1980 XS11 Special - Ugly Duckling Rebuild

[kboehringer]

Shims on the bench...

Quote:
You can actually pre-assemble the head prior to installing on the engine and do your valve adjustment on the bench.

Beware that there is mechanical interference when both cams are installed and are not in time..

MPittma100,
WOW. I would not have EVER thought of doing the adjustment on the bench. I also would not have noticed (until it was too late) that there was interference with both cams in.

I don't have any real issue with taking a couple thousandths off the valve stem. It would be much easier to successfully take a tad off the stem than to file the base of the shim as the PO had attempted.

Unfortunately, only a set of new foot pegs ('82 Maxim) showed up today. I hope both the Gasket Kit and the shim kit I purchased will show up tomorrow. Otherwise, my weekend will have to take another path...

Thanks for the tip(s).....

Sincerely,

[kboehringer]

Pack Rat Pays Off!

XS Folks,
It is unclear if the USPS will deliver my gaskets today. Therefore, work on the motor is basically at a stand-still for the weekend.

Instead of wasting the time on the Hot Rods I'm trying to find other valuable XS projects to complete (fork oil change, frame touch-up, etc.)

Well, it turns out my pack-ratting has paid off!

My XJ550 came with a jury-rigged passenger back rest. I removed the thing as it did not fit the machine and looked like poooo on the Maxim. Even though my XJ has passenger foot pegs it's really NOT a bike capable of hauling two people around. Because the back rest was in pretty decent, shape I saved it.



Looks like I finally caught a little break with the XS as the back rest will fit it nicely with just a little bit of modification. I'm going to relocate the attachment tabs rearward to catch the stock pull bar mounting holes. I get to practice some of those TIG skills! Using an extra long bolt and a pipe spacer it should be very functional and not look too bad?

In another stroke of decent/good luck the style of the back rest is very similar to the seat I purchased from Andreas! We'll use a little vinyl paint to get rid of the ugly red trim band on the cushion but otherwise the thing should look nice on an SG. It will certainly make the wife a little more comfortable on our way to XS Southeast......



I hope everyone has a: safe, fun, relaxing, holiday weekend with their friends, family, and their Yamaha.

Sincerely,
Kurt

[MPittma100]

Lash

MPittma100,
WOW. I would not have EVER thought of doing the adjustment on the bench. I also would not have noticed (until it was too late) that there was interference with both cams in.

I don't have any real issue with taking a couple thousandths off the valve stem. It would be much easier to successfully take a tad off the stem than to file the base of the shim as the PO had attempted.

Unfortunately, only a set of new foot pegs ('82 Maxim) showed up today. I hope both the Gasket Kit and the shim kit I purchased will show up tomorrow. Otherwise, my weekend will have to take another path...

Thanks for the tip(s).....

Sincerely,

Last cylinder head that went to the machine shop was: media blasted, valves replaced/seats ground, and valve lash adjusted without needing any shims.

In order for your machinist to do this, he will need all of the parts to the cylinder head - cams, caps, buckets, shims.

[kboehringer]

Good News & Bad News - $7 Valve Spring Compressor

In order for your machinist to do this, he will need all of the parts to the cylinder head - cams, caps, buckets, shims.

Well..... I have all those things on my workbench....I'm gonna give it a shot!

I had some good news today, the gaskets arrived. I had some bad news, the head gasket was damaged in shipment.

I contacted the seller, an e-bayer in Wisconsin, and he's good egg. He's gonna ship me a new one. There is a CHANCE this gasket would seal properly but it has several dimples in the cylinder sealing rings due to mishandling by the USPS. Considering the quantity of work involved in pulling the head on an XS11 it's not worth the risk.....

At least I can rebuild the valves since the gasket kit was complete with valve seals. I went to the Yamaha dealer and was surprised to find fork oil for a reasonable price and a nice set of new grips for only $10.

However, they wanted $90 and 3-days for a valve spring compressor. I have several compressors but none for motorcycle heads. On the way home I grabbed a big C-clamp from Harbor Freight (please don't tell my technicians I bought anything there ). After drilling and tapping a hole in the end to hold a modified 7/8" socket I have a $7 valve spring compression tool for the XS11!



