New to the site

[leggman1]

Hi, David Legg here, I l;ive in central Kentucky and today I bought a 1981 xs1100 special. It is in really good shape and only has 6100 miles on it.
It has not ran in ten years but the tank is clean and the motor turns over and I was told it ran good when parked a decade ago.
Also the tires are brand new.

I bought it from a guy I work with for only 500 bucks so I think I came out OK
I have a question for the community.
On the right side down behind the motor attached to the frame is a small round pin about 3/4 of a inch long that sits vertical. it is bolted to the frame and I don't have a clue what that could be for. I will try to post pics as soon as I can figure out how
Thanks. Dave

[3Phase]

Welcome to the forums, Dave, nice score!


The pin is probably the holding point for locking the factory security chain to the frame to keep it in its storage box and from being stolen.


Yamaha | XS1100SH - 1981 - Side Cover

#35 4R0-W2171-00-00 WHEEL LOCK ASSEMBLY (4X7-W2171 - Not Available
#36 4R0-21258-00-00 BOX - Not Available

#39 4R0-2175H-01-00 STAY, LOCK - Not Available

[donebysunday]

lock

retainer is a bit hard to make out but it has rings cut into it to lock the chain lock on.
It's not much of a chain to lock your rear wheel to the frame. It would be easy to break but adds a little deterrent to theft.
If your not doing a restoration for points to put in shows, no problem if you don't have it.

Oh, welcome to the show.

Done };-)

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Leggman,

Welcome to the site...I'm a breastman myself! Congrats on your acquisition and price.

BUT..the tires are NOT NEW...they just look new, but they are OVER 10 years old, and the rubber has been exposed to the atmosphere/OZONE and hardens and becomes SLICK and can put you at risk of a wreck! There is a BORN ON DATE in an oval stamp on the sidewall of the tire....4 numbers...first 2 are the week# and the 2nd 2 are the year....ie.
2410 would be the 24th week of the year 2010.

With this economy we can totally understand not wanting to spend $$ if you don't have to, and for general rolling the bike around in and out of the garage and such, OK, but once you have the bike serviced back to proper reliable running condition, then you really should look at putting new tires on it....do a search and you'll find lots of threads on recommendations of tires, brands, price points and arguments for the inexpensive ones vs the costly ones.

T.C.

[leggman1]

Hey there Leggman,

Welcome to the site...I'm a breastman myself! Congrats on your acquisition and price.

BUT..the tires are NOT NEW...they just look new, but they are OVER 10 years old, and the rubber has been exposed to the atmosphere/OZONE and hardens and becomes SLICK and can put you at risk of a wreck! There is a BORN ON DATE in an oval stamp on the sidewall of the tire....4 numbers...first 2 are the week# and the 2nd 2 are the year....ie.
2410 would be the 24th week of the year 2010.

With this economy we can totally understand not wanting to spend $$ if you don't have to, and for general rolling the bike around in and out of the garage and such, OK, but once you have the bike serviced back to proper reliable running condition, then you really should look at putting new tires on it....do a search and you'll find lots of threads on recommendations of tires, brands, price points and arguments for the inexpensive ones vs the costly ones.

T.C.

Good point well taken. I will do that next spring.

[BA80]

Good point well taken. I will do that next spring.

Tires are cheaper than hospital bills and they hurt a lot less.

Tires, change all fluids, lube all bearings, especially steering head bearings, make sure all brake calipers and master cylinders are cleaned and working properly, and the carbs will need the triple clean since they've been sitting a decade.

There are some oils you DO NOT want to use in the engine due to the wet clutch and could cause slippage. You will definitely want to upgrade to synthetic (75w140) in the middle drive and final drive though.

I'm jealous, I never find one that's all in one piece. I have to find the pieces to put them back together.

We need pics. Photobucket....copy and paste the IMG code in your posts and the pics will show up.