Looking to buy 1978

[TexinMaine]

LOL. I can just imagine.

[TexinMaine]

So I got into it today. And I have a couple questions. First the manual shows that two lines come off the petcock and then splits into four lines that go to another piece before going to the carb. Mine does not do that, it has one line from each petcock that goes to a filter and then right to the carb, is this right? Did the petcock check and it flowed fine, took all the spark plugs out and they all had spark. Each had black soot with 2 and 3 having it a bit thicker then the other two. I found some paperwork that would indicate that the rings and valves where changed in 2002, from the readings it would seem cylinders 3 and 4 are not well. But on the other hand they keep referring to a 1979, the PO said when he got the 78 it came with a parts bike that he gave to a friend. I hope that was the bike with the compression reading. So before i got started I hooked up a battery and tried to crank it a bit. It would crank and very now and then it would chug, chug, chug like it was on the verge of starting. Tomorrows task will to be getting the carbs off and start to clean them.

Love the bags and fairing but they are a real pain when trying to get some work done.


Compression readings before and after rings and valves




Tank defiantly will need cleaning and possibly coating.


Took gas cap vent apart to clean due to rust. When I opened it there was something that looked like a filter on this brass piece but it disintegrated when I touched it, any idea what I could use to replace it?

[TexinMaine]

I forgot to add that when it was up on the center stand and in neutral the rear wheel was difficult to turn by hand, is this normal? The rear tire is crap so I will defiantly be changing it and plan to clean and grease the mid and finale drive gears.

[DocPat]

Wire Tool

Wow! What a deal! And with an extra set of great looking carbs too! The wire tool does not appear in the Clymers manual, but is in the original XS1100E manual. It is used to slightly compress the rear shocks so you can get the axle out without having to move the exhaust pipe out of the way. I have never used mine, but it probably would make things easier. The wire tool is used in conjunction with the odd looking lever with three holes on one end and a hook on the other. That gives leverage to compress the shock to attach the cable to the frame. the other end of the cable attaches to a hook point above the other side of the axle. The two middle points attach to the frame just above and inboard of the shock upper mounts. I'll bet you're going to have fun with that bike. I am still working to get mine back on the road. I am the original owner and my bike was in storage for the past 15 years or so. Good Luck with yours!

[TexinMaine]

Thanks Doc! And thanks for the explanation on the wire thing, I had no idea how it worked.

[madmax-im]

I forgot to add that when it was up on the center stand and in neutral the rear wheel was difficult to turn by hand, is this normal? The rear tire is crap so I will defiantly be changing it and plan to clean and grease the mid and finale drive gears.

check your middle drive and final drive fluid levels...grease the final drive splines with a Moly paste when the rear tire come off...wheel should spin fairly easy

[CaptonZap]

And since you are that far into it, you might as well take the rear swing arm out, clean and grease it's bearings, clean and grease both splines on the drive shaft, check the U-joint for looseness or signs of distress, (notchy or rusted bearings), remove, clean, inspect, and re lube the left side rear wheel bearing if it is good, and generally do a clean sweep fore and aft.
Better to forgo a few days riding than to let 30 years of neglect ruin expensive parts.
CZ

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tex,

That little disc is just a valve that allows the cap to vent, yet keeps the fuel from sloshing out thru the vent. I don't know what you could use to replace it. I checked on MikesXS.net site, they sell replacment special caps, but not any parts to them. The disc had a small pinhole. SO...probably anything that was fuel proof and thin would work.

Your signature says 80 SG, but this thread shows that you've gotten a nice 78E. The Special has a fancy vacuum operated fuel control valve we affectionately call an Octopus.....but the Standards didn't use them because they had Vacuum controlled petcocks instead. So...the diagram you're looking at in your manual is for a special, not a standard. Many Special owners remove the Octy when it becomes faulty anyways, and then just turn off the fuel manually.

The rear brake is probably dragging as to why the rear wheel was hard to turn. Both a combination of probable corrosion in the groove that holds the O-ring inside the caliper body. IT can get too tight, and then the caliper will not release the piston and that keeps the brakes dragging. The other part of this is the master cylinder that has a release port, and it can get clogged. We call it the SPOOGE HOLE.

As to your compression levels. Yeah, those "AFTER" the topend job values don't look so good, but we don't know if those were just after without enough time/miles for a proper breakin/reseat of the rings???

So....I wouldn't worry too much about the black plugs for now, get the carbs cleaned, new plugs, and then when you're able to get the bike running, ensure it's hitting on all 4, let it get up to normal temps, and then do a compression test, but again don't worry too much about the values since most likely the bike hasn't been run for a while, so the rings may need to be reseated again!

T.C.

[IanDMacDonald]

I'm kinda curious as-to what necessitated the need for new rings, valves, etc.?

[Prisoner6]

And since you are that far into it, you might as well take the rear swing arm out, clean and grease it's bearings, clean and grease both splines on the drive shaft, check the U-joint for looseness or signs of distress, (notchy or rusted bearings), remove, clean, inspect, and re lube the left side rear wheel bearing if it is good, and generally do a clean sweep fore and aft.
Better to forgo a few days riding than to let 30 years of neglect ruin expensive parts.
CZ

... And if that left side rear wheel bearing is trashed, contact member JamesEngland by PM.

He will sell you one of these "unobtainium" bearings at a very reasonable cost (as long as his supply holds out!), and his service is above reproach.

[DiverRay]

The fairing will come off easily, and makes for a MUCH nicer work area. Remove the 2 bolts at the FRONT of the fairing, loosen the 4 remaining bolts, and then pull the two at the front of the main mount. Loosen the two LOWER MOUNT Bolts, 19mm, and allow the mount to slide down in the bolt slots. Have a friend hold the front up as you remove the two rear bolts, and slide the fairing forward to remove. Don't forget to unplug the 9 pin wire connector at the fairing before pulling on it!
The Pacifico looks big, but is actually a more aerodynamic fairing than the Vetters. My '78, when new, would still cruise at 125 indicated all day...

[jetmechmarty]

Took gas cap vent apart to clean due to rust. When I opened it there was something that looked like a filter on this brass piece but it disintegrated when I touched it, any idea what I could use to replace it?

I make a new filter from a little piece of Scotch Brite pad. I don't think it will rot and plug the vent.

[TexinMaine]

So I got the carbs off today, What a pain, would be so much easier if the top bracket that holds the airbox could be removed. Anyhow it looks like the number 1, 2 and 3 needle float(?) things were stuck. Number 4 moved easily up and down however the others required a little force before they broke free and then would move up and down. There was a considerably amount of crude in the carb bowels and a lot of junk in the gas I drained out of them. So I hope after a good cleaning and a new rear tire I can be on the road in short order.

The gold part was the stuck thing.


Fuel that was drained out of the bowels.


Crud in the bowels.

[BA80]

Yeah, that bracket you need to get kind of manly with to get it down below the mount but you'll get used to it.

[IanDMacDonald]

Those are the slides that were stuck. I know a guy in Waterford that polishes those so that the start-up is almost instantaneous upon hitting the starter button.

In the carbs you have floats, then you have a jet needle, and also a float needle, which is the sprung needle that the floats sit on-top of.