Tonight (after the Phillies game) I'll get all the valves lapped in and the seals replaced!

Respectfully,
KURT

[kboehringer]

Intake #1 Failed Leak Check

XS Folks,
Well I've been keeping myself busy until some parts arrive. The shims arrived today and they're not what I expected. I have to order the right kit tomorrow.

I decided to do a liquid leak check and found that my #1 intake couldn't hold a volume of WD40. I don't have anything else to check with and assumed if the valves could hold WD40 they'd be good to go. All other valves (7) held for hours without any seepage. Strangely, before the teardown, #1 had the best compression of all the cylinders. I didn't get too crazy with lapping #1 and I guess I should have.



If I can get #1 intake to seal with some additional lapping, I'm gonna try to re-check the valve clearance on the bench as suggested.

Kurt

[kboehringer]

Installed the Head - Cleaned the Bologna Cutters!

XS Folks,
I was waiting on the replacement head gasket and the new one arrived today WORSE than the first one. I decided to risk it all and install with the FIRST one. I re-lapped the #1 intake and it sealed nicely and held WD40 all night. TC gave me some advice and I jumped in with the head install. Hopefully, it'll seal up properly.



I'm still waiting on the proper valve shims to arrive so I had to install the head without the cams. I would have preferred to set up all the valves on the bench but there is soooo much work that can be done once the head is on that I couldn't wait. I'm expecting one of our XS11.com members to stop over this weekend and I would LOVE to be able to start the bike. I'm sure the shims will arrive this week so getting the cams in and set properly can be done in an evening with relative ease....

I need to perform significant work on my old nasty rims and the tires are crap. Since it will take weeks to get the rims done I decided to purchase a set of '82 Maxim "Bologna Cutters" so that I could at least move the bike around the garage or maybe even drive on 'em. I got 'em on Evil-Bay for $100 shipped and they are really really nice. These were obviously off of a bike that was garaged. Another XS11 member confirmed that these would fit without issue so I got 'em. Now, I'm not sure the stock rims will ever go back on the bike. My son & wife like these much more than the stock rims and the bike sorta matches the XJ Maxim. For once I got a deal on Evil-bay!



Time to go install the carbs, the exhaust, and anything else I can get on while I wait for the shims to arrive......

Respectfully,
Kurt

[kboehringer]

Yippee Yippee! Got the Shims $2 each!!!!!!!!

XS Folks,
Quick update, got to get to work on the bike!......

I ordered shims, thought I was getting a selection set, only got a 1/2 dozen 290's of which I needed NONE.

Ordered three pairs of shims from another retailer (2 x 275, 2 x 280, & 2 x 285). Expected them DAYS AGO. Logged onto the retailer's web-site and found they hadn't even been shipped yet. "Will ship before 7/17/15". Another weekend down the tubes?

It hadn't even occurred to me to check a local dealer. The local dealer didn't know what YICS was so I decided not to visit them anymore. Gave their parts counter a call and guess what.... SHIMS AVAILABLE! The guy sold 'em to me for $2 each...... $12 + tax later I'm headed out the door with a pocket full of shims!

Gonna get 'er done today.

An XS11.com friend is stopping over later with a loaner exhaust.....

Me & the Wife are going riding TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KURT

[kboehringer]

Why you guys LOVE these bikes.....

XS Folks,

NOW, I really know why you folks love these bikes. What a difference a couple shims will make!



I got her all put back together and took her for a spin. OH MY GOD this thing is SCARY fast. I think the wife is gonna need some OXY-Clean for my shorts! I LOVE this bike because it reminds me of youth (when I couldn't afford one). I bet some of you folks love 'em for the POWER?

I also finished the install of the Maxim rims and although the rubber they came with will need to be replaced, it's good enough for a LOUD ride around the neighborhood. The passenger back rest modification is complete and ready for XS-SE.

A friend from XS11.com is allowing me to borrow a 4-1 exhaust which I will install this evening. Hopefully, tomorrow the wife and I can take a spin together (on the bike ) It's much too loud with the current exhaust which needs a couple mufflers in order to be a good neighbor. If the police show I'm gonna claim it was the guy up the street with the two Harley's.

I'm kinda thinking this XS11 isn't really too ugly of a duckling anymore?



