1980 XS11 Special - Ugly Duckling Rebuild

[kboehringer]

XS Folks,
I've been a YAMAHA enthusiast for my entire adult life and liked just about every bike they've made. I've wanted an XS11 since they first came out. Unfortunately, I can't afford a pristine bike and prefer to make an UGLY DUCKLING into a swan.

I found this bike on Craigslist 200 miles from home for $300. It didn't look THAT BAD and I promised to buy it and the seller promised to hold it. The seller claimed it ran so I figured the expensive ignition parts were good and the mechanicals had to be in "Decent" shape. It looked like the bigger ticket items were present.....NOT SO FAST!

There were several immediately apparent issues. The rear signals were what looked like tractor trailer signals (I later found that these were Harbor Freight items), the rear tail lamp was attached to the pull bar (destroying both) and I couldn't figure out why that was done?. The entire engine and much of the chrome had been "Spray Bombed" black. I guess blacked out is the new style of everything and much easier than actually POLISHING anything.

The seat didn't quite look right for a Yamaha either.... Turns out that was a HARLEY item requiring significant "MODS" to accommodate (i.e. pull bar, lamps, extra brackets, etc.). All-in-all it still didn't look too bad for $300. I felt the seller was a relatively honest guy and he did save the thing for me so I took her home......



Before I started purchasing the countless items required I decided I better make 100% sure it really would run. I pulled all the "Rattle Canned Black Carbs" and cleaned the heck out of them. Completely full of varnish they we're likely to work. I popped in four new plugs and the beast came to life!

• I've already started some of the work of removing the "Rattle Can Black" an polishing a piece or two each day.
  
  
  
• Today I sandblasted the tank removing three colors including the original black. I assume this is a replacement tank from a black model. The burgundy kinda looked like a Rattle Can job anyway.
  
  
  
• I've got the first $200+ worth of needed parts on order from Evil-Bay and the first item (a new tail lamp assy.) arrived today from California in GREAT SHAPE....... I'm watching the mail box for the rest.
  
  At the moment, the BIGGEST problem appears to be the mangled wiring harness. I suspect there may have been a fire around the battery area. However that doesn't explain the mess near the coils or headlamp assy.
  
  

KURT

[kboehringer]

Additional Build Start Info...

Here's what I have discovered about my ugly duckling so far.....

The Good Stuff:
It will Run
It's an XS 11



The Bad Stuff (in no particular order):
Wiring - Complete DISASTER
Tires - SHOT
Brakes - Frozen Pistons, Pads Worthless
Seat - None
Tank - Gonna need new or tank sealer
Shocks - Probably shot
Battery - Garbage
Speedo - Wrong for this year improperly installed too.
Valves - Unlikely they were EVER serviced
Carbs - One damaged (does not appear to effect service)
Exhaust - Junk - Header pipes only at this time.
Handlebar Controls - RT Junk, LFT Maybe Junk
Lighting - High Beam works, signals don't, front brake indicator don't
Oil Filter Housing - Screwed up.
Cam Chain Tensioner - Need new adjuster? Looks like a rig job.



I'm sure there's more I missed.......

UGH

Kurt

[motoman]

WOW!.......looks like someone was gonna re-invent what the Jap engineers had already resolved.

[Radioguylogs]

Hey Kurt- with your attitude and conviction, that bike is going to be something you will be proud of.

We look forward to seeing your progress.

[MaximPhil]

Hey Kurt,
You have started and so has the bike That is progress.
It certainly "needs a few things" Post in the want to buy section your needed items and many members on here have al sorts of things they will sell at much more reasonable prices than ebay. Sometimes even free
There are lots of threads about all the things you will be doing...so lots of reading in your future.
Keep those pictures coming. what is under the cover at he bottom of the garden? Nice trees but No green thumbs in your household
Phil

[jwhughes3]

I'd order a 80 wiring harness and replace the mess.

See if Greg (BA80) has one.

John

[kboehringer]

Hey Kurt,
You have started and so has the bike That is progress.
It certainly "needs a few things" Post in the want to buy section your needed items and many members on here have al sorts of things they will sell at much more reasonable prices than ebay. Sometimes even free
There are lots of threads about all the things you will be doing...so lots of reading in your future.
Keep those pictures coming. what is under the cover at he bottom of the garden? Nice trees but No green thumbs in your household
Phil

Phil & XS Folks,
Thanks for the responses. The covered vehicle is my '82 Z-28. It's an award winning factory-stock example of the first year of the ThirdGen. The "Garden" is in the front of the house - LOL

DESIGNATION CONFUSION:
Although I've worked for a Yamaha dealer, and probably should know, these XS1100 "S" "SF" etc. designations are confusing to me. What one do I have? It is a SPECIAL but I don't know which letter is correct? There isn't anything I can read on the steering stem and the Title (from Tennessee) doesn't say anything. Please help clear this up!

