Reset the Cam Shafts This Evening

I am getting to the point where I am getting tired of taking things apart and putting them back together again only to take something else apart a few days later. So tonight before I filled the tank to test the bike again, I pulled the cylinder head and found that the cam shafts were about an eighth of an inch out of alignment. Don't really know if this is an issue, but thought that since I had killed the gasket anyhow, I pulled the cam shafts, centered them and put it all back together. Just incase someone is looking for instructions on how to set the cam shafts in on an XS1100, I am posting them below.

To begin, I pulled the cover, carefully removing the bolts in a criss cross pattern. Then I manually rotated the timing plate to the "T" making sure the 1 & 4 Cylinders were dead top. I used popsicle sticks and a little time to find the closest mark without using a gauge. Next, I stuffed the holes with rags to avoid any nut dropage. Then I removed the sprockets from the cams and carefully and evenly loosed the cam caps, again using a slow criss cross pattern to avoid bending the cams. I rotated the camshafts so that the dot lined up. I tightened the cam caps, slowly and evenly and torqued them down. I then double checked the dot on the cams and very carefully rotated the cams, being careful not to nick the casing. Then having stuffed the holes with rags again, I bolted the sprockets to the cams, checked the dot again and rotated the engine a few times in the correct direction to make sure that the dots lined up after a few rotations. When they did, I covered everything to keep out the dust and came in for the evening. Tomorrow, I will make a new gasket out of Permatex High-temp RTV and let it set for a day.


Hopefully the next step will be to sync the carbs and ride off into the sunset.

Torn Carb Diaphragm and Stripped Jet

When I pulled and cleaned the carbs, I noticed a ripped carb diaphragm. It is probably one of the reasons that the bike would not run under load. The diaphragms work under a vacuum and when the bike is sitting still the engine requires very little movement of the diaphragms to pull the carb needles up when you rev the engine. But under load (riding) the diaphragms actually move quite a bit. a torn diaphragm equals no vacuum and as such no movement of the needle, resulting in a poor running bike. That coupled with the dirty carbs and I hope I have solved the problem.

I fixed the diaphragm today using Permatex RTV Ultrablack High Temp gasket seal and hope that it is good to go tomorrow (24 hours to cure). I can remove the top side of the carb while it is still on the bike, so I can check it as needed.

The jet however is underneath the carbs and I will need to remove the bank of carbs one more time to remove and replace it. I am going to try to see if I can run it without replacing the jet for now, and wait until I have a little more cash.

I hope to be up and running this weekend. If not, I will break down and replace the jet.

In the meantime, I have almost completed the 3D Maya model of my virtual 1980 XS1100 Special as chopped in the real world. I think that it is coming along well. Much like my real XS11, this virtual XS still needs some engine work.

Totally Rebuilt Carbs

Thanks to a wonderful and understanding wife who took over the care our sick kids, I was able to spend the entire day in the garage this Saturday. Now I have a clean garage as well as a very clean set of the carbs. It took a lot longer than I would have imagined, but I think I got all the gunk cleared out. It took a set of tiny brushes, two cans of carb cleaner, time and a set of steel string guitar wires to clean out a myriad of tiny ports and holes, but after a good soak, scrub and cleaning, all four carbs are back together. As soon as the new Petcock kit arrives, I will rebuild them, install the tank, sync the carbs and zing off into the sunset... or maybe just cruise around town a bit.

Plus, now I have a sparkling clean garage to play in.

Still roars but no Varoom

Well, it seems that the carbs on these bikes are touchier than I thought. I cleaned them out so that they looked clean, but apparently the insides of the channels need some thorough going through. I will need to re-clean them using welding tip cleaners and such.

The bike starts and runs fine in neutral, but in gear it will not rev. Rather, it sputters and dies. And so I will need to remove, disassemble and clean the carbs more thoroughly before I can ride the bike.

