Was about to buy an 81, but some red flags popped up, need input please

[adam79]

I have a 92 3/4 ton pickup I value at $1600 to $2000 that I want to trade for a bike. Ive owned 2 XS1100 Specials, both 79s. So when I was offered an 81 special for my truck I jumped at the chance. He brought the bike down, and parked it out front. It looked very clean and had a 4-1 exhaust installed. couldnt find any oil drips. Everything looked great, until I looked closer.

60+ thousand miles.

The seat lifted right off, not bolted down at all, may not even be the right seat with the correct brackets

One petcock was removed, and the hole welded shut, the bike runs off of the other petcock, but even one of the outlets on the petcock was blocked off, soo the bike is literally running of 1 outlet of one petcock.

One spark plug was cross threaded and needed a helicoil

He had an extra tank, so all the problems I just listed were things I was comfortable fixing.

But, then he went to start the bike. took about 20 seconds, cranked slowly too. Once the bike was on, I could instantly hear the valves chattering loudly, and when I revved it, the valve chatter got louder and faster.


I know a good carb rebuild and tune generally fixes many running/starting issues, but the I was thinking that maybe the valve tapping and the hard start could have been due to oil starvation at one point and overheating.


Its been a while since Ive had an xs1100, about 2 years, so Im rusty on my knowledge. What do you guys think about the problems I listed and the causes of the hard start and loud valve tapping??? Should I run from this deal?

[madmax-im]

Personally...i'd run away...keep looking

[bikerphil]

Sounds like a $300 bike.

[adam79]

It looks good. most everything is clean on it, but upon closer inspection youll see the problems. I just dont know WHY it has the valve/hard start issues.. it could be a simple fix, or it could be a sign that a bearing is gonna spin soon. I think Im going to pass on it. This is the bike:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5656645726.html

[kboehringer]

Sounds like a $300 bike.

Hmmmmmm.... After reading the first post I was about to agree.....

But, I've paid $300 for a lot less bike. Obviously, if your truck is work $1600+ you'd be getting the REALLY short end of the stick trading for that bike. Personally, after viewing the pics and considering your comments..... $500 would be the top dollar I'd pay for that bike.

You never mentioned if you drove it? I would NOT buy one of these assumed to be in drivable condition unless I could confirm the condition of 2nd gear. If there is any indication of a 2nd gear issue, this would immediately become a $200 bike.

KURT

[Bonz]

Ditto on the test ride, and ditto to check if second gear pops out under load.

I notice the faded "red zones" on the speedo and tach, the bike has been in the sun/weather a lot more than just riding would do, IMO.

-Easy to see if the seat is correct, line up the mounting holes on the seat to the bike.

-Petcock is probably leaking when on the other positions and the one hole that feeds fuel probably isn't leaking with the selector at that position. Bummer the other hole is welded closed, but it does have another tank.

-If it is valve chatter, an adjustment could take care of it, however valves tend to tighten with age not loosen. Might be a loose cam chain and either the manual adjuster has not been adjusted (simple mod to put on an automatic cam chain tensioner, lots of info on the forum) or the cam chain is past its service life and loose (replace).

-I have heard you can tell if there's a rod knock by pulling one spark plug at a time and see if the noise goes away. When a cylinder isn't firing, the rod isn't stressed, thus knock goes away.

-Helicoils aren't bad in and of themselves, as long as the spark plug now threads in and works like it should. A number of guys have done them I believe.

-Slow cranking and slow to start... Could be the battery is on the backside of its life. Can you check resting voltage and voltage when cranking? Or connections in the 35 year old electrical system need to be checked and cleaned (battery cables could be aged and corroded too) fixes a lot of issues right there.

The fact it does start and run on all 4, albeit noisily, is a good thing. Offer him your truck but he has to come up with some cash (amount at your discretion) because your truck probably doesn't 1) start slow, 2) crank slow, 3) have seats sitting loose in the cab, 4) have a Jerry rigged fuel system and 5) make all that valve or engine clatter.

I like the color, and the bike looks good in terms of metal finish.

[adam79]

The Valve chatter was so bad I didnt even want to drive it. The more I think about it, the happier I am I let it go. My first 79 had a little valve chatter, but it just needed thicker shims in a few areas. Once I rebuilt and tuned the carbs, did the valve job, and even did the back cut job on the transmission gear (following the guide in our tech section) and installed new clutches and steels, That bike ran tops. I beat the crap out of it and it never let me down. fast and furious.

I bought that bike for 800. I put about 300 into it and it ran great. Thats why a lot of the problems with this bike I wasnt afraid of, but I cant remember ever hearing tapping that bad from an xs1100 valve train.

I was hoping to trade my truck for a bike that didnt have any big issues, so I could just ride it and not have to worry about anything but regular maintenance till at least the end of Fall.

Im passing this bike up

[madmax-im]

The Valve chatter was so bad I didnt even want to drive it. The more I think about it, the happier I am I let it go. My first 79 had a little valve chatter, but it just needed thicker shims in a few areas. Once I rebuilt and tuned the carbs, did the valve job, and even did the back cut job on the transmission gear (following the guide in our tech section) and installed new clutches and steels, That bike ran tops. I beat the crap out of it and it never let me down. fast and furious.

I bought that bike for 800. I put about 300 into it and it ran great. Thats why a lot of the problems with this bike I wasnt afraid of, but I cant remember ever hearing tapping that bad from an xs1100 valve train.

I was hoping to trade my truck for a bike that didnt have any big issues, so I could just ride it and not have to worry about anything but regular maintenance till at least the end of Fall.

Im passing this bike up

Yeah...i wholeheartedly agree...

[Bonz]

Thumbs up on that ! Good consumerism right there, not so in love you make a bad decision.

[madmax-im]

Given that you stated you are looking for a runner to trade of equal value for your truck...i would not persue this ...now if you are looking for a project then thats a different story...but since you arent...you have made the right decision...

[HalfCentury]

I paid $1200 for my XJ1100 in 2012. It ran and I test drove it before the cash changed hands.