PARTS NEEDED:
I appreciate the advice on the parts. As an active member on TAC (Trans Am Country) I very frequently supply spares and such to folks trying to rebuild cars. In GEORGIA we find pretty decent sheetmetal and still find old things in the junkyards that have value unlike our Northern friends. On TAC we have a "Pay-It-Forward" section where we can offer up a FREE part to a member of the community. Anyone interested in the part submits a response to the offer. We hold a "Lottery" for the part and send it to the winner. I love being a part of that as a contributor as it is a TON OF FUN.

I will attempt to buy all additional parts HERE before strolling through e-bay. There is a junk yard near my house that has an XS850 I noticed on my last visit for Camaro & Firebird parts. I suspect SOMETHING from that bike will work on my XS11 (calipers?, turn signs?, brake hoses if good, handle bar controls for L&R, etc.). The yard is VERY reasonable and I can probably grab a bucket full of stuff for $20 (or less). I'm going on Saturday Morning. If there is anything someone here needs for an XS850 send me a PM I will look for it!

WIRING HARNESS:
Once I am told what "Letter Designation" my bike is, I will be interested in finding a harness HERE not on e-bay. Most of the E-bay guys can't tell you anything and only strip and sell. That's not gonna work for a harness. I would also much rather put $$$ back into the XS community than into the hands of a STRIPPER

Respectfully,
Kurt

[Prisoner6]

Kurt,

It certainly appears you have a 1980 Special, which would mean you have an XS1100SG ...

S = Special
G = Model Year 1980

Letters E through H represented model years 1978 through 1981, respectively ...

SF = 1979 Special
SG = 1980 Special
SH = 1981 Special

The '80-'81 Midnight Specials were designated LG and LH, respectively.

The Standards simply had the model year designation, i.e. 1978 XS1100E, 1979 XS1100F, etc.

[CaptonZap]

You might want to get the final drive from the 850, as these are the preferred unit for the higher ratio swap.
CZ

[kboehringer]

Polishing a Turd.... XS 750 was a bust

XS Folks,
Well they say you can't polish a turd but I sure tried. Last night I scrubbed the heck out of the rims and tires, put on a little more paint remover and attempted to get more of the black bomb off of the motor. I made a little progress and fortunately did not find any more broken stuff (no more than I already knew about).


My wife helping me find parts on-line while I work on the bike

Today, I slipped out of work a couple hours early to get to the Junk Yard and check on the XS750 I had seen there. It was a 99% waste of time. The "Carcass" had been picked over pretty well. The motor was still basically complete but everything else was junk. The 1% value of the trip was the ability to grab both the fill plugs for the final drive and the transmission. Neither was stripped or beaten with a chisel like mine.

PARTS:
A few of the items I purchased showed today but nothing much that will keep me busy for the weekend (reflectors, rear turn signal, REPAIR MANUAL). I'll spend some time getting familiar with the Chiltons.

Speaking of parts.... What is the MOST DIFFICULT part to find? I assume it's one or all of the following: Factory Exhaust, Seat, Tank? Does any company still make aftermarket headers for these bikes? I prefer the 4->2 stock-style exhaust. Guess I'm out-of-luck unless I find some originals?

Weekend Plan:
Since I don't have any replacement parts, and I haven't heard from anyone with a harness, I'm going to attempt to repair the plug wires by cutting the old ones out as instructed in one of the technical threads here at XS11. My plug wires are TRASH and although they actually work. They're spliced up junk. Hopefully, I can find some copper core wires at Summit Racing (only a few miles away). Hopefully again, they won't be ACCEL YELLOW

Have a great weekend all!!!

I'll be polishing the ugly duckling.


Kurt

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Kurt,

You're off to a great start. Thanks for the photos, we can tell a lot by them. Yes, you're right, Mac, Jardine, etc, all withdrew their productions of Exhaust systems for our bikes. Sometimes you can find new old stock, but can expect to pay more for the pipes than what you did for the bike!

SO...do you have any welding skills?? If so, with Summit very close to you, IF your headers really are in that bad a shape, you might decide to make a set yourself. I did using prebent sections from Summit, his old MAC system was essentially rotted out, and it was a fun experiment to see IF I could do it, as well as to learn a bit more about using my TIG welder!

Here's the thread you might find helpful??
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...xhaust+project

Your speedo is from the 78-79 series, that's why it goes to 160 mph, the later models only to go 85 mph due to the EPA limits of the late 70's, early 80's for the fuel shortage and such......many folks prefer to get the 160 units although you'll be lucky to see it peg to 120mph or a little more.

The cam chain tensioners are known to leak out that rubber end, so many folks perform some sort of sealing mod vs. getting the actual OEM plug to put back into the end of it. There's an O-ring around the locking bolt/nut combo that can also leak. Also, the CCT is a weak spot engineering wise for these engines...Yamaha later devised the ACCT(Automatic) type, and many folks are going to them instead. There are tech tips on which ones you can use, how to do the transfer, etc. Here's a thread on another type of MOD for the CCT you may prefer depending on how you feel after reading the arguments for/against the ACCT's vs. manual type....a mod of the OEM CCT that is more secure....non-slip!!!

