My first bike ever

[actionpacket]

Hi,

I just put a deposit on what I'm hoping to be my first motorcycle, 1979 XS1100SF. I want to learn to wrench and ride this thing. The other posts on this website have been a great help so far in learning about electrical/mechanical components to check on these old bikes. Are there any questions or components that you all have learned through experience to ask/check?

Keep in mind I'm not going to tear the bike apart to check everything, just the basics.

The bike starts right up and sounds/rides perfect as far as my inexperienced ears can tell. It did throw an oil/brake light but we cleaned the connection at the tail light and now the light is operating correctly. The dealer told me that they checked the oil pressure also.

fyi $1500 and it needs a new rear tire soon,
thanks for any input,
Ben

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcd/3263749166.html

[natemoen]

For the love of god take the MSF basic riders course! These bikes have a lot of go and not so much on the braking side. Be careful!

I would also say, why rate it apart if it runs good? Makes no sense, ride it!

[actionpacket]

forgot to mention I took the msf course. Also, very respectful/aware of the power that i felt coming out of that engine while I was riding it around!

[DGXSER]

Nice looking bike. Good custom paint job from the looks of it. Since the fenders are also painted and not factory chrome, my guess is it has seen some outside time.

It does have a replacement speedo, which means the millage is not necessarily accurate. That speedo only goes to 85 which was changed in 1980, in 1979 the speedo went to 160. The light cluster is also not stock, might be off of a Standard, but the factory special molds around the tach and speedo at the top.

The Octy has been eliminated. On the good side, the petcocks are in the reserve position and no gas is flowing out the carbs so they seem to seal fine.

Take it out for a test ride, really hit the low end gears, crank it up to 5-6k rpm in those gears. That is the only way to check for the age old skipping gears. which will lead to the dremmel repair.

Look under the right hand side cover at the fuse box. If it is factory it will probably be something you will want to change out. Not a big cost or time issue, just one of those things.

Also check if the key works the helmet lock, gas cap, and the left hand side cover release. Hate to find out later you have no key for half the bikes locks.

Otherwise, check the steering head bearings. look at the engine VIN to see if it matches the bikes VIN.

[crazy steve]

Actually a pretty nice looking '79 for 1500. The stated mileage is suspect as it doesn't have the original speedometer; it should read to 160 mph, not 85. But other than that probably minor caveat, looks good!

I wouldn't assume the dealer did a full service on the bike (change all the fluids, check the valves), you should budget some time/money for that. If the motor is quiet, that's usually a sign the valves will need adjusting soon. At the least, I'd get an agreement out of the dealer to furnish any replacement valve shims needed when checked (the KZ1000 uses the same shims).

If this is your first bike, take a MSF course so you don't end up as a greasy smear; these bikes are very fast, but handling/braking isn't quite so good.

Good luck!

[jetmechmarty]

The light cluster is also not stock, might be off of a Standard, but the factory special molds around the tach and speedo at the top.

I believe his pilot box is correct for a '79.

What they said! This bike has a whole lot of go, but not much stop. I don't know how old or invincible you are, but you had better respect it or it will hurt you bad.

It looks like you may have picked up a nice buy.

[skids]

Just keep in mind that this is a heavy bike. Don't forget to put the kickstand down before you lean it over (been-there-done-that)! Past about 20 degrees and she gets REAL heavy real fast. If the brakes are slow, you may want to consider installing sintered pads. There are some less-than-good pads out there. Also, old brake lines tend use too much of the pressure in flexing and to crap-out the brake fluid and the "spooge hole" of the master cylinders (read up on that).

Always remember that car drivers will tend to either not "see you" or will mis-judge your speed. Drive defensively and be aware of sand on the road and other hazards to bikers. Have fun but use good judgement.

[mack]

Performance

Nice bike, looks pretty good from what you can see in the pictures. Best part is it has the original exhausts. Should be a cinch to tune to great performance.

[actionpacket]

Thanks guys, that is exactly the kinds of advice I was looking for.

[fredintoon]

Thanks guys, that is exactly the kinds of advice I was looking for.

Hi Ben and welcome,
what they all said; bike good for 120mph but runs out of brakes and steering at 90.
After WW1 Germany was not allowed to build fighter planes so they had thousands of kids learning to fly gliders and were developing aero-engines by putting them in race cars.
Alas, the Auto-Union mid-engine race car handled so badly that they were killing off all the racecar drivers the first corner they came to.
What they did for drivers was to get teenagers off the farm with no previous driving experience to unlearn, they did a lot better.
So, having an XS11 as a first bike may be to your advantage.