XS1100 won't run Issues (New Owner, Help appreciated!)

[Ccitis]

Double check the pickup coil wires! Use a VOM at the connector for the ICU and pull each wire a little bit. Just a thought.

You mentioned this before, I replied saying I am DUMB when it comes to electrical. I have a multimeter... can you elaborate on what I am looking for here? Is the ICU the ignition box under the seat? What wires am I checking? Cheers.

[Ccitis]

Sounds like there is still some crud in the pilot circuit.

I can't imagine how... the carbs look pretty damn clean. Carb cleaner comes flying out of any passage I blow it into... compressed air as well... Cleaned them a few times now....

[DiverRay]

OK, lets try this!
1. Unplug the 4 connector plug from the TCI (ignition control module)
2. With a DVM (multimeter) set to Ohms check the resistance on the white/red to white/green wires. This should be about 720 Ohms, plus minus 20%. So you are looking for about 680 to 750 Ohms.
3. Now check the yellow/green to yellow/red connectors. It should be close to the same as the first pair.
4. Once you have that base resistance have someone pull on the wires at the pickup coils with the VOM on the connectors. You are looking to see if the resistance changes AT ALL! And change will be a probable wire break internal to the insulation.
5. to help, pull on wires from both pickup coils while testing each pair, that way you KNOW you have them tested.
6. One of the big problems from day one was the crimp used to keep the wires in place. They didn't allow for movement at all, and that is what breaks them internally. Loosen the crimp on the wires next to each pickup coil just a little so the wire can slide in and out will keep the problem from showing up again.

[Ccitis]

OK, lets try this!
1. Unplug the 4 connector plug from the TCI (ignition control module)
2. With a DVM (multimeter) set to Ohms check the resistance on the white/red to white/green wires. This should be about 720 Ohms, plus minus 20%. So you are looking for about 680 to 750 Ohms.
3. Now check the yellow/green to yellow/red connectors. It should be close to the same as the first pair.
4. Once you have that base resistance have someone pull on the wires at the pickup coils with the VOM on the connectors. You are looking to see if the resistance changes AT ALL! And change will be a probable wire break internal to the insulation.
5. to help, pull on wires from both pickup coils while testing each pair, that way you KNOW you have them tested.
6. One of the big problems from day one was the crimp used to keep the wires in place. They didn't allow for movement at all, and that is what breaks them internally. Loosen the crimp on the wires next to each pickup coil just a little so the wire can slide in and out will keep the problem from showing up again.

Ok, thank you for this. There is definitely a problem. It jumps all over the place when I touch the advance mechanism... No break is obvious... but clearly the meter is showing an issue there. Now we are onto something. I looked at the pickup coil repair guide here on this site, and it says to tug on the wires to see where it is broken. Tugging did not show much... so how to figure out where the break is, and how to fix it...

[bikerphil]

I can't imagine how... the carbs look pretty damn clean. Carb cleaner comes flying out of any passage I blow it into... compressed air as well... Cleaned them a few times now....

Well, just saying, those are classic symptoms, dying while applying the throttle without the enricher usually means blocked pilot circuit. Did you verify that each pilot jet (ones down in the tunnel) are 100% clear when holding them up to the light? Also, when spraying down the pilot jet tunnel, the spray should come out I think 3 different places.

[DiverRay]

You need to try and find the type of wire that is designed to flex. The wire type is used in most robotic applications, and some aircraft, for wire that is near joints that must move. Online is probably the best pace to look.
To repair when you cannot see the break, go about 1cm from the coil and replace the next 2cm. That will fix 90% of the wires. I like to use a short but splice connector that is NOT insulated for it. Once done, paint a little "liquid tape" over the connector and any exposed wire and you should be good to go. One big thing is leave room for the new wires to slide back and forth through the crimp. I like to try and shape it more as a circle, so it keeps the wires out of the rotating parts but does not try to keep them from flexing and moving as needed.
Some people have used the lead wires for DVM's for this. I've found that the insulation is too thick for my liking.

[Ccitis]

Well, just saying, those are classic symptoms, dying while applying the throttle without the enricher usually means blocked pilot circuit. Did you verify that each pilot jet (ones down in the tunnel) are 100% clear when holding them up to the light? Also, when spraying down the pilot jet tunnel, the spray should come out I think 3 different places.

Yep, 100 percent clear.

[Ccitis]

You need to try and find the type of wire that is designed to flex. The wire type is used in most robotic applications, and some aircraft, for wire that is near joints that must move. Online is probably the best pace to look.
To repair when you cannot see the break, go about 1cm from the coil and replace the next 2cm. That will fix 90% of the wires. I like to use a short but splice connector that is NOT insulated for it. Once done, paint a little "liquid tape" over the connector and any exposed wire and you should be good to go. One big thing is leave room for the new wires to slide back and forth through the crimp. I like to try and shape it more as a circle, so it keeps the wires out of the rotating parts but does not try to keep them from flexing and moving as needed.
Some people have used the lead wires for DVM's for this. I've found that the insulation is too thick for my liking.

Found the break by pulling on the wires. By the crimp point. Both wires broken... now we are onto something. I will look into repairing this... I am terrible at soldering... so will look into options here including your splice connector idea. I had to remove the bottom position sensor to get this sorted. Is this going to cause me issues? Really appreciate your help, it seems you have solved a major problem on the bike.

[LAB3]

You don't want to use solder since the wires are extremely fine and you run the risk of melting through them! You're going to want to CRIMP the wires together with a metal barrel shaped piece which you can often find at a hardware store, look where the drawers full of single nuts and bolts are to find them. A previous post mentioned using liquid tape which would probably work just fine, I used shrink tubing on mine.

[DiverRay]

Open up that crimp so the wires can slide a little before you put things back together. You can pull the protective sheath back a few cm so the splice is not at the crimp, but behind it about 1cm. I like to stagger the splice points, so the sheath will slide back over the wires. ----==--___==_____------- (==) is the splice locations.
Heat shrink tube works, but is not flexible. Wires need to flex at that location.

[DEEBS11]

These are the crimps LAB3 is talking about

https://www.ebay.com/itm/22533030972...Bk9SR6Ce-ZqtYg

[Ccitis]

Got it... won't solder, will use un insulated crimp connectors. I will use liquid tape. Regarding the sensor I took off, does it need to be back in a precise location?

[DEEBS11]

Here is some flex wire

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40437347704...Bk9SR7aq1pqtYg

[Ccitis]

These are the crimps LAB3 is talking about

https://www.ebay.com/itm/22533030972...Bk9SR6Ce-ZqtYg

Yes, this is what I grabbed. Thanks.

[DEEBS11]

Might want 20AWG.