New guy, first bike.

[Tat2demon]

Greetings.

Today I bought my first bike, a 78 XS11. Ive ridden several bikes in the past but none that I owned.

I found this on Craigslist yesterday for $850. After seeing what some people have done with these I had to have it.

It runs pretty good and doesn't look half bad. There's some chips in the paint and a small dent in the top of the tank but nothing serious.

I plan on riding it without doing much to it until this winter. Then it hits the garage and the fun begins. I haven't decided on a final plan but it seems I have a lot of options.

This is the XS when I picked it up. Ill get some more tomorrow if anyone is interested.

[crazy steve]

Looks to be in pretty decent shape! Most of the hard-to-find bits are there (that seat is a rare factory accessory touring version) and it's cosmetically good. It does appear to have non-stock carbs/airbox on it, hopefully those are tuned well.

Welcome!

[jwhughes3]

Cant recall seeing pics of that color, so i guess previous owner wasnt on here alot ( at least that we could see).

Looks fine and you will enjoy it once its sorted out. Nothing like a properly running XS11.

Welcome and plz post more pics. We love project pics.

John

[Wildkat]

Looks to be a nice find!

I'm kind of curious about the carb/ airbox set up too...

and more pics are always welcome!

[tv5150]

Super nice...and if it runs good, half the battle is won (and at $850, a heck of a good buy)
From what I can tell in the pics, the PO musta taken alot of pride in
taking care of it. It looks to be in pretty amazing shape.
Looks to have aftermarket exhaust seeing that it stops shy of the rear axle.
Post more pics...and like you said, now the fun begins...
Welcome, there's much knowledge and advice to be gained thru this site
You what they say about old dogs and new tricks???

[XSive Okie]

Looks pretty good, man! Emblems are there, and PO took time to polish some of the aluminum on the engine, so he (or she) must've cared about the bike. All in all, nice find!

[Tat2demon]

Thanks guys.

Im not sure if I care for the seat yet. The first thing I did when I got it home was take off the case on the back and the windshield. I would like to take off the rack but I need to keep the backrest on there so I can take my son for a ride once in a while. If it wasnt for that, it would have come off too.

Its missing the left side cover. Hopefully Ill be able to find one before its time to repaint it.

The guy I bought it from had it for a year and I know nothing about ownership before that.

I really like the colors and theres a good chance that when I get it repainted this winter it will be very close to that. It reminds me of a 50s Chevy.

The carbs seem a little off. the PO said the carbs were cleaned this spring but Im thinking that just meant a can of something run through. Its a bit cold blooded and seems to have a small occasional backfire. I think a good teardown is in order after riding season.

If these aree not the original carbs, is that something I should be concerned with?

Heres some more pics and a couple close ups of the carbs/airbox.

[crazy steve]

Originally Posted by Tat2demon

...The carbs seem a little off. The PO said the carbs were cleaned this spring but I'm thinking that just meant a can of something run through. Its a bit cold blooded and seems to have a small occasional backfire. I think a good teardown is in order after riding season.

If these are not the original carbs, is that something I should be concerned with?

Those aren't original carbs...

Carb swaps can work, but you run into too many that were done for the wrong reasons; rather than repair/rebuild the originals, some owners find 'something close' that fits but the calibration isn't quite right for the application. And as they're usually doing it on the cheap (not having the skills or money to properly tune them), you get a bike that won't run quite right.

I don't recognise these, someone will probably chime in with what they are and if you're lucky somebody may know what's needed for tuning. If not, you might want to start looking for a rebuildable set of OEM carbs. I have no doubt that you're sacrificing some power/mileage with these, so it'll likely be worth your while...

But if that's the worst that's wrong, you still have a nice bike!

[jwhughes3]

Dont recognize that choke setup or filter holder.

Someone swapped out the original rectangular headlight on the 78 for the ears and round light off a Special, but kept the rectangular signals. Looks good.
They took an exhaust from a Special too.
Fork brace I think we identified in another thread as being from an XS650.

John

[crazy steve]

Originally Posted by jwhughes3

They took an exhaust from a Special too.

Exhaust looks like a Kerker 4-1... in very nice shape too

[Tat2demon]

Dang, any idea where a good place to look for carbs online is? I may have access to an 80 or 81 for about $150. Would these have the same stock carbs at the 78?

All I can tell from these is it says Mikuni Kogyo on the right side and MIC on the left.

[Tat2demon]

I guess another important question is, if I keep these carbs on here will it hurt anything or is it ok to ride until I tear it apart in the late fall.

[crazy steve]

You can post an ad in the 'parts wanted' forum here, or search eBay for a set. Here's a pic of what yours should look like..



These '78-79 units have been fully restored and powdercoated, so you probably won't find a set this nice...

The '80-81 carbs will also fit; here's an identifier guide to help you look..

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35964

Here's another possibility; this swap has been done successfully, so there's info on tuning.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35964

[Tat2demon]

Wow those are sharp.

Thanks for the links.

[Cuda 69]

To me,they look like early 70's honda carb;s,is that even possible?