New member, main jet opinions wanted.

[BobBaldy]

Hello! I've been lurking on the site for the last 2 years and finally joined. I bought a 80 ES Eleven G from my friend 2 years ago and ran out of money soon after. Long story short, new job, project restarted.
The front brakes were seizing so the PO put it in his garage to work on it later. This was in 2000.

I have the bike disassembled. The wheels are off and the entire brake system is removed.The carbs are off and being cleaned. My question is what size main jets should I put in it. Right now it has 115's in all 4 but I have a K&N filter in the airbox and spaghetti headers. They are a 1+4, 2+3 design with dual mufflers and a crossover by the base of the swingarm.

I was thinking of trying 125's in all 4. What are your thoughts?

Sorry no pics, I'll set up a photobucket account later. I'm in the middle of working eight 12 hour days so it may be a while, but for now you can go to my blog at http://80xselevenrebuild.blogspot.com/ to see the bike as I found it 2 years ago.

[jjz28]

I know nothing about jetting but i would like to say that i thought your blog was cool! A very cool thing to do and add all the costs of fixing your bike. I have $569 in my 79 special and she runs like a rocket!

[natemoen]

115 should be about perfect. 125 will be way to big and you will be drowning the bike.

[trbig]

Just reading through your blog... You're spending money paying other people to do pretty simple things. There are too many people out there that send stuff to "Professionals" to only have to turn around and re-do things later. Calipers are a no-brainer: A piston, (You can buy new stainless steel ones off Ebay) and an O-ring.

You can usually get the piston out by pumping the brake with the caliper off the bike. Have rags to protect your paint as there can be some leakage. There are other options if this doesn't work. (Air pressure, grease gun, etc...) A stuck piston is usually cause by corrosion in the groove the O-ring sits in, and it pushes the O-ring against the piston and binds it. Pull the O-ring out carefully, use a pick or something and scrape the groove clean, and you're ready to re-assemble if using a new piston. Otherwise, you'll need to clean up your old piston with some emory cloth or such.

As you may have noticed, your back brake is linked. When you hit the back brake, it operates the back AND the front left caliper. If you're having to replace the front M/C anyway, you might think of an upgrade there. I have one of these Nissin master cylinders on my 81 Special.


http://www.motorcycletoystore.com/sp...nder/p_42.html


I've heard others say, "My bike already has a stock M/C with a 5/8 piston". Let's just say that all aren't created equal. The difference between one of these Nissin setups and stock... I've heard people talk about the VAST improvement of using stainless lines over the old rubber lines, and I agree. I had to totally re-learn my front brake use. This Nissin M/C is at LEAST twice as effective. Plus, it's adjustable. It's like going from an old 67 Chevy pickup, with grandpa saying, "My brakes work just fine!" to a really nice, modern, power brake system. You go from antique heavy cruiser feel to modern sportbike feel. They come up on Ebay occasionally cheaper than this if you've got some time to watch for it.

[trbig]

One thing I forgot to mention... Yamaha has their own thing where the mirros are threaded regularly for the left hand side, but the right hand side has reverse threads. If you update the M/C, you will need to get some mirrors that fit any other model with a 10mm thread.

[jetmechmarty]

The Nissan MC has a mirror mount? There are adapters available for Yamaha mirrors.

[BA80]

Back to the carbs, after Tod changed the subject .

Go back together with the stock jets and keep an eye on the plug color. Always start out with the stock setup and change in small increments ONE THING AT A TIME as necessary.

[trbig]

The Nissan MC has a mirror mount? There are adapters available for Yamaha mirrors.

Back to the M/C after Greg changed the subject.. Yup. If you look at that pic, it's on the back half of the handlebar clamp that you see in the bottom right of the pic. That silver "L" bracket gets put on over that hole, then the threads and base of the mirror screw down through it and hold it like a bolt, and that's what your resevoir attaches to.

In my last wreck, the mirror broke out the threaded part of that clamp, but I just had to order that single piece.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tod,

He has an 80 G, they don't have linked brakes. The 5/8" bore is the same as a 16mm, and MikesxS has one for $60.00 less than the one you recommended. Granted, it's a modern MC, but IMHO is rather ugly, more suitable for a sport bike. The MikesXS one has the Yamaha style left hand thread for the mirror just like OEM, and is a solid reservior chamber, several members have gotten it and have been very happy with it's performance.

