81' Special re-hab

[SNDSLGR]

Hello all. Looking for somewhere to document my progress while I slowly work thru this 81' special.



Got this from a guy at work, last registered in 1994. Overall in fair shape but nothing works obviously.

Phase 1 is simple, make it go and stop. Im not going to spend much time or money upgrading anything until I know it does those two things well.

[SNDSLGR]

Tank is ffirst up. Lots of rust, petcocks frozen, cap rotten etc.



After

[SNDSLGR]

I used 1 gallon of Phosphoric acid etcher/cleaner from HD (aprox 40% soulution) and mixed it with 5 gallons of 140* water then let it work for 4 hours. I wish I had let it go longer as you can see a slight amount of rust left but its a good start. Here are the petcock block-offs I made. Used a expandable soft plug for the top.



Cleaned the petcocks and replaced all rubber, the tower filters at $36 each just doesnt make sense to me so I cut the nasty medium out with a razor then used a soldering iron to "heal" the frayed edges. I plan to use a in line filter post-tank to keep my fuel clean.



Cap was also disassembled, cleaned and rubber replaced.

[SNDSLGR]

couldnt find the fiber gaskets in the correct size so i punched some out myself.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there,

Looks like you're off and running with the rehab work! Okay, you told us that it hadn't been registered since 1994, 23 years ago. But it looks like it was stored INDOORS, looks great! How many miles on the clock?

Have you tried to rotate the engine yet? When one has sat for so many years, a few spoonfuls of Marvel Mystery Oil into the spark plug holes and let sit overnight or 2 before attempting to rotate can help loosen flash rust. The MMO can also help loosen stuck/gummed rings, so several ounces in the oil wouldn't hurt when you first get it running. Don't worry about a compression test or the results too much. Many have found poor levels upon fresh restore, but after several hundred miles and rebreakin of rings, comp levels usually come up to normal/good levels.

Not sure what all you've read on the site? The valve lash is obtained with bucket/shims, and the clearances NARROW with engine wear to due hammering seats into head, so best to set clearances on wider end of spec.

The 81 has the Mech. cent. adv. curves built/programmed into the TCI, but still used mech. vac. adv. The OEM fuse holder is atrocious, highly recommend changing to ATCO style holder/fuses.

The petcocks require special kits to rebuild. The outer O-ring for the valve is very small/diameter and hard to source from generic ring sets, and the thick flat 4 holes valve rubber washer is critical to good seal, along with the wavy washer. Note that the plate has an "L" and "R" for keeping right and left sides correct, same for inside of the actual valve handle, keep together to maintain proper function. You have probably already discovered the OCTOPUS vac. controlled fuel valve mounted to the #2 carb. If you're not too worried about keeping full OEM, many folks discard the Octy, and plug off the front spigot of each petcock, and just run from the rear nipples for RUN, OFF, Reserve. The Prime position is just to bypass the Octy to fill carbs, and only flows out of front spigot, not needed when NO octy.

On the same subject about OEM, the Rototiller handlebars are wrist killers, and many/most folks end up swapping them out for older/earlier style Gold Wing style, similar rise/width/pullback, but angled wider/better for more ergonomic feel at the wrists. YMMV

Keep up the good work. Watch out, once you get it running well, you're going to be surprised at the power/speed/and even the torque. The torque won't necessarily be as much as your Harley, but you have a much wider power band to use, starts around 3k, and doesn't fall off until ~7.5K, don't be afraid to crank it up that far, these engines are quite strong and like to run up there. Also remember that the ALT doesn't even kick into full charging level until at least 2500 RPM, so don't LUG it, USE the Power/band/Rpm range, cruising at 4K is just fine, allows for both good engine braking as well as quicker throttle response for passing or just onramp performance.

T.C.

[DiverRay]

And as the bonus extra, you can win money off your HD buddies!! Once you have the bike running well, tell them you want to race, but a roll on in high gear. Start point is 25MPH in high, and first one to 100 wins. I've had a LOT of fun with my buddies that way, at least the first time. The old guys remember the bike and will NOT race!

