Another newbie to the XS11/bike world!!

[TheDuck]

Hoses

The last two pics loaded a little funky, but I think you are referring to the vent tubes.

[crazy steve]

The rust in the tank is minor as long as it's not worse lower down. The two hoses; one is the battery vent tube which would be hooked to the battery if present, the other is the middle drive vent. The latter is open to the air as shown.

[GLoweVA]

The one up top is the breather vent and the other is the battery vent.

[enguita89]

does the state the spark plugs are in give anyone any information or does that not really matter?

[WMarshy]

does the state the spark plugs are in give anyone any information or does that not really matter?

Spark plug color is a good indicator of the fuel to air mixture within that cylinder. They are an important part of tuning your engine.

[GLoweVA]

Spark plug color is a good indicator of the fuel to air mixture within that cylinder. They are an important part of tuning your engine.

For a running motor for sure, but for a 'barn/shed' find, I think that rust is what you need to look out for.
When the bike was last shut off, at least one of the intake or exhaust valves was probably open, thus exposing that cylinder to the elements.
Moisture and oxygen get in there and things start to rust.
The piston rings and valve stems could be all rusty too.
Before you turn the motor over (by hand I'd suggest) put some oil down in all 4 plug holes and let it seep past the rings to lube things up a bit.

There's a tech tip about things to check/do on new to you bikes.

[enguita89]

what kind of oil? and theres a spot for a kick starter but there isnt one. how do u turn the motor over by hand besides that?

[DGXSER]

As to the kickstarter, MamaYamie stopped putting those in for the 1980 models and up. That plug you see is the hole where the kick start gears protruded to mount the lever on. None of the gearing for the kick start are in your engine most likely.

I would use some tranny fluid, or Marvel Mystery Oil, or similar in those cylinders if you have not yet turned the engine over. And yes, I would do it by hand at first.

The rust on the end of the plug could and most likely does suggest rust in the cylinder. But, these are pretty indestructible engines, so it will most likely free up and be a runner with a little patience and some effort.

[GLoweVA]

Turning the motor by hand is done on the left side, under the timing cover.
There's a spot there for a larger wrench to turn the engine with.
Make sure you spin it in the direction of the arrow.



Here's the thread for what to look for on a 'new to you' bike:
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=792

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Enguita,

"Normally", on a running engine, the left timing plate square nut shape would be where you could put a wrench to turn/spin the engine....however it's really not that strong, and IF the engine is partially locked up...due to slight rust in the cylinders, then it's recommended to actually use the large HEX nut on the RIGHT engine/crank..after removing the ALTERNATOR cover. That bolt secures the rotor to the crank, but it's heffed on there fairly tight, so even though you will be turning on it in the LOOSENING direction...CCW when looking at the right side, it will more than likely turn the engine before it loosens that bolt! As stated, squirt the MMO/Tranny fluid into the spark plug holes and let it sit overnight before attempting to rotate.

Your plugs appear to have a ring of rust around the inner edge of the base ring already.

Now as to your bike, it's definitely NOT in STOCK config! The pipes are aftermarket 4-1's...keep them...the OEM's are $$$$ and rarer than hen's teeth! The bars are also non-stock....note the angle that the front master cylinder is sitting...it's designed to fit onto the buckhorn shaped special bars with a more pronounced bend/curve where the MC would be located which would cause the MC reservior to sit level! We don't recommend the buckhorns, but unless you like hugging the tank, you will want to look into some other bars with more spread and pullback/rise to allow you to be able to sit in the more upright/reclined sitting/cruising position.

Hopefully the seat's metal pan isn't rusted thru...take it off and inspect, you can get it recovered and restuffed with much better materials.

As stated, before doing much work on it, you'll need to verify that you can get a clear title...otherwise, it won't be worth doing anything to it!

The thread they are referring to is in the MISC FORUM, what to look for in a NEGLECTED XS11, it'll give you a good starting point. Do the work on it to get a good running bike, but don't do it just to try to turn around and sell it, you will NOT get your $$ out of it at all that way! Have fun, review the tech tips and other threads on here, find and download the owner's and service manuals from Catatonic Bug's Website..follow his PROFILE to find the links.

T.C.