The Project So Far...'82 XJ650R Seca

Okay...the board has been very accommodating to me, with members being considerate, helpful and friendly. The least I can do is give an update on my project ride.

About three months ago, I decided it was time to get a bike again after about a three-year drought. After perusing Craigslist ads for a while, I pulled the trigger six weeks ago on a 1982 Yamaha 650 Seca. It was dirty and road-worn, but it looked complete enough...far from turn-key, though.

Here's a link to the Photobucket gallery of the bike the day I got it in the garage....

http://s876.photobucket.com/user/Dinger ... 0Day%20One

...and here's the breakdown of what I found after my first once-over...

Body
o Taped up seat cover
o GPS mount plate glued to tank, stone chips
o Navy sticker over tailpiece
o Twisting cracks, chips, rust on front fender
o Snapped, torn-off rear fender
o Side covers like new
o Gauges clean, but missing some attachment nuts/bushings
Controls
o All cables need replacing
o Gummed up front brake hydraulics
o Rear brake…no engagement
o Levers & bars straight
o Pegs/pedal/shifter in good shape
o Grips shot
o Mirrors looking rough, but serviceable
Front-End
o Fork sliders good, with excellent seals
o Shot fork springs
o Frozen calipers
o Both rotors extremely grooved & beyond-service thin
o Bad front tire
o Good front bearings
o Good steering bearings
Rear-End
o Bad rear tire
o Good rear bearings
o Shot rear brake pads
o Paint flaking off rear shaft housing
o Gear oil is beyond service
o Shocks are shot
Fuel system/Intake
o Air filter beyond service/plugged
o Carbs dirty indide & out, with stale gas
o Plugged enrichment circuits
Motor
o Clutch engagement good
o Quiet top-end…no cam chain or valve chatter
o Paint “burned off” cylinders
o Tachometer drive seal leaking badly, or leaking lightly for a LONG time
o Possible head-gasket leak at ‘donuts’, but may be spray from tachometer seal
o Oil on back of transmission…breather pipe popped out of air filter
o Mix of Phillips and Allen fasteners across motor
o Oil black…beyond service
o Exhaust covered in surface rust. Fell apart in hands when removed for cleaning
Electrical
o Battery has three dry cells and two sulfated cells…replace
o All lights/switches work
o Charging system adequate to keep bike running with knackered battery…leave alone
o Plugs terribly corroded/old/nearly carbon-fouled
o Fuse box knackered…individual fuses wired in outside box
Frame/extras
o Minor surface rust in some areas…generally dirty
o Power-Lock still in place
o Stock tool kit still present
o All compartments (tool tray, tail storage) still present

The next post in the thread will be a breakdown of the work done, as well as a link to the "road-ready" gallery.

 

So...that was where I started. The bike has cleaned up pretty well, as can be seen at the "road-ready" gallery...

http://s876.photobucket.com/user/Dinger ... ad%20Ready

Here is what I've been able to get done:
Front-End
o Braided Steel Brake Lines
o Rebuilt Calipers w/speed-bleeders & new pads
o Rebuilt Master Cylinder
o New Rotors
o New Speedo Cable
o Waiting on fork springs/oil (corroded fork cap bolts need KROIL)
o New Kenda Challenger tire
Controls
o All cables on bike replaced (speedo, tach, clutch, choke, throttle)
o Installed Renthal dual-compound MX grips…comfy
o Came up with garage replacement for missing gauge bushings/nuts
Rear-End
o Replaced shocks with Chinese “Ohlins-clone” remote-reservoir shocks
o Serviced shaft gear sets
o Replaced & adjusted brake shoes
o Greased swingarm bearings
o Cleaned up/re-cut torn rear fender
o Recovered seat with hand-stitched replacement (eBay find)
o Polished up passenger peg mounts
o New Kenda Challenger tire
Motor
o Replaced Air filter with oiled UNI in stock airbox
o Reconnected oil breather tube (what a mess the disconnect made)
o Cleaned, Stage-1 rejetted, and bench-synched carbs
o Checked valve clearances…all in spec & even cyulinder-to-cylinder
o Replaced tar-oil, filter & added used Derale oil cooler (eBay find)
o Replaced exhaust with MAC 4-1 chrome megaphone (not canister) system
o Replaced plugs
o Replaced tach drive seals
o Replaced battery
Body
o General, thorough cleaning
o Polished all painted surfaces
o Replaced Yamaha emblems on tank
o Carefully removed GPS Mount plate from tank top
o Carefully removed Navy sticker from tailpiece

There is more to come, such as a vacuum sync, fork spring install, front fender replacement (already purchased), fork brace install, replacement of all engine cover bolts with stainless Allen, and a repaint...but at this time, I consider the bike ready to roll.

 

I did have one "oops" on the project that I'm fixing now. The fit between the Derale cooler's mount plate and the MAC header is tight. The hose clamp touched a pipe, conducting enough heat to start melting the cooler feed line.

There are two pics of that problem in the "road-ready" gallery. I need to do something about that, for sure.

 

Love the NAVY sticker comment...my son wants to add one to the tail...lol

 

Looking good....

dave

 

Nice job

 

I'll second that. Nice job indeed.

 

Very cool!!!

 

looks nice !!!! tell me about a couple of things... shocks how much and where did u source them? Also who drilled your rotors..... also ... what tires are u running and what was the cost and do they perform well? I have had my Seca 3 yrs now.... bought it without a title and thats part of the foot dragging going on here. I am confident i can get a title in Missouri with a little fanagling but i dont want to dump major money into her until i do. I have cosmetic plans but i want to get the mechanicals done first. Another carb rebuild and valve adjust to start with. I need some prodding i guess. It does not help that i have a BMW K 100 i need to work on as well and get back on the road. What am i saying.... I am should feel fortunate that i have 2 projects!!!!

