Please Help Guys

[jetmechmarty]

Mitch,

You are going to have to embrace this maintenance for a while. If you've had the carbs off a couple of times it should be getting easy. You should consider needles and seats to possibly stop the leaking. You could buy kits, & floats, and replace everything, but that's no guarantee you'll get it right the first time.

You have an old bike. It's new to you, so it has been neglected. You're going to be working on it and spending money. When it starts pissing you off, walk away. Go back to it when your head is clear. Sooner or later, you'll get it right, and it should be easy enough to keep it that way.

If you don't like breaking out the tool box and trying to figure this beast out, it isn't going to be the bike for you. Buy one with a warrantee. If you wish to persist in saving this bike, we're here to help.

[va_blue_stang]

Just a little advice about working on carbs. When you pull the carbs remove the airbox until you get the carbs right. It will make it much easier to take them off and put them on particularly on the XJ.

You will have to put it back on to tune them properly but until you get it hitting on all four leave it on the bench. I do that with my XSs too.

Some people I know have scrapped the stock XJ airbox and gone to pods just because the XJ airbox is such a PITA when there is a carb issue.

I have 4 pods that came on it, luckily I got the air box with it also. I would love to run pods but everyone claims that it will never run right. Have I got the wrong impression of pods or are they usable?

[BA80]

trbig runs pods on his XJ and it runs great. I'm not absolutley sure but I think he still runs the stock jetting but he might have a Dynojet kit too. He also has an 1176 kit in it.

He's the guy to direct your XJ pod questions to. PM him and tell him I said piss off and you need some help.

He takes too many vacations anyway.

[Rasputin]

Personally I will never ever run pods again after my tuning issues with them. The stock system works so much better. If you go to XJ site you will find they agree with me for the most part. Once you have tried the 5 minute carb removal you will think that you are in heaven. It does not work quite as well on the XJ's but it still works...Point is that the stacks on stock airboxes work differently than pods and effect the air flow over the kidney shaped holes in the carb. That alone can affect your tuning. Being that the stockers take more time and effort many think it is easier to attach pods as well as they look cool. They are very wrong in my opinion, but hey that is just my opinion right. While YMMV I would personally never do pods again.

[va_blue_stang]

Thanks everyone I do appreciate the help this is just the most frustrating bike I've worked on. I owned a 79 xs750 for years and it was a headache for a long time till I got it right.
This has just had a lot of repairs done by someone who knew nothing about these bikes but I'll get hopefully before riding season is over.

[BA80]

The stock system works so much better.

I agree. The XJ airbox is a real PITA though.

[va_blue_stang]

I agree. The XJ airbox is a real PITA though.

What is your opinion on running pods? I've never tried them I took them off as soon as I purchased the bike. I'm just wanting something that will reliably run and restart after being shut off to fuel up or go in to eat somewhere.

Also found these and wanted to know if they will work for my xj if I can scrap up the cash to get them.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-1981-ya...3edfa8&vxp=mtr

[BA80]

I don't run them for the reasons mentioned. The engineers did a pretty good job with the stock intake system.

All I am saying is some run them and tuned properly run quite well. The airbox, once again, is a real pita. The pods may be an alternative until you pass through the learning curve on the carbs.

IMHO I wouldn't mess with the stock jetting if your planning on switching back. Get it running as well as you can that way, learn what you can and then cram that stock airbox back in there.

You can pick up some pods on fleabay pretty cheap. Just make sure they don't cover up the air jets and vents on the intake side.

[DGXSER]

I know several local XSives who run the POD filters. depending what else is changed on the bike, you may or may not need to rejet for them. Really, rejetting for POD filters may be a little trial and error, but not to tough. Even if you have a 4-1 performance exhaust, it will increase the need to rejet, but still not to tough.

The one modification that makes tuning the carbs all but impossible is trying to run straight pipes with no back pressure. Most folks give up before they get even close on that one.

Honestly, what most people find is that the best all around performance for these engines is achieved wiht the stock exhaust and stock air box. But, I do understand the XJ air box is twice as tough as the XS air box. And many a new word has been created by folks trying to remount the carbs with a stock airbox.