Also need to rebuild the fuel petcocks because one has sprung a leak. I am no expert, but fuel leaking into a hot engine or exhaust doesn't seem like a really bright idea to me.

In the mean time, since I cannot ride the bike, I am developing a 3D version of the XS1100 in Autodesk Maya.

Roar!!!!

And so, with the carbs cleaned, I filled the tank and prepared to coax the bike to life. By coax, I mean the usual riggormaroll: throttle up and down, choke it in and out, bounce on the seat, let it sit, try again in ten minutes... etc.

BUT MY FRIEND.... THIS WAS NOT TO BE ON THIS FATEFUL DAY.

I turned the key to the on position, started the fuel flowing and hit start... BOOM! CHUGGA ROOM! VROOOM! It roared to life with a sound that makes even large bikes whimper!

IT IS ALIVE! Mua Ha Ha!

But seriously, it literally roared to life! varooom. Apparently, I had the throttle set too high from when the carbs were dirty, so it quickly jumped into the 7000 RPM range. After a little tweaking I have it humming nicely at 1500 RPM. I still need to hide the wiring mess in the front fork bag, but that is a ten minute job for this evening.

Man it feels good to have it purr like that. I feel ready to take on the world. But I have to teach class in a few minutes, so I will hope back into the JEEP and drive, not ride to work.

Will post pictures of the painted seat this weekend.

Man, do I feel good. I really built a bike! I mean really... and it works afterwards! Better than when I bought it! Ha. Thanks again to all of you guys for all of your support. I am on cloud nine!

Rebuilt Carbs, but no Tail Lights

Took apart the carbs. Not a total rebuild, took apart the major components and cleaned things up in general. Very dirty. About a thimble full of grime in each bowl. Will add inline fuel filters soon. Removed the grime and reassembled everything. Only one sheered bolt in the whole ordeal.


Painted the bowls flat black, rather sharp I think.


Still do not have rear running tail lights and the rear brake does not turn on the light. Front brake did light up the brakes until I reassembled the airbox. Must have knocked something loose. Might need to build a new wire harness, but that is a mess I do not want to muck in just yet. Will try to trouble shoot the existing harness tomorrow.

First Ride/Push/Tow With The New Seat

Have not cleaned the carbs yet, but I got brave enough to take the bike out yesterday. Other than being sluggish on the uptake and a bit irritable at stops, she ran fine and the newly upholstered seat was comfortable.

Unfortunately, as I turned on to University drive, to head up to work, she died. I looked the bike over, but did not see that the fourth spark plug wire had pulled out of the cap. As a result, I wasted the battery trying to get her started again. In the end, I pushed all 550 pounds up the hill to the Campus where I realized the problem. Plugged it back in and it started up fine.

Apparently, that was the last bit of juice in the battery and at four o'clock, after class, she wouldn't budge.

A very hearty thanks to Dave Bryant who brought a trailer and towed me home. I put the battery on a trickle charge last night and may try to ride it again this afternoon. Or I may buckle down and work on the long list of projects that I have to complete before the Campus Roundup this weekend.

And so... With the exception (there is always an exception) of a flame, painted on the seat to match the tank, a few studs and buttons on the upholstery, the cleaning of the carbs and assorted and miscellaneous electrical work, I am going call this rebuild complete. It may not run well, but it runs and it is fun to ride.

I first tore into this hunk of metal, on November 3, 2008. Now, after eleven month, a few bloody knuckle, a good deal of frustration and an even greater deal of confusion, I can honestly say that I have rebuilt a motorcycle. It was a great learning experience which I would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about the way our world works or who is just looking for a good "man" project. I am very happy with the results, the bike is really "mine" now. A special thanks goes out the the folks over at http://www.xs11.com. Without their help I would not have been able to complete this project. Maybe next I will build myself a truck!

Maybe not.

Here is what it looked like in late August or September when I bought it. I had already painted the tank by this point (poorly painted an not fuel resistant) and jettisoned the YAMAHA tank emblems as well. I wish I had an original image, c'est la vie.

