New member

[aschattke]

Hello,
Got a 1981 XS eleven special off a freinds dad a few months ago for 200 bucks. When I got it one of the cylinders wasnt firing. It was running sluggish as well but i thought it was just from the cylinder. I brought it to a guy and he did compression test and spark test on the cylinder and both were fine so I had the carbs cleaned. It fixed the cylinder that wasnt firing but it was still running sluggish. I replaced the intakes (rubber boots going from carbs to engine). Seems like it is running better but not perfect. It sputters/backfires and seems to be running rich. I think I may just need to adjust the carbs, what do you think? I heard adjusting the carbs is not that simple. How do you adjust the carbs on these bikes?

I appreciate any help and I am excited to be part of the xs family now.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome to the forum! The manual will outline just about all the adjustments you will need to make to get everything set correctly. If you don't have a manual yet, you can download one (or two) from the link in my signature.

Adjustments to the carbs really are not all that difficult, especially if the rest of your bike is stock, but they are time-consuming. Do you have the stock pipes and the airbox? Start with checking on the float heights. On your SH, you should be able to connect a section of clear fuel line to the spigot on the bottom of the float bowl and check the fuel level in the tube. The addendum in the manual outlines this process.

Next is to sync the carbs. This is VERY important! It makes a HUGE difference in how the bike runs. You will also need to adjust the fuel/air mixture screws, either with a colortune plug, or by ear. Once you have everything set, and it "sounds" like it's running well, check the color on the spark plugs after running through a tank or two of fuel. A light tan is the goal. If it's too dark, it's rich, too light, and it's too lean. Raising or lowering the floats will change the richness for normal running conditions.

No matter what, you will want to become familiar with the inner workings of the carbs, and how to remove/reinstall them. It is tricky at first, but with a little practice, it will only be a nuisance.

Good luck, and post some pictures so we can follow your progress!

[mro]

Welcome to Channel 11

Here's a link to carb info here on the site.
You should read thru some of the tech tips which may answer some of your questions and help you pose others.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=30

mro

[TomRodgers]

Where abouts in chicago? I work on the south side.....live just south of Michigan City.

I may be able to help ya out.

[aschattke]

I was just about to buy the service manual too, you just saved me money and I appreciate that. Once I start tinkering I will get pictures and an update.

I live in Aurora

Thanks guys

[CatatonicBug]

I was just about to buy the service manual too, you just saved me money and I appreciate that. Once I start tinkering I will get pictures and an update.

I live in Aurora

Thanks guys

My folks grew up in St. Charles and Geneva. Just up the river from you!

[melbxs]

Before you tear down the carbs, check your HT leads and caps for leakage.

The leads and caps could be 30 yrs old and at higher revs you can lose a lot of spark through old leads.

My bike wouldn't run above 5k rpm until I changed out the old coils and leads for new. It ran like new afterwards.