1981H xs1100 rebuild project, started Feb.2017

[FranksBMW]

Earlier this month, I bought a project bike in a snowbank at the end of a driveway in another town. It had been sitting there since the end of the summer, so the price was really good for me.

The bike is now in my garage. The luggage rack, hard bags, fairing, seat, and tank have been removed. The bike is complete but the tank has rusted through in a few places. The seat needs recovering. I'll need a headlight bucket, but luckily the ears were there under the fairing. The side covers are unusable - brittle and cracked. The brake callipers are seized and need to be rebuilt. I put some oil into the cylinders but I don't know if the engine is seized or not. Did every bike come with a kickstart lever stored somewhere?

Does anyone have a link to a service/shop manual? I've done a Google search without success.

Is there a trick to remove the rear axle? I've removed the crown nut on the left side, and the cinch bolt on the right side. The axle rotates but I couldn't pull it out.

Thank you in advance for your collective knowledge and assistance with this lovely bike!

[IanDMacDonald]

Exciting!

Andreas Weiss is your source for parts. Send him a PM.

Kick starter is stored under the battery compartment I believe.

XS manual. Check CatatonicBug's webpage.

Rear axle. Get a brass drift and pound it out. No real harm done.

[motoman]

Earlier this month, I bought a project bike in a snowbank at the end of a driveway in another town. It had been sitting there since the end of the summer, so the price was really good for me.

The bike is now in my garage. The luggage rack, hard bags, fairing, seat, and tank have been removed. The bike is complete but the tank has rusted through in a few places. The seat needs recovering. I'll need a headlight bucket, but luckily the ears were there under the fairing. The side covers are unusable - brittle and cracked. The brake callipers are seized and need to be rebuilt. I put some oil into the cylinders but I don't know if the engine is seized or not. Did every bike come with a kickstart lever stored somewhere?

Does anyone have a link to a service/shop manual? I've done a Google search without success.

Is there a trick to remove the rear axle? I've removed the crown nut on the left side, and the cinch bolt on the right side. The axle rotates but I couldn't pull it out.

Thank you in advance for your collective knowledge and assistance with this lovely bike!

No, just the 78-79 XS11's came with it. 80's still had the access shaft assembly, but, IIRC, no kick-start lever came with bike. 81 and XJ models had a rubberized cap over the opening....and NO kick start assembly inside.
Hope that helped you. As for axle shaft, pulling on it to remove sometimes works.....sometimes not. Just take a rubber mallot and give it a whack...then pulling it rest of way should work. Have no rubber mallot?.....screw the nut on several threads, then give the nut itself a few whacks. The nut on there keeps from screwin' up the threads on the axle.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Frank,
Off and running on your rebuild. Yours is not the first to be rescued from a snow bank or swamp Lets hope the motor frees up with a bit of oil and patience. The XS crank turns backwards to most bikes.
The axle has been in there so long it might just be force of habit holding it in
or more likely some rust build up. I recommend PB Blaster having had excellent results to free rusted nuts and bolts.
put the nut back on loose and hit it with a rubber mallet or brass drift.
Take a picture of the spacers on the caliper side, assuming they are on correctly as you may not remember in a few weeks when it is time to reassemble.
You have a busy time ahead. As the manual tells how to do things it does nnot mention all the tricks and details that are on this site. I would suggest trolling the forum and looking at the tech section.
Always best to ask first if you are not sure saves breaking stuff or having to do it over.

Phil

Manual available from Marshall's site.
http://www.ringler.us/family/mybike.html

[FranksBMW]

Hi Ian. I did find an owners' manual on the 'net and it mentioned a wire/string/chain tool that goes from the end of the swing arm on one side, and goes over the wheel to the end of the other arm, in the section about removing the rear wheel. That left me confused.

But I can drift it out? Great.

[MaximPhil]

Frank,
The LEFT SIDE cover LOCKS on. You need the ignition key to release it.
look for a barrel on the front side with a flip cover.
Save everything some items are no longer available and used ones can be very expensive.

78 had a Kick starter lever that was stored on the bike down near the frame" V" below the side cover. Yours may be long gone
Phil

[motoman]

Hi Ian. I did find an owners' manual on the 'net and it mentioned a wire/string/chain tool that goes from the end of the swing arm on one side, and goes over the wheel to the end of the other arm, in the section about removing the rear wheel. That left me confused.

But I can drift it out? Great.

You'll notice tiny hook thingys' on each side of swing-arm for cable to hook onto. Doing this on the 78-80 Standards allows easy accsess to axle nut, and pulling axle without exhaust removal(cable holds suspension UP to clear exhaust.......a cable or whatever works too. Hope that removed any confusion you may have had. Just remember, whatever you use, it loops up OVER rear fender, not wheel.....THEN raise rear of bike off ground.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Frank.

When I sent you your membership confirmation email, I also included links to Catatonic Bug's website where you could download user and service manuals....did you actually read the email, or just figure you were good to go and just jumped on/signed on!?

The wire device is to help contract the shocks to pull the axle clear of the exhaust pipe, but if you have the pipes off, or aftermarket that don't interfere with the axle clearing to the side, then you don't need the wire device anyways. And just the weight of the wheel and such keeps a fair amount of pressure on the rear axle, as well as some rust often forms on it, and between it and the inner spacers in the wheel, which creates more friction. I've used a large screwdriver to assist in tapping it out so that it wouldn't damage the threads.

When trying to rotate the engine, don't use the square nut head of the timing plate on the left side, it's not that strong. Take the ALT cover off of the right side. The bolt holding the ALT rotor loosens CCW which is the same direction the engine turns from that side, so trying to use that hex nut may not provide a good vantage, but folks will put large screwdrivers THRU the holes/ports of the rotor and you can then apply some decent leverage to rotate the engine if it's tough to rotate. Would highly suggest taking the cam cover off to check out the condition of the cams/valves, and ensure that the chain tensioner is still snug so that the cams will stay in time so you won't bend valves.

T.C.

[FranksBMW]

Thanks .

[FranksBMW]

Removed the old battery.

Still can't get the rear axle out. I'm striking the left side end with an ax using a piece of 2x4 so as not to damage the threads. The cinch bolt is removed from the right side. The axle moves side to side only 2-3mm but rotates easily. Guess it's frozen to an inner bearing race. Do I continue to whack it?

[3Phase]

Ax!

Frank,

Put the rear axle nut back on the threads to protect them but reverse it so the castellated part is facing in, then use the ax to break it loose, hopefully without turning yourself into the Tin Woodman.

[FranksBMW]

Thanks Scott, got it, with my 8lb hammer.

Removed the rear wheel (love the way the rear fender back flips up - my BMW does not have that feature), rear brake caliper, master cylinder, and reinstalled the rear wheel.

I was able to shift the trans from 1st to neutral. Now I have a roller that I can move around my crowded garage. Fuel petcocks and brake callipers are ready for rebuild.

I could not find the kick start lever (gone) but i can check to see if the engine is seized by pushing the bike while in 2nd gear. Tomorrow.

[IanDMacDonald]

I'm confused. Why not pull the side cover, and turn the engine by hand as TC mentioned.

[FranksBMW]

I'm confused. Why not pull the side cover, and turn the engine by hand as TC mentioned.

Yes, that is also a viable option.

[FranksBMW]

Good news: just came back from the garage - I removed the spark plugs, put the trans in 2nd gear, pushed the bike forward, and confirmed that the motor is not seized. Big relief.