Quick Photos of the padded seat

Found some carpet padding at Sutherlands hardware for a few bucks and used contact cement to attache two layers of it onto the fiberglass pan. very comfortable. A lot lower than the stock seat. Even though I opted not to drop the shocks or hardtail the frame like so many have done, it looks a lot lower in the back end. I really like it.

Still don't have rear riding lights and the brake light are sporadic when using the foot brake. Looks like a trip into electrical land for me.

Today I picked up a 1/2 yard of black vinyl and am working on attaching it to the padding and pan tonight. Who knows, maybe I will be able to tackle the carbs this coming weekend.

Probably not though, as I have a work related conference Friday and Saturday. But we will see what transpires.

Still looking for a spike to plug the two rear frame bars. I may have to machine some if I can't find something out there.

Seat Pan is Done

I forgot the camera cable tonight, but I pulled the seat pan off and cut and sanded it to size. Tomorrow, I will find some carpet padding and attach it to the pan. I think I will just upholster it myself temporary like so I can ride it before it gets cool here. I may need to add another few layers of fiber glass with metal mesh in between to strengthen it, but we will see.

Still need to secure wiring and hook up the brake/tail lights and cut the last eight inches off of the old frame and clean the carbs.

More photos tomorrow.

A Fiberglass Seat Pan

Went home at lunch today and bit the bullet. I have been afraid of working with fiberglass and decided to "just do it." I am sure that I won't win any awards for smoothness, but I was able to get eight layers of mat laid down before the 12 minute time was up. I will have to wait until after class this afternoon to see how it worked, but there were no visible bubbles and the resin and mat conformed to the cardboard seatpan alright. Lets hope it didn't leak past the tarp onto the bike!

The fender is Mounted with new tail lights

I ran home at lunch and mounted the two tail lights. I will need to come up with a prettier bracket, but for now, I used four steel "L" brackets. I will have to replace the bottom one with a similar light that illuminates the license plate. The plate will mount towards the bottom of the fender. Centered, not out to the side.

I mounted the front of the rear fender by sacrificing a steel carpenters square. The longer end was bent to attach with hose clamps to the right side swing arm while the shorter end was bent up and bolted to the fender.

I moved the blinkers forward in preparation of the chopping off of the last ten inches of the seat and old fender bar. I hope to find two spikes to cap the bars off., but that will come later.

Next is cleaning the carbs. I am not looking forward to that.

The photo below is the original image while the one below that is a photoshopped version of what I am hoping for. Notice the seat and spikes on the Photoshopped image. The untouched seat is a cardboard mockup that I still need to build out of fiberglass and have upholstered.

Mounting the Rear Fender

Not much happened on the bike this weekend. I bought some steel plat and a small angle iron and proposed to attache the new rear fender. Unfortunately I could not figure out a way to attach the front of the fender to the swing arm. My original plan proved too weak and so I am going to try plan B. Now to come up with a plan B.

Here are a few shots of what it looks like with the two side supports on. I think I may need to have someone who understands metalwork better than I do, build some sturdy supports, but this was a fun experiment and I think that it would work if all else fails.

I am open to any thoughts about how to attach the front of the fender to the swing arm?

Notice the new chrome Road Star mirrors? $15 off of ebay.

I may have to attach the tail light with a little more than masking tape, but we will see what happens there.

OK, I need some feedback

The rear fender from the Honda CB 750 arrived and I set it on the XS11 to see what it looked like. I would need to remove the part of the plastic fender that you see and have a solo seat upholstered to fit. Maybe a tan saddle color with western tooling to fit the "Buckshot" name that I gave it. "Buckshot", because it is big and powerful. It was also the name of one of Wild Bill Hickok's horses. "Birdshot" or "Pellet" don't conjure the same image.

The fender is only held on by tape right now. I will mount it to the swing arm so that it can fit closer to the tire without danger of rubbing.

