new and has a few questions

[captjanes]

hello guys im new to the forum.. i recently bought my first bike 1980 yamaha XS1100LG Midnight Special.. i got a few questions to ask before i get her running sorry if they sound dumb but im just making sure.
- what oil levels do i check? i seen the sight glass for the sump oil but how do i check the transmission oil and the drive shaft oil (right angle gear rear tire)? what kind of oils do i run?
- air filter- is there a way that i can get 4 small k & n filters and install on each carb? or is this reccomended? just trying to get more performance out of my bike.
-exhaust- my exhaust is pretty bad and i looked around a nice bit online cant find no one who makes an after market exhaust for my bike.. do u guys know someone who do or something i can make up to make my bike roar.

i know its alot of questions but i wanna know the steps to follow so i can take care of my bike. can something help me please and thanks

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there CJ,

Glad to see you made it to the forum. Now, first of all, follow this link:

http://www.xs11.com/forum/member.php?u=13221

Click on the ABOUT ME tab, and go to his website and download the owner's and service manuals for these bikes, they will answer many of the common questions you have posted regarding routine maintanence, oils and such.

Next, we would suggest you take some time....you're only 25 y/o so you've got quite a bit to spare ....and read thru the TECH TIPS....ALL of them, maintanence, repairs, mods, MISC, etc..

The XS11's engine is well tuned with the OEM air box and exhaust for getting optimal performance from MOST of the engine rpm range and the more common/normally used range up to 7.5k rpm....despite the tach notation of redlining at 8.5k! Pod filters and aftermarket exhaust do NOT provide any significant performance increase, and can actually detract from it, make it hard to TUNE the engine/carbs, etc.! These machines are 30+ y/o, and are NOT sport bikes....a 600cc modern sport bike will beat us in a topend speed run....don't expect to be able to blow many machines off the road just because you have 1100 cc's!

Next...you say it's your FIRST bike, not familiar with the licensing requirements of your location, but if it doesn't require you to take an MSF course, we highly recommend that you still do....it WILL save your life!

These are heavy machines with frames/suspension barely designed to handle the power that the OEM engine puts out, there are a few mods in that area that you will want to do to get the most out of the handling of your machine.

IF your pipes are rusted thru, then MAC are about the only bolt on game in town, with 4-2 and 4-1 varieties for 3-400 or more bucks!

T.C.

[captjanes]

thanks for the quick reply... i was looking for service manuals that was gonna be my next question.. i already done a 3 day motorcycle course i learned alot.. as for speed i dotn care about speed i am not racing. i just like a little loud nice roar from my bike.. i emailed mac they said they have nothing for my bike.. if you dont mind can you look on there site and get me a link to a nice black exhaust that sounds alittle loud please and thanks

[bikerphil]

On the final drive at the left rear, use a 6MM wrench to remove the fill cap. It may still have a black plug covering it. If you can see the gear oil in it and it is up to the lower ring you have enough. Make sure you use the metric 6MM or you will strip it out.

The middle drive uses the same gear oil/same plug but you will need a dipstick to check it.

85W90 or heavier is the correct gear oil.

[ddragon63]

hello guys im new to the forum.. i recently bought my first bike 1980 yamaha XS1100LG Midnight Special.. i got a few questions to ask before i get her running sorry if they sound dumb but im just making sure.
- what oil levels do i check? i seen the sight glass for the sump oil but how do i check the transmission oil and the drive shaft oil (right angle gear rear tire)? what kind of oils do i run?
- air filter- is there a way that i can get 4 small k & n filters and install on each carb? or is this reccomended? just trying to get more performance out of my bike.
-exhaust- my exhaust is pretty bad and i looked around a nice bit online cant find no one who makes an after market exhaust for my bike.. do u guys know someone who do or something i can make up to make my bike roar.

i know its alot of questions but i wanna know the steps to follow so i can take care of my bike. can something help me please and thanks

Hello.. and welcome to the forum!

The sight window is for your motor/gear case oil. Set the bike on its center stand. there are 2 lines next to the window. the upper line is your full mark. Rule of thumb is if its in between the lines its safe. That oil you drain thru the plug on the front of the pan. The filter housing is located between the front most of the engine and the oil pan. Big round finned thing with a bolt on the bottom. Filter lives in there. I WILL NOT tell you what brand of oil to run for EVERYONE has an opinion on what is best. I WILL tell you the consensus is 20w-50, and use actual oil made for a motorcycle, not car oil. I personally use the castrol act-evo xtra 4t 20w-50, but like stated everyone has a favorite flavor...

As for your mid-drive (located right behind the motor) there is a lil dipstick you need to find. Somewhere on here someone posted something so you can print out paper ones. The factory style ones are still available online... the long side of the dipstick is for the mid drive... short side for final drive. Both are simple to check, locate the allen head bolt in the top of each and remove it... thats the hole you check level and fill thru. The drain bolt for the mid-drive can be tricky to find. Its located right under the center stand almost. the final drive is self explanatory... the drain bolt is right @ the bottom. Use 80-90 weight in both. about 12oz in mid-drive and 10oz in final drive.