 

Okay...here's the breakdown...

The shocks were straight off ebay for $95.00. Seemingly exactly like the remote-reservoir units available at MikesXs.com.

The rotors were purchase new, pre-drilled, from a manufacturer/supplier in Hong Kong...also an eBay purchase...pair was less than a single EBC replacement.

Tires are Kenda Challenger. Haven't worn them in on this bike, but have used them previously on a CB750, a GT380 and a CB360 with no complaints whatsoever. The performance envelope of the bikes, and the legal limits in the United States, are such that I've never been able to "overdrive" these tires. The pair was under $140, and I self-installed/balanced (easy when running tubeless on a factory mag).

Hope this is of help to you.

 

References for purchases...

Shocks: http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-5-8-320mm-AI ... bd&vxp=mtr

Rotors: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-Front-Round- ... 4f&vxp=mtr

Front Kenda $51: https://www.denniskirk.com/kenda/front- ... /64778.sku

Rear Kenda ...same site as front... whether you go 110/90 or 120/90 18", both are under $60 there.

 

Nice job! - I'm curious how those rear shocks work out once you've had some more time on the bike, please post an update with your impressions. I went a different route with my bike (kept the stock springs and replaced the shocks with a Progressive 14 series). I have a small Honda I'm considering that eBay vendors shocks for....

 

I'd be interested to know how those shocks work out too... Seems very cheap, are they rebuildable do you know? (for example if a seal popped or if you wanted to fit heavier oil)

 

I'll give shock impressions on first long/legal ride and after one month of commuting. One-way trip to work is 55 miles, so I should have 2K on the ODO in 30 days. That should be enough to give an update.

...and yes, I believe they can be rebuilt. However, I don't have any confidence in the cross-use of internal components/seals from other brands (original manufacturer parts access is likely dicey). Honestly, at that price, I'll replace them rather than rebuild if they perform well for a reasonable lifespan.

BTW...I'm sure that the North American/US vendors for those same shocks would be able to provide info on rebuilding, etc... Quite a few sellers have them available.

 

Okay...back from the first 30+ minute highway shakedown since getting the bike legal. Figured I'd give some general thoughts and specific feedback for those who have asked questions.

First, the shocks...since that got the most interest. I initially thought they may be too lightly sprung with no preload, so I put on about 1/3" preload with the threaded collars. The ride included 20 highway miles and 20 miles of Michigan back-roads at 55mph, plus in-town at 25. Anyone familiar with Michigan roads knows that this combination involves some brutal conditions.

The long and short of it is that I'm completely happy with the shocks. Even though I made a conscious effort to think about observing the rear end response, I found myself not paying attention...the rear suspension worked well enough for me to forget about it on straights, curves, good pavement and (typical for Michigan) terrible pavement.

Post ride observations on the whole bike:

Even after setting up Dynojet Stage-1 for the carb bank, I think it may still be running a bit lean overall, based on the amount of time it takes to run down to idle. Though all carbs are set up similarly, I think #1 is lean based on header bluing compared to the other three.

I've got to do something to get the stinkin' fork caps out so I can install my new fork springs and oil...front is nowhere near as controlled as the rear. Brake-dive city.

I was spoiled by shifting my SV650. There will be no clutchless shifts with just a roll-off of throttle on this bike...notchier than my old CB750 and GT380, but no missed shifts or false neutrals. Much easier to find neutral coming down from second at a stop than coming up from first.

Brakes, while working well, are definitely a 31-year-old design. No more two-finger near-stoppies like on the SV. That is a good thing for me, honestly.

I forgot how buzzy inline-fours are, but the angry exhaust tone and buzz makes me feel like the bike is doing something at legal speeds. Big departure from the SV, where I could steer with only my knees on the tank and the slightest countersteer pressure while drinking coffee at 90mph.

Walk-around of the bike after the shakedown showed a dry motor...no fuel leaks and no more problems up around the oil filter/cooler. However, I did see one or two drops of oil on the garage floor from what seemed like directly under the centerstand pivot. I'll be checking the underside of the motor in the morning when it has cooled.

Overall opinion: very fun. I truly enjoyed a bike that seemed tuned and designed for enjoyment of real-world-pace riding. It still stuns me that many consider my SV650 to be a "girl's bike" and dead slow...yet it was still way too much for legal street use if pushed anywhere near its potential. Once I acclimate to the bike a bit more...and once I trust the bike mechanically (darn those oil drops), I'll be truly happy.

 

I wonder if these shocks would fit my '83 Seca900...

 

thanks for the update on the shocks and your overall impressions. Yes motorcycling and motorcycles in general have changed a lot. I rememeber like it was yesterday wanting a green RD 400 so bad i could taste it and at 16 yrs old is unobtainable. But that bike is not even close to the rides of today. ( Although i would still love to have one) . BTW how about the tires and ur impressions on those.
Thanks
Jeff

 

Awesome job and ride report, looks beautiful and sounds like a blast to ride.

SOMEDAY, after i have a 900, ill be looking for a 650 seca to add to the stable

 

McCoy's still has it.

http://greenbay.craigslist.org/mcd/3649255310.html

 

As far as the Kenda Challengers...

I've been completely happy with the tires after the usual, careful 100 miles to get the mold-separation chemicals off the surface. They are quiet, they don't get squirrelly over the "tar snakes" that one sees in Michigan (that may change when temps are over 90) and I haven't felt any lack of feedback or loss of traction at the bike-appropriate speeds I've seen.

I don't go on the track, and I'm not into "hooliganism," so these tires are completely satisfactory to/for me, as they were on the last three "classics" I put them on.