1980 XS11 Special - Ugly Duckling Rebuild

[kboehringer]

Your bike used to have a Green wire with one end connected to the Starter terminal of the starter solenoid along with the Black starter cable.
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3phase,
You are correct! That pre existing wire was completely homemade with oddball wire and harbor freight terminals. When I pulled the complete old harness I tossed it assuming the p.o. was trying some b.s. workaround for his b.s. wiring. I'll make another and replace it!!!!!!!
Kurt

[kboehringer]

Apparently, you installed the airbox with the carburetors in place. I didn't know it was possible..........

If you're doing this to make money, you're pissing it away..........

Marty,
I installed with the carbs removed. I guess with a little more practice i could get it down to 30 minutes. That thing really kicked my butt. If I could get another 1/4 inch back on the air assy. It would have been great but it was as far back as I could push it without possible breakage.

I am definitely not looking to Ever sell this bike. I've wished for one of these since I was a kid (17 or so). Even though I love fixing stuff as is obvious by the work done in two weeks, this bike may have been (2 late now) a little too far gone. I might have been smarter to find a little better one.....

Respectfully,
Kurt

[motoman]

Marty,
I installed with the carbs removed. I guess with a little more practice i could get it down to 30 minutes. That thing really kicked my butt. If I could get another 1/4 inch back on the air assy. It would have been great but it was as far back as I could push it without possible breakage.

I am definitely not looking to Ever sell this bike. I've wished for one of these since I was a kid (17 or so). Even though I love fixing stuff as is obvious by the work done in two weeks, this bike may have been (2 late now) a little too far gone. I might have been smarter to find a little better one.....

Respectfully,
Kurt

Remove lower portion of air box AND filter FIRST......pull airbox off carbs .....drop it straight down on top of engine case........removing the crankcase vent hose prior.

[jetmechmarty]

I am definitely not looking to Ever sell this bike. I've wished for one of these since I was a kid (17 or so). Even though I love fixing stuff as is obvious by the work done in two weeks, this bike may have been (2 late now) a little too far gone. I might have been smarter to find a little better one.....

Respectfully,
Kurt

Everything you do correctly now, is something you won't have to do later. It could end up working to your advantage.

[alaskey2]

You could always offset the cost of your project by selling us some Stainless Steel Exhausts.

I'll take a 4-1 that goes to the left so I can keep my center stand.

[sail4free]

The tank was completely sandblasted and primered in a PPG heavy sandable primer after a light coat of bare metal primer. The top-coat is PPG JAU series single-stage. This is a 2003 Honda Accord car color...

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The original red paint on my '79 Special has seen better days -- clear coat failing, etc. Will you now go over your fresh paint with clear coat? I dunno' much about paint but aside from tinted primer, it seems that some are going with two clear coats with some color mixed in . . . for depth? And then a final coat of clear? If I take it somewhere to get it blasted clean, do I need to specify a grit size or should they know that already? Mine has already been sealed inside (recently) and he got some of that goop on the OUTside of the tank -- doesn't give me a whole boatload of confidence in his attention to detail on the rest of the work he did but she IS running and that WAS the original objective.
JIM P.
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[sail4free]

By snipping pieces from the spare XJ harness I'm getting wires of the proper color installed to replace all the yellow wiring the PO used on everything. All repairs are soldered and heat shrunk.

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Are you using the marine heat shrink tubing? With it, a little of the excess goop oozes out the ends for a water-tight seal (not sticky once it cools down). That's where my tendency towards massive overkill takes me
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sail4free
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[kboehringer]

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The original red paint on my '79 Special has seen better days --
JIM P.
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Jim,
I SHOULD not be necessary to completely sand (media) blast your tank, especially if it is just showing signs of age. In my case, I had multiple coats of paint, some previous body work, and a very questionable surface to work from. I WANTED to see what was under there rather than just paint over it. I found a little bit of plastic filler (bondo), actually much more than it needed, and several coats of paint which appeared to be applied from a spray can. You really can't spray good paint on top of that junk.

I ABSOLUTELY NOT an expert painter but I'm better than most "Do-It-Yourselfers". The paint on my bike is "Single-Stage" meaning the clear is mixed with the paint as done is one shot. I've painted several cars both using single-stage and base/clear coats. There are really only a few components, a small compressor, and a paint gun needed for either job. Although I LOATHE Harbor Freight tools as 98% garbage, they sell a paint gun for $15 that is pretty decent. I use it once or twice and toss it in the trash can which is much easier than a proper & thorough cleaning..

Assuming you have only aged paint, you could easily do the prep work and paint the tank and side covers yourself for <$100 single stage and probably less than $150 (+/-) for base/clear. Taken to a reputable small local body shop you could very likely get the paint work done (if you prep) for less than $250 in either single or base/clear.

Sincerely,
Kurt

[kboehringer]

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Are you using the marine heat shrink tubing?==========

Sail4free,
Actually, I'm using a 3M product we had in stock at work and some IDEAL brand I snatched up at Lowes. It's not labeled as "Marine" grade but it is a higher quality than what I've found other places. Typically, I cover everything with a minimum of two layers of heat-shrink. First the soldered connection with 1/8" diameter with 1/4" overlap on either side then step up to the next size for more overlap. When I was dealing with multiple wires (advance wires, generator wiring) I heat shrunk the entire bundle again then added a layer of tape. I don't believe there is any chance of water penetration like the uncovered crimps I found from the PO work.

Respectfully,
Kurt

[kboehringer]

Yamaha Headlamp?

XS Folks,
I'm trying to figure out if this is a YAMAHA OEM Headlamp/Ring?

