm not...any suggestions?

also if i'm going to run without the airbox do i need to put filters on both breathers on the carbs or cap one and just put one filter on?...I saw an illistration of one breather filter and other one being capped...not sure what to do on that side of things...and I'm thinking it might run better with those inline filters if i removed the octi...i'm not so good with understanding words so much because i'm an electronics tech, not a mechanic, however i like this mechanic type work too just dont know all the lingo...i know the major parts its the little things i dont know, like which hose is a breather and which is a fuel line etc...of course in this case i know the difference just trying to give an example and failed miserably...All help is Much appreciated...

Oh and last thing i have a question about is on the left side of the bike smoke rolles up off the exaust from the underside of the engine and off the engine/transmission etc. smells like burning oil...I'm thinking its prolly 2 parts, one is thinking its caused from the fuel and oil that was all over the bike that i attempted to clean up as best as possible due to the prior owner having overfilled the crankcase, and the second part is that due to it having sat on the side for so long having oil being drained/built up in the left two cylinders...I think this because after cleaning it up I dont see any signs of cracked/broken/old seals and gaskets leaking, such as oil on the floor or all over the bike...if you concur I will feel a lot better...I'm going to install the center stand back on the bike tomorrow night, i think it will help me with diagnosing and troubleshooting most of these problems...

All Help and reply's are much appreciated...

[g15usmc]

after thinking about it...i think that some of these issues are coming from the make shift pantyhose air filters...such as the burning oil thing...

[DiverRay]

Welcome to the site!
Those air filters should work. Just check and be sure there is no "lip" on the inside of the rubber between the clamp and the filter part. If there is a lip, it will cause problems with the operation of the carbs.
The vents for the carbs, the two top "T" fittings, NEED TO BE OPEN TO THE AIR. You could put a fuel filter on each one to keep the bugs out, but they need to be able to equalize the air pressure as the fuel flows into and out of the float bowels.
Until you sync the carbs, it probably will NOT run and idle correctly. There is no way around that, you must have the carbs vacuum synced for proper running. The tool will cost from $30 to $100, but a bike shop charges about $100 to $200 to sync the carbs. Tool will pay for itself the first time you use it.
Don't worry about the smoking until you have at lest 100 miles on the bike. If it's been sitting, it may take at least that long to free up any stuck rings.
If your name implies you are a marine, welcome and thanks from a old army paratrooper.

[DGXSER]

Also, as to the running different on the side stand than standing up, have you checked your gas level in the tank? Tried running on reserve?

[g15usmc]

Ok I got rid of the smoke issue by removing my ghetto filters on the intake...I got it to idle down some, no i need to figure out whether the tach is fixable or just need to replace it along with the speedo...and then i need to figure out how to calibrate both of them...not sure on that side of things... Also if someone knows where i can get a carb sync tool relatively cheap that would be awesome...

And Diver Ray...even though your not a Marine I wont hold that against you... Semper Fi!

[GARTHXS]

carb sync tool

just google diy carb sync tool and you should find a bunch

[soccer4m]

ride it out

Or ride the bike out to San Diego and me or Garth can synch your carbs and fix other stuff on your bike while we drink the beer you buy to quench our thirst.....just kidding, but if you want us to help synch and dial in your bike ride it out to San Diego and we can synch it and look at whatever issues you have, Mike in Sun Diego

[cywelchjr]

Or you can pick up a decent unit on ebay for under $50 if your willing to look for a while and go with gauges rather than sticks or mercury. I got my set for like $39.95 plus shipping and they work pretty well.