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New driver, first bike owner, and a lot to learn.

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  • New driver, first bike owner, and a lot to learn.

    Hello everyone! My names Justin Portrey and I purchased a 1980 XS1100 last fall(not sure of what color code it is). I purchased it in hopes it would be a nice cheap first bike as I only payed 650 for it and the current owner drove it to work frequently. Just to have a little background on me. I work as a Machinist in Shawnee, OK. Although I am young at the age of 19, I have accomplished much and love to work on all of my vehicles. Although this is the first bike I have touched.

    Seeing as I bought the bike at the end of the season last year I went ahead and pulled it in the front room of my apartment for the winter in hopes to restore it a little as it had been neglected. Here is a picture of what it looked like when I bought it.



    It needed new tires, the back brake caliper was not hooked up and it just really needed some tlc. It ran wonderful even with having 19k miles on it. After taking it in the house I just ignored it for a while to save up some money to work on it. I took off the seat and gas tank thinking I was going to get the carbs reworked



    But since have decided to wait on the carbs since it's so expensive to have it done. I purchased clutch cable, throttle cable, oil filters, front and rear wheel bearings, spark plugs, exhaust seals, brake caliper rebuild kit for the rear seeing as I have to purchase a new one, and brake pads for the back from newmotorcycleparts.com. All while looking online for replacement brakes and whatever else I needed. Just kinda keeping my eyes open for things I find I need. In the last couple days I have purchased the special needle bearings for the rear and a new fuse block to replace the old. I went ahead and took the tires off so I could get a new set put on as they were completely bald.





    I am sure there are things I forgot that I have purchased/done to it since obtaining it, but any advice to a new bike owner and anything I should do to keep it in good working order would be very appreciative! I am a little intimidated by the thin, but excited to get things done before it gets warm outside!
    1979 XS1100F
    1980 XS1100SG(First bike, sold)

    Other bikes
    1976 Kawasaki KZ400 (project)
    1983 Yamaha XV920 Midnight Special
    1984 Yamaha XT250 Enduro (project)

  • #2
    Welcome aboard, that hardly looks like a neglected bike compared to most we see, so you have a great find there for the price!! By the way, looks like an 80 Special, also referred to as the SG model.

    First thing you want to do is take a riders course. These are very powerful bikes, and do not reallly handle or stop all that great, so ti will be very important to use restraint on the right wrist, and know how to handle a bike. Those courses are VERY good and I consider them a must for new riders like yourself or even old riders just getting back into riding.

    That said, there is a thread in the FAQ titles "What to look for in a neglected XS11." Great thread, good info. Also take the shop maual I hope you have, and go through the maintenance section and do ALL of the things it list. Change all the fluids from fork oil to final drive oil.

    As to the carbs, they are not hard to deal with. I recommend you go through them yourself. We have a thread on here tited "Carb Cleaning 101" if you do a search. It will show you most of what you need to know to do a thorough cleaning of these carbs.
    Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

    When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

    81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
    80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


    Previously owned
    93 GSX600F
    80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
    81 XS1100 Special
    81 CB750 C
    80 CB750 C
    78 XS750

    Comment


    • #3
      Welcome to the board Justin. That's a really nice find you have there, don't know how I could have missed that one. Something that nice for that price so close to me.....

      You've got help close by. There are a few of us XSives here in OK and I ain't too far away. I have an 80 Special myself as well as a 79 special and like my signature says, lots of parts. I have some experience and a little knowledge of the XS so don't be afraid to ask.
      Greg

      Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

      ― Albert Einstein

      80 SG Ol' Okie;79 engine & carbs w/pods, 45 pilots, 140 mains, Custom Mac 4 into 2 exhaust, ACCT,XS850 final drive,110/90/19 front tire,TKat fork brace, XS750 140 MPH speedometer, Vetter IV fairing, aftermarket hard bags and trunk, LG high back seat, XJ rear shocks.

      The list changes.

