got a new bike

picked up a new (to me) bike today.
i don't know much about it yet but it's a 1988 yamaha fz. still need to do vin decoding etc to know exactly what i have. i was told a 750 but you know how it is, and i don't trust this info yet. nevertheless, it is a cool looking bike, runs and i already took it for a quick spin. Has valid inspection. Carb cleaning should make a huge difference.
she used to be yellow but one of the POs decided to go black on her. Fairings are in good condition, no obvious cracks or even scratches.

 

Been trying to confirm the engine size but no luck. Looking at the vin, it doesn't seem to give me that info, or I haven't found the correct decoder yet. And comparing pics and specs, like wheel sizes, doesn't help much either. Only thing I know for sure is the year.
I might be lucky and have the size stamped on the engine. Will check tomorrow.

 

Front of the engine, between cylinders 2 and 3, should have the displacement cast into the base of the cylinders.
Based on the bodywork it's an FZR750, not an FZ750, and not either 600.

 

You can look through this PDF chart to decode what year and model it is:

http://davesbikes.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/4/5/4845046/yamaha_model_codes.pdf

Looks like it's an fzr750 or 1000.

What K-moe said, the displacement is stamped in the center of the front of the engine at the lower edge of the cylinder jugs. Here's a picture:

 

Hm, thats what i thought at first too but based on specs I found on Internet, the 600 had 17 inch wheels. On my frame is a sticker that talks about 17 front and 18 rear tire specs.

 

Thanks.

I think I just found my answer by doing a Google search on my vin:
http://motorcycleslog.com/asp/Item.asp?soldid=288327&make=Yamaha&theday=9/17/2015

Which goes hand in hand with the info and title I have. The guy I bought it from only had it for 2 weeks and needed to sell a lot of his toys.

 

So did the 750. A 17" front was the hot new thing in sportsbikes at the time.
That it has a 1000cc motor in it is a bonus, but you'll have to buy two service manuals now

Don't let the difference between the price he paid and the price you paid bother you. I still think you made out well.

 

So yes, it's a 1000cc engine

 

Just took tank off and looked everything over real quick. Bike looks good, no leaks, no weird wiring hanging out etc. That's good.
Airbox came right off because it was not secured to the carbs. so this could be one of the reasons why it ran a bit rough. An in line fuel filter was installed as well and looked clean. Another good thing.

 

Oh yeah, I'm happy with the purchase. And true about the two manuals. I guess I just need to confirm somehow what year the engine is, just to be safe.

 

The serial number on the engine should be in the same place as on an XJ. Also look for the EXUP valve in the exhaust collector. A lot of aftermarket exhausts didn't use it, and without the valve you'll have a lumpy idle and reduced power below midrange compared to stock (but you might not care ).

 

Looks pretty good anda few extra cc's to boot, sweet

 

Yeah, a bit dirty but not much. Looks like someone took care of it, or at least didn't ride in wet. But the coolant reservoir was empty and dry.


And this is really as dirty as the bike got...

 

I'm going to take everything in subframe out for cleaning and put it back together. After that I'll do the same with the front.
The only thing I noticed on the bike so far was the idle (gonna run seafoam and sync it) and the soft front end. It dives easily. Not sure if this is supposed to be like that or if shocks need fluid. Other than that, no issues. Gonna change oil, fill up the coolant (still need to figure out if water or actual coolant) and order a new air filter and a set of tires. I guess new brake pads as well, just in case. All electrical stuff works.
Going to register bike this week and as soon as everything is clean and back together, I'm taking it to inspection.
Shouldn't be too bad.
Oh, just remembered: the cooler is patched up. Need to check if there is a leak (which could explain the empty coolant reservoir)

 

Checked the model ID chart I linked and the 2LJ engine code says it's from an '87 fzr1000 California spec model.

So it has the Genesis 5 valve (shim under bucket) heads and I would confirm the valves are in spec before getting too far into it because of the unknown mileage.

Also, it's got the Kerker header so no EXUP on it now.
That bike will fly once you get it sorted out.

Tony

 

Coolant....unless you like overheating in summer and cracked cylinder liners in winter.

Remove the radiator cap, or pull the lower hose off of the water pump if the cap is stuck. Hopefully there is coolant in the system. If it's dry then you might have a problem beyond an empty overflow tank.

The front end should not be soft.

 

D'uh. This actually makes total sense [insert brain here]

 

Thanks XHondaHack. Great info and highly appreciated

 

Bought on a Friday 13th. What could possibly go wrong

 

Turns out the boots coming from air box don't fit on the carbs. Inner diameter is off by maybe 2mm. I might be able to shave off a tiny bit to make them fit.

Also had some fuel in airbox and a bit wet around two carbs.
I took them out to have them redone.

Man, I love working on this bike. Everything is easily accessible. Carbs in and out is a breeze

 

So it seems the carbs are original to the bike as the 750 ones are 34mm Mikuni's. The rubber intake manifolds that are on there are for the 1000cc engine, they came with 37mm Mikuni's so they are too large.

Looks like you're entering uncharted territory and have to decide which direction to go in:

1) Get correct intake manifolds and use the 34mm carbs. Those will need extensive jetting mods and still not provide the full power potential of the 1000cc engine.
2) Find a set of 37mm carbs and redo those (they may still need jetting upgrades to compliment the exhaust). And then you can sell the 34mm carbs to offset the cost.

I would follow k-moe's advise and find out where the coolant loss is coming from, then make sure all the valves are in spec and perform a compression check before spending any money on it.

