just bought 1980 xs11 standard. looking for wisdom.

[bikerphil]

The 3 white wire one is the alternator plug, bad connection there will for sure affect your charging. You can clean them if not too badly damaged. I just splice them together with butt connectors and be done with it, don't really ever need to remove that harness, if you did, just cut 'em and re-splice. It doesn't matter which white wire goes to which BTW. that other connector should only have 5 pins IIRC so you're ok.

[XSTrey11]

okay so i finally got it started after charging it for a while and the headlight definitely gets brighter when i give it gas. So...why do my batteries keep dying?

[bikerphil]

Does the bike die after running it for a while, or it won't start up the next day?

[XSTrey11]

No it just wont start the next day it takes about 6-10 starts for it to quit starting and the more i try the more the light fades, maybe just unplugging and reconnecting the wires cleaned them enough to work better? im sorry for my ignorance but i just dont know what to think.

[jetmechmarty]

Next time you park the bike for the night, disconnect the negative battery terminal. If when the next time you hook it up the battery is fine, then you need to find the short that is draining your battery.

Or.....with the motorcycle off, disconnect the negative battery terminal. Place a test light between the terminal and battery. Is there any illumination? If yes, you have a problem. Unplug the fuses, one at a time, until the light goes out. Once it does, you'll know what circuit has the fault. Now, disconnect the components one at a time until the light goes out. That will lead you to the fault.

[cywelchjr]

That connector looks pretty chewed up to me. I'd say that it needs at LEAST a good cleaning if not replaced. I happen to not quite believe in the light getting brighter thing, cause it can get brighter but not be getting ENOUGH brighter (the voltage not going high enough). It's also possible that taking the connector apart and putting it back together made it work for a bit, and it may work for a while and then stop. A good cleaning at a minimum is still in order.

[Mendizale]

Hey, I would listen to what all these guys say--I've been doing it for a few weeks now, and they definitely know what they're talking about.

I'm far less experienced, but here's another thing to consider. When you finally did get your bike to start--say, after putting the new battery in--how many tries did it take to start up? Also, I really don't mean to ask an insulting question, but is it possible you're not using the choke?

[XSTrey11]

Hey, I would listen to what all these guys say--I've been doing it for a few weeks now, and they definitely know what they're talking about.

I'm far less experienced, but here's another thing to consider. When you finally did get your bike to start--say, after putting the new battery in--how many tries did it take to start up? Also, I really don't mean to ask an insulting question, but is it possible you're not using the choke?

haha no its not that although my bike tends to not need the choke to start up which i find interesting.

[b.walker5]

haha no its not that although my bike tends to not need the choke to start up which i find interesting.

Hmmm, that could be a clue to another problem you may not be aware of yet. It's been my experience that these beasts need a lot of choke on startup, and keep needing it until the engine warms up properly. Not needed choke may mean you have carb issues going on as well.

[XSTrey11]

Hmmm, that could be a clue to another problem you may not be aware of yet. It's been my experience that these beasts need a lot of choke on startup, and keep needing it until the engine warms up properly. Not needed choke may mean you have carb issues going on as well.

i think you're right because now the bike is backfiring quite a lot and wont keep running at idle...seems like the problems just keep piling up on me...

[Lucien Harpress]

Just putting my two cents in. I won't give you much in the way of mechanical advice because I still don't know most of what I'M doing, either. I had a similar problem to yours (among others- I think I replaced everything on mine except the engine and the frame), and ended up replacing the Regulator/Rectifier. Not saying that's what's wrong with yours- in your case, I'd just keep listening to these guys. They know what they're doing! Good luck with the bike!

Oh, and don't worry- no matter how many problems you have to fix, you will NEVER regret this purchase!

[XSTrey11]

do those symptoms sound to anyone like it could be low on oil?...the bike leaks oil like mad and im wondering if i just need to top it off?

[b.walker5]

Low on oil is not going to cause your backfiring, but if it's low enough It could cause your engine to seize, and then you wouldn't need to worry about the backfire, or the charging issue.

Low, or thin oil would likely be noticeable first by increased engine rattle, and possibly knocking (BAD). Do you know how to check it? There's a sight glass in the engine case just in front of the right side footpeg. On level ground with the bike upright, i.e, on centre stand if you have one, you should see your oil level somewhere between two marks on the sight glass. Around half way is good, three quarters is better. If you cant see oil in that glass, clean the glass and check again, of you still cant see oil, then drain whats left of the oil, replace the filter and refill with 3 to 3 1/2 litres of fresh oil. You might want to fix the leak first though.

Your backfire could be carby related but since you've already signalled charging problems that seem to be pointing to your regulator / rectifier then I tend to think the backfire is electrical.

Things I would do is triple clean the carbs to sort the choke issue, test and/or replace the regulator, fix the oil leak, change the oil and try again. See the tech tips under the XS11 INFO button at the top of this page for info on the carbs and regulator, and get a manual.

Something else you might want to consider is checking the membership list to see if there's another XSessive in your area that you can seek 'hands on' help from. Sounds to me like your going to need it. These are great bikes but they're getting older and need 'lotsa lovin' for them to be at their best. Not saying you cant do it, but sometimes physical help is better than on line advice.

[XSTrey11]

wouldnt fixing the oil leak mean an engine rebuild?

[DGXSER]

Did you say where it is leaking from? I missed it if you did. These bikes do not really leak alot, but when they do the most likely culprit is the com chain tensioner.