[SNDSLGR]

Thanks guys.

The petcocks are all together with all new rubber parts, ive done quit a bit of restore work on various bikes over the years and am confident they will work as intended.

The bike was stored in a small dry lawnmower size wooden building on the back of a property. Once dusted off its in amazing shape actually. Surface rust on the chrome parts and oxidation on much of the aluminum but very little pitting/damage.

It does run, supposedly... the PO had no reason to lie as he gave this bike to me for free, he is getting older and while talking about neglecting his many projects this bike came up. When he said he was going to call a charity to haul it off for scrap I jumped on the idea as I was considering a xs650 project. The PO said he put fuel in it a year ago and fired it up, said it started right up but fuel just poured onto the floor so he shut it off.

9500 miles on the clock. Mystery oil already in the plug holes for good measure.

Handlebars will be the first purchase once i verify it running and make sure it gets thru the gearbox well and stops. I seen some 'euro' bars on another post that look good.

About me, Ive been riding my whole life, street since day after my 18th birthday. Somewhere abouts 180k miles on various bikes from VF750, GSXR, Intruder, FZ1 etc. I bought my first Harley in 2015 after shopping for better 2up bike so my wife could enjoy the experience with me. It took me over a year to pull the trigger because honestly I was pretty against HD.

Inline 4 go fast, sport tour type bikes where my interest. I test rode a friends street glide and liked it.. but buying one was another story. Test rode a goldwing, a Concours, a bmw K1600LT, and a FJR. I hated to admit it but the Ultra Limited was the right bike for what I was wanting to do. I loved the comfort, torque and mechanical feel of the gear box. Wife and I have put nearly 14k on it since last July and couldnt be happier for its purpose.

That being said Im looking forward to having a I4 to play with again.

[SNDSLGR]

some past fun...

85 VFR750


85 atc 250R sand bike


Guess that bucket site screwed me out of my FZ1 photos, how nice.

[SNDSLGR]

15 HD UL

[SNDSLGR]

OK back to work, front brakes are next.

ugh

[TopCatGr58]

Hey again,

Well, with that history of bikes, you are definitely experienced. The XS11 won't be anywhere as fast/quick as your VF750 or BMW, FZ1, it's older technology like an old muscle car.

Forgot to mention that another weak spot/design flaw is the cam chain tensioner. Check out the tech tips regarding the Automatic Cam Chain Tensioner MOD. With that low of mileage, it's barely broken in. But the cam chain was a faulty design, Yamaha upgraded it a few years later with the Vmax and other engines. The OEM can slip/come loose and cause cam chain to skip teeth and bend valves!

This thread is a discussion on a different MOD for the same problem.
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...nute+cam+chain

BTW, to view posts with Photobucket embedded photos, we have learned to get the Google Chrome browser and install the PB add on, and it will then display the photos. Just checked, still works! Please scroll thru the several pages of the thread, not just the first page for more info about replacing the CCT without loosing valve timing.

The front calipers ARE designed with slanted pads and a swivel design, and there are L and R sides for the pad sets. The best improvement in the performance and feel of the brakes is to install Stainless Steel braided lines vs. the OEM Vinyl that like to expand.

T.C.

[skids]

There is a huge list of "compatible" automatic tensioners. Do some research on this web site because some of those listed will NOT work. I bought one that did not have the correct range. It was money wasted after comparing stock with the compatible one. I tossed it in the trash.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Skids,

Did OUR list give you a bum steer for the incompatible one you got?? If so, which one(s) so that I/We can edit the listing to remove them. Let me know!

T.C.

[SNDSLGR]

Guess that bucket site screwed me out of my FZ1 photos, how nice.[/QUOTE]




Thanks topcat, it worked!

[skids]

Hey Skids,

Did OUR list give you a bum steer for the incompatible one you got?? If so, which one(s) so that I/We can edit the listing to remove them. Let me know!

T.C.

This is what did not work:

YAMAHA XT 600 CAM CHAIN TENSIONER UNIT
( 270389560678 )