Air cleaner... yes you can put Pod style filters on them... As for performance gains I'd be skeptical if the gain is worth the tuning headache you may encounter. you will most likely have to rejet the carbs! I myself Just run a K&N replacement filter in the factory air-box.

Exhaust I'm not sure about with the midnight... hopefully someone else can come to your aid on the question....

Hope I helped.

Don

[ddragon63]

apparently TC and Phil are typing faster than me tonight... thats a first

[WSL91]

One fix for the exhaust is if the headers and the collectors are solid the mufflers can be cut off and aftermarket slip-ons can be slipped over the old pipe stub. On the special pipes there is not much pipe to work with past the collector. I'm not an expert in this area I'm just assembling exhaust on my 79 Special using a similar method.

On my bike it had a Kerker header which requires removal to change the oil. I pulled that, bought some headers for an XJ (1982 1100) and added after market mufflers to that and that thread is current. The XJ header collectors are a little different and you have to insert a small piece of pipe as the mufflers were removable on the XJ's. Having a M/S you have the option of buying pipes that aren't picture perfect and painting them black which will look similar to new.

Good luck with the new ride and ride safe (watch everyone)

[captjanes]

Air cleaner... yes you can put Pod style filters on them... As for performance gains I'd be skeptical if the gain is worth the tuning headache you may encounter. you will most likely have to rejet the carbs! I myself Just run a K&N replacement filter in the factory air-box.


Don

thanks for the info i dont wanna deal with the tuning headache. where can i source an k & n airfilter that will fit in the oem air box??

[TopCatGr58]

Here are a few item numbers on eBay to look at!

Mac Chrome 4-1 130702973992

Mac Chrome 4-2 160808544000

Another Chrome 4-1 270955371671

Sorry, no black!

Hey folks,

Well, it looks official...just went to the MAC Exhaust web site for bikes....

http://www.macperformance.com/Motor-...xhaust_c67.htm

They had Kawasaki, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, but NO YAMAHA!?

So....looks like the Exhaust aftermarket for XS11's is finally gone!
Only NOS as long as supplies last!

T.C.

[captjanes]

Here are a few item numbers on eBay to look at!

Mac Chrome 4-1 130702973992

Mac Chrome 4-2 160808544000

Another Chrome 4-1 270955371671

Sorry, no black!

T.C.

wow that was fast thanks alot.. i can just get it black powder coated i guess.. what exhaust will be louder/nicer sound you think 4-1 or 4-2??

[ddragon63]

thanks for the info i dont wanna deal with the tuning headache. where can i source an k & n airfilter that will fit in the oem air box??

AJUSA.com is where I've gotten all my K&N's... cheapest place on the web.

[JeffH]

Welcome Capt

my first bike 1980 yamaha XS1100LG Midnight Special..

before i get her running

do u guys know someone who do or something i can make up to make my bike roar.

i wanna know the steps to follow so i can take care of my bike. can something help me please and thanks

Welcome Capt.
Always great to see another caretaker step up to keep these great machines roadworthy.

By your comment I assume the bike "does not run". If not, how long has it been sitting? As you browse the various threads you will see many inquiries & responses about Petrol in the Oil and Petrol in the Airbox. Fuel and Carbs is normally the place to start unless you are certain the bike has been used frequently within the past year or so. Not sure if that is an issue on your bike but a sniff test of the oil would be a good place to start. If you have no maintenance history on the bike then to avoid problems I'd make sure fuel turns On & Off and that Carbs are throughly clean with good needles and seats + proper float height before doing much more.

As TC indicated, you can follow the link he provided and download a service manual. There is always plenty of expert help here if you get stuck. If the bike doesn't run then providing some specifics would be helpful to get concise replies.

As for the "roar", guess straight pipes like the harley guys would give you a roar. Likely what you are seeking is the "Bark" from great running XS11 with some cool mufflers.

If you have any specific issues after you look at the manual and inspect the bike, then let us know what issue you are trying to resolve. Again, Welcome!

Jeff

[BA80]

Depends on the sound you want. The 4 into 1 has a sport bike sound and the 4 into 2 is more of a cruiser sound.

[captjanes]

my bike runs great she has. alittle over 70,000kms on her and she starts first click of the button and everything works.. i drove her home and now i wanna check her over and make sure she is working ok.. lots of power but exhaust leaking on bottom maybe i will go with the 4-2 system to get alittle more cruiser sound.. im not into that fast street bike sound

[BA80]

Here's a video that is a pretty good example of the difference. The first bike is a 4 into 1 Supertrapp (Bigfoot) and the second bike is a 4 into 2 Mac turnout system (me). Click on the pic.....