XS11 back from the brink.

[Orange4]

Hi,

Finally got my new toy delivered from up the coast. 1979 standard with 31000 miles. It's a project but pretty solid. Needs some parts and a replacement head Previous owner had the cam chain tensioner fail. I have located a low mileage head from an 81 with a set of cylinders. Not sure if I will do the cylinder and rings at this point. The original has never been off.



I plan to bring it mostly back to stock with some reversible mods. Paint for sure but probably not a stock colour.

For right now I need turn signals, rear master cylinder, a chrome front fender and original handle bars.

Can I get the front fender and signals off a xs650? What about the rear master brake cylinder?

I am a XS11 noob, but I pick up quick.

Thanks!

[crazy steve]

The 78-79 and 80-81 used different heads. The later head has larger valves (so check piston to valve clearance at the valve reliefs on the piston tops) and a larger combustion chamber, so you'll lose compression with the early pistons. More details here: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36652

By the way, welcome and you have a very nice bike to start with...

[IanDMacDonald]

Good-looking bike. there are two standards in my arra for less than a grand. Wish I had the money.

[Orange4]

Thanks for the welcomes.

Took me a while to track a nice one down. My list of needed little bits and pieces is growing fast though.

Correction: The head I was looking at is labelled as an 82 but it has no YICS passages. I will make sure to check all the valve issues or go with matching pistons if I go with the 82 head.

[natemoen]

If it does not have the yics then it is not an '82.

[Orange4]

It must be mislabeled. Good to know. It did have the bigger valves though so it's an 80-81.

[Garagamus]

Just finished a cafe build to my '81 H standard and still have all the original humongous turn signals, good chrome on the stalks, really wide rear signal stalk, all bulbs work, original wire connections. Have a second working gauge cluster and the original rear fender (perfect condition), alas...the big tail light lens was scavenged for my current lens. I'm sure we can work something out if you need any of it.

[Garagamus]

I also have the chrome front fender, tiny little ding in it, but chrome is perfect...might be willing to trade as it'll either get painted, cut down...or both. I'm in Alberta.

[mack]

Parts

Andreas Weiss ( a member ) is not far from you. Try him for what ever you need. He usually a lot of items sitting on shelves.

[Orange4]

Just got back from Bent bike with a very nice 80-81 head with low miles and a the matching set of jugs with honing marks intact.

I am considering my options re. compression with the newer head and I think the cheapest, easiest route is installing the later pistons. Bummer is that the jugs did not come with their pistons. Can I find good used pistons? Hmmm.

I could also just live with the lower compression.

Otherwise it's shaving the head, slotting the cam sprockets, degreeing the cams and checking valve clearances which is a lot of monkeying around.

I'm not going racing but I don't want it to be a dud either.

Hmmmm.

[Orange4]

Got the replacement head apart. Took the exhaust valves out using the drill press/plastic pipe method. They look good but have a carbon coating on the faces. A little lapping with Autosol cleaned it right off. The seats are a little pitted which is a bit disappointing but they show no wear or recession. I'm contemplating stoning instead of cutting them to get rid of the pitting since I don't want to create shim issues.

Mike's XS has a reasonable valve cutiing kit for the XS650 that would work if it had a 7mm pilot. It comes with an 8mm so I'm thinking about fabbing a 7mm pilot and just buying the stones which you can order separately. I suppose if one had a lathe one could just turn down the 8mm pilot... Oh, the slippery slope of tool ownership.

It's a mystery to me how one engine can have shiny clean seats and the next, black, pitted ones. Is it riding habits? Not enough exercise? Moisture from improper storage? Bad gas? All of the above?

Guides and stems showed little, if any wear. Three of the valves were a bit sticky to remove but once oiled, slid back in easily.

Springs were in spec for length.

Next job is to remove and inspect the intake side. I was looking at the interesting differences between the early and late heads.

Exhaust port showing "square" guide boss.



Exhaust valve showing very little wear.



These shows some of the differences between the heads. It's not just the valves that are different but the ports are different too with the later head showing a more utilitarian approach to bosses. They are bigger and not tapered compared to the early ones. The early ones look almost ported".

3H5 head with bigger boss but matched port.



2H7 head, Intake. The white halo is the inner edge of the intake flange which has not been matched to the boot.



It seems to me that there is some low hanging fruit in the later head in terms of flow. I know that porting is very specialized and you don't just want to start hogging out material, but there are some things that help flow without any risk of downside and I think tapering bosses is one of them. I probably won't be able to help myself

[Orange4]

Messing with the fairing.

Didn't think much of it at first but it's growing on me, especially since, on closer inspection, it was originally painted metal flake orange. Has kind of a shark nose look. Anyone recognize the make?

[Gallaecus]

looks like a Wixom Bros. Co. fairing
perhaps from a 70's BMW
it looks good..!!

[skids]

looks like a Wixom Bros. Co. fairing
perhaps from a 70's BMW
it looks good..!!

Agreed, looks good.

[Orange4]

Thanks guys,

Found some vintage ads with a Yamaha triple sporting the Wixom fairing and bags.



Now I want the bags because...



D*mn!