Hi- new owner of XS1100.

[CatatonicBug]

PS- bike ran better without choke.

That says you missed a spot! Run a small wire through the jets in the foat bowls and spray carb cleaner through them in BOTH directions. Be sure that carb cleaner comes out of the three tiny holes at the top of the carb throat too - they are another spot where junk collects. From your post in the Carb 101 thread, you obviously don't have the original carbs that came with your bike, but that shouldn't matter. As long as they are clean and adjusted correctly, they will run fine. Be sure to remove the pilot jets from under the rubber caps and the mixture screws from the tops (they probably have a plastic thumb screw cap on them).

Another thing - you will need to synchronize the carbs once they are clean. A good sync makes all the difference in how smooth they run.

[Rasputin]

Hey ThrottleJunky. I copied the following from one of Planedick's posts. There are videos to show you easy ways to get carbs off and on an XS11. I learned lots and I can do it damn near as fast as he does now. Check it out!

"I have looked and was unable to find a way to reduce the size of the movie I made about removing and installing carbs so I have posted them on photobucket in case anyone here has a method of doing that. The removal is in one movie and the install is two because the cameraman got involved and caused a problem so we stopped the movie to correct the problem and restarted so they need to be connected together. The files range between 50and 71 mb so it's a long download.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q...arbRemoval.mp4

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q...rbinstall1.mp4

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q...rbinstall2.mp4

The first is the removal, second is part one of install and three is install part two."

[ThrottleJunky]

Thanks, Rasputin. The links don't seem to be working for me for some reason. I pulled the rubber plugs off the slow jets, and they are really old and I'm a bit worried about them falling into the float bowl. They were stuck like they had never been removed, but once off they really don't want to stay on. I need some new ones, but I'd like to get this running today. I cannot get parts locally for this carb. Was wondering if I should put a small dab of gasket seal or something.

[cywelchjr]

Thanks, Rasputin. The links don't seem to be working for me for some reason. I pulled the rubber plugs off the slow jets, and they are really old and I'm a bit worried about them falling into the float bowl. They were stuck like they had never been removed, but once off they really don't want to stay on. I need some new ones, but I'd like to get this running today. I cannot get parts locally for this carb. Was wondering if I should put a small dab of gasket seal or something.

Gasket seal won't work in there, it'll likely cause problems. However, if you look you will see a dimple in the rubber plug where the bowl pushes against it to hold it in (at least if the carbs have the correct bowls). There should be a protrusion in the bowl that presses and holds those firmly in place. The only problem I had with my originals, when I put fresh gas in (this was my XS400 carbs, exact same carbs though) the plugs dissolved in the gas. I got new ones from MikesXS, as the XS650's from 80 on used the same carbs as well. From my understanding, while they might not have been used on the 1100's after 80 typically, the new style carbs with the cross passage were used in the 400's and 650's till 84, so it could be possible for an 81 to have those (not something I have heard of though).

It's also possible that a PO swapped in 80 carbs, which except for what size jets are used would be functionally the same.

[crazy steve]

...However, if you look you will see a dimple in the rubber plug where the bowl pushes against it to hold it in (at least if the carbs have the correct bowls). There should be a protrusion in the bowl that presses and holds those firmly in place..

Ahhh, that's what those are for.... learn something new every day..

[ThrottleJunky]

Yeah, I noticed those protrusions, and I was wondering if they lined up to stop them from falling off. My plugs seem to be degrading from the gasoline, too. I need some new ones.

I suppose it's possible these are not the original carburetors. Would be interesting to know if any '81's came set up like mine.

[natemoen]

It was an switch during tjw 80 model year from the old style to the new style carbs. So you see 80s with old sttle, new style, and then the style you have Auchan is sort of a hybrid between the two. Doubtful that any 81st came stock like that but who knows, some assembly line personal have found set and put them on.

[cywelchjr]

It was an switch during tjw 80 model year from the old style to the new style carbs. So you see 80s with old sttle, new style, and then the style you have Auchan is sort of a hybrid between the two. Doubtful that any 81st came stock like that but who knows, some assembly line personal have found set and put them on.

I've not heard of anyone with original old style carbs on an 80, but there were two styles in 80, the hybrid with the new style but with the cross feed hole and the idle jet tower plugged and the fully new style without the cross feed and nothing blocking the idle jet tower.

I have also seen/heard of some hybrids coming with brass floats.

[Rasputin]

Here is a link to the page I plagerized that from. It is the first post in the thread. The links work there as I just tried them. must have been something to do with the copy and paste thing I did that made the links not work
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30139

[ThrottleJunky]

I've got her running pretty sweet, guys. Must have been a little bit of crud on the slow jets under the plugs. There's a tiny bit of a stumble around 2500 rpm, but I think she'll run better as the cobwebs burn off (literally). I need to address the left petcock as it will pour gas even in the "ON" postition. Hopefully the float bowl seat will do its job.

[CatatonicBug]

Cool! You might try adding some Seafoam to the next few tanks of gas. It'll help clean out any leftover crud.

[MaximPhil]

HiThrottle Jockey,
With such low miles you might actually have original carbs .81 carbs are different from earlier models in some small ways so don't be surprised if yours do not look like the pictures.
Also important to check Supplement to Manual for specs for yours. Jets sound original to me. Check CatatonicBug for Manual download.
Phil

[CatatonicBug]

With such low miles you might actually have original carbs .81 carbs are different from earlier models in some small ways

Not sure on that one... The only difference I am aware of is the side drain on the float bowls. Everything else is identical (except for color) to the other late-model carbs.

[ThrottleJunky]

I should mention that I have not adjusted the fuel/air screws on any of the carbs. I did bottom each out, counting the turns, then returned them to their original positions. They vary wildly, from 1 1/2 turns out, to more than 3 1/2. I need to read more about synchronization before I get into fine tuning these things.

The brake system needs attention. The piston on the front brake control is stuck in, so I may have to rebuild the master cylinder. The fluid was absolutely vile. It was dark brown and chunky, so I'll bleed the system tomorrow. The rotors look excellent. The Dunlop tires were brand new but flat when I bought the bike. It's a shame but I think I should replace them for safety reasons. I'm just worried that the rubber has deteriorated.

[CatatonicBug]

Take that whole brake system apart! Don't just bleed it - that won't do much. You need to remove the pistons from all 3 calipers and take the master cylinders apart and clean BEHIND the seals. Make sure the rubber parts are still usable. They can often be cleaned up and re-used, but not always.

The tires should be replaced if they are more than 5 years old. No matter what kind of tread is left on them, the rubber gets hard and will not grip the road surface. DAMHIK.