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...nute+cam+chain

Even though the wiring harness seems a mess, the bike does RUN, you mentioned the headlight came on bright only, could be the dim filament is burned out, the bike has an auxillary lighting unit that senses when the low beam burns out, and turns the high beam on at reduced power, there should be a dash light showing the fault? The turn signals not working can be several factors, from incorrect wattage of bulbs, to substituting LEDS which both require a different flasher unit...electronic no load type, but you can loose the self cancel feature. Also because of the shared single turn signal indicator light in the dash for the 79SF, with LED's, you can get current feedback thru that indicator to the other side, and can have all 4 blink....so installing diodes inline on both sides of the dash light solves that problem and will allow use of LEDs. The charging system on these bikes is very weak, barely adequate. Part of the mess under the seat can be from attempts to repair the fuseblock. I re-sell ATCO style blocks, see the For Sale Forum, parts/services by members sticky, scroll to post #10 for info, IS CURRENT!

The oil filter bolt has been modded with a larger NUT head to prevent stripping, the OEM was only a 10mm!! And it just looks like the filter cup was installed backwards, you can see the tangs to prevent it from spinning should be positioned towards the rear so that they engage the engine case. New filters come with both the small O-ring for the bolt, as well as the large one for the cup....the PO probably used sealer instead of getting a new O-ring!?

Well, that's quite a bit for now, keep at it, and keep posting photos!!

T.C.

[kboehringer]

THANK YOU T.C. - Thank You Bill & Blane (Coil Repair)

Hey Kurt,
Sometimes you can find new old stock, but can expect to pay more for the pipes than what you did for the bike!
SO...do you have any welding skills??
Your speedo is from the 78-79 series
The cam chain tensioners are known to leak out that rubber end
Even though the wiring harness seems a mess, the bike does RUN
ATCO style blocks, see the For Sale Forum,
The oil filter bolt has been modded with a larger NUT head to prevent stripping, the OEM was only a 10mm!!
And it just looks like the filter cup was installed backwards
PO probably used sealer instead of getting a new O-ring!?
T.C.

T.C.,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a lengthy response.

I suspected the pipes were going to be the biggest challenge. I'm not sure but I think the header pipes on my bike MAY be stock Yamaha. They are in good shape although they have been painted black. The left side 2->1 collector was rusted in 1/2 and both after market mufflers were rotted and full of ants! I tossed the mufflers and cut off the left collector. I'm thinking If I can find replacement collectors and aftermarket mufflers I can make it work and look good. I have very good TIG skills.

FYI, My XJ has a very lightly scratched up Left muffler, I found that my scratched up pipe was better than anything I could find anywhere for an '81 bike. I figured the pipes were gonna be an issue.

I'm gonna find a nice '80 SG speedo. I don't plan any travel beyond it's limits and it looks correct for the bike. At 50+, I'm a little too old for driving beyond the limits of an 85mph speedo (on two wheels anyway )

I ordered replacement o-ring, washer, and gasket for the cam chain adjustor. Hopefully that will fix it.

I hadn't had a quick response to my harness ad here and found a complete harness on Evil-Bay for $25 w/free shipping. It looked good and is worth the risk for only $25. Even if it's not perfect, it'll be a better place to start.
It was in North Carolina so it'll get here pretty fast too.

Last night I proceeded with the "New Wires in Old Coils" process detailed by Bill & Blaine in the technical sections. I was gonna try something but never would have come up with their solution!




I found that my local O'Reilly auto parts was willing to order a spool of 7mm copper core to sell me several feet. Summit only at 8.5mm which wouldn't work for our coils.



I've got them all prepared and ready for the new wire! Can't wait for O'Reillys to call!!

RE: MONEY & Costs of Repairs.
The coil repair procedure is hopefully just one of the ways I will find here to save some money and make a reliable repair. As you stated, the exhaust COULD cost me more than the bike did. I'm prepared for a couple big ticket items but I do not want to end up spending more overall for parts than I could have spent on a decent and immediately drivable bike. Even if I do greatly enjoy bringing a bike back from the edge of death, too much $$ on parts doesn't make good sense.

That said, I won't do anything that is a "Rig-Job" (see pics). I want to toss the bride on the back and take a nice ride or trip and don't want to worry about the 3000 miles of electrical tape and 400 yankee-splices coming apart. I also don't want to drive a turd. I've got to find the "Balance Point" for overall $$$ cost.

With my hot rods, I will often find a part better than mine and then later find one better than that and continually upgrade when a good deal appears or a nicer part falls into my lap. (i.e. My XS front fender has some rusty pits in it, for now it'll be fine until another in better shape can be found for cheap)

Thanks again for the response.

Respectfully,
KURT

[madmax-im]

Kurt...if your header pipes are still good then it is possible to buy a Universal muffler to attach to the collector pipe...Supertrapp makes a universal muffler...I bought one myself but I have never used it as I found a Kerker exhaust for my XJ...I was going to take MAC header pipes and graft the Supertrapp to it...I know of at least two XSives here that have done so...somewhere out in my shed its stashed away...PM me if you're interested in buying it...

[madmax-im]

Supertrapp

heres a pic...

[IanDMacDonald]

Dang Ben! Sell that muffler, and use the money for a Truck Lite LED