anybody out there live close to Wharton, TX?

[robywan_kenobi]

Just wondering if anybody in the associationl lives close by. I am in Wharton, TX. Approximately 60 miles Southwest of Houston. It would be nice to know if someone knowledgeable about my bike was close by so I could pick their brain on occasion.

[John]

You might want to give Pathfinder a yell. He lives in the Houston area. One of the administrators, Wayne, lives there also. SKSXS1100 is near Beaumont area. I'm near Ft.Worth.

[Tinman]

Wharton area...

I live in Manvel 288@hwy 6.
In case you don't know where Manvel is everyone knows where Alvin is.
You are welcome to pick my brain although these days there ain't much to pick. I have a friend that lives in Wharton that is towards the end of recovering from a bike accident. Younguns!...;-)
Email me and I'll send you my phone number.
tinman047@sbcglobal.net
XSTin does not get out much since I got a Valkyrie Interstate.
I need to sell it. Bothers me it's just sitting there.
Now one of the float bowls has started leaking when on the side stand. Think it's just the gasket that needs replacing.
Take Care!
Keep the rubber side down!

[pathfinder]

I'm here

Don't know how much help I can be but if you need to, contact me at delzell@iname.com and I'll get you a phone #.
Welcome to the best site on the net for info on all XS/XJ's

[Do Lee]

I'm just down the road from you in Victoria about 60 miles farther south on US 59. E-mail address dlk61257@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

[robywan_kenobi]

thanks

Hey thanks for the reply Tinman and Pathfinder. I'm a new bike owner - bought an '81 XS1100H in December - 1st bike ever and so not real savvy on all the mechanicals. Thing is, the bike runs pretty good although it's a little rough at idle and until the revs build a little, I think maybe the idle mixture screws need to be adjusted or the carbs gone through and cleaned, maybe a valve adjustment. Thing is, the bike has become my only mode of transportation during the week, wife drives the car and son driving my truck, so I'm not real anxious to tear it all down and then not have it back on the road by Monday morning. I don't really know of a good shop to take it to and if they could get the work done in a couple days. So I'm just riding it, trying to decide what I need or want to do. Any info you guys, or anyone else, could give would be greatly appreciated.

[sksxs1100]

My 78E was my first bike. I have worked on cars plenty but this was my first venture into bikes... so far i have done 2nd gear, fork seals and a almost total strip and re paint (needs it again).
Give me a shout and i will try to help any way i can... plus it gives me a good reason to go for a good ride on the weekend when i get it cleaned up again... sksxs1100@hotmail.com
and i also just got the new digital phone... unlimited long distance anywhere in the cont US and canada so could always try to help that way too

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Robywan,

Put a whole can of SeaFoam in the tank, top it off and drive it, and you will probably see an improvement in it's behavior near the end of that tankful!! Hopefully you changed all the fluids when you got it, put new plugs in it, new battery, replaced air filter, inspected vacuum hoses for cracks, leaks. Read the tech tips, and you'll find lots of things you can do yourself that are not that technically challenging, and can save you$$ and down time. I drove mine when I got it for 9 years, I don't think I ever had the valve clearances adjusted!? More likely, dirty carbs, perhaps a cam chain adjustment.

The Idle mixture screws=pilot screws are sealed under brass caps in that year, so unless the P.O. drilled them out, you won't be able to adjust them UNTIL you remove them. I'd try the Seafoam first!!
T.C.

[robywan_kenobi]

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
Hey there Robywan,

Put a whole can of SeaFoam in the tank, top it off and drive it, and you will probably see an improvement in it's behavior near the end of that tankful!! Hopefully you changed all the fluids when you got it, put new plugs in it, new battery, replaced air filter, inspected vacuum hoses for cracks, leaks. I drove mine when I got it for 9 years, I don't think I ever had the valve clearances adjusted!? More likely, dirty carbs, perhaps a cam chain adjustment.

The Idle mixture screws=pilot screws are sealed under brass caps in that year, so unless the P.O. drilled them out, you won't be able to adjust them UNTIL you remove them. I'd try the Seafoam first!!
T.C.

Hey TopCat, thanks for the info. Is SeaFoam better than Gumout? I have run a tank or two of fuel with Gumout in it. I have also synced the carbs with a set of vacuum tubes. Gonna do that again in the next couple of weeks. As far as checking all the fluids and such, I know the PO personally and all those things you mentioned were done by him previous to me picking up the bike. I don't know that he checked all the vacuum hoses, but I have sprayed WD-40 around all the hoses with the bike running and heard no change in RPM. As a matter of fact the PO rebuilt the entire front end before he would let me pick up the bike. He said one of the seals was leaking. Then when he ordered those parts he went ahead and ordered new progressive springs and put those in as well. Tires, oil, exhaust, spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, oil filter, and new seat cover all had less than 500 miles on them when I bought the bike. I paid $1500, is that a good price? I figured tires alone worth $300 anyway. I have looked at the carbs and believe the brass plugs have already been drilled out. In any event if everyone believes SeaFoam to be better than Gumout, I'll give that a try. I'll check those vacuum hoses again too. All in all, I think the bike is running pretty good. I've been able to hit 50 mph in 1st gear, don't know if I should be able to do better than that or not. I'm thinking that's pretty fast for 1st. Anybody think differently, let me know.