Let me know what you think.

Ah the open road.

Ain't she a beaut? Notice the chrome trim around the tank. I have since dropped the gauges about two inches to lower the profile. I ordered some oval chrome mirrors and won a 1972 Honda CB750 rear fender which is a full chrome half circle fender. When that comes in I will look at adding a spring seat or building a new solo seat pan out of fiberglass and having it upholtered in brown leather and tooled with a grapevine western pattern.

I am not really sure that I am ready to drive to Artesia or Hobbs, but I took it out and around for an hour or so and it seemed to run well. Stopped once and had trouble starting it up again. The RPMs top out at around 5K, and it stalls sometimes at stop signs. Sometimes the engine revs at 3K during a stop and other times it drops and stalls.

I added Seafoam to the gas, ran it a bit, then let it sit over night. It seems to have helped, I assume it cleaned the carbs some, but I am not entirely sure what it really did. The guys at XS11.com told me to do it, and so I did.

Not really sure why or how to fix it. I think I am going to take it to a mechanic and let them fine tune it. That involves money, so we will have to wait and see.

But wait, It's still twitching...

With the help of the very smart folks over at XS11.com, I learned to remove the #1 spark plug and added a 1/2 tsp to the #1 cylinder. Varoom! It started up.

I built a vacuum tube tool (neat exercise in the laws of physics) to sync the carburetors and adjusted the fuel idle.

Here it is before starting the engine. The fluid is 2 stroke engine oil and each of the four tube is attached to one of the vacuum tubes in the carburator boot. When you start the engine, each carb pulls air and fuel into the cylinder where the spark plug causes it to ignite and pushes the pistons which drive the bike... varoom!

here is how I have the fuel petcocks off of the gastank set up. The front tube is not used, so I cut it short and plugged it with a bolt head which I cut and sanded the burrs off of. The petcocks allow fuel to flow form the tank.

Here is the setup with the bike running. I have the tank elevated so that I can reach the adjustment screws between the carbs. Adjusting these in order allows you to sync carbs one and two and then three and four and lastly the two pairs are synced (SP?) toghether.

It runs now, though it sputters and dies on occasion. Not really sure why, but I will try tuning things a little and see if it doesn't pep up a bit.

Still not sure if I am brave enough to take it out on the open road, but it is ready for the back roads. As long as it's not too far to push back home.

and... it's dead again

Well, not much good to tell here. As best I can tell, the starter relay switch is bad (melted inside as best I can tell). I ordered a new one, but the shop where I ordered forgot to place the order or some such mess (second time, shame on me) and I hope that it will be here on Monday or Tuesday. If that is the case, I will have it installed moments later and may be able to ride back to work after lunch.

I don't know if I am that brave yet. I may wait until after work to drive it around to block a bit before risking missing work.

It's Alive!

Filled the tank yesterday. But found a leaking petcock, so I held rags up to soak up the 1/2 gallon of fuel that drained out. So I fixed the petcock and refilled the tank. It took a jump from the car, but the engine roared to life!

I still need to adjust the idle and sync the carbs. But it runs. I took it around the block and it went well.

Just need to re-register it and reinstitute the insurance and I am good to go.

It has been an interesting experience. Fun and frusturating, but a good learning experience.

Here we go

The brakes are bled

Exhaust is on

the clutch is... clutched

Wires are wired... with a few exceptions

The last step is to remove a stubborn and stripped bolt so that I can fill the final gear with oil and then I will start it up and see if it runs.

Woo hoo! It has been a long time since November.

So close and yet so far.

Well, here it is. All of the parts are basically installed. I have two bolts that I did not label. I am still looking at where they go... oops. I think one holds the battery in place, and the other has me stumped for now. I will figure them out this week.

Dave came over a few wekes ago and helped me reinsert the engine. Since then I have plugged bolts in, torqued them down, found homes for wires (there are a lot of them) and greased and oiled things up.

