Rough running

[chrisr]

I am sure this has been dealt with many times, but as a new member of this forum please bear with me. I have a 1980 XS1100 Special which was stored for many years. In 2003, I had the carbs rebuilt, a stuck valve on number four repaired and the brakes repaired. All was well for 2003 but last summer the bike was reluctant to run off choke. It would cut out at lights etc and was also running a little rough at low RPM's. Once running at higher speed there was no problem. I checked the pipes, all seemed to be nice and hot. Any ideas ? It starts right up, but having to run on the choke with the revs up draws some odd glances from the local constabulary. Thanks, Chris.

[skids]

Re: Rough running

The "choke" is really meant for running the bike to warm it up. If you open the Throttle, it destroys vacuum to the choke jets (enrichener). I suggest that you war up the bike with the choke and while it is warming, decrease the choke to the middle click. Do not ride the bike until it will hold an idle with no choke. I suspect that when you were at the light, the bike was already warmed up and the choke was on, the choke was not needed and you were running it to rich as a result. My 2 cents.

Originally posted by chrisr
(snip)All was well for 2003 but last summer the bike was reluctant to run off choke. It would cut out at lights etc and was also running a little rough at low RPM's. Once running at higher speed there was no problem. (snip)

[RUSH]

its time to clean the carbs. I had the same problem,the bike ran great over 4k rpm and crap below it. Clean your carbs.

[chrisr]

I figured it was probably the carbs, and I forgot to say that the bike loses fuel if I forget to shut off the petcocks. What should I expect though, I paid $1,200 for the all the work, a flooded original air filter box caught fire the second day I had it back caused by a stuck float valve and all this in less than eighteen months ? I have been reading through the forums and see a lot of similar problems to mine, how is it that my 57 Karmann Ghia that has been sitting since 1972 fired right up without having to rebuild the carb, but my bike sits warm and dry through one winter and needs the carbs cleaning for the second time in as many years?

[RUSH]

the bikes fuel is gravity fed so if the seals in the petcocks are bad and your floats are bad fuel can keep coming and gum things up. Plus the bike is a little more finicky than the ghia, which could evaporate all the fuel in the bowl and no more would come in cause it has a fuel pump to bring the fuel to it.
You didnt seriously park the ghia for 30+ years and just re start it. You had to at least drain the fuel tank and put in new fuel, install an new battery, change the oil and hopefully prime the pump. In that much time the seals on the motor will be so bad the thing will need a rebuild anyway??

[chrisr]

LOL, I changed the oil, plugs and wires, battery etc before giving it some fresh gas and a fuel filter. I spun it by hand, then cranked it with the plugs out, then with the plugs in it fired right up! Smoked like an oil rig fire set by an Iraqi for a few minutes but alarmingly it ran just fine. Shocked the crap out of me! BTW, before I stored the bike, I popped some "stabil" in the gas tank and ran it for a while to circulate it through the carbs. My f#cki#g lawn mower and snow blower get the same deal and blast right into life every season and they have some pretty small (albeit simple) carburation doohickies. I will concede that the XS11 is a necessarily more complex issue but after just one winter ? Sheesh. Chris.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Chris,

Welcome to XS11 Heaven/Hell ! ! You may be able to get them cleaned up by running some SEAFOAM thru it, without having to take the carbs off or have them disassembled/cleaned!! Yes, fuel gum and varnish can really mess up the fine idle circuits, which is what you need for just off idle acceleration. Try the SeaFoam first. Then run it in every few tankfuls to keep things cleaned out. Or also use Techroline carb/injector cleaner, similar product. This may also help to unstick your float valve, but remember to turn the petcocks to OFF whenever you shut the engine down.
T.C.

[RUSH]

I agree with you, it dosnt make sence. Ive let mine sit for up to 6 months and never had a problem. Maybe it was because it sat warm all the time and the fuel in the bowls evaporated and gummed up the pilot jets. I had to pull the carbs off 3 times in Jan before I finally got the last of it cleaned. (nothing like doing the job right the first time!) I neglected to completly strip them down and pull the pilot jets, I thought that cleaner and compressed air whould be enough, but there was some little piece of gunk blocking one. I guess that should be expected though after letting it sit for 2 years. The fuel in tank wouldnt light when I poured it out and tossed a match to it.
Its not really that difficult to clean them, the hardest part is removing the suckers from the bike and reinstalling them. But with enough practice you can get it down to less than an hour in and out.

