just bought 1980 xs11 standard. looking for wisdom.

[XSTrey11]

its leaking from the oil cap (or what im guessing is the oil cap) and from the heads...you can see the oil on it in the pictures i posted.

[motoman]

Take care of the electrical first..........your getting ahead of yourself..........no worries......you'll have PLENTY left to do after that before its ready to ride safely and run right!

[XSTrey11]

haha i wasnt under the impression it was unsafe i was hoping to have it reliable enough to ride this summer apparently thats not very realistic haha

[foreda]

Battery Load Test

If I missed it sorry, but was the battery load tested? Just because a battery has voltage does not mean it has the correct ampacity to start the engine. There may be some plate damage in the battery.

[XSTrey11]

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.

okay i checked the oil and it seems totally full but i do plan on changing it soon anyways just because buying from some random guy i don't know when the last time it was changed. also does it matter if the engine is warm when i check the oil because i checked it cold...

[DGXSER]

If it is above the fill line, it is quite possible it has gas in it. As to warm or cold, I check mine before a ride just to be sure it is not to low, but I adjust the level when it is warm. Warm should only make the level rise.

[XSTrey11]

If it is above the fill line, it is quite possible it has gas in it. As to warm or cold, I check mine before a ride just to be sure it is not to low, but I adjust the level when it is warm. Warm should only make the level rise.

it's possible it has gas in it? how would that happen and what does it mean? I started it today to see how it sounded and with the engine choked i let it idle for about two minutes or so. i rolled on the throttle very slightly and everything sounded fine but as soon as i rolled back off of the throttle it died? hopefully the more specific symptom helps explain whats going on?

[b.walker5]

Leaking needle valves in the carb bowls, and faulty petcocks (or left on prime) will allow the fuel bowls to overflow into the throttle body and leak into the engine case, but thats a Worst Case Scenario and getting a little far ahead of your current problem. I still think the majority of your problem is electrical and youl need to chase that down first.

[debauchery]

speakin of petcoks is the arm in the desired direction indicating position or arm pointing 180 away indicating position? (my don't turn off in either position but i'm curious what to expect after rebuilding them)

on-topic- definately clear up the electric first ,all other concerns after that. (we're all gunna be here to help if we can)

hell of a first bike for you ,running right your barely gunna be able to hold on!!,at least you wont need a second bike
you've spoiled yourself to lesser "prettier" bikes - welcome to the bliss that is yamaha's first 4stroke 4cylinder bike ever, the Original superbike!

[XSTrey11]

Leaking needle valves in the carb bowls, and faulty petcocks (or left on prime) will allow the fuel bowls to overflow into the throttle body and leak into the engine case, but thats a Worst Case Scenario and getting a little far ahead of your current problem. I still think the majority of your problem is electrical and youl need to chase that down first.

I think the prime thing may be the problem the guy mentioned that he think the petcocks are backwards or something like that but the idiot "wasn't sure what it meant and couldnt tell me exactly the problem" so perhaps when the arm is down indicating fuel its actually being left on prime?

[b.walker5]

speakin of petcoks is the arm in the desired direction indicating position ...

Correct... at least on mine (SG). Not sure about standards, I assume they're the same.