The only things still wanting are the front blinkers, The fuel lines and hiding the rats nest that used to fit inside the single headlamp bucket.

I can ride without blinkers for now and am thinking about getting a tool bag for the front forks to hide the wiring. The Fuel line is problematic because it used to have vacuum system on it which was removed by a previous owner. I am waiting for a fuel "T" connector so that I can install the lines and then it will be time to start it up.

Last thing to look at (barring other troubles that may arise) are the brakes. They are installed and have been bled, but still seem weak.

Other than that, I will post again as soon as I am able to test the engine.

Still looking for a good name for this thing.

For want of a nail... the kingdom was lost

Well the engine is going together swimmingly. I found the Yamabond #4 in El Paso. Yamabond #4 is required to seal the two engine casings. The new shift forks set in fine and the engine turns smoothly. Everything seems to have gone well... sometimes do to operator error, it went well twice. oops

Things have been on hold for the last week while I wait for eight circlips that hold the pistons on to the rod. I am told that they are kind of important, so I ordered new ones. I have decided not to replace the piston rings. I have heard convincing arguments on either side, and since they seem to be in good condition, I am going to skip the $260 expense and leave the current ones in. 

We pick up the circlips on Saturday and the engine should be complete by Monday evening! Of course that is barring any unforeseen issues. Once it is together, I still have to work on the carbs and timing and see if there are any issues with the electrical etc. But, I am really looking forward to seeing the engine back in the bike.

The re-Paint

In my infinite wisdom, I decided that the flames on the tank needed a white pinstripe to make them pop... didn't like it. Apparently pin striping is a little harder than it looks online.

So I sanded my mistakes away, and repainted the tank. Fortunately it looks better now than it did before.

On our last trip to El Paso, I was able to pick up some Yamabond #4 and bolted the two engine cases together! Now I just need to finish up the rest of the engine, install it, work on the timing and sync the carbs, kick all of the gremlins out of the electrical system and a few other things that I haven't read about yet... and I will be good to go!!

Wiring Harness has been tamed

Anyone who has ever torn into an XS1100 will tell you that the electrical system is a jumbled mess of many many wires. I have been afraid of messing with the harness because it has so many arms with multiple connectors and wires attached. I looks like the remains of some cyborg sea monster hanging from the rafters in my garage.

We yesterday I brought it out, set it on the bike and in under two hours I had it back in place. I haven't hooked up the battery or the head and tail lights, so I don't know if it works yet, but, the connector are connected and those that aren't are ready to meet their match when I get the engine and lights in place.

I found one of the two headlights that I am going to us at Harbor Freight in Tucson over spring break. I ordered the other online, but I wouldn't recommend using their online ordering system. Have a friend in a town with a Harbor Freight buy what you need and ship it to you.

As soon as I am able to get the battery and lights installed, I will post photos.

Paint issues

The day we left for California over spring break to attend the Game Developers Conference and take the kids to Disneyland, I received a call telling me that the engine casing had been bead blasted with plastic beads and was ready to be picked up.

So I haven't had much of a chance to work on the bike.

This last weekend however, I did get the chance to clean and paint the calipers and reassemble the front brakes. They look nice, though I think I should have taken more photos of the bike as I disassembled it.

I did sand through a part of the silver flames and had to touch it up before I can clear coat the tank.

I still have to clean a billion tiny plastic beads from the engine casing, and figure out how to make the wire harness work. but all in all it looks like the light at the end of the tunnel may not be a train.

Too fast for an engine

Here it is, minus a few key parts, but it rolls!

Sarah came out and looked at it concernedly. I asked what she thought and she informed me that it had no engine. I told her that with a bike this fast, the engine just slows you down. I am a little concerned that she didn't see anything wrong with the handlebars.

I am going to have a new solo seat built. That is the plan, unless the quote comes back with too many zeros behind it. I am going to leave the sissy bar off. Kerri doesn't want to ride with me and there isn't anyone else I want hanging on to me.

