Hi everyone. Im new to this site.

[The Youngster]

Hello everyone. Im new to this site and i recently traded me 1981 cj7 for a XS100HL Midnigt special. I wll be getting my first bike on August 31st. This is my new first bike so im a noobie. Its under 7,000 miles and all orginal. But i do have a few questions. He said its been stored for 20+ years and he started it four years ago. And he also said the carb may need a rebuild. But it does run. I will post pics when i get it. How hard will it be to change the oil, gas, air filter ect. Thanks.

[jwhughes3]

Welcome!

Not too hard to do the basics.

Start here:

http://www.xs11.com/faqs/16-what-to-...ed-xs1100.html

And use the search to find details on the sections.


John

[DGXSER]

Welcome to the site, and the sickness of owning an XS1100!!

Now, your very first step should be to take the MSF safety course. It is an excellent course for a new rider, heck it is a great course for an expereienced rider in my opinion.

Next, get a service manual. Member Catatonic Bug has a website link in his signature to his family site that has the service manuals on it for download. It has the details on how to do the maintenance on the bike.

A couple other things to keep in mind, ALL previous owners (POs) lie. Do not accept their word that any of the maintenance has been done. Do it yourself so you know it was done. If you are having trouble getting something to come loose, or go back together, or just are not sure what the manual is telling you to do, come here and ask questions. The enormous amount of knowledge on this site is unmatched in my opinion, and you will get the right answer so you get it fixed correctly and do not break something.

Good luck with the new bike!!

[xs11lover]

Welcome young buck, If the bike has sat for 20 years a total fluid change and brake cleaning and flush would be a good idea too. You'd be better off getting some help from an old crusty biker than going to a shop......half the time they don't know how or just don't care about working on older bikes. The xs.com group isalways happy to help if you don't have a local buddy. Midnights are nice don't mess it or yourself up....be careful.

[Aches n Pains]

+1 for what XS11lover said.

You've got a great ride but give her all the respect she deserves. You're riding a sneaky fast bike.

You will want to learn to wrench on your own cycle. Carbs, brakes, fluids, etc. If not, take out a second mortgage because you'll need the cash to pay for shops that really don't know how or want to work on older bikes. It will make your motorcycling experience much more enjoyable.

The guys on this site are really great. Spend some time browsing the files and old forum posts and you'll have most of what you need.

Aches n Pains

[CatatonicBug]

I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't already have them, get a few basic metric tools (sockets, allens, end wrenches), a grease gun and a tube of Molybdenum grease, as well as the manual (download from the link in my signature). One more thing no one has mentioned - REPLACE THE TIRES! Tires older than 5-7 years may look ok, but they are no longer supple and won't grip the road. You don't want to find that out on the first turn out of the neighborhood.

Once you get it home, take pictures! You'll be suprised with the satisfaction you'll gain by looking back on the progress over time. Here's a tutorial for how to post pictures to the forum.

[thibtyson]

Awesome bike! I too have an XS1100LH. It's not completely original, and the more maintenance I do to it, the more unoriginal stuff I find. My carbs aren't black, the ignition switch has been replaced. The exhaust is definitely not stock. Most of the gold colored items barely look gold anymore. As far as owning a Special, the Midnight is my favorite! There's just something about Black & Gold. Good luck with your "new bike".

[James England]

Nothing much to add to what's been said so far, apart from Hello!

You are in the best possible place for getting your XS11 up and running and keeping it running. This forum is excellent

[fredintoon]

Hi Pat and welcome,
like they all said, change all the fluids, replace the battery and put new tires on it.
Then follow the step by step resurrection procedure to get the bike running again.
Then take a rider's course before you try the bike on the highway.
ATGATT; believe it!
As an old fart my raging testosterone is fully controlled by my iron will.
You, not so much, so please ride careful out there, eh?

[CaptonZap]

As an old fart my raging testosterone is fully controlled by my iron will.
You, not so much, so please ride careful out there, eh?

LOL, are you sure it isn't that your memory is still good, and you can remember the pain and replacement costs caused by those youthful transgressions.
CZ

[WSL91]

Welcome to the site, and the sickness of owning an XS1100!!

Now, your very first step should be to take the MSF safety course. It is an excellent course for a new rider, heck it is a great course for an expereienced rider in my opinion.

What he said

[The Youngster]

Well thing is..

Im very young buck. Im only 15. And the bike should be here tomomow. But im very happy about my first major purchass. I cant wait to start working on her.

[WMarshy]

Im very young buck. Im only 15. And the bike should be here tomomow. But im very happy about my first major purchass. I cant wait to start working on her.

Does your parents know you bought a motorcycle? Sounds to me like that bike is going to need a lot of work... did they happen to mention if it was stored inside or out?

[scoot]

Welcome.
Nice trade, the cj7 for a xs11sh. Or first purchase, whichever it was. I bought my first car at 14, an old dodge dart that i drove through the woods since I was too young to get a license for the street. A jeep would've been more appropriate for those woods trails. Anyway, good times back then. That got me my start with wrenching my own machines.

Are you a real noob or a fake noob? Just wondering...

scoot

[GLoweVA]

Im very young buck. Im only 15. And the bike should be here tomomow. But im very happy about my first major purchass. I cant wait to start working on her.

15?
Didn't see that one coming.

Congrats for your purchase and for logging into this site.
Just the fact that you're here proves that you've got the drive and desire to get this bike up and running good.
I hope you follow thru and don't give up. In the end the bike will be well worth it.
You'll probably figure it out soon enough, the average age of the gurus here on this site is probably about 55-60 yrs old. This is a good thing!
These guys have had these bike since they're were new and know the ins and outs of how to get them dialed right in and for the least amount of $$$$.