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1982 XJ1100J Project

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by DocBrown1985, Jul 22, 2020.

  1. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    Hello all,

    Recently acquired a pretty cherry 1982 XJ1100J.
    22,000 on the odometer, it was pickled back in 2005 and never touched since.
    This is my first large bike project, my first shaft drive as well.

    I'm trying to formulate a gameplan in terms of getting it roadworthy again.
    It was roadworthy when it was parked, and it remains in a complete, unmolested condition.
    The bike came also came with a Factory Service manual, which is handy.
    As much fun as it would be to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it, I would rather just identify and rebuild/replace/adjust whatever needs to be to get the bike back on the road.

    Obvious things in my mind at the moment:
    Battery - replace
    Fuel Petcocks - rebuild
    Carbs - rebuild
    Brake Master Cylinders - rebuild/replace
    Clutch - rebuild (is currently stuck, won't release)
    Tires - replace

    Other than that, I'm not sure. Any suggestions or recommendations would be welcome.
     
  2. JCH

    JCH Active Member

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    It's a long and expensive list.
    You have named some of them,good job!
    What does the inside of the Fuel tank look like ?
    If you rebuild the carbs you will need to check and set the valve shims.,and purchase a sync tool.
    There are some scary story's on this site about the rear brake shoe bonding falling apart and sizing up the rear tire going the road,may want to think about that.
    May want to inspect the wheel bearings,i'm sure the grease in them is getting aged,that means replacement basically.
    Of course change all the fluids.
    As far as the rear drive go's,it is my understanding that they are very durable and few issues that i know about and that there is nothing serviceable with the exception of the drive gear fluid.

    Can you post some photos,you will have to become a member to do so...
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2020
  3. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    Does your bike have the original brake lines? Better replacing them too.
     
  4. Dre42

    Dre42 Member

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    The fuse box on the xj550 is pretty outdated, yours may warrant a replacement as well
     
  5. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    Welcome to the forum and congrads on a great bike. To make it road worth and safe is the first things to look at. So carbs, valves, brakes, lighting, tires and shocks. The normal maint on the fluids as needed. Hypo, crankcase oil and filter, along with the brakes. If the brakes have been down (not used) sense 2005 you will want to take them apart, remove the pucks with compressed air or a grease gun (watch those fingers and use a rag to cushion the puck when it comes out). Once it is road worthy take her out for a short ride and see what you think, how it feels. Once you have her back on the road and feel a little accomplishment and satisfaction, start to work on the other things. Wheel bearings if needed, replace the fuse box to a more modern blade type, fork rebuild if needed with new oil. So many things to keep you busy on these older bikes.

    Best of luck, keep us posted and when you get five post show us this bike :)
     
    Dre42 likes this.
  6. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    Thanks for all the suggestions and support, fellas.
    @JCH @Franz @Timbox @Dre42

    This forum looks like it will be an invaluable resource and I am glad I found it.

    I'll do my best to keep this thread updated with my progress. I'm new to forums in general, so I'll do my best to get it figured out.
    Question: how does including images work; are there restrictions for non-premium members? Also, I guess I would need to use an image hosting service, is there one that y'all recommend?

    I haven't had the chance to really get into the bike yet, just getting my work area situated.
    I failed to mention earlier that in the same transaction where I acquired the '82 XJ1100, I also was given a '79 XS1100 to serve as a "parts bike" if necessary. The '79 is without the tank, seat, side covers, etc and while it was pickled 20+ years old and put in a barn, it is definitely rougher around the edges compared to the actual project, the '82.
     
  7. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    After five posts you will be able to upload photographs. Use the upload a file tab. There is a site on You Tube called Andy's Motorcycle Obsessions called Basket Case where he rebuilt an XS 1100 although he made it into a cafe racer.
     
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  8. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    I have the seat and gas tank for that XS1100 I am guessing. I had the same yr XS850 that didn't go well as a project. Not too sure if they are interchangeable.
     
  9. 50gary

    50gary Active Member

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    The XS1100 quite commonly had second gear problems requiring the gear to be replaced. The XJ1100 may be prone to that same problem?
    Cheers, 50gary
     
  10. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    Aha. The gentleman I bought it from said that second gear was extremely temperamental. He said that he always skipped through it to third. Any more info on that particular issue?
     
  11. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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  12. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    So there are the bikes. Obviously the '79 is the "parts" bike. I have the tank, seat, and side covers for the '82. I pulled the carb rack off, and took the exhaust off. Rack looks pretty good, hopefully the rebuild will be uneventful.
     
  13. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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  14. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    I do not know if the exhaust is stock at all. I know the mufflers are HD Sportster, but not sure if the header pipes are stock, they look significantly different from the ones on the '79.
     
  15. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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  17. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    So after much thinking, I decided that the bike is going to get torn down to the frame and gone through. Not planning on any major disassembly of the motor, though the transmission needs to be gone through because 2nd gear is jacked up. I just decided that if I'm going to end up daily-ing this bike, I want to know everything about it and have confidence in its safe operation. This way when any issues show up later on, I'll have a better understanding of this particular bike. The frame is looking pretty flaky, and since this is the Florida coast, I do want to get it blasted and repainted. Sort of a, "if you don't have time to do it right, how are you gonna have time to do it over?", kind of thing. Anyhow, I disassembled the handlebars and headlight bucket. I took the instrument cluster off (why do you guys refer to it as the Atari, just to be funny?). The only thing I broke was the right mirror, snapped it clean off because I had no idea that it was LH thread.
    IMG_6774.JPG IMG_6775.JPG
     
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  18. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    You have a job ahead of you. Good that you want to put the time and energy into your project. When you do strip it down make sure the frame is still in good shape. You have a lot of patina on the frame, just make sure it is not rusted to the point of being weak some place.
     
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  19. DocBrown1985

    DocBrown1985 New Member

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    @Timbox Will do. It doesn't look too bad so far. I'll probably end up smacking the bottom tubes of the frame with a hammer to see if I can hear any rusty bits coming loose.
     
  20. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Pretty much. It's also a sort of a tribute to 80's coolness.

    The typical place for the frame to rust is near the kickstand. I had to weld up a good sized hole in mine, and it had spent its whole life in Kansas at that point.
     

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