Yamaha XS1100
- Thread starter tntmo
- Start date
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I picked up the bike this afternoon. Got home, and the seat was gone. Darn it!! I backtracked and fortunately found it, rookie mistake not to check if it was bolted down.
The bike is in pretty good shape, I think all the parts are here. Tomorrow I will hook up a battery and hopefully spin over the engine, start cleaning the carbs.
I also got a stack of 1980 motorcycle magazines that have reviews of the bike and a few original ads and Yamaha brochures.
The bike is in pretty good shape, I think all the parts are here. Tomorrow I will hook up a battery and hopefully spin over the engine, start cleaning the carbs.
I also got a stack of 1980 motorcycle magazines that have reviews of the bike and a few original ads and Yamaha brochures.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
Today I did a good look over on the bike, rolled the engine through a few revolutions by putting it in high gear on the center stand and turning the back wheel. I removed the old battery and found one in my garage that will work temporarily, hooked it up.
Turned on the key, got dash lights and all looked fine. I hit the start button and cranked it over a few seconds. Nothing sounding bad. I put a spare plug on the #1 wire, had good spark.
A spritz of carb cleaner into each intake boot, hit the start button and it revved for a second or two. There's life in the old gal!
Carb clean and rebuild is next.
Turned on the key, got dash lights and all looked fine. I hit the start button and cranked it over a few seconds. Nothing sounding bad. I put a spare plug on the #1 wire, had good spark.
A spritz of carb cleaner into each intake boot, hit the start button and it revved for a second or two. There's life in the old gal!
Carb clean and rebuild is next.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
You can smell it even with the tank closed. There's also some rust in the tank. I will be picking up some vinegar to de-rust the interior. This is an interesting design, two petcocks on the tank. I guess it all feeds down into a sort of vacuum powered pump and then back up to feed two carbs on each side. I have looked at the diagram a few times but haven't worried too much about it yet. Also, this bike has vacuum advance ignition which is a first for me on a motorcycle.
eemsreno
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I have owned a 1979 1100 special since new. about 180.000 miles on it.
Still runs great but I don't ride it much.
They are a rough riding bike to say the least. One time my wife and I rode it up the Ice Field Parkway and I told her " what in the world are we doing this far from home on this bike" She was tougher than me I think. Some magazine at the time showed how to take the forks apart and drill out the oil holes to try to get the forks to work.
They did have a few little problems but not much.
That second gear weakness only happened to hard users. I just ride mine normally.
One was that the engine would drop 2 cylinder's in the rain. But when you came to a stop it picked them back up. That was because when stopping and putting it in neutral it fixed the problem.
So I just grounded my neutral light switch wire and the neutral light has been on constantly for the last 40 years. but it runs fine in the rain now. Some bike magazine 40 years ago told how to fix that problem but I never got around to doing it and I have long forgotten what they said.
Another cylinder dropping problem was them vacuum advance ignition wires will internally brake. Just grab ahold of them wires and try to stretch them, If they stretch they are internally broke.
Another rare problem that is just about fatal is the starter one way clutch, if it won't grab to start the engine the cases must be split to fix it.
The slid diaphragms get little rips in them and the slides won't lift.
To adjust the cam chain tensioner follow the manual, do not turn over the engine with the tensioner bolt loose.
The biggest factor in me buying the special over the standard [which was a better touring bike] was the special had tubeless tires and the standard came with tube type. They never made the standard tubeless until 1980 or 81.
Hope you get some enjoyment out of it but the only reason I keep mine is it is the bike we rode to Yellowstone on our honeymoon 41 years ago.
Each year I ask Michelle if for our anniversary if she wants to ride the 1100 and retrace out honeymoon route. "Not a chance "
Still runs great but I don't ride it much.
They are a rough riding bike to say the least. One time my wife and I rode it up the Ice Field Parkway and I told her " what in the world are we doing this far from home on this bike" She was tougher than me I think. Some magazine at the time showed how to take the forks apart and drill out the oil holes to try to get the forks to work.
They did have a few little problems but not much.
That second gear weakness only happened to hard users. I just ride mine normally.