      Comment


      • #4
        Welcome

        Welcome Abored Justin!! as i am new to the same thing you are Looks like we will be riding the same threads together!! lol Awesome bike cant wait to see it done!!
        1978 XS1100 Macho Maroon!
        http://i1248.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00361.jpg

        Comment


        • #5
          Welcome to the site Justin,Looks like a great find,these sg,s are great bikes.you'll find all the help you could possibly need on here,great bunch of guy's and ladies here. Ride safe and take a riding course.
          FOXS-XS11SG

          2009 Suzuki V Strom 650,Adventure in Touring,I call her "Smooth" SW Motech engine guard,Coocase top case w/ LED brake and tail lights,20" MRA touring screen w/adjusable bracket,Grip heaters,fender ex-tender,Givi hard sidebags

          1980 XS11SG-sold
          1999 Vulcan classic-sold
          1982 XJ 650-sold

          Old is only a state of mind......John

          Comment


          • #6
            Nice looking find and welcome to the world of motorcycles. #1 cause of wrecks is self inflicted too fast in the corners so take it easy for a while. These bikes have a lot of giddy up. Ditto on the class. I took it after riding for 20+ years as I started working at an Army base and was a requirement. I picked up a couple pointers.
            1970? Honda Z50... gone
            1974? Yamaha 100 Enduro... gone
            1974 Honda CB200... gone
            1981 Yamaha Virago 750... gone
            1993 Honda Shadow 1100... gone
            2008 Honda VTX 1800F
            1982 Yamaha XJ1100J w/850 final, Raptor ACCT
            1979 Yamaha XS1100SF "Chewey" Raptor ACCT

            http://www.johnsoldiron.com

            Comment


            • #7
              +1 on the classes. Looks like you found a good deal and the XS1100 is a great bike. It is however a big bike for a first time rider so another suggestion is after the course and you get your balance find areas away from traffic and practice breaking on some different surfaces not high speed stuff but get to know this thing and how it acts.
              To fix the problem one should not make more assumptions than the minimum needed.

              Rodan
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khm6...liHntN91DHjHiS
              1980 G Silverbird
              Original Yamaha Fairfing and Bags
              1198 Overbore kit
              Grizzly 660 ACCT
              Barnett Clutch Springs
              R1 Clutch Fiber Plates
              122.5 Main Jets
              ACCT Mod
              Mac 4-2 Flare Tips
              Antivibe Bar ends
              Rear trunk add-on
              http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z329/viperron1/

              Comment


              • #8
                Welcome to the club buddy Good to see another young person getting into very cool old bikes. Guess I'm not so young compared to you (almost 33) but still young compared....
                Don
                1979 XS1100SF "Old Man" bought by my Dad brand new in 79, customized in 80 with Vetter, Standard tank, and touring seat. I inherited in 02 when Dad passed. Been riding it since 09. No resto, bike is a survivor...

                2007 RoadStar 1700 Midnight Silverado "The Black Pearl" Cobra Slash-downs, K&N filter. More mods to come


                old:
                1989 kawi ex500
                1996 yzf-r6
                1999 yzf-r1
                2001 kawi zx-6r
                2000 Ducati 748
                2002 YZF-R1
                2005 V-Star 1100 Classic

                Comment


                • #9
                  Welcome Justin. Nice find for the price. I have to agree about the classes. These are a lot of bike. I got my 1st 11 when I was 23 140 lbs. in 1980(yes I'm old but still love these bikes) She scared the hell out of a few times(one 45mph lay down).Good Luck and keep the shiny side up
                  Keep the shiny side up
                  1979 XS1100SF
                  Mac 4-1
                  Drilled airbox Uni filter
                  Vmax bars
                  Virago 1" shorter shocks
                  30K miles
                  http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/...429_135845.jpg
                  1981XS1100SH
                  '80 G Forks and Triple Tree
                  '80 G tank
                  Mac Turnouts
                  Virago 1" shorter rear shocks
                  SH Headlight
                  http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/...psd6adaae1.jpg
                  61 Wife
                  83 Son
                  86 Son
                  89 Daughter

