New owner step by step work....

[Aussiexs11]

Nice work, multiskilling!! Wardrobes make good cover as well. (or posters /flags)...... too much experience unfortunately.

[Lumberjack]

Just went and got a resistor, some insulated wire and some bullet connectors from Jaycar.  Will put in the Battery Sensor Eliminator tomorrow.....if my skills are up to it.

In the meantime, here's a hint for guys getting back in to the game after a layoff:  you'll learn plenty of new skills working on old bikes, one of which may be plastering over holes in walls when you park your bike at the back of the garage and then don't allow enough space for it to rock back on the centrestand.

http://flic.kr/p/dtTX4U

I've temporarily solved the problem with a large but unwanted framed picture.....

[steptoe]

hi Jack, welcome to the forum as an active participant,, always plenty of stuff on here to go thru,,

one thing when bleeding your rear/front split system,,, flush and bleed the front first, because it,s furthest from the master cylinder and will carry the most air bubbles and old fluid, then bleed the back,  might have to do it a couple of times if your fluid looks as bad as you say, and if you don,t want to go thru and pull down and clean the whole show

[excess.11]

Definition of a "Y" cable.....
A short length of single insulated wire.....with section of insulation removed midway to allow a second short length of wire to be soldered onto it....producing 3 ends at which appropriate connectors can be crimped.Tape the solder joint to prevent shorting to the frame or other areas.

[Lumberjack]

Found a great step by step guide on how to fix the battery light problem on the XS11 usa site.  I have the mechanical/autoelectrical skills of a penguin but it looks reasonably straightforward even to me.

http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-tips/modifications/44/207-xj11-battery-sensor-eliminator.html

All straightforward, until he gets to the bit that just says, 'I made up a Y cable.....'  Clearly it is something that splits one cable into two....but does anyone know what the process for doing this is?

[Lumberjack]

OK, got it.  Thx everyone for the advice.  Found the red/white wire which is just sitting there above the battery not doing anything.  I'll go see what I can do, although it has been 15 years since I did anything electrical to a vehicle.... and even then it was pretty low tech. 

I bled the brakes yesterday, just for peace of mind rather than because they were feeling spongy.  The front right was fine but the back/front left (which are connected on my bike) made me shudder.  The brake fluid came out a sort of dark brown colour.  Not quite sure why it would be so horrible.

I was going to pull off the rear calliper and change the pads but the *helpful* man at a certain Canberra motorcycle store gave me the wrong sort....  I should have twigged when, after buying a couple of other things, he then said, 'Need anything else?  Chain lube?' 

'Nah, pretty right for that, thanks mate,' was all I could reply.

[excess.11]

Lastly...some random info on motorcycle sensor batteries..................
The sensor is a cell plug cap with a wire probe that sits inbetween the plates of the ......3rd cell from the positive terminal.

Batteries with Sensors
Be aware when replacing a battery equipped with a sensor
you must replace both battery and sensor at the same time.
Even if the sensor is Original Equipment (OE) it does not mean
it is okay to use with an alternative battery. Sensor plugs vary
in length, size and diameter and a plug that is the wrong size
can short out a battery and damage the bike’s electrical system.

[excess.11]

Here s a post i found regarding a sensor battery on a Yamaha Virago 920 which has a computerized monitor system.  Part of the display has diagnostic warnings for kickstand, brakes, oil, headlight, taillight, fuel, and battery.

and the Answer...............

the sensor has to be fooled into thinking
it is attached to the battery.

-Get a 2000 ohm, 1/2 watt resistor, available at
most electronic parts stores.

-Get a test light and find a power source that
goes off when your ignition switch key is off.
Possibly your fusebox or taillight power or such.

-Attach the sensor wire to the power source with
the resistor between.

-The sensor wire to the resistor to the power, like that.

-If all goes well the warning light should go out.

-All we are doing is simulating what the sensor
does, which is send a voltage reading from the
battery to the computer.

-The resistor just cuts the voltage down a bit
because the sensor is used in only the third cell
of the battery which is low voltage. 


Hope this helps.............Jeff

[excess.11]

OK..........here goes.........

It would seem the white/red wire leaves the battery and is "switched" at the main switch .....returning to the battery terminal at the computer.
You ll need to check these 3 areas for connections and continuity ............

The schematic  shows one wire to the battery........ for this warning light........... and it s a white/red......connecting mid way on the battery cell setup.....to give a lower voltage signal.





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[excess.11]

The manual refers to the switch onboard the battery as a........."Battery Fluid Sensor"

You ll have to locate the sensor wire at the battery and create a " false positve" to eliminate the battery light.
" Most" sensors  use a neg to complete their circuit.......but not in this case.

I ll try and find a schematic for your bike to be a little more specific as to what you are looking for.

[Jonesy]

Mate that looks to be a well kept machine.
As for the battery light, The Aussie Standard (the square ones) XS 11's dont have one but you could check the charging system is working properly, since your battery is a brand newy. and as far as I know there isnt a battery fluid level sensor either. A rough not electrically trained method to check charging is ok is get an off sider to hold the revs at a  couple thousand rpm and see if you've got 13 or more volts at the battery.........I bet that rolled the eyes of the more electrical persuaded readers.

just an after thought, It is a battery light isnt it?....and not an oil light?

[Lumberjack]

Firstly, can I say that I just love this forum.  Seems like a great bunch of guys who are so knowledgeable about these great old bikes.  But sometimes that knowledge can be a bit intimidating.  There's no way I'd attempt half of the things listed on the forum as they seem to require far more technical skill than I have.  But I'm going to work my way through Melbxs's list of things a new owner should do and hopefully come out the other side without causing major damage..... so I might try to draw on the reservoirs of information from other forum members from time to time when I get in over my head.

First up, the bike itself.  Its an American import XJ1100J (12/1981) - to my understanding it has pretty much the same specifications as the XS1100 but with slightly different styling.


http://flic.kr/p/dtNoRV
I'm about to leap in to doing brake pads, oil change, air filter etc.  But first an easy question.  Currently the battery warning light is permanently on, even though the battery is a brand newie that I put in last week.  (a standard one, not a sealed one)Can anyone suggest a reason why it would be on?  I seem to remember seeing somewhere that there is a battery fluid level sensor.  Could this have something to do with it?  How do I get that annoying red light to go off?  It is driving me slighty insane.