New XJ1100 owner.

Hello everyone!

So here I am, finally made an account. I've been 'stalking' the forums for about a week as I contemplated buying the 82 XJ1100 I was looking at. Finally went ahead and bit the bullet Friday. It's my first motorcycle, and it needs a bit of work, but overall appears to be in good shape, and runs. I did have a few questions, most of which I have a general idea as to the answer, but better to ask when uncertain than to spend more money later. So here's my list, if you have any answers, or suggestions, please feel free to let me know; and thanks for this forum, I've already found TONS of great information and I'm sure I'll find more.

So first things first, my bike has two petcocks, one on each side, for sure there is a problem with one of them, he told me that it was "rigged" together so that it would work, and something about a torn gasket or seal or something inside. It runs right now (set on prime) but he said if I take it off prime there's a good chance the gasket will come apart inside and block it. Problem is he can't remember which one was having the problem because he's just been riding it on prime. I know this isn't necessarily a problem, but it's something I'd like to fix. I saw a thread on how to rebuild them, but nothing as far as where I could find a kit, or where to find replacements if they're not fixable.

I know the carbs need some work as well, but I'm a little bit intimidated by them to be perfectly honest :roll: . I have what I feel is a strong mechanical background, but generally when it comes to carb tuning, I end up in the vehicle, while my dad fine tunes; so I've never done more than just some basic tuning on my own. PO told me that he had it rejetted at the local yamaha dealer, but somethings definitely not right. Driving it home the other night (30 miles give or take) the bike seems very sluggish. Granted this is my first bike, but it just didn't seem anything like what I was expecting. It's weak on take offs to the point that I felt like I was babying it to keep it from stalling, in 5th gear going down the highway with the grip twisted as far as it would go, I was only doing around 70mph @ 4000rpm. Part of me thinks I might just need to adjust the throttle cable, but mostly I think this is tuning/jet related. I saw on here where valve clearances are of the utmost importance, and I feel like this is something I should tackle as well, but I'm feeling a little intimidated about that as well. All my previous experience has been with cars/trucks and I'm totally new to the motorcycle world.

Next up is the electrical aspect. Brake lights, headlight, and running lights work, but the turn signals do not (haven't done any testing but since they glow at night, I'm assuming this will be something simple in the switch.) Also the guages do not glow, but I haven't had time to check the bulbs yet so this may be a simple fix. I do plan on digging out my voltmeter and checking the charging system just to be sure, but at this point it seems like it's working ok.

I'm sure I'll have other questions in the future, and hopefully at some point will know enough that I can give back and help someone else. Sorry for making this so long, and thank you in advance to anyone and everyone that offers suggestions/help.

 

To add to this, the exhaust smells rich, and occasionally walking by I will smell gas which leads me to believe the floats need adjusting as well.

 

Welcome to the site from the Great White North. Parts are available through Chacal, our supporting vender. His catalogue is available by following the link in the banner at the header, XJ4Ever. Len's prices are fair his service excellent and he is a wealth of knowledge.

If you need to do the carbs, there are several links that can be found using the "search" feature. Do not attempt to do part of the job. To correctly overhaul the carbs you must make sure the valves are in spec, overhaul the carbs step by step as described in several threads (one being "the Church of Clean" by Chacal), set float level using clear tube method, bench sync the carbs, vacuum sync, and then colour tune.

 

Thanks for the reply JFStewart. I definitely am not going to "half ass" it, and there are other things I need to check as well (i.e. brakes, even though they "feel fine") this was just a start point for me, and to see what kind of feedback I get. I'll try to make it to sears tomorrow and pick up some feeler gauges, also going to have to get some carb cleaner, and a rebuild kit. It'll probably be tuesday before I can check the valves, and I'll go from there I suppose.

Thanks again for your help.

 

Update: Took the bike for a quick spin when I came home tonight (around the block a few times). Hardly any work at all, but enough to get it warm. Felt the exhaust when I got back to the house, and the outside two pipes are very hot (burnt my hand a bit) while the inside two were cool enough I could touch for a few seconds without any real discomfort. I'm sure they would get hot too given enough time, but I'm getting the impression that I'm only really running on two cylinders. Ideas? Suggestions?

 

I'd say that the center two holes are not fireing.
Pull your plugs and do a visual inspection.
If this bike has been running on prime then there is a good chance that the two center carbs are flooding and your spark plugs may be fouled out.
Those petcocks should be a top priority.
That 1100 should have all kinds of zip, if you are having to push it hard to go 70, then something really is wrong!!

I'd start with checking the plugs, but fixing the petcocks are a top priority, even if I had to go to manual petcocks.
I changed mine out to a manual petcock as well. that solved a big list troubles for me.
NOTE that those needle and seats leaking by can and will contaminate your oil and cause excessive wear on your cylinder walls and rings.
That contaminated oil will cause excessive bearing wear and could result in engine failure!!

