New owners - list of jobs before running and riding

[bluedayt]

And here's another one. My bike wasn't going when I bought it. Ever since I'd got it running it idled rough and had a pretty bad knocking noise at low revs but disappeared over about 2000rpm. After lots of stressing over the prospects of replacing main bearings, pulling the head off to check for dropped valves Id actually went back to basics and found the vacuum line was connected to where the Octopus Vac line was supposed to be and visa-versa. I swapped the lines over & hey presto, all sweet. It may be a good idea to put on the list to check all vacuum lines as well because man, i've lost a few nights sleep over a simple, simple thing.

Cheers

[essjay]

haha thats nothing, in my younger days, i was riding and my bike at the time (honda xl500) lost all power and went completely sluggish, horrible noises coming from her, nothing metallic just bogging right down. It lead to me stripping the engine, and as these things go, while the engine is out may as well do this, that, the other. One ground up rebuild later, and a lot of late nights and spent dollars. Engine goes back in, fire her up - the exact same symptoms.


The culprit at the end of it all was the single carby's main jet had vibrated loose and fallen out. 5 mins or less with a couple of screwdrivers and she would have been just fine.

I always remember that experience, any time i have any issue with my bikes, or cars, or anything mechanical for that matter. It was a great experience, and my first engine build, my first timing chain, my first many things. But it was entirely unnecessary.

The simple things are much easier/faster/cheaper to check and fix, so always start there unless all the evidence points to something else.
And then check the little things AS WELL anyway, because its good practice to!

[steptoe]

glad my visit inspired you mate 

[Eveready1100]

Just experienced firsthand the beauty of the philosophy of checking the simple things first before diving into major surgery. I'd been running my bike for about the last two years with only one horn operating. Being too busy to check it out plus the fact that the single horn (Bosch Superhorn)seemed plenty loud enough to ward off evil car drivers, I just let it go till now. I'd just had a visit from Steptoe and we'd been discussing the upcoming trip to brissie for the concourse and after he left, put another coat of primer on the trailer body then went in to kill some time while the paint dried.
        Decided to finally have a look at why the offending horn didn't work. Checked that I had power to the horn wiring. Out came the spanners and within minutes had the thing in pieces all over the bench. Nothing looked to be out of place with all connections still clean and firm inside, I reassembled it, cleaning all the bits as it went together. Mounted the thing (pretty heavy at 1.5kg each) and gave it a try...... Nothing.
Pulled the two spade connectors off the back again and checked them out. There was just a tiny hint of corrosion in the earth one so I gave it a clean, reconnected and it worked! Reconnected the other one and gave it another hit. OMG!!!  I didn't realise how much louder the sound would be with the second horn chiming in, but in my little garage, it was deafening. Just goes to show that if I'd checked the connections at the back first, which are dead easy to get at, there wouldn't have been any reason to go poking around its innards and saved me about 2 hours work.

[steptoe]

the simpler things in life are often the best,,FOR EXAMPLE,,

the valve clearance tip-----------------------I write and have piles of info written down under the bonnet for the car on 100 mph tape,, in the service manuals for the bikes,, part numbers in a book here in the house,

but have NEVER thought to write those measurements down anywhere,,

top post Melb,, thanx mate

[melbxs]

I created this list of tasks after getting my XS back OTR. All of the credit goes to the people who wrote the original posts. It has helped a few on the UK site. Hope it helps a few more here.
 
You've just picked up an XS1100, it's previous owner seems to have looked after it (mostly), but it probably needs a couple of tweaks before you take it for a proper run. The experienced members of the clugister have put some thought into the tasks you should perform before you organise that camping trip or tour of Europe  :frog:.

The following list details, first, the Safety Checks, and then, the Maintenance Tasks that you should perform as a matter of course before putting any major miles on your bike. There are links to more detailed instructions and you can, of course, ask additional questions in Advice Needed.

It will be much easier for the gurus on the board to offer you advice if you have already carried out most of the tasks detailed below.

These are the essential jobs and checks, not "nice to haves" or hot mods.

Safety Checks

Check condition of:
Tyres (worn, cracked or very hard - replace. 5 years can be used as a maximum lifespan if you want to be sure of safety and performance)
Tyre clamp studs Link to description and solution
Brake pads (replace)
Brake calipers (best stripped for inspection and cleaning - should not be sticking or rubbing)
Brake hoses (look for splits and bulges)
Carb boots (rubber between carbs and engine)
Shock Absorbers (sticky or sloppy - rebuild or replace)
Check all of the fuel lines for leaks and or wear/damage. Dismantle and clean the Vaccum valve in the fuel line and replace the diaphragm - replace all fuel lines if necessary Link to fuel line replacement details

Maintenance Tasks

1.   Change Engine Oil
2.   Change Middle Gear and Final Drive Oil
3.   Change Fork Oil
4.   Change brake fluid
5.   New plugs
6.   Wash or replace Air Filter
7.   Drain Fuel Tank - inspect for corrosion
8.   Drain Carb Float Bowls
9.   Replace petcock seals if leaky
10. Check HT leads for spark leakage - Link to discussion
11.  Check battery condition and charge (use multimeter) - Link to instructions
12.  Clean all major contact points  - Link to instructions
13.  Set cam-chain tension Link to instructions
14.  Oil throttle and clutch cables
15.  Synchronise carbs - Link to XS11.com instructions
Link to Throttle Valve Setup
Link to Mixture Setup

16.  Check valve clearances - Tip here -
17.  Check and repack steering head bearing, swing arm bushings, wheel bearings
18   Remove drive shaft and slap loads of grease in under grease nipple
19.  Grease final drive splines on rear wheel - Link to XS11.com instructions
20.  Check fuses are intact and held in firmly - Link to fusebox maintenance thread , Options for replacement
21.  Check the blind plugs on the carb boots (aka intake stub vacuum take-off caps) are still soft and air tight
22.  Check that the vacuum line to the pickup coils is connected to the No. 2 carb (not the carb boot)
23.  Check pickup coil wires for damage and reroute to avoid future problems. Link to XS11.com instructions
24.  If your bike is driveable run 1/2 bottle of fuel injector cleaner through a tank of petrol. This will give your carbs a bit of a clean and may mean you can use the bike without having to completely strip your carbs. (fingers crossed)


You can also check out this thread on XS11.com Link to XS11.com newbies

Shopping List


Engine Oil - 10w 40 - 3 litres Not Synthetic
Middle/final drive oil - 1 litre needed
Fork Oil - 15w - 1/2 litre
Black molydenum for driveshaft splines
Lithium grease for bearings
Brake fluid - Dot 3 or 4
Fuel injector cleaner fuel additive (Valvoline for example)
Spark Plugs - NGK BP6ES
Oil Filter - Yamaha part number 1J7-13440-91-00
Air Filter - Yamaha part number 2H7-14451-00-00
                     Or go for a K&N filter, part number YA-1400

Likely Shopping List
Petcock Repair Kits (PM Brian for details)
(New HT Leads and NGK cable splicers - Link ) or (New coils and HT leads - http://www.mikesxs.com/)
or replace coils with good 2nd hand ones - Link to VF1000 coils mod

Brake pads

Multimeter


Where should you buy all this stuff? and what should it cost?

Jeff's thought of that here: Link to parts price discussion

Visit Georgefix on Ebay - Georgefix on EBay

Work out what you need and order in large batches to save on postage. Ask on the messageboard to find out where the best prices can be had for items.