Respectfully,
Kurt

[Radioguylogs]

No, Kurt you can't call it an Ugly Duckling anymore. I love the way it looks. The metallic green color is classy.

Nice job!

Glad you had a chance to ride it and get a feel for what it is.

[jetmechmarty]

I'm kinda thinking this XS11 isn't really too ugly of a duckling anymore?

Respectfully,
Kurt

Nope. It's certainly no ugly duckling. Great job, so far.

[madmax-im]

Looks damn good to me...love the XJ rims...

[kboehringer]

Working toward XS-SE

love the XJ rims...

Thanks guys!

I'm still slightly at odds with the Maxim rims..... Marty has convinced me these are the much better choice from a performance stand point. You can easily feel the VERY significant weight difference. My wife and my son like them much better too. However, it doesn't look like an XS11 SG anymore. All of my toys (T/A, Z-28, Maxim, CT70, XS11) LOOK like they did back in the day. Although the underhood of the T/A is a non-stock beast it LOOKS pretty much like a stock T/A, etc. The stock rims MAY find their way back on the bike at some MUCH LATER date. For now, I'm gonna strip the rubber off of them so it can go to trash and set 'em aside. I have too much work to complete before XSSE and playing with those rims will take up time I need for the trip. In the winter months (after XSSE) I will clean them up repaint 'em and polish them to like new. I can decide next year if I want to invest in new rubber and bearings for them.

Planning Forward to XSSE:

Today, I'm gonna change the oil and remove and clean the pan. I have a pan gasket from the kit and there is probably 35 years of sludge in that pan. In addition, I've always changed oil after a major rebuild as you never know what crap is floating around in there after a rebuild. Once the 4-1 is on it won't be easy to do so now is the time.

The plugs and pipes (a little yellow pipes and white electrodes) seem to indicate a slightly lean condition so I'll richen it up a tad and double check the sync since that's mandatory after a valve job anyway.

BRAKES:
The front brakes are good enough for a very cautious ride around the town but they need some REAL attention. The master isn't working quite right so I'll fix that to stock form and then start ordering the misc. upgrade parts one-at-a-time; SS lines, new master, etc.

The rear brakes have new pads and work pretty good (in stock form). I have to be selective with $$$ now as XSSE will be here before I know it. I'll probably leave this alone for now.

SUSPENSION:
Upgrading the suspension is gonna take some $$$ to do it right. An XS11.Com friend has given me some good ideas and advice on this and I think I can afford to get the front done before XSSE. I may try to find some stock shocks for the rear as a temp measure as I think my stock ones are smoked. Obviously all the stock shocks are going to be antiques at this point and in similar condition so I'm not sure how good anything I find will be but that will be just for a temporary repair.

MISC Stuff:
The relay for the headlamps is bad so it's been bypassed. I need to get that fixed. I'm missing a tank badge and there are other beautification items to address. Andreas is sending me a front frame plastic cover (under the front of the tank). The XJ pegs are very nice for me but my wife's pegs are crap. I need to fabricate a couple stand-offs for the soft bags I'll be using. Etc.. Etc..

HOPEFULLY, I can get a bunch of this stuff addressed before XSSE so I won't have the ugliest ducking there. This pig has come a long way since 5/16/15, I should be able to get it done...........



Respectfully,
KURT

[Prisoner6]

I'm kinda thinking this XS11 isn't really too ugly of a duckling anymore?

Kurt,

Every time you post another photo of your bike, it looks better and better!

You're doing a really nice job ... keep it up!

[kboehringer]

Oil Pan Cleaning..... Long overdue!

....it looks better and better!

THANK YOU!

It looks like this was a REALLY good move!



This was terribly overdue. There was also a bunch of crap sucked onto the screen of the oil pump that had to be removed.

Respectfully,
Kurt

[3Phase]

That was a good call, Kurt!

I'm glad you stuck with it even though a lot of things had been rednecked because you've done some serious work. Your bike looks really good and you're more confident about what you're doing when you work on it now too, aren't you!

I'd keep the swirly rims and not worry about how they look -- less unsprung wheel weight is less unsprung wheel weight so it's better in the long run. If anyone says anything, just smile and wave.

.