[crazy steve]

The stock airbox isn't that hard to deal with once you know the 'trick'....
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35349

[va_blue_stang]

Luckily I saved the pods that came with it so when I get the carbs off to tear down again I'll put them on till the trial and lots of error are over with.
Just to take them apart and clean them rebuild kits aren't needed unless I find damaged parts, correct?

[jetmechmarty]

Just to take them apart and clean them rebuild kits aren't needed unless I find damaged parts, correct?

This is where you're going to have to put up with some trial and error. Yes, clean them and replace any obvious damage. If you put them back on the bike and one or more bowls is still overflowing, you're going to have to remove them again and find the reason. You may find a needle not sealing on the seat, a float assy not rotating on the pin, or even hanging up on the gasket. I've been going through all of this myself, just recently, and I'm still working to get it right. (I'm now fast at getting carbs on & off.)

To save time, go through the carburetors as best you can. Remember, there's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over! Once they are reassembled, don't mount them back on the bike. Hook them up to the fuel tank or some other fuel source. Keep them in the vertical position as if they were mounted, provide fuel flow, and see if the float valves shut of the fuel or if it comes running out of the carburetor. Doing it this way will keep you from contaminating your engine oil and you'll be able to readily determine which carburetors are at fault.

[BA80]

Luckily I saved the pods that came with it so when I get the carbs off to tear down again I'll put them on till the trial and lots of error are over with.
Just to take them apart and clean them rebuild kits aren't needed unless I find damaged parts, correct?

As I mentioned before, make sure the pods don't cover the air jets and bowl vents. You'll NEVER get it running right if they do.

You can get the "po boy" kits that come with bowl gaskets and float valves only. Everything else can be cleaned and reused if it hasn't been somehow damaged. Get you a coffee can or something to save all old parts. You never know when you might need them again.

Kat's CARB CLEANING 101 should help you quite a bit.

[va_blue_stang]

Thanks everyone for the help. Soon as I get the time to disassemble them I will let everyone know how it's going.
Thanks, Mitch

[trbig]

The stock airbox isn't that hard to deal with once you know the 'trick'....
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35349

That "Trick" doesn't work with the XJ. The air box doesn't move like the XS's does. You can remove every bolt holding it, and you'll get maybe 1/4" wiggling room. It won't drop down far enough to do what that video shows. That's why many of the XJ owners, like me, run the pods. Loosen the screw that holds the clutch cable and remove the cable, then loosen the 4 carb clamps, and out come the carbs... remove the throttle cable after you get them out. About a one minute job in and out. Less using an air tool.

I just scratch my head in wonder at people saying they had tuning issues with the pods. It just leads me to think that people got the cheap Emgo pods that partially block the intake jets. My bike does have the 1179 bore kit in it now, but I ran the same carbs and jets as when it had a stock motor in it. I ended up going up one size on the main jet to a 115. Everything is else was left stock until I recently put in a Dynojet kit.

I've got XS's with the stock airboxes and don't see any difference in tuning them or in performance. (Once you disable the YICS system somehow on the XJ) Now I'm sure that someone with some professional equipment could wean out an extra HP or two on a dyno with the stock airbox, but it's nothing you or I would ever notice, just a professional on the track measured in tenths or hundredths of a second.

Get the floats set right, then your idle mixture set.. which means you'll have to pull off the factory caps that cover those if nobody else has yet... and ride it. Also, anyone saying the pods don't work in the rain is full of it. If your bike was cutting out in the rain, it was your coils getting wet, not too much water vapors into your carbs. I've ridden in monsoon-like conditions and been passed by trucks that hit me with waves of water that nearly knocked my off the bike, and the bike actually runs STRONGER in conditions like this. They work well riding down into the single digit temps, and up well into the triple digits. My pipes don't turn yellow or blue and my top end is just as good or better than others... especially considering that I'm pushing a full fairing through the wind.

That being said, the only pods I would go with come from either APE racing products, or the ones from MikesXS. K&N would also be an option, but I'm not a fan of paying double, triple, or more for something just for a name. Be careful when pressure washing the bike, not to hit the pod filters. It spreads out the filter material, making larger holes, and will let more dirt into your motor. I've got a pretty lenient wife, so when mine get dirty, I put a double load of soap into the dishwasher and put the filters on the top rack and run them through a cycle.

The only positive I see for the airbox is looks. I do prefer the looks with the airbox, but its not enough to make me deal with the hassle of it.