I know the photo is crappy. I've looked over the parts breakdown at https://www.yamahapartsandaccessorie...1980/HEADLIGHT and it LOOKS like the right ring assy. There are NO part numbers on anything except the rubber cover for the back of the bulb. That number appears to be a manufacturer number Koito not a Yamaha number.

The ring assy. did not properly fit the previous Honda bucket properly. So I'm trying to figure out why the guy would use a Honda bucket on this bike? If there was front end damage more stuff would be smashed? The only thing I can think of was that a fairing was installed on this machine and I know some fairings require the removal of the bucket and placement of the ring on the fairing. If the PO removed the fairing and had lost the OEM bucket he just slapped anything he could find on the bike? That's the only way I can explain an APPARENT Yamaha ring on a Honda bucket. Also the Honda bucket's holes were too small for the proper mounting of the Yamaha turn signals so he drilled holes in the mounting ears to mount them in.

Kurt

[jetmechmarty]

Koito is the correct manufacturer of the light assembly. I'm not sure what you have there, but if you come up with the bucket, the ring is somewhat universal. Mike's XS has a reproduction ring for the XS650 that's an exact fit.

I case you don't know it, if you look up a part on the Partzilla, it will list all of the bikes that part fits.

[kboehringer]

Partzilla

....... if you look up a part on the Partzilla......

Marty,
Thanks for the mention of "Partzilla". Someone had mentioned them before but I couldn't find the name. I looked them up and purchased new Tach/Speedo rubber bushings (for where they meet the chrome covers) and replacement parts for the front Master Cylinder. A couple more problems resolved!
Kurt

[webbcraft2150]

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...

Like he said, IF your header pipes are in good shape, there are lots of choices for mufflers. Check out EMGO line (JCW). I found a pair to replace the rotted ones on my 80G bagger. They offer many different styles and I found a set that closely matched the OEM look. I did lose the cross over but to date I don't notice any decrease in performance and I did not have to rejet. Exhaust note was a bit louder but still pleasant. I had to get some reducers from Advance but overall the swap was pretty easy. I was able to use the stock hangers and mounting points with some slight (read bend) modifications. The first set lasted over 10 years and at $65-$75 each, I think they were a good buy and the look over grafting HD mufflers was much more appealing to my discerning eye.

[kboehringer]

Fuses, First RIDE!!, Bank is Closed...for now....

XS Folks,
I had the day off today and as usual spent almost the entire time playing with my new XS11 toy and ordering more & more & more parts.
I'm having trouble with the headlamp (still don't work) and noticed the stock fuse holder was crap and not even engaging the "H"eadlamp fuse. Upgraded all the fuses......


It still didn't fix the problem but I've barely started any REAL troubleshooting.

Since all the wiring (except possibly the headlamp) is done and everything seemed to be working I decided to give driving the Ugly Duckling a try.
Video link:
http://vid1353.photobucket.com/album...ps6m4gf68l.mp4
The battery is junk so I had to keep the revs up once the jumper cables were off or it would stall after a minute or so. Not the longest ride but I shifted 1st->3rd and didn't notice any issues. How would this 2nd gear issue everyone is talking about present itself?

I know the bike is far from proper adjustment of valves, carbs, etc. but this darn thing REALLY WANTED TO ROLL. I can tell now why everyone loves these bikes. My XJ550 is pretty darn quick (0-60), but this XS11 feels very POWERFUL. I can't imagine how good this thing will feel once it's PROPERLY tuned up.

BANK IS CLOSED......for now.....
Well, between yesterday and today I've spent another $200 on misc. parts putting me well over my agreed monthly budget for the Ugly Duckling. I've promised to suspend buying for a little while....

I could spend the next MONTH scrubbing all the Rattle-Can black off of this thing and not spend another nickel. BUT, I have a TON of new and improved parts paid for and headed my way: Front & Rear Fenders, A Seat!, Fork Ears, Head Lamp Bucket, Front Fork Emblem, Speedo & Tach Rubber Insulators, Brake Parts, Signal mounting parts, Headlamp Ring, etc. etc. etc.

What do you think of the movie? The bride isn't the best with a camera but after 30 years I think I'll keep her anyway.

Sincerely,
Kurt

[sail4free]

It SHOULD not be necessary to completely sand (media) blast your tank, especially if it is just showing signs of age.

Assuming you have only aged paint, you could easily do the prep work and paint the tank and side covers yourself for <$100 single stage and probably less than $150 (+/-) for base/clear.

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Thanks for your response. So maybe I can lightly sand off whatever is loose, wipe it clean and give it a shot? Right over the clear coat as long as it is still well adhered? The longer I look at my ol' girl, the more love I can see she needs -- rear shocks are leaking (as well as the front), rear brake pads dragging (hot caliper syndrome), slow leak from the rear drive dribbling down on the wheel/tire. I took a chance and rode her to the new abode (25 miles or so) on my *very* marginal tires -- kept my speed down and only stalled out once and took a bit to get her going again. The new fuel line routing isn't moving the air out of the clear fuel lines as well as I had hoped. I'm grateful for the added inline bronze filters as I can see crap in them already that the petcock screens didn't catch. The forward bolt which secures the right petcock to the bottom of the tank was dripping, so I drained what was left of my two gallons of fresh ethanol-free gas.
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I've been so busy with the big move and now getting settled into the new abode -- which requires giving the 12x16 shed I'm building every priority. But she's waited 12 years to get this far . . . what's another month or two, eh?
20 weeks and 2 days from now, I'll have a LOT more time on my hands.
JIM P.
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