 

Len is a fast shipper so don't hesitate to order from him. I believe he has petcock rebuild kits and they should be cheap. I just recieved my colour tune plug in 3 days from him for less than ebay and it was better than what I found there. Good luck and welcome this site will help you all the way.

 

Thanks guys, I will check the plugs tomorrow if I get a chance, and if not tomorrow, for sure I will check it on tuesday.

Hvnbnd I will come up with a game plan on the petcocks, do you think I'd be better off rebuilding? or going manual? As for the oil, PO changed the oil the afternoon that I picked up the bike, though I'm not sure if he replaced the filter. I did see his drain pan though, so I know at least the oil was changed. I will avoid riding it until I have this other issue straightened out though, and I'll change the oil again once everything is resolved. Thanks for your input, and let me know what you suggest I do as far as the petcocks go.

Is Len the guy running this site? Sorry I'm still new. I searched the "XJ MAXIM, SECA, AND TURBO PARTS CATALOG" 1st page for petcock repair kits and didn't find anything; maybe I'm just overlooking it?
Thanks for the quick responses fellas, I appreciate all your help already.

 

I believe he is but I'm not sure still pretty new here myself. Just email Len I believe it is info@xjbikes.com and ask for a price. He responds real quick. Also look into the stuff you need to tune the carbs too. I don't know your bike but I needed a YICS and a colourtune. The YICS is like 45- $50 and colourtune like $53.

 

Yes, mine has the YICS as well. I sent him an email regarding the YICS tool, colortune sparkplug, and the petcock rebuild kits. Hopefully I'll hear something back pretty quick as I'm anxious to be riding again lol. I'm off to bed for the night though, I've got a dentist appointment bright and early. Yippee!

Thanks for your help fellas, and ride safe.

 

Welcome aboard.

Just Pm Chacal with your info (VIN, problems) and he will make sure that you get the right parts and info to take care of your bike.

Deffinately go through the big three (Brakes & Tires, Fuel & Vales, Charging & Electrical) before doing any serious riding.

You have a rear disk brake system so there is no delamination issue for you. But make certain that the brake lines, and hoses are up to date. Any discoloration in the fluid. It will need to be replaced.

It sounds like you do have some carb issues. Get those petcocks taken care of ASAP. Try using seafoam in the tank to clean out any varnish buildup.

If you have been working on cars. It will be generally the same with the bike. Just a slightly different manner of going about it. You should have no problem.

Update your profile information with location, and bike info. It helps when trying to get questions answered when people know what bike it is, and you might have someone close by that can help, or ride with.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. There are several experienced, and knowledgeable guys on the board that are more than willing to help.

Ghost

 

Len doesn't run the site. He is the supporting vender. His business is supplying parts for XJ bikes. Best supply and service.

 

Welcome!

Barring any major probs that 1100 should fly.

My '80 xs1100 was way fast (for it's time) and with all the info
on this site along with a bit of $ investment you'rs should do the same.

Follow the advice from the many here guru's and all will be well.

Also-I do all my own work from wrenching to painting. You will NOT find
a better source for parts then Len.
They will be RIGHT,and they will come FAST.

 

Alright fellas, quick update.

Did some tinkering today, the petcocks definitely have to be rebuilt, the left is much worse than the right, but I don't think the right one is working properly either. Though it doesn't drip when in the off position.

Pulled the plugs, and two and three were both in better shape than 1 and 4. Almost like they were brand new. I fired it up and let it run for a minute until it got hot, and again exhaust for cylinders 1 and 4 were super hot compared to 2 and 3. Pulled the plugs again, and they weren't wet. I'm starting to think maybe there's something else going on? I won't have time to mess with it anymore this week, my work schedule just got super hectic, but do you guys have any ideas as to what the problem could be? I was thinking maybe the coil since I noticed one coil operates cylinders 1 and 4, and the other operates 2 and 3, but I haven't had a chance to check voltage as my voltmeter isn't here at the moment.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress, and please keep the advice/suggestions coming.

 

Also, if there's anyone nearby interested in beer and pizza in exchange for helping me check and probably shimming the valves, please send me a message. After closer inspection, and doing some reading on the carbs, I don't think they will be too big of a problem, but I'm not really sure about the valves and I would guess they're probably going to need done.

 

I would help but I'm far far away. Now I had some similar problems with my 550. One of my pilot jets was super clogged and I wasn't getting firing on that cylinder. I also had bad corrosion on my TCI connectors that caused starting and possibly firing issues. If it is 2 & 3 that don't seem to fire, and if it is the same as on my bike, it could be your ignition coil. On mine 1&4 is one coil and 2&3 is another. If its the same on yours pull the coil and read the ohms to see if it still good. Could just need new caps. Could need a new coil. I could be totally wrong.

