Cold #1 exhaust

[bikerphil]

The correct pilot jets should have 6 holes in the sides. There are several different type pilot jets that look the same but have different spray patterns, the correct ones should look like the BS/30/96 type below...

[TopCatGr58]

The XJ coils will work fine, WITHOUT the ballast resistor..just connect the wires at the harness together where the B.R. connects to bypass it. The XJ should be an 82....in 81 it was the XS11 with the fancier TCI and used similar 3 ohm coils and no B.R. either, so coils from an XJ or an 81 XS11 will work equally....again with no B.R..

Hey Steve, thanks...I thought about resistance increasing as it gets hot, but I have never spec'd/ohmed a BR after it was warmed up so I couldn't comment...but I would hope that it wouldn't be too much higher than the cold spec.....otherwise as I stated, the resultant coil voltage would be even lower....not good anyways!

Bartman,did you just put the floats in the hot water...or did you forceably submerge them down into the water to check for air bubbles coming from the floats??

Phil posted the image of the pilots, should have just rows of 1 and 2 holes. The Main Jet Emulsion tube can have the rows of 2 and 4 like you mentioned.
The float can stick against the side of the bowl or gasket as well. Also, it may not be sealing properly(float valve) and that would also cause flooding. If you still have the solid metal valves then you can polish the seat seal with a Q-tip and metal polish....some have also spun a small drillbit BACKWARDS by hand first to scrub of some heavy corrosion.

T.C.

[Bartman]

My memory is slipping, the pilots do have six holes. I don't see anything funny once I have it open but I am going to check float leakage again.
In the mean time I have been bench testing the other carbs. Good thing too, the thick gaskets were leaking and the number four float hung up and gas just poured. Took the bowl off and after a good look found the float warped and cocked. Straightened and really tightened the bolts and for the last thirty minutes the levels are even and correct and there are no leaks.
I will try and get them on the bike in the next few days.
I do want 35k volt coils but I am trying to get running first and then upgrade. Any comments on the 81 XJ coils the I picked up?

[Bartman]

Well, the gaskets are still weeping, but the fuel level looks good if I can get new gaskets.
In the mean time I checked the float in #1 and boy did the bubbles come out when I put into hot water! Now that would make it run rich. I'll have to check my parts box for a good one.

[crazy steve]

Hey Steve, thanks...I thought about resistance increasing as it gets hot, but I have never spec'd/ohmed a BR after it was warmed up so I couldn't comment...

You can see a huge change in some resistances; a standard 1157 lamp will check at about 2.5 ohms cold, but goes to about 6 ohms when lit, a 240% increase. I wouldn't expect to see that big a change in the ballast resistor because it's wound on a ceramic core as a heat sink.

[DGXSER]

An additional Coil option for the 3 ohm coils is Honda VF1000R coils. They are on other Honda models as well, and they bolt right in like they were made for the bike. You also now have replaceable plug wires. Down side is you need to buy plug wires, and you will need to make up a short piece of wire to go from the male end connector on the coils to your bikes wiring harness connectors.

I have a set of the Honda coils on my SH, and also installed a set on Steppenwolf's SG. So far both are very happy with the result.

[Bartman]

Correction, I tried the float again this morning with 2 spares that I found. The #1 did Not bubble at all this morning, but one of the spares did have a small pin hole that I marked and might try to solder up. I think that the boiling cup of water that I took out of the microwave fooled me last night. I did find 3 new bowl gaskets so I can try getting the second set of carbs back together with them.

As far as the first bank of carbs, I haven’t taken the needle out yet to give the hole a visual inspection. But I did see that the needle and spring were almost all the way in.

I'll have to get me some coils soon.

[Bartman]

So there is a set of coils for a Honda VF1000r on ebay for $33.
What is the voltage of these vs the 81 XJ vs Dyna coils (35Kv)? Does anyone know?

[DGXSER]

Hold on a moment now. The XS and the XJ coils all are about 15kv output. The 35kv TC mentioned was the Dyna-Tek coils.

The Honda coils are about the same as stock 15kv. That is what I measured the resistance to be on mine. So they are good replacement for stock and you do get replaceable plug wires. But I do not feel they are an upgrade from a performance standpoint. That is simply based on my measurements of resistance.

And when looking at the VF1000 coils, note that the plug wires push in and there is a three piece cap and seal that hold them into the coils. If the coils you are looking at have no wired and no caps on them, you will need to buy the cap and seals, about $15-$20 time you ship them.

[Bartman]

Thanks for the info, so if I change coils then I should spend money on ones that will make a difference.

[DGXSER]

That is a personal decision. Me, I am tighter than the fit of your overweight Aunties halter top. So I buy the Honda coils, so far treated me well.

If you want an upgrade in performance, and do not mind the $130 or so it cost to buy the Dyna coils, then yes, those or possibly the Accel coils would be the ones to get.

[Bartman]

I'm tight too, I like to call it realistic. If the current coils are giving good spark plugs on 2~4 then I expect that if I can get the rich carb dialed in then that plug will look good too.
So no advantage in swapping mine out for the XJs that I got for $10 at the junk yard. I also got an oil cooler for $20 that I sold to Chris, plus some 4 into 1 pipes that look very good, just don't know if that is what I want to use. If anyone wants them, I'll put some pictures up soon.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Bart,

IMHO if I had an earlier model XS11....78-80, I would swap out the old 1.5 ohm coils and ballast resistor for ANY model 3 ohm/12 volt coils I could find, just so I could be assured of getting the strongest spark out of them ALL of the time, not just during the starting cycle. The later coils are designed to run on the full 12 volts ALL THE TIME, giving you the most spark at all rpms, especially when idling and the ALT isn't cranking out much charging voltage.

However, you still need to figure out why you don't have fire on 1-4, either bad PU coil or damaged TCI.

T.C.

[DGXSER]

Ok, so No 1 runs cold at idle. How does it run at higher RPM? If you can ride where your at this time of year, take the bike out for a short run. Keep the RPMs up in the 2-3k range and see if the no 1 pipe gets hot like the others.

If it does, then you still have two options. The increased voltage output gives the coil the juice to work properly, or your issue is in the carbs pilot jet circuit.

Now, I alsways mention this little issue, because I spent a month or better chasing my tail over it. When you put the carbs back together, were you careful with the order of the sping and needle in the vacuum slide? First tiem I worked on these carbs, I got one backwards. On the 80-81 model carbs, the spring goes on top of the washer on the needle, holding it down and into the emulsion tube. Well, I put the spring on bottom, holding the needle up. Which has the same effect as the slide being slightly raised, makign the mixture VERY rich at idle and low speed! My no 1 plug would foul out at a stop light or slow speed riding. But clear up once I got up to 3-4k RPM.

you mentioend you moved the No 1 plug wire to no 4, but not sure I read correctly if the problem moved to 4 or stayed at 1. If it stayed at 1, and you have tried a new plug, then it almost has to be carb related.

Just some more food for thought.

[Bartman]

I will check the spring position, I could have mixed as you said.
The #1 exhaust would get hot when the plug was not foiled and I revved for a few minutes. I really think that that carb has a problem and was dumping to much gas.
But for now, I have my second set of carbs ready to put on after church tomorrow.
I hope to be reporting a ride on my bike tomorrow!