darrell3001
Forum Apprentice
Hello everyone,
First off, let me apologize for only just getting around to posting a hello message. Ive been subscribed for well over 10 years. In addition, two 83 11E's have also been sitting in a corner of my garage for 10 years as well. Thanks to Covid, I finally transitioned one of them from a project to a daily rider. Many thanks for the expert advice that has been dispensed from this group over the years. I could not have finished this project without you.
A bit about myself.. I live in Carlsbad, which is near San Diego. Im a cyber security consultant by day and soccer dad on weekends. Ive been working on bikes since my early teens back in Texas. I enjoy wrenching on them more than riding them. Wiring diagrams have always fascinated me, thus electrical systems are my speciality.
Project Mods/Learnings/Ramblings...
1) The first major problem that i faced was burnt wires and melted connectors in the headlight. I replaced the R/R with an aftermarket serial R/R with a heat sync the size of a planet. It was too big to mount back on the side, so i have it tie wrapped to the frame just above the battery. Im using Pods, so there is quite a bit of space now under the seat. Also, eliminated the stator circuit through the headlight and went directly in to the R/R. Replaced the melted connector with bullet connectors. In addition, i mounted a small volt/ammeter just under the instrument panel. Now i can monitor battery voltage and charing amps.
2) Sent the carbs off to have them rebuilt. They came back with 47.5 pilot jets. The idle was just not where i wanted it. I sync'ed, twisted mixture screw, changed jets, learned a lot about carbs. In the end, i went back with factory 45 pilots and followed a "lean best" process for setting mixture screw. The biggest thing i learned was make one change, write it down, test and record results.. Then rinse/repeat to infinity. Carb tuning is a fool's errand for those who are impatient. For those going down this path, i simply cannot emphasize enough to get a notebook and keep notes about what you have changed and also to only make small changes. The result of 4 months of tinkering with this is a bike that purrs like a kitten.
3) Replaced the a burnt out back light on the gear indicator LCD with an LED. This gear indicator is, by far, the most technologically advanced component on these bikes.
4) Repaired cracked speedo housing. I used a soldering iron and plastic welded the cracks back together. The results were stunning. Im still shocked as to how strong a plastic weld is.
5) replaced the headlight and tail light with LED's. I added some inline 10w resistors to add load such that i didnt burn out the stator. This worked really well. Turn signals and running lights are next on the list.
6) Rebuilt the front forks (seals and o-rings). Replaced the stock rear shocks (with IKONs). Replaced the stock break lines with braided steal. Replaced the tires. Bypassed the anti-dive.
7) Added a iphone holder complete with wireless charging pad.
8) Added sponge grips.
She is still far, far from perfect, but she is ridable, safe and loads of fun. Here are some pix. Comments and feedback are much appreciated.
And again, "Thank You" for all of the great help over the years.
First off, let me apologize for only just getting around to posting a hello message. Ive been subscribed for well over 10 years. In addition, two 83 11E's have also been sitting in a corner of my garage for 10 years as well. Thanks to Covid, I finally transitioned one of them from a project to a daily rider. Many thanks for the expert advice that has been dispensed from this group over the years. I could not have finished this project without you.
A bit about myself.. I live in Carlsbad, which is near San Diego. Im a cyber security consultant by day and soccer dad on weekends. Ive been working on bikes since my early teens back in Texas. I enjoy wrenching on them more than riding them. Wiring diagrams have always fascinated me, thus electrical systems are my speciality.
Project Mods/Learnings/Ramblings...
1) The first major problem that i faced was burnt wires and melted connectors in the headlight. I replaced the R/R with an aftermarket serial R/R with a heat sync the size of a planet. It was too big to mount back on the side, so i have it tie wrapped to the frame just above the battery. Im using Pods, so there is quite a bit of space now under the seat. Also, eliminated the stator circuit through the headlight and went directly in to the R/R. Replaced the melted connector with bullet connectors. In addition, i mounted a small volt/ammeter just under the instrument panel. Now i can monitor battery voltage and charing amps.
2) Sent the carbs off to have them rebuilt. They came back with 47.5 pilot jets. The idle was just not where i wanted it. I sync'ed, twisted mixture screw, changed jets, learned a lot about carbs. In the end, i went back with factory 45 pilots and followed a "lean best" process for setting mixture screw. The biggest thing i learned was make one change, write it down, test and record results.. Then rinse/repeat to infinity. Carb tuning is a fool's errand for those who are impatient. For those going down this path, i simply cannot emphasize enough to get a notebook and keep notes about what you have changed and also to only make small changes. The result of 4 months of tinkering with this is a bike that purrs like a kitten.
3) Replaced the a burnt out back light on the gear indicator LCD with an LED. This gear indicator is, by far, the most technologically advanced component on these bikes.
4) Repaired cracked speedo housing. I used a soldering iron and plastic welded the cracks back together. The results were stunning. Im still shocked as to how strong a plastic weld is.
5) replaced the headlight and tail light with LED's. I added some inline 10w resistors to add load such that i didnt burn out the stator. This worked really well. Turn signals and running lights are next on the list.
6) Rebuilt the front forks (seals and o-rings). Replaced the stock rear shocks (with IKONs). Replaced the stock break lines with braided steal. Replaced the tires. Bypassed the anti-dive.
7) Added a iphone holder complete with wireless charging pad.
8) Added sponge grips.
She is still far, far from perfect, but she is ridable, safe and loads of fun. Here are some pix. Comments and feedback are much appreciated.
And again, "Thank You" for all of the great help over the years.
