She's Alive

[petejw1966]

Hey Peter,

I've taken the carby's off and looked at the bowls etc. They weren't stained with all or anything but I didnt give them a clean as I couldn't find settings - perhaps overlooked, on the no. of turns required for jets and mains if i was to remove them. So I just left them, since I know the engine fires and runs now, the carby will be cleaned - perhaps ultrasonic if I can find a business that does them. I used a bottle to feed the fuel to the fuel lines via a fuel filter and I noticed that it flooded the bowls and leaked out the nuts on the bottom when it was gravity feed. Is this normal? I realise the petcocks have vacuum etc but with my method it's similar to leaving the fuel tap on if the octopus fuel lines was removed.

no thats not normal, sounds like the needle and seat need cleaning
and/or replacing, a good carb cleaner works well, the jets just screw in,
the only screws that need adjusting will be the 4 mixture screws and the 3
sync screws for carb balancing.
where abouts are u?
just check ur oil, sometimes the fuel flows forward into the cylinders and
into the crank case which can and does cause engine failure when mixed with the oil.

[nozila]

Hey Peter,

I've taken the carby's off and looked at the bowls etc. They weren't stained with all or anything but I didnt give them a clean as I couldn't find settings - perhaps overlooked, on the no. of turns required for jets and mains if i was to remove them. So I just left them, since I know the engine fires and runs now, the carby will be cleaned - perhaps ultrasonic if I can find a business that does them. I used a bottle to feed the fuel to the fuel lines via a fuel filter and I noticed that it flooded the bowls and leaked out the nuts on the bottom when it was gravity feed. Is this normal? I realise the petcocks have vacuum etc but with my method it's similar to leaving the fuel tap on if the octopus fuel lines was removed.

[petejw1966]

So after a few hours of frustration, I have finally got the bike to start. What I notice is that once I close the choke completely, she dies - something I need to look into. Also, I did a test where I would splash water on the headers once I switched off the engine to see if the water evaporated at a consistent rate. It seems, if looking forwards sitting on the bike, headers 1 and 3 evaporate at a much slower rate then 2 & 4. Does that mean coils 1 & 3 are sparking at a lower rate, ignition problems? Or is it deeper, as in compression on those cylinders are rooted?

hey nozila,
coils work on 1 and 4, 2 and 3
have u given the carbs a good cleaning?
if it runs on the choke and then dies, sounds like ur pilot jets could
be blocked, if u take the carbs apart, theres also a small jet that sits in the float
bowl that usually blocks up also, but this jet affects the choke tho.
run the bike till its warmed up then give it a compression test to give u an
idea of the internals,

glad to hear at least u get her to run.

[nozila]

So after a few hours of frustration, I have finally got the bike to start. What I notice is that once I close the choke completely, she dies - something I need to look into. Also, I did a test where I would splash water on the headers once I switched off the engine to see if the water evaporated at a consistent rate. It seems, if looking forwards sitting on the bike, headers 1 and 3 evaporate at a much slower rate then 2 & 4. Does that mean coils 1 & 3 are sparking at a lower rate, ignition problems? Or is it deeper, as in compression on those cylinders are rooted?

[nozila]

Hi Errol,

Yeah I've seen a post describing what is required for a swap over. My local bike wreckers has a xs11 special and I'm thinking of grabbing the required parts.

[Eveready1100]

Have you got the caliper torque arm and spacer to match the wheel?

Here's a link to pics of the bits required - CLICK, or have you seen that already?

[nozila]

I'm thinking of putting 16" rear from a special in place of the 17" standards.

[steptoe]

I, 've got a tangled fishing reel I need untangled.    do your skills extend that far ,,

Just a little. Insulation tape to make things a bit more cosy. and a back tyre,,,,,,,, jobs done. 

[nozila]

She is all wired up. Now just to hook up the fuse box, put the carby's on and fingers crossed.

[Exs1.1]

Yeah I opted for the soda blast as apposed to an electrical cleaner in a can, after 30 odd years there was some serious crud collected in most of the plastic blocks and I knew it was going to take some getting through. I figured that I would attempt to make a DIY soda blaster after Petejw1966 showed me how he made his, and after a couple of mishaps (lots of white powder everywhere) I managed to get it right and went about cleaning all the connections.

[nozila]

Although I dont know the exact condition of the motor, I do have plans for it. Hoping perhaps Mal Pit can lend a hand, if I go down that road. I use to live in Sydney myself and if I had these bike or any bike for that fact at the time, would have been some fun times. Interesting you opted to soda blast as oppose to simply clean it with electrical cleaner. Was it an expensive exercise? Or do you use a DIY soda blast?

[Exs1.1]

Slow and steady Nozila, that's the only way to tackle the tidy up/restoration. I took almost 2 years to completely restore mine from the ground up, every nut and bolt was re dipped in zinc, every electrical connector was soda blasted to ensure a good contact (soda blasting doesn't damage the plastic blocks) and numerous parts were replaced with OEM and/or replica parts. It has been on the road now for 18 months and I have done a tad over 15,000k's and still can't stop grinning from ear to ear whenever I ride her, she is not my everyday ride as I have a FJR for that. I often tackle the "Putty Road" here in Western Sydney (Nice and twisty) on her after work as I finish at midday and it is the best stress release I have ever found. I can't begin to tell you how proud you will be when you first fire her up and let loose all that power, enjoy every minute mate.

[nozila]

Thanks for the encouragement Phil. I sure need it as for every 1hr I spend on it, I take a 1hr break as Im tired of seeing it. FYI it came as a complete harness to begin with before I stripped the bike and frame etc to clean it. Almost finished wiring anyways. It will cleaner and neater once completed. Also picked up a 6 pin fuse box, so will be storing all my fuses in there including the main 30A fuse.

[Exs1.1]

Yeah, I'm with you on that one Jonesy, now that's some serious sorting out needed there. Nozila, maybe a complete wiring loom from the wreckers is on the cards, although no greater feeling could be had by you if you nut it out and complete the job with success. Good luck mate,

[Jonesy]

yikes,