One was that the engine would drop 2 cylinder's in the rain. But when you came to a stop it picked them back up. That was because when stopping and putting it in neutral it fixed the problem.
So I just grounded my neutral light switch wire and the neutral light has been on constantly for the last 40 years. but it runs fine in the rain now. Some bike magazine 40 years ago told how to fix that problem but I never got around to doing it and I have long forgotten what they said.
Another cylinder dropping problem was them vacuum advance ignition wires will internally brake. Just grab ahold of them wires and try to stretch them, If they stretch they are internally broke.
Another rare problem that is just about fatal is the starter one way clutch, if it won't grab to start the engine the cases must be split to fix it.
The slid diaphragms get little rips in them and the slides won't lift.
To adjust the cam chain tensioner follow the manual, do not turn over the engine with the tensioner bolt loose.
The biggest factor in me buying the special over the standard [which was a better touring bike] was the special had tubeless tires and the standard came with tube type. They never made the standard tubeless until 1980 or 81.
Hope you get some enjoyment out of it but the only reason I keep mine is it is the bike we rode to Yellowstone on our honeymoon 41 years ago.
Each year I ask Michelle if for our anniversary if she wants to ride the 1100 and retrace out honeymoon route. "Not a chance "
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I just really like getting sitting bikes running again. I know it's old technology compared to anything today, but it's always fun to ride these old bikes to remind us why we love our current bikes.
Anyway, I got the carbs all cleaned up (there were pretty clean anyway) and installed them. Had a leak between the carbs so had to take them off again. Then I got an old tank I have laying around, hooked up the fuel lines and hit the starter. She fired right up. I got the carbs balanced, warmed up the bike and changed the oil. I took it down the street and back, everything works but it needs a lot of fine tuning.
Not too bad for the first real day of working on it.
Anyway, I got the carbs all cleaned up (there were pretty clean anyway) and installed them. Had a leak between the carbs so had to take them off again. Then I got an old tank I have laying around, hooked up the fuel lines and hit the starter. She fired right up. I got the carbs balanced, warmed up the bike and changed the oil. I took it down the street and back, everything works but it needs a lot of fine tuning.
Not too bad for the first real day of working on it.
You have more miles on single bikes, than I do on all the ones I've ridden. . . . combined. My '86 FJ is the same way. . . . as far as sentimentality. But we're only at 33 years.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
Been tinkering a bit between other projects, got the brakes kind of sorted out. I should really get master cylinder rebuild kits, but they work well enough for test riding in the neighborhood for now. The bike doesn't run perfect, and the idle was hanging between shifts. I sprayed some carb cleaner around and it seems like I need to replace the throttle shaft seals, so the whole bank has to come out and get split apart. I cleaned the inside of the tank out with a two day vinegar soak and it's looking pretty good. Everything works on the bike except for the speedometer (odometer does work though, and I have two spare speedometers). 15 minutes of detailing and it looks pretty nice in my opinion.
PhilPhilippines
Well-Known Member
Very similar in looks to my old Z750LTD - mine had straight stubby pipes on though, which won me the "nicest sounding"*** bike on a 200 bike West Herts Motorcycle Club run out to see the Severn Bore. If Nick had been there on his street 1.1 I would've been second lol. Looking grrreat! Enjoy!!
***everyone opened up through a tunnel on the way down, followed by pops, crackles and spitting flames! You know how tunnels go
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I've been working on a huge landscaping job, building a retaining wall in my front yard but still picking away at the old Yamaha.
Things I have done:
Rebuilt both petcocks (yes, this bike has two) and installed new fuel lines
Replaced some of the carb shaft seals (couldn't do all because some screws were not coming out)
Checked the valves and adjusted the one exhaust that was just below specs
Did a compression check, all were between 125-130 PSI
Installed an automatic cam chain tensioner from a VStar 650 (Yamaha and their CCT issues!)