Bob, read that you had already ordered a MC from ebay, assuming you meant used, and that you're going to have JIM rebuild it....for the cost of the MC and rebuild kit, and his labor, you could probably buy the new one, possibly even Tods expensive one!

Working 12 hour shifts doesn't leave you much time as you stated, so farming out the work is probably the better choice for you to be able to get things done on the bike so that you may get to ride it before the season is over!

We would just like to mention that JB-weld will NOT hold up in the fuel, you'll need to perform a mechanical repair of the float post instead, from just drilling a hole thru it and the base of the post and using stainless steel wire to secure it, or other techniques. But you won't be happy with the JB-weld when it turns to jelly! And I'm talking about the real JB-weld, not the JB quick!

T.C.

[BobBaldy]

Thanks for thet input

jjz28-Thanks for the compliment on the blog. Hopefully I'll do a better job keeping up with it.

natemoen- I'll keep the 115's. I was afraid of running an air-cooled engine too lean but you guys have more experience with these bikes so I'll take your advice.

trbig- You pushed me over the edge. I'd been thinking about doing the rest of the brake system myself but my paranoia has held me back. I've replaced calipers and master cylindars on cars but I've never rebuilt one so I guess it's time to take the plunge. I've read here that most of the time you just clean and inspect and the rebuild kit isn't nessacary if the rubber parts are ok. I have the stock master from ebay and the piston moves freely so hopefully there is no pitting or corrosion. I've already ordered mirrors (the real reason for this post ) and they were listed as and XS Eleven part so they should work with the new to me master.

BA80- Wise words. If I could stick to one thing at a time I'd probably spend more time fixing and less time looking for that part I lost. And I definitely dont want to be the root cause for a crappy running bike so 115's and move if indicated is my plan.

Topcat- Damn. I even bought Marine JB Weld. They say it's fuel safe on the package but I guess they aren't taking into account constant immersion. I wish I could just have someone TIG weld it but I hear aluminum it tricky enough to weld and being a cast part makes it damn near impossible.
Is there a thread showing how to do the drill and wire technique? If not I'll start one because I'm sure I'm not going to be the last guy to break a post. My problem is that I don't own a drill press and this is a precision operation you are talking about. Oh well. I could use it as an excuse to buy a new tool if I need to.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Bob,

A quick search for "float post repair" revealed quite a few threads, here are a couple with photos and info on a few techniques.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...+repair&page=4

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...at+post+repair

It's not as precise a job as you think. A very small drill bit big enough for 0.020" SS safety wire to pass thru is what you'll need, then you can drill thru the base of the float post as well as the broken piece and wire them together. Some folks have drillled a hole thru the center of the post and base to allow a rod/pin for fixation THRU the base/post as well. My technique was a bit crude, but still effective.

A variety of materials have been attempted, from Quick Steel/Aluminum epoxy, JB Weld, fiberglass resin, most epoxies have just slowly turned to spongy rubber or such!

T.C.

T.C.

[BobBaldy]

Noob mistake. I should have searched before asking. My post is broken off at the base. The only repair for that I found in the forums is the one I assumed wasn't possible. I need to find a man who's [B]real good[B] with a TIG welder.

[BobBaldy]

I did have one off the wall idea. Right now the post is superglued back together (in preperation for the JB Weld that won't work). I have a new can of Red Kote fuel tank liner. The superglue should hold the post and the Red Kote will protect the superglue.

Opinions?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Bob,

Did you look at the links? Most of these break off at the junction to the base, not all the way down to the gasket surface, and the repairs shown or mentioned are for that type of repair.

They are made from cast aluminum, seem to be more porous, but they don't necessarily leak fuel do they? The tank sealer sounds like it might be a way to keep the superglue from getting exposed.....worth a try.

Not familiar with your particular sealant, not sure if you have to use it all up once/if it's mixed, or if you can use some, put the rest away for later? If you can do it in steps, then you might want to do a test on something that you can superglue, then coat with the sealant, allow to cure, and then drop it in a bowl/jar of gasoline and see what happens! Could be a new/addition to a pending tech tip on float post repairs.

T.C.

[jjz28]

Hey baldy, the brakes arent bad at all. I just got through doing mine. I got the rebuild kit from georgefix on ebay. The yamaha shops want way too much money for anything. good luck with her.