Bringing a 79' XS11 Special back to life

[87kawzl]

Good solid brakes now at the lever, no more sponge. The fluid was pretty dirty, flushed it well and cleaned the residue at the bottom of the MC. All ready for the rain to stop so I can actually test them out.

 

[R. J.]

Glad to here that the brake line up grade went well. . How long did it take you to bleed the brakes. The longest that I heard was six hours and six gallons of brake fluid. . Post up some pics of the new S. S. lines on the bike.

 

[2manybikes]

It sounds like it went well, no mention of "additional engineering" being required. The rear SS brake lines on my 81 Special were a PITA. Multiple calls to the supplier and some creative effort to make it work.

 

[87kawzl]

With Galfer, all of the fittings are the correct angle and orientation. 3 hose, just like the ZL1k. Wrapped rag under bottom of top hose undid that one then brought the end up and clamped it to the mirror. Did the lower 2 hoses then fitted the upper hose, master lost some juice but was still primed.

Went on to my tried and true bleed. Dab of silicone grease around the bleeder and vacuum line from nipple to bottom of bottle with some fluid in it since I was flushing. Usually I dip it into the master and clamp the line to the mirror if it's just a bleed. Slight pressure then open bleeder and finish the squeeze, close bleeder. Repeat till no bubbles. Once no bubbles are seen you can rapidly squeeze and release to make sure no bubbles float out the return hole in the master.

If I am priming the master I break out the mighty vac.

 

[87kawzl]

Hit washington county farmland and dodged some road apples. 3 hours total seat time touring around. The seat beads work pretty well but are slick on quicker stops. Suction cup phone holder went flying 1hr in, it must not have liked the curve of the windshield. The rest of the trip it held firm to the tach glass, lucky my lifeproof case and screen protector kept the phone from busting. It was a nice afternoon touring around some previously unknown roads.

 

[2manybikes]

Glad to hear the phone holder was the only malfunction during your trip. No great suggestions for the seat, like you said the seat foam is 41 years old. Personally I would rather sit on a harder seat than the beads, but thats just me. I do have a Saddleman seat with two defined seating positions (driver and passenger) that did not work well for me because of my height. I'll try to get a pic of it when I'm back where my Special is parked. Have you ever ridden a bike that you could get down to 25 or 30 in high gear and easily go back up to crusing speed without downshifting? These things are beasts. Welcome again to the fold!

 

[87kawzl]

Torque like a dump truck, 2500 and it just pulls no matter what kind of load or what gear (shifts like one too compared to the ZL). The ~$250 seats on ebay are looking better and better, they are lower too which helps my short a$$ hit the ground.

Well the front brakes were acting up again, great pressure then relax grip and pressure would bleed down when I put more pressure on the lever. Pulled the master for inspection of all the new seals and check assembly. Low and behold some major pitting towards the bottom of the hole. The parts lump has its master still, maybe just maybe....yes! A clean bore!!! Quite the crusty reservoir but the clean reservoir won't interchange. I'll get it all buttoned up tomorrow or the next day and bleed it out again hopefully for the last time.

 

[2manybikes]

Don't buy a seat until I look, what condition is your seat in?

 

[87kawzl]

Perfect 41yo condition seat. No tears, nice emblem. Hard vinal is the main issue, the pattern on the thing just knaws at ya. The padding is acceptable, just probably broken down a bit, very little rippling that you would see on worn seats. I was looking at https://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-Yamah...197437?hash=item1a4f74b1bd:g:5w8AAOSwh2Fa~7mM

If my cover was torn I wouldn't think twice about getting new foam and fitting a cover. Original XS seat will probably sit in the closet with my ZL seat since I have a spare that has been recovered that I normally use on the Kaw.

 

[87kawzl]

500 miles this summer shifting through second because any throttle will pop it out of gear. Now I am getting in deep, here comes the trans gear assembly out so I can back cut the dogs on second and grooves on fifth. I will finally be able to run it instead of putting around on it.

Since the exhaust has to come off, I am ditching the 4:1 mac/kerker for the headers off the parts bike, I need to cut the beat mufflers off and clamp on some sportster mufflers once I can find some.

Left and right sides stripped down. The cases will get shined up before they go back on. The front end will be hanging high from the joists so I can see what's going on under the bike during assembly.

 

[2manybikes]

The inside looks fairly clean for something the previous owner sat aside for an extended time. At least the case cleaning will be easier off the bike. Paint or polish for the replacement exhaust system? Kurt likes running Sportster mufflers on his.

 

[87kawzl]

One of the guys on the other site has a very clean special exhaust in Rochester NY. I have extended family up that way and was supposed to have it picked up @ Thanksgiving. There are some $50 sportster slip ons available on CL but I'm going to hold off for a while on pulling the trigger while I try to score the stock system. The 80 headers aren't too crusty so chrome will stay.

I'm hoping that the original will still be available when this Covid starts getting eradicated.

 

[COTTONTOP]

Nice looking bike. I am working on a 1981 XS1100 as well with only 38,000 miles. Got it running ok but bogs down when taking off. Any suggestions?

 

[87kawzl]

If you have the vac advance line hooked to #2 and everything else is sealed well in the system it may be the carbs. Are there aftermarket parts in them? It seems the fuse boxes can be weak and a 3 prong plug behind it can have poor connection. The plug wires can be clipped 1/4" and there are resistors in the caps like on the ZL. I am no expert on these but there are experts out there.

I'd suggest joining XS11.club, they are more than happy to help with any issues.

 

[2manybikes]

I'd suggest joining XS11.club, they are more than happy to help with any issues.

That would be my suggestion as well, great bunch over there. ( I may be a bit biased since I own more than one XS11!)

I would hold out for a stock exhaust if you can. Sporster mufflers are quite commom.

 

[87kawzl]

Scrubbing the aluminum, only a few covers to go. The scotch brite type pads for the die grinder are very harsh so I got things close with wet sanding, SOS pads, cotton pads on the die grinder with some mothers. Things are much more presentable but I think I'll cut and buff on the wheel before they go back on.

Nasty job.

 

[Ed]

When I cleaned up the discoloration from my clutch cover, I tried to keep the sheen down to match the other uniformly aged aluminum parts. The wheels still have some unsightly mottling that could use a little cleaning.

 

[87kawzl]

Yours looks very good. I'm not going to go for the full shine, no scratches polish job. Just looking to brighten the bike up. There aren't many examples with only 7700 miles. Since the exhaust is off its getting the steam clean on the front of the engine. Tons of nooks and crannies on these air cooled beasts. Steam cleaner works wonders top to bottom, especially the wires.

 

[Ed]

If I was working with really oxidized parts that I didn't care about restoring to a factory finish, I would use coarse to remove even the factory machine marks where most of the deep oxidation happens. That's what it would take to clean up my wheels so I haven't messed with them. I might do it anyway if I get bored. I just don't look forward to it. The blacked out rim sections seem faded but I'm not sure if they're supposed to be pure black.

 

[87kawzl]

What to do when you wake up to a sheet of ice on everything outside and 6-10" of snow forecast for the next couple of days.

Install this beautiful OEM exhaust that I picked up!