Installed a seat cover
All fluids have been changed
Synchronized the carburetors
Took it around the neighborhood now that it's all together with the right parts. It runs really well and has a lot of grunt for a 41 year old bike. Handles like a long and heavy 41 year old bike, but it probably handled like that back in the 80's. My first short trip up the street and back the speedometer didn't seem to work, now it moves a bit but it's very slow to react and slow to drop back down, I think the gears or whatever inside of it are gummy. The brakes are adequate, they feel like most any old bike I have ridden....we sure get spoiled on modern machinery. The carbs still need some attention and the clutch makes a rattling sound when it's released. The noise goes away when you pull in the clutch.
I have a smoked windshield on the way along with an original luggage rack. Once those are installed and I take a good look at the clutch this bike is going to get ridden. One of by best buddies stopped by and saw it, fell head over heals in love with it and I am going to gift it to him after I get a few good rides on it.
Things I have done:
Rebuilt both petcocks (yes, this bike has two) and installed new fuel lines
Replaced some of the carb shaft seals (couldn't do all because some screws were not coming out)
Checked the valves and adjusted the one exhaust that was just below specs
Did a compression check, all were between 125-130 PSI
Installed an automatic cam chain tensioner from a VStar 650 (Yamaha and their CCT issues!)
Installed a seat cover
All fluids have been changed
Synchronized the carburetors
Took it around the neighborhood now that it's all together with the right parts. It runs really well and has a lot of grunt for a 41 year old bike. Handles like a long and heavy 41 year old bike, but it probably handled like that back in the 80's. My first short trip up the street and back the speedometer didn't seem to work, now it moves a bit but it's very slow to react and slow to drop back down, I think the gears or whatever inside of it are gummy. The brakes are adequate, they feel like most any old bike I have ridden....we sure get spoiled on modern machinery. The carbs still need some attention and the clutch makes a rattling sound when it's released. The noise goes away when you pull in the clutch.
I have a smoked windshield on the way along with an original luggage rack. Once those are installed and I take a good look at the clutch this bike is going to get ridden. One of by best buddies stopped by and saw it, fell head over heals in love with it and I am going to gift it to him after I get a few good rides on it.
I remember after riding the RT with it's power brakes for a couple of months, getting back on a KZ1000. I came up to a stop sign, and thought the brakes had stopped working. They hadn't, I had just gotten use to good/modern brakes.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I also just picked up this Italian beauty. I think I might have to do a quarter mile shootout between the two when I get it running.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
Got one of the spare speedometers swapped in, works much better. One of the funny things about these bikes is they had the 85 mph speedometer stock, it was some sort of early 80's law or something. I don't know how fast this bike can go, but an 85 mph speedometer on an 1100cc bike seems kind of silly. Anyway, there are a few other Yamaha models that have compatible speedometers so the one on it now goes to 160 so I guess the bike is almost twice as fast.
I also worked on the scooter, it's a 2003 Aprilia Atlantic 500. Big scooter! I got it from the original owner, it has 650 miles on it. He was getting too old to ride, so it just sat in the garage. I could tell the fuel pump wasn't working when I turned on the key, so I pulled it out to take a look. Well, Aprilia sells the pump but they want $700 for it! I had a Toyota fuel pump I had picked up a few years ago for another project laying in my cabinet, it was pretty close to the same size so I made it work. After a few more farm fixes I had the scooter up and running as well.
I also worked on the scooter, it's a 2003 Aprilia Atlantic 500. Big scooter! I got it from the original owner, it has 650 miles on it. He was getting too old to ride, so it just sat in the garage. I could tell the fuel pump wasn't working when I turned on the key, so I pulled it out to take a look. Well, Aprilia sells the pump but they want $700 for it! I had a Toyota fuel pump I had picked up a few years ago for another project laying in my cabinet, it was pretty close to the same size so I made it work. After a few more farm fixes I had the scooter up and running as well.
Well, I'm thinking you must be a youngster. 'Cuz, all of us old timers knows about the 85mph speedos, with 55 marked in red. That was supposed to inspire us not to speed, and save gas by doing 55mph. I looked at it totally different. . . .
Officer: do you know how fast you were going?
Me: my speedometer said I was only going 85.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I have had plenty of those bikes and cars....just haven't had one in a long time, sort of forgot about it and thought maybe some people here may not remember them either.