[chrisr]

Hi Rush, I remember when I was a kid in England and it seemed like every home had an old motorbike in the back yard. It was a pretty cheap old thing, usually a two-stroke that had been used as a commuter tool for the impoverished post war masses to get to and from work. Back then, most folks could only afford one car, so the bike was a necessary spare form of transportation. Now, me and my friends would beg steal or borrow these bikes, clean them up and cut our motorcycle teeth by terrorising the neighborhood enroute to the local farms for some off road riding. Funny thing is, we would clean/replace the plugs and points, stick in some fresh gas and by hook or crook we were up and running. In all that time, with a whole variety of makes and models, ( BSA Bantams, Triumph Tiger Cubs, Aerial, AJS, Greaves, Villiers etc) I cannot recall EVER cleaning a carb unless water had seeped in through a missplaced gas cap. AND, if we were lucky, the machine might even have enough gas to ride away. I could be wrong, but I wonder if the advent of unleaded fuel gave rise to additional problems like varnishing etc. Once again, these bikes had simpler carburettors than todays machines, but WTF, they all had tiny little jets. When I was eighteen, I got my first XS1100, I had a spell of five months without riding due to a dislocated hip (don't ask)while the XS sat under a tarp through rain wind and snow. When I was fit enough to ride it again, all I did was charge the frickin battery and fire her up!!! I never had problems like I do now, but I guess on the bright side it means we can buy these poor or non running bikes for dirt. I paid $500 for my 1980 XS with 2700 on the clock!! I am just pissed that after only 350 miles since the rebuild, the co#k suc**r needs another round of carbs off attention!!! Next winter, if my patience holds out I am going to devise another strategy for keeping the crap out of the jets. I am thinking that if I run the sucker dry of fuel, run diesel or avgas into the carbs via the primer (and remember to drain it in the spring), I might just be able to start it up and enjoy it!! Regards, Chris.

[RUSH]

If you are planning on sending your bike back to the shop and possibley paying another grand for your carbs to be cleaned you need to rethink that. I dont know for sure its your carbs but thats my best guess on where to start. Ive also repaced the pickup coils and rectifier on my bike as well as a thorough cleaning of the brake system so I know what can go wrong and what a pain it can be to figure it out. If you get them off ship them to me and Ill get the carbs straightend out. Next year just pull the fuel taps of and drain the gas out of the bowls and there shouldnt be a problem or just take her out every other weekend.

[chrisr]

Screw it

I really don't need a bike that acts like a spoiled child. If anyone is interested in a 1980 XS1100 Special, Black with red metal flake(original apart from air filters) seriously, still wears factory tires with 3050 miles showing and NO reason to suspect otherwise according to documentation. Drop me a line. I love this thing, but I can't stand the constant aggravation. THE BEST BIKE EVER BUILT?????????? F**K off. Chris. P.S, appreciate the support from you guys, but you you must be deluded as to the availability of other more powerful machinery available for the money. And that doesn't mean that I'll give it away!!!!! Tire kickers and Gob ****es, take a back seat to the genuine appreciati. Chris.

[chrisr]

Lost cause

I really think that I have lost the will to play. Figure, at age sixteen, no problem too tough to deal with. At age twenty five, more money than brains. At thirty five, light comes on, and have to seriously consider the fact that previous age related strategy has serious design flaws not previously recognised by immature thought processes. Fourty plus, Mid-life induced crisis, just can't be bothered anymore. The need to enjoy the power and freedom of a kickass piece of nostalgia is out-weighed by the constant attention of the sperm induced needs of a fresh generation who God damn it, I feel the perverse need to relate too, the wonders and magical times that I as a child enjoyed. The proverbial penny finally clinks into place. I am getting sick and tired of the feel good factor of my youth!! Put into simple terms, the pre-pubescent bike of my dreams is not only freely available, but like myself shares a cantkerous desire to thwart any and all claims to the prospect of freedom. Chris.

[skids]

Re: Screw it

I have 3 of 'em, Chris. Yes, they are OLD. If you want old bikes, you work on old bikes. When you sort things out and then take care of them like you should, they run fine.

Get a new bike. That way, you will have some time before you have to eventually do things for it. Then trade it in before it needs more care. Hell, some needs to buy the bikes brand new so I can pick up good used bikes! =:-)

PS, I hope you can sort through your age crisis thing! Am I ever going to get there? Have I passed it yet? Some say at 49, I am a damn grouch...

Originally posted by chrisr
I really don't need a bike that acts like a spoiled child.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Chris,

Did you see my earlier reply about SEAFOAM, it's a great product and will probably alleviate your carb woes pretty quickly!

Why should you expect your bike to behave any different than you do , would you have dislocated your hip 25 years ago?? Just like us older guys, we can still deliver the performance, but just need a little more preventative maintainance! I know if I sit around for a while, I need to take it easy and get warmed up before running full charge, not to mention even doing some reconditioning activity first!!

I drove my XS11 for 9 years straight without ever having to work on the carbs, then tranny crapped out, parked for 9 years, then got back to it, rebuilt it, and aside from an occasional sticking float valve, and misadjustment of pilot screws too rich for altitude, it's been running great for 4 years, it sits for months at a time in the winter, I use Sea Foam, and it still starts up with just a few turns. Hope you can refind your patience for this FINE machine, but if not, I'm sure you'll find a serious buyer, but anything worth having is worth a little work.....IMHO.
T.C.

[hollywoodxs11sf]

Preventive Starting

It only takes 5 minutes to pull a tarp off and hit the start button once a week.