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Forgot to mention I also give a +1 on the classes. I've been riding on gas powered 2 wheels since I was 6. When I got my first street bike @ 18 my dad made me take the class. I took many years off of riding after a bad bike wreck. When I got back into riding i took another class as a freshener. What a help it was. For what they are these bikes have a lot of power for their day...... And they are a blast to ride.
                    Don
                    1979 XS1100SF "Old Man" bought by my Dad brand new in 79, customized in 80 with Vetter, Standard tank, and touring seat. I inherited in 02 when Dad passed. Been riding it since 09. No resto, bike is a survivor...

                    2007 RoadStar 1700 Midnight Silverado "The Black Pearl" Cobra Slash-downs, K&N filter. More mods to come


                    old:
                    1989 kawi ex500
                    1996 yzf-r6
                    1999 yzf-r1
                    2001 kawi zx-6r
                    2000 Ducati 748
                    2002 YZF-R1
                    2005 V-Star 1100 Classic

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Justin,
                      along with everyone else, yes! Take the course.
                      I bought both my boys a rider's course as their 16th birthday present.
                      I've been riding since 1957 and never took a rider's course.
                      My boys are far better riders than I ever was.
                      Fred Hill, S'toon
                      XS11SG with Spirit of America sidecar
                      "The Flying Pumpkin"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Justin,

                        Very nice find. As has been stated they are not really considered to be a beginners bike but many have started with them. I like the fact that you are worried about the tires and the brakes first!!

                        You are not very far from Greg and if you run into problems I am sure that he would help you out. There is not a heck of a lot he does not know about these fine old machines. Just hide the women and children and the beer and give him a PM and he will show up. Well, better not hide all of the beer, he may not show up without that.

                        The class is an excellent idea but a day or two with an experienced XS rider is invaluable!!!
                        The Old Tamer
                        _________________________
                        1979 XS1100SF (The Fire Dragon)
                        1982 650 Maxim (The Little Dragon)
                        another '82 650 Maxim (Parts Dragon)
                        1981 XS1100SH (The Black Dragon)

                        If there are more than three bolts holding it on there, it is most likely a very important part!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          You flatter me Gary. Actually there are a lot of things I don't know but I do know where to find the answers.
                          Greg

                          Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

                          ― Albert Einstein

                          80 SG Ol' Okie;79 engine & carbs w/pods, 45 pilots, 140 mains, Custom Mac 4 into 2 exhaust, ACCT,XS850 final drive,110/90/19 front tire,TKat fork brace, XS750 140 MPH speedometer, Vetter IV fairing, aftermarket hard bags and trunk, LG high back seat, XJ rear shocks.

                          The list changes.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by BA80 View Post
                            You flatter me Gary. Actually there are a lot of things I don't know but I do know where to find the answers.
                            I know, that is why I change my phone number monthly.
                            The Old Tamer
                            _________________________
                            1979 XS1100SF (The Fire Dragon)
                            1982 650 Maxim (The Little Dragon)
                            another '82 650 Maxim (Parts Dragon)
                            1981 XS1100SH (The Black Dragon)

                            If there are more than three bolts holding it on there, it is most likely a very important part!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Dragon Tamer View Post
                              I know, that is why I change my phone number monthly.
                              How do you get a windshield to stay on your fairing. Especially since you can't keep the bike on the road.
                              Greg

                              Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

                              ― Albert Einstein

                              80 SG Ol' Okie;79 engine & carbs w/pods, 45 pilots, 140 mains, Custom Mac 4 into 2 exhaust, ACCT,XS850 final drive,110/90/19 front tire,TKat fork brace, XS750 140 MPH speedometer, Vetter IV fairing, aftermarket hard bags and trunk, LG high back seat, XJ rear shocks.

                              The list changes.

                              Comment

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