81 XS 1100 Start

[excess.11]

As you ve just found out...........you have to go over ALL plug in connectors....give them a spray of contact cleaner and insert and remove them a few times..............
Here s the important part..........do it to every type of connector.....also break apart the handle bar switches and give them a good spray/clean as well.
There is a screw holding down 3 black wires onto the regulator/rectifier mounted on top of the frame under the tank.........it s a finned /heatsink component .Undo that screw..clean the thread and any paintwork which may prevent a good earth.......and re attach.
Do this also to the negative wire from the battery to the frame.......you ll also see a wire looping from the frame to the motor.........you lll need an allen key and phillip head screwdriverto remove/clean and reassemble that one..........these are just as important as the loom wiring connectors as they form the return path for many components.

On a couple of other subject.......unless you like endless tuning issues....and spending countless hours chasing your tail......leave the original air filter on the bike.

In a word............Pods on these bikes are troublesome with no running advantages to be gained and plenty of disadvantages to be lumped with.

While the cafe style is ok to look at.....did you take notice of the riding position that guy in the clip was in........not for day runs or touring thats for sure.........

On the subject of modifications .......these bikes sell far easier and get better prices if cleaned up and restored to their original specs .

But.........each to their own........good luck with whatever you choose.........

[BrettS]

It's Alive 


Found a suspect wire near the coil. Crimped it up and got a spark. Seemed like a small spark compared to what I remember on cars.

It still would not fire so I squirted a little fuel down each carby. Bang she's away.
Sounded nice no scary noises, seemed to idle well but didn't seem to ark up when I gave it some accelerator.
I shut it down shortly after. I will go over the checklist of things to do again before I start it up again 

Oh and thanks for that Jeff I will run through that step by step you gave anyway and let you know the results just so I learn for next time

[excess.11]

Get your multimeter and switch it to 12vdc scale...
At the large connector on the tci unit on the rear mudguard.........insert one lead into the rear of the connector on the red/white wire..........then while cranking over the engine......insert the other lead into first the grey.........then the orange to see if the tci is putting power out to the 2 sets of coils.
Leave the connector on while doing this test...let us know what the voltage reads....

Next test.......disconnect the same connector.....then switch your multimeter to ohms scale...........insert the leads with out turning on the ignition or starting the bike across the same wires .....first between the red/white to grey............then the red/white to orange.............depending on the coils you have fitted......it will most probably be in the order of 3 ohms..........but may be as low as 1.5 ohms........let us know what the outcome is....

[BrettS]

Thanks Jeff that will ber real handy for the Auto electrician 
Just kidding I am sure it will be veery usefull for me too 
I have downloaded it and will print it out

[excess.11]

Wiring schematic that will apply mostly with your wiring l
 Click to enlarge.in right corner and use your mouse wheel to zoom.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J2P9kwRS8OVji2rNqAwyCQRkeHJlkZEcgq3w32GDBW0?feat=directlink

[BrettS]

That's how silly I am I thought you meant a bolt on the carbies. Headset 

I checked that bolt by removing it and it looks all original no worn thread just clean metal and the bolt looks the right size. It also looks slightly different than yours on the "neck" nuts as well. I see similar bolts with the capped nut in similar areas of the forkes as well.



Oh and I use that CO contact cleaner by the gallon at work but only have the crc 5.56 at home. Might have to leave the cleaning of the electrical connectors till later and pick another job from the list. Ha you thought I wouldn't get out of that job 
Thanks again for all the help

[Eveready1100]

Mate, so long as the oil doesn't smell of fuel, it's ok.

Regarding that bolt, here's a shaky couple of pics of mine which is factory. You'll see why I asked.

[BrettS]

That list is great Errol that should keep me busy 
Oh I checked the oil and it looks VERY clean. Usually that would make me suspicious but the old owner did say the engine was rebuilt not long ago I have messaged him to clarify.

[BrettS]

Ah that's no fun Errol I have an Auto electrician who seems to know what the problem is before he looks at the issue.
Ok nothing better to do I might as well get aquinted with the wires of the bike
Ho hum 

I guess you saw the other side of that bolt you where talking about. Looks factory to me if I am looking at the right bolt.

[Eveready1100]

Ok, Brett. Still no spark? We'll start off with a procedure that can be a little tedious, but very worthwhile on a bike this age. Start off by checking all the electrical connectors in the harness. That means disconnecting them and cleaning them up (CO contact cleaner is great), maybe even a dab with a nail file to get any corrosion off, then reconnect them. Don't use WD40 or the like as that stuff can cause more problems itself down the track. Pay particular attention to the kill switch in the RH switchblock as, on certain bikes, it will kill all the electrics, but on mine, it only kills the ignition circuit, so it will spin over all day but not start.

Have you read the thread on "list of jobs before running and riding?" - CLICK to read

It's a big list but you'll get the idea and it's well worth a look at

Oh, and the breathers that went into the top of the airbox are the carb vents. Best left open or connected to the airbox.

Plus, the photo you posted of the carb inlet rubbers look ok. They might appear a bit stuffed by the cracks on the outside but they should be ok. Once the motor is running, you can check them by spraying with aerostart or similar. The revs will pick up noticably if they are leaking.

[Eveready1100]

Ok, your pics have finally appeared on my screen, so I'll pop them up here if anyone else is having dramas

[Eveready1100]

I wouldn't go tossing out the airbox just yet, mate. These XS11's are very touchy where mods to the intake & exhaust system are concerned and work best with at least the airbox velocity stacks in place.

The fuel taps you have sound definitely like the normal Special / Sport taps and blanking off one line is a common modification to reduce the plumbing for the fuel lines. That means though, that the prime position on the taps won't work, so it appears you have no form of vacuum valve on the bike. Am having a bit of trouble opening the second pic of the carbs etc, but the pic of the headstem shows that there's a long bolt and nut fitted where there's normally a hex bolt directly screwed in for the pinchbolt. Wanna have a look and see if maybe the thread on the RHS has been stripped and a smaller diameter longer bolt and nut has been fitted there?

[BrettS]

Thanks Errol that sounds like a much better way than mine, why didn't I think of that.

Motor turning over nice and fast now but no spark still ?

[BrettS]

I think this is sweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDQVD8STUJA&feature=player_embedded

[Eveready1100]

Brett, the best (read safest) way to check for spark is to remove the spark plug from the motor, then reconnect the lead and rest the plug on the head. Actually, if you remove all the plugs at once, it will make life easy for the starter and remove a lot of the load from the battery. If still no spark, further investigation will be needed.

Then fuel starts running out of the air filter assembly. Hmm strange

Not so strange, mate. that shows that the needle and seat  in the carbs aren't doing what they're supposed to do and are letting the motor flood. Once we've established whether you've got any kind of vacuum valves anywhere in the fuel lines, we can work from there. I wouldn't start pulling anything apart as yet till you get the spark issue sorted.

Have the fuel taps got an off position on them? If so, switch them there to avoid further spillage. Also, have a quick check of your engine oil level as excess fuel can get past the rings through an open valve and dilute the oil making bad things happen when the motor is run if left unchecked