 

Hey guys, had a few minutes to read last night after work and came across this thread http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... art=0.html
After looking at the pictures of the plugs, I kind of think maybe I'm having a similar problem. I'm still going to check resistance on the coils, and I printed out the TCI thread so I can check things there too. I also still think the carbs need some work, but after seeing the pictures of his plugs, and reading some of the comments, I'm starting to think maybe 1 and 4 are just running super rich and 2 and 3 are running ok? Not really sure, just throwing ideas out there. I'm supposed to be off work tomorrow after all (though I'm working saturday and sunday) so maybe I'll do some more investigating tomorrow.

 

well if 2&3 are just warm or cool and not HOT like 1&4 they probably aren't firing.

 

Ok, that was my original thought too, but I thought I would ask.

thanks for the quick response!

 

Now I'm not sure but I believe you have resistor caps on your spark plug wires. On mine I have 10k ohm ones. You may or may not. But you should check resistance on those. They go for about $3 at most cycle shops. I spent about $12 replacing all of mine. But if I was a betting man I would say you have a bad ignition coil. New they run like $125 new but used about 30-50. Check the resistance on the caps and coils. You may find the culprit real quick. If it isn't that check the TCI.

 

Don't be afraid of the carbs. Best advice I ever got and can give is it's just nuts and bolts. All you need is a decent set of instructions. After rebuilding my 1st set it was like riding a different bike. The 2nd set, I missed a little varnish in carb #2 (really couldn't see it) and the header pipe for that cylinder was barely warm. You may have to do it more than once, but that's ok. Just think of all the money you'll save!

 

If you're 2&3 plugs are NOT wet when you pull them, I highly doubt those jugs aren't firing at all. Sounds to me like you're starved for fuel on those two cylinders, so it only fires (when fuel permits) every so often (2&3 exhaust is warm, but not HOT)

I'm thinkin a good carb clean/rebuild will help a lot of your issues.

DO check your plug caps for correct resistance tho, as that may lead you to a bunch of oddities as well.

IF you're using (and they ohm out ok) 5k resistance caps, DO NOT use "R" plugs at the same time (Use BP7ES NOT BP7"R"ES).

Correct way to check that, is read your resistance from #2 plug lead to #3 plug lead (WITH caps on) You should read 20k or so (5K cap +10K coil winding +5K cap) You check your secondary side coil windings WITHOUT the plug caps on (unscrew them off) you should read 10-11k across the coil.

Let us know what you find!

 

My carb rebuild was easy. It was sync that kicked my butt. But I didn't know my TCI was bad at the time giving me hell.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the suggestions. the carbs will definitely get rebuilt, I can get help if I need it, my dad was a mechanic for 30+ years, I'm just not so sure if I want to try it by myself. I'll probably end up taking the bike down there and getting him to help me, and show me so that next time I can do this on my own. As for the coils, I haven't checked those yet, had some errands I had to run this morning, but I've been troubleshooting the TICS, per the threads I found on here. I read through the whole thing first, and plan on going back through to follow it step by step, but first I had a question or two. I bought a new multimeter at walmart last night ($12) and wanted to make sure it was working properly so I tried step 2 of the TICSS troubleshooting guide, which reads as follows: "Verify 12V during cranking. Set the meter to DC Volts. Put the red meter probe to the Red/White terminal at the TCI box (with the TCI box connected). Put the black probe to the Black terminal at the TCI. With the ignition on, this should read 11.5 to 13 volts or so. Crank the engine. This should not drop below 10V or so."

SO! I set my volt meter to DC, place the terminals as directed, look over expecting to see 12ish Volts on my meter ... only I'm not getting 11.5 - 13 Volts. I get 10.4 - 10.6 Volts. (see pics below) When I Crank the engine, it drops down to 8ish, but as soon as the bike lights off I get between 12.5 and 14 Volts. The battery is new, and I get a steady 12.2 Volts at the battery (without disconnecting the terminals. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Sorry some of these came out blurry, battery was about to die on my camera and I was rushing.


TCI module


Placing multimeter probes per instructions


Pre Ignition voltage


Voltage @ idle

 

Hi, welcome to XJbikes! The suggestion to use Chacal is excellent, he has most everything you'll ever need and he ships fast.

Here's a view of the Octopus (your fuel delivery system) as it's called on the XJ1100. This might be a label under the seat on your bike but the numbers listed to follow are not on that diagram. They are though on the metal body of the octopus. Save the diagram to your computer and you can expand it to see the numbers more easily.




