It's been a busy few weeks, but somehow I've been able to squeeze in a little bit of time here and there to work on Maxine. I ended up deciding to install the motor without the top end. It ended up going in fairly easy that way with some help from a 2x4 acting as a slide ramp.

 I also decided to update the fuse box. I was able to find a good 4-place spade fuse box on amazon for a decent price, that's smaller and has a water resistant cover. The only thing I don't like about it is how exposed the connectors are on top and bottom. I'll have to find a way to cover them up better in the future, but for now it will have to do.

With the bottom end in, I proceeded to assemble the top end: Pistons, Cylinders, Head, Cams, and valve cover. One thing that seems to intimidate myself and others is trying to compress piston rings to start the pistons into the cylinders for a 4-cylinder bike. I remember on another Kawasaki ZN1100 that I did, I had to have my dad help me compress the rings on one side, while I did the other, just to get two pistons started at a time! What I like about the XJ1100 is that the cylinders sleeves are tapered just right at the bottom so that I was able to position the pistons evenly at mid stroke with just enough pressure to support the cylinders. Then all I had to do was just center the rings on the pistons and the cylinders just slid right on without much fight at all! Props to Yamaha for a good design!   

My next task was the carburetors. I did a quick check and cleaning of the main and pilot jets before installing. The jets were all clean, but since it is such a chore to remove carbs, I wanted to make sure before installing. First I put the Air Box back in without the boots. Then I attached the carbs to the head. Next came the part that I dreaded, the air box boots. Last time I installed them it took me half a day! My boots were really hard, so installing them was a pain in the neck. I asked my Uncle  about a good way to soften carb boots. He told me to use brake fluid for a day or two, but no longer than that. I had some lying around so I decided to give it a shot. I just coated the boots inside and out with brake fluid and then put them in a zip lock bag. After a day, I was able to tell a noticeable difference, about as much as if they had been warmed up with a heat gun. I decided I wanted a little more, so I coated them again, and let them sit for another day. The next day, I cleaned the brake fluid off of them and went to install them. They were soft enough at this point that it only took 45 minutes to install them!

The motor is now in! Now all I need is a gas tank and some oil, and she'll be ready to go!