The long walk home

[OMCC]

(Long Post Sorry in advance, I have some questions at the bottom if you want to skip the story)

So after the stern talking to I got from Rasputin last week I decided to buckle down and go full bore. I bought all the parts/tools/fluids I needed to complete the work TC suggested plus the stuff I planed on having the shop do for me. That being said I finally got my license and got the bike registered. I was so excited on the way home I though "The bikes running, I know it needs work but a few trips around the block won't hurt".

So i take a trip out all good engines singing sweetly the bike is handling great. So I go a little farther never out of my neighborhood but about a 1/2-3/4 mile never going over 20mph. But as the bike warms up the idle starts to rise from the 1100rpms I had it pegged at to 2500rpms so I bring it back home adjust the idle back down to 1100rpms and go out again. this time its running a little rough idle is to low I'm having a hard time taking off without the engine bogging down and staling. So I bring it back I go to adjust the idle again (BTW is there a tool to adjust the idle without pulling up the gas tank?) But look at the time I'm off to catch a matinée of Jurassic world ( It's pretty good better then 2 and 3 not better then 1).

I get back and I warm up the bike adjust the idle and head out again. as I'm half way through my first lap around the neighborhood the bike suddenly sputters and dies luckily at a stop sign so I wait a second flick the kill switch and act as I'm sightseeing as my neighbors pass me. In a minute or so, I'm able to get the bike started and immediately head back home. Half way back about a 1/4 of a mile from my house the bike simply gives up and refuses to even try to start back up. I am so flustered I cant even think straight so I walk this 600lb lady back to garage stoping even 100ft or so to catch my breath and lay on the gas tank like a turtle baking in the sun.

I finally I put the charger on the battery and it reads at 80%. After about 10 minutes My wife sees storming around the garage cursing and comes out to ask whats wrong. So I go to demonstrate to her how the bike is dead, I turn the key hit the starter and WOOM the thing roars to life at perfect idle.

Scratching my head I turn it off and put the bike on the jack and decide this thing isn't going out again till all the work is done.


I then go about looking for the tools I'll need for tomorrows project as I'm going through my socket I make and interesting discovery I can't fit a socket wrench on the rear axel. The exhaust pipe in blocking my access. whoever installed this exhaust had either hammered in divots in the tail pipes for the axel bolt to fit or bottomed out really bad and dented the pipes in the process. He also had the brilliant idea to drill a few holes. in the exhaust nothing I can patch easily but still ridiculous. So It looks like I have to take off the exhaust to then take off the rear wheels.

So heres my questions:

Why did the bike refuse to start with 80% battery?

Was I not going fast enough to recharge the battery?

Has anyone seen an exhaust arrangement like I described?

What size socket do I need for the front and rear axel nut?

The Idle I am guessing is a sign that I need another round of carb syncing?

In the front fork oil change tech tip (festus fast) why do you fill it from the bottom and not the top?

My Clutch cable is really tight around the side of the cylinders (not my doing previous owner) I realized this wasn't the right path so what is the right path?

Is there any pictures or video of how to repack xs11's bearings (wheel/steering head)?

The outside of my front master cylinder is really calcified making it hard to see the level of brake fluid. Is there anything I can do about this short of replacing it?


Thank you in advance, the ten minutes I got to ride her felt amazing what a great bike !

[BA80]

With the café/bobber mod it's tough to put a finger right on the problem. Things have been changed so the answers will also. I've seen it happen a hundred times if not one.

A quick guess would be the vent in the gas cap is plugged and after a short time the tank is pulling a vacuum and you're getting no fuel flow. If it happens again, pop the gas cap and see if that fixes the issue. And, check for kinks in the fuel lines.

[OMCC]

With the café/bobber mod it's tough to put a finger right on the problem. Things have been changed so the answers will also. I've seen it happen a hundred times if not one.

A quick guess would be the vent in the gas cap is plugged and after a short time the tank is pulling a vacuum and you're getting no fuel flow. If it happens again, pop the gas cap and see if that fixes the issue. And, check for kinks in the fuel lines.

I should change that in my profile. its not really a true mod. The only things that have been changed are cosmetic. At it's core its a true 1979 xs11f

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a fuel issue. I was getting fuel just no power to the starter button.

[BA80]

Kill switch or fuse connection. You running the glass tube fuses?

[OMCC]

Kill switch or fuse connection. You running the glass tube fuses?

I have ATCO fuses but I still have the glass auxiliary fuse. I was thinking it might be something with the fuses but then it turned over after charging for a bit which made me think either my idle/driving speed was too low and wasn't charging the battery or the alternator is no Bueno

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there,

Okay, running around the block at 20 MPH or so, if you were in anything other than 1st gear, then your rpms were probably below 3k rpm, and the XS's charging system doesn't really kick in till around that rpm or above, so yes, it's possible that you did drain the battery a bit while running it. The XS's ignition system is fickle, and the TCI and coils don't like to work when the battery drops to around or below 10.5 volts during starting/cranking, and cranking puts a big load on the battery, and so that was probably why it wouldn't start even though it would CRANK. Then after charging the battery, it then had enough reserve power to FIRE the ignition system=Start/run.

