81 SH project

[Eastcoaster]

Ed
I agree with Skids the TCI and the pick up need to be confirmed. I am more inclined to think the PO changed the pick up and you might need to go back to the TCI that was on the bike. Also check the vin number on the motor see if it matches the frame. I don't know how to tell the difference on pick ups. I am sure someone can clue you in. If you need a pick up the one on the parts bike is shot I would think my other was full of salt water

[CaptonZap]

A quick primer on spark gaps.
Plugs are usually gapped around 30-35 thousandths, and will fire in compression ratios of up to ten to one or so. Modern high output coils will do better than that, but we are stuck with 35 year old technology. The same coil, if firing in ambient air, should fire across a 5mm gap, which is about 200/1000 inch, or just under a quarter of an inch. Which equates to about 8 to10,000 volts.
If it won't fire that gap in air, it most likely won't fire when in a compressed cylinder.
If you take a plug, and break the ground strap off, you have a good test plug to lay on the head to check the output of the coils. MAKE SURE THEY ARE ON THE METAL OF THE ENGINE, metal to metal contact.
Back in the day, most good mags had a safety gap of about 1/4 inch, which would fire if the plug cap came off or the high tension lead was disrupted in some way while the engine was running, thus saving the coil from arcing internally and hurting it's self.
Since we don't have that safety gap, make sure that your caps are on tight before you try to start the engine.

CZ

[phatts27]

The frame and motor are original and numbers matching with less than 8000 miles. I will open up the parts bike and check out the pick up to see if it looks the same as on my bike. I remember when I pulled the cover on my bike, it was like new in there. It seems likely the P.O. did change guts around.

CZ and Phil, thank you for the advise. I'll have that spark checked as soon as the turkey's gone and the skies clear. I gapped the plugs all to .030 in my spare time today. Now we play the waiting game.

Gordon, the chrome from the parts bike shines like new again. With all of the rust that was on there, I was sure it was a lost cause.

[phatts27]

Hey guys,

I had some time today to tinker around before work and found out a few things.
It seems the timing advance mechanism on my bike is the same as on eastcoasters bike of the same model.

I'm pretty sure it's the same anywho 4R0 TCI it is. All of the wires looked solid and none stretched when I pulled on them.

I checked for spark and it was getting it, although it seemed weak. Upon closer inspection, I found these nestled into the spark plug holes: These are the wrong plugs!

Unfortunately, seems like the battery needs replacing too. I'll charge it up again and have it tested.

I noticed something peculiar as well. Sometimes when I switch the ignition from off to on, the bike will fire once, almost like a backfire. This only occurres after unsuccessfully attempting a start. I'd imagine it is because of all the unburnt fuel, but why would the ignition fire?

[phatts27]

I went to advance auto and had them check my battery. They told me it was bad and tried to help me buy a new one. I decided some distilled water was cheaper, picked some up and gave it a go. I let the freshly filled battery charge for a few days before reinstalling and attempting a start. I set it to prime, pulled the enrichener and hit the button. It startled me because she started right up.

I let her idle for a few minutes and noticed the left muffler exhaust wasn't getting hot. When I pulled on the throttle a bit it just bogged and died. I hit the starter again and the bike wasn't having it. After a few minutes, I heard the starter solenoid click and the battery was dead.

Well it seems the battery actually was bad, go figure.

[phatts27]

After a full day of charging, my battery was only making 100cca. I picked up a sealed agm etx18l at Napa and will try again as soon as it's nice outside. The new battery is rated at 330cca so the old guy was way underpowered. Hopefully, this new battery evens out my spark.

[Eastcoaster]

Great Progress glad to hear you got it to fire I am hoping the new battery does the trick you should be on the road soon. I had 1 and 2 drop out recently the guys here got me right back see attached

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42915

If you need any help give me a shout Maybe we can get a good day and get the bikes out for a good run on the parkway. Good to see you could bring some life to one of the storm bikes!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Phatts,

Yeah, your old battery probably just had sulfated due to age. And a weak battery can also cause a weak spark since you probably had reduced voltage going to the coils.

The plugs are not necessarily the wrong ones. They are just 1 heat range cooler than OEM recommended. Just means that they would take a bit longer to heat up to normal operating temps, but could help vent the temps a bit better so that it wouldn't be too hot, especially for the air cooled engine in the summer in city traffic, as well as a way to reduce the chance of preignition.

Also, hope you put the new battery on the trickle/2 amp charger to help top it off before putting into use.

T.C.

[phatts27]

I've been looking for initial charging instructions for the etx18L online and I haven't found anything. Most battery posts here recommend following the batteries instructions for optimum results. This battery is sealed and "ready to install", this being said, there are no initial charging procedures included with the battery. The battery is still in the box, so on the charger it goes. Thanks guys

[jetmechmarty]

FWIW, the BP7ES is the spark plug recommended for the XS650. The combustion chamber IMHO, in that bike bears little resemblance to the XS11.

Here's what NGK says about using too hot a plug:

When the heat rating is too high:

The spark plug temperature remains too low and causes deposits to build up on the firing end; the deposits offer an electrical leakage path that gives rise to loss of sparks.

http://www.ngk.com.au/spark-plugs/te...ge-explanation

I would switch to BP6ES.

[phatts27]

Hey guys,

I went out there today with a fresh battery and the bike started right up. Unfortunately, 1 and 2 exhaust still aren't getting hot. I freshened up the spark plug wires 1/4" and checked my caps for too much resistance (2 were shot so I nabbed some off of Gordon's bike. 1 and 2 still a no go. Next step, I'll use Gordon's coils and clean up my grounds. Also, I had the octy vacuum going to the wrong port so that didn't make smooth running any easier. I thought it was bad so I rerouted the fuel lines to remove the octy before realizing my mistake. Oh well. Unfortunately, I also found a hole in my left muffler about 3" from the tip and noticed some light smoke coming from the oil breather. I imagine this is nothing to worry about as this bike has been sitting a long time. A valve adjustment is probably in order.

[DiverRay]

If 1&2 are cold, you have fuel problems! 1&4, 2&3 are the pairs for spark, 1&2, 3&4 are paired for fuel. Check for a kinked fuel line on the carbs. If you have the "newer" carbs, you can let fuel out of the bottom of the float from 1&2 and verify they are getting fuel.
Your ALMOST there!!

[phatts27]

I don't think it's fuel. With the octy off, I criss crossed my petcocks and still nothing on 1 and 2. I suppose there could be a clog in the 1-2 tee. I read a similar post from a few months ago which leads me to believe this is a resistance problem. I went to radio shack and picked up some deoxit. I'm waiting for the rain to let up now. I'll clean the connections and see if I can drain the 1-2 bowls.

[DiverRay]

With a can of carb cleaner handy, remove BOTH drain plugs, and then spray the cleaner through the fuel line to the carbs. That will clean everything out, and let you know if just one side, or both, are getting fuel.
Good luck!

[phatts27]

Thanks guys, I went out there with a can of deoxit and cleaned up everything I saw. I hit the start button and viola, hitting on all 4! The carbs are still out of whack however. Sometimes the throttle gets stuck up high or raises slowly on its own. Nothing is blocking the path of the throttle mechanism so I'll have to dig a little deeper.

Diver, thanks for the advice but I never made it that far. Fuel is getting to the bowls. I will run some carb cleaner through there tomorrow and well see if it cures my throttle hang ups.
Here's a vid of her running on all 4 after the deoxit.

There's a big ol' hole in the left muffler so it's a little loud!