Here's a page with a clear path for the fuel system on your bike & how to tell if it's working. http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=713

You might find some additional help with your XJ1100 on that website, the XJ1100 is in some ways different than the other XJ series in some ways and some of the values are different. For instance, the engine is different in many ways than any of the other XJ bikes but is much the same in the older XS1100 bikes. The XJ1100 is considered by many to be the last of the XS1100 series and that's what that website is devoted to. You'll also fine the help here most helpful and there's tons of experience out there to help you.

Have fun working with & running your XJ1100, it's really the most powerful of the XJ series and though mine is still going back together, it did run last October and it had so much power even when horribly mistuned, I can't wait to have it running properly in a week or so.

 

Took some readings, they are as follows:

Plug wire Caps:
#1 = 4.5
#2 = 4.5
#3 = 4.5
#4 = 7.9

From cap to cap (through coil):
1-4= 24.2 (this includes the 12.4 total resistance from the caps for an actual resistance of 11.8)
2-3= 22 (includes the combined 9 total resistance from caps for an actual resistance of 13)

Primary coil checked from 2 pin connector:
Red/white to Orange = .06
Red/white to Gray = .06

From Red/white @ coil to fuse box = .01 for both coils

From Orange to TCI (coil 1- 4) = .01
From Gray to TCI (coil 2-3) = .01

I'm starting to wonder if I'm taking this measurements right? Seems like there's not much resistance anywhere. except at the caps. Even the coils are way under what the 2.5 Ohms the guide says it should be.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

Thanks KA1J, I've got that diagram under my seat. Hoses are routed properly. I will be using Chacal for parts, just have to wait until next week when I get paid. Bills come first unfortunately. I've been on the XS11 set as well, and you're right, there is a lot of good info there. I haven't set up an account on that one yet, but I may end up doing that as well.

 

Seems like everyone here is anti pod for air filters. PO pulled the airbox and put pods on my bike. He said he had it rejetted at the Yamaha dealer shortly after that (though I'm wondering if he actually did, and if he did if the tech knew what he was doing). I'm at an elevation of 4266 ft. and my exhaust is stock except that PO drilled holes in the ends to make it louder. Any chance these changes are what's causing my problems?

 

something you can try if you don't think your getting fuel pull the pods off start it up take a rag fold it over a few times cover the inlet for a sec see if the cyls cut in if there is gas in the carbs it will pull it up for sure. Did you ever check compression hopefully its not it but you never know. This will probably sound a little weird but do you know anyone with a hand held laser temp gauge you can get accurate reading of exhaust temps I just did my little honda after running a min or 2 1 cyl was 300+ degrees the other was 150 ended up being the float was 2 high and flooding that cyl but not enough to run out of the overflow you could only smell gas on occasion. Does your oil smell like gas ?

 

12.2 volts is not enough voltage on a standing batt.
I bought a new batt a few months ago, had them complete the charge,
and took it back after only a week because I noticed a less then powerful responce from the starter.
That batt started out at 12.67dcv and dropped to 11.97 -12.25.
take it back and get a new batt-make sure it stays over 12.40 min.
Ask them to upgrade the new batt for the hassle-I did
and got a better one in the long run.

 

Thanks for the suggestions cutlass, I'll try the rag trick and see if it helps, but I get the feeling it's not going to make any difference. I haven't checked compression yet either, most things have been on hold until I get paid next week so I can order parts/tools. I don't know of anyone that has a laser temp gauge, but I can tell you that cylinders 2 and 3 are nowhere near 300 degrees. You can put your hand on them and though they are warm, they're nowhere near hot enough to burn you. 1 and 4 will burn you in nothing flat though, don't ask me how I know lol. As for the oil, I'm not sure. It didn't last time I checked (which was after I brought it home), so I'm assuming still not, but I will check tomorrow after work and make sure. I'm stuck here until midnight tonight and have to be back at 8am tomorrow until 4pm.

parts I don't have any idea where PO got this battery, and doubt very seriously they would take it back without a receipt even if I did. I'll try charging it first, maybe it's because I had left the ignition on for a while while running tests and the headlight was on the whole time. If that doesn't help, I'll look at replacing it sometime soon.

 

Is it possible that my problem is due to ignition coil pickups? I was reading through this thread. and it was like a lightbulb coming on in my head. How would I check this? May have time tomorrow evening before it gets dark.

 

Yes it is possible but not as likely as on an XS1100.
They should be around 700 ohms IIRC.
I think Chacal has the service manual on cd.
Also the clymer manual on the xs1100 can be of help if the factory manual
isn't clear but beware of differences in specs as the XJ1100 and XS1100 though related are NOT exactly the same.
P.S. protect the tci box they are a 1 year only part and are rare and EXPENSIVE!!

 

Wouldn't it be funny if 2&3 had bad spark plug caps. I would check the ohms on that.