If you check out images of the OEM tool kit, you'll see that it provides a nifty little clip/wire device that is to secure the rear wheel/swingarm UP to allow the axle nut/bolt to clear the exhaust/muffler....and they were built with the indents at the factory. Most folks use a large CRESCENT wrench or such on the axle/castle nut. I know it has a TORQUE value that's quite high...ie. 70 ft lbs or such, but most just have learned to get it quite hand tight along with being able to get the cottor pin slots lined up!

The Idle is set when the engine is WARM....and it is normal for it to climb as the engine warms up. Most folks use a long straight screwdriver to access and turn the idle adjusting knob without taking the tank off...at least that's for the 80-81's. That's because their knob sticks down from the bottom of the carb bodies. The 78-79 adjuster sticks up behind the carbs....I think you can access it with seat off, but I'm not sure since I don't have the earlier model!? Since you set the idle warm, it may seem like it's not set high enough when cold, but that's why you start with the "choke" enrichener which speeds it up a bit until it gets warm enough to idle properly.

The upper fork caps can be a bit problematic to remove and then reattach due to the fork spring tension/pressure....it's recommended to jack up the FRONT of the bike to get the front wheel off the ground to keep the pressure off of the springs when you take them off. You also have to unlock the upper fork tube clamps, possibly also take of the handlebars, and so it takes a bit more time and technique to get the caps back on without cross threading them....hence the "quick Festus" procedure which doesn't involve taking the caps off! YMMV

Clutch cable, usually routed down the center across the top of the engine so that it then ends up coming out just at the right end of the carb bodies...there is usually a little clip that attaches to the top of the carbs to secure the cable...but often it's gotten broken/lost!

No video for repacking the bearings...YET!

You can take and brush/sand off the old dried plastic off of the master cylnder housing...check/search threads for technique.

T.C.

[trbig]

But as the bike warms up the idle starts to rise from the 1100rpms I had it pegged at to 2500rpms so I bring it back home adjust the idle back down to 1100rpms and go out again. this time its running a little rough idle is to low I'm having a hard time taking off without the engine bogging down and staling.

As Greg pointed to, this sounds like textbook description of low fueling from a plugged fuel tank vent. As the motor starts leaning out from low fuel in the bowls the engine will rev up. After your push home and sitting in the garage, the vacuum finally equaled out in the tank and so it started right up.

[DiverRay]

Clutch cable routing: From the handle, between the speedo and mount on left side of top triple tree, on the LEFT side of the frame at the steering stem, cross over under the coils to the Right side of engine, and down past carb #4 into the cover.
Hope this helps...

[OMCC]

Hey there,

Okay, running around the block at 20 MPH or so, if you were in anything other than 1st gear, then your rpms were probably below 3k rpm, and the XS's charging system doesn't really kick in till around that rpm or above, so yes, it's possible that you did drain the battery a bit while running it. The XS's ignition system is fickle, and the TCI and coils don't like to work when the battery drops to around or below 10.5 volts during starting/cranking, and cranking puts a big load on the battery, and so that was probably why it wouldn't start even though it would CRANK. Then after charging the battery, it then had enough reserve power to FIRE the ignition system=Start/run.

If you check out images of the OEM tool kit, you'll see that it provides a nifty little clip/wire device that is to secure the rear wheel/swingarm UP to allow the axle nut/bolt to clear the exhaust/muffler....and they were built with the indents at the factory. Most folks use a large CRESCENT wrench or such on the axle/castle nut. I know it has a TORQUE value that's quite high...ie. 70 ft lbs or such, but most just have learned to get it quite hand tight along with being able to get the cottor pin slots lined up!

The Idle is set when the engine is WARM....and it is normal for it to climb as the engine warms up. Most folks use a long straight screwdriver to access and turn the idle adjusting knob without taking the tank off...at least that's for the 80-81's. That's because their knob sticks down from the bottom of the carb bodies. The 78-79 adjuster sticks up behind the carbs....I think you can access it with seat off, but I'm not sure since I don't have the earlier model!? Since you set the idle warm, it may seem like it's not set high enough when cold, but that's why you start with the "choke" enrichener which speeds it up a bit until it gets warm enough to idle properly.

The upper fork caps can be a bit problematic to remove and then reattach due to the fork spring tension/pressure....it's recommended to jack up the FRONT of the bike to get the front wheel off the ground to keep the pressure off of the springs when you take them off. You also have to unlock the upper fork tube clamps, possibly also take of the handlebars, and so it takes a bit more time and technique to get the caps back on without cross threading them....hence the "quick Festus" procedure which doesn't involve taking the caps off! YMMV

Clutch cable, usually routed down the center across the top of the engine so that it then ends up coming out just at the right end of the carb bodies...there is usually a little clip that attaches to the top of the carbs to secure the cable...but often it's gotten broken/lost!

No video for repacking the bearings...YET!

You can take and brush/sand off the old dried plastic off of the master cylnder housing...check/search threads for technique.

T.C.

I put a lot of this advice to good use.

• I sanded off the master cylnder
• rerouted the clutch cable
• I removed the springs and jacked up the wheel and removed it
• I'm going to have to do the regular fork oil change I don't have the air/ oil forks

Thanks!

[OMCC]

Clutch cable routing: From the handle, between the speedo and mount on left side of top triple tree, on the LEFT side of the frame at the steering stem, cross over under the coils to the Right side of engine, and down past carb #4 into the cover.
Hope this helps...

Thanks DiverRay!

[motoman]

Thanks DiverRay!

There's also a factory welded loop on right-side of frame for cable housing to go thru under tank.