When I get the engine back, it will be painted black and should look nice in the aluminum colored frame. I am both anxious and scared about the engine. Lets hope I can get it running.

Is it hot in here...

I have already painted the frame an aluminum color and was beginning to regret. The tank was a cast iron color with a tinge of yellow in it. (Wasn't fond of the yellow cast). So in a flash of inspiration, I thought I would add aluminum colored flames to bring the colors together. I washed the tank and using 2" masking tape, I overlapped the tape on a sheet of wax paper. Then using an Xacto, I cut out the tribal flame shape I had printed on a sheet of paper and taped underneath the wax paper. I then removed the parts I wanted painted and pealed the masking tape pattern off of the wax paper and attached it to the tank. I have a few minor bleeds that I will fix with a brush after it cures and I wet sand it with 2000 grit sandpaper. A few coats of clear coat and a lot of polishing and I should be good to go!

I didn't like how the flames ended, so after I very carefully removed the masking tape, I shot a few rows of the cast iron color to the front so that the flames show more gradually from the front. 

Here is the tank on the bike. Not mounted, just set there to appease my impatience. The rear calipers are just sitting in place as well.

Slowly, slowly, slowly.

Painted wheels

In keeping with my last post, here is the progress on the wheels. I am using Duplicolor wheel paint, which they say has good staying power. I half expect the entire paint job to crack and flake of on my first ride. Kind of like a cartoon... vroom, bump, poof. We shall see.

Here is the front wheel already painted and dry. It took a can and a half for the one tire. The rear tire has been sandblasted to get ride of what was left of the clear coat and road grime. I still need to wash it to get rid of the sand.

Here is the rear wheel taped up. I used a coffee can to cover the bolts in the center while I was spraying. The rubber repels the sand, so you don't need to tape the tire when you are sandblasting. You do need to tape the valve stem though.

I still need to clean the tires, but I will wait a week or two before attempting to use any chemicals on the paint. Apparently the best tire cleaner is engine degreaser and elbow grease. I don't know if I am brave enough to try that.

That's the ticket

I have been unsure about the direction to take this bike since I dismantled it. There are a lot of really cool mods to the XS11 out there. The ones I like most turn the seat into a solo and drop the rear of the bike so that the fender is just an inch off of the tire. The negative to this is that it lowers the seat, which is currently at a nice height for my inseam. The second is that it effectively turns the bike into a hardtail. Which is a little too unforgiving on the ol' spinal column.

Recently though I found a bike that I really like and am working towards. I wont be doing to fancy flames and I like the idea of dual four inch headlamps, but the black wheels, shorter bars and bags on the back look pretty nice. 

Now I just need the engine casing back from Carriaga Machine where they are cleaning years of soot and a lot of road grime off so that I can paint it black and assemble it.

Paint

Here are some shots of the tank, frame and side covers. My mom brought down a few boxes of toys she found in the attic of the house I grew up in. This first photos is one of the first paint jobs I did. Matchbox cars with model paint.

Here is the frame which has about five cans of Aluminum color engine paint and two cans of clear coat on it. I added the horns and reflectors just to see how it would look when assembled.

The side covers, with a bunch of color coats, just as many clear coats and about five minutes of some very light rubbing with 2000 grit sand paper. The sanding dulls the clear coat out a bit which was kind of scary, but worth it as you can see in the next photo.

The side covers with two tons of wax and buffing. You can see the reflection of the wall and the the TV in upper part of the covers.

First shot of the tank, about 24 hours after the final clear coat went on.

Another shot of the tank with about thirty very light coats of color engine paint and another 15 or so of clear engine paint. I hope that using engine paint will help protect it from the errant fuel spill. I like the reflection, this shot was before the paint has cured for a week. I will wet sand lightly it with a 2000 grit paper before rubbing it with rubbing compound and then giving it 10 to 20 coats of polish and wax. I am hoping to be able to see a clear reflection by the time I am done.