Tony

 

Checked coolant and it's topped off. So that's good.

Regarding carbs and the boots.
Well, the boots coming from air box are too small. The ones going to engine are fine. Or maybe I am misreading your post.

But yes, measured. It's 34mm carbs. There are some sort of converter intake boots on them. On engine side everything sits perfectly.
It's just that the ones coming from air box don't fit.

 

Spotted carbs for an 1988 fzr1000.
Waiting for confirmation on size, just to be safe.

Was going to do compression check but could not find my adapters. Just ordered.
Will have to take radiator off for better access

 

Getting a set of 37mm carbs for it may be the smartest approach. You'll be able to fine tune those after going through them as apposed to drastically altering the jetting on the set you have. Trying to dial in the air/fuel requirements for the 1000cc displacement would be a challenge on the 34mm ones.

You'll definitely want to verify the valves are in spec and the compression checks ok, as well as making sure the ignition system is all good, before doing any carb jetting.

Tony

 

Excellent. Wish me luck that the ones I found are indeed 37mm.
Yeah, have to take the radiator off for better access to everything.
Outer spark plug was already a pain to get to. And it looks like it had never been changed before. Very corroded on outside.
Once the radiator is out of the way, I'll check the valves. Most likely next weekend. I should have my manual by then as well (especially for gap and valve correction numbers).

 

Love same day delivery. Compression test adapters came. Had two mins and checked #4 because I already had it out today.
I got 165 on cold engine. Still waiting for manual to see what the numbers should be but I'm sure it's in that range.

 

found and just bought the correct carbs.
started to drain the coolant, hoping to get a few mins in tonight/tomorrow morning to pull the radiator.
new spark plugs and oil + filter on the way as well.

Update: manual came in today. Covers different models which includes the fzr1000 engine. Nice. No need to buy a second book.

 

Took off radiator this morning. Bike is still a mystery, but I like puzzles. I think the coils that are currently on the outside should be inside, under the airbox. From what I have seen and read, only the 600 model had them on the outside. But i could be wrong as i am still confused about the exact version i have. I'll check if there is room to move the coils after the valve check is done.
I am also trying to figure out if parts are interchangeable. For some reason only the 600 and the 1000 fairings are in the manual. Nothing mentioned about the 750.
Need the info to start looking for inner side panels (that go into the cockpit)

 

Quick update and a question:
Got the correct carbs now and will drop them off for a rebuild. The boots coming from airbox do not fit there as well. Strange. But that's not a huge issue.
I am still puzzled in regards to parts. Looking around for fzr750 parts, only fairings come up. But when I look for other things like coil cover etc, no hits. Does anyone know what other version/year the 88 fzr750 shares parts with? Even the manual is not clear about that.
Some years and models have the coils inside the frame and attached above engine. Mine are on the left outside of the frame.

 

Small update: carbs are dropped off for cleaning and putting them back to factory settings in case they were changed. Should have them back in two weeks. Can't wait to ride this bike. As cool as my xj550 is, it is this one that gets me all excited..

 

Got carbs back, new boots from airbox to carbs as well as from carbs to engine. Also found replacement fairings that are in better shape than the current ones.
Was going to start the valve job but ran into issue with screws to get to the crankshaft so I can rotate engine. Always something

 

Get one.




Bit second from the right (or maybe third). Use it (with a hammer).

Has anyone mentioned that none of the screws on the bike are Phillips?

All JIS. Needs JIS screwdrivers for not to bugger up screw heads.

Once they are out, replace them with Cap-head screws (allen wrench). Easier to take off if you have case guards in place.

 

They have these ones cheap. But you have to be very careful not to strip the screws.

http://m.oreillyauto.com/h5/r/oap/s...river_-1_-1&search=true&keyword=Impact+driver

 

Thanks. Just ordered a set.
And yes, definitely going to replace with Allen screws.
Did that on my carb clamps as well.

 

Holy poop, I am amazed. Worked like a charm...

 

Now I just need to build/find a tool to actually turn the crankshaft. Not as simple as on my xj.

 

Did you get jis, or was the impact driver with Phillips enough to get the job done?

 

Regular phillips. Tool got a good grib mainly because the bolts are soft.

Here is what I ordered:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002NYDRG/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_DztzxbY9NYF34

 

Read somewhere that you can just put the bike in 1st and rotate the wheel to rotate engine. I might try that in case I can find a tool to rotate crankshaft.
But first I need to get Major Pita off my table lift and put the fzr on. Else my back will be killing me after a few minutes. Not getting any younger...

Aaand I should get myself a rear stand to lift the bike up. I only have one for the front which doesn't fit in the back.

 

Oh my... changing shims is a real b** on this bike. Haven't started yet but read about it in the manual. Oh dear oh dear

 

Shim-Under-Bucket. More involved to change shims, but valve clearances stay in spec for much longer. Going more than 25,000 miles before needing to adjust clearances is not unheard of.

 

Similar to the 700x and 750x wet heads? Does it have 5 per cylinder as well?

 

Yes. Aside from the bottom-end (the Maxim-X uses XJ 900 cases) they are both Genesis engines.

 

That's what I am hoping. All available fingers crossed that clearances check out in which case I can just throw on the new gasket and seal her up again.

 

still haven't been able to tackle the valve clearance stuff but managed to change the fork oil as a small side project. but at least i bought all gaskets and fluids to finish her up quickly. Hoping Major Pita gets off the table lift soon (once she is back together) so i can put the FZR on it. back is killing me and i certainly do not do the valve clearance check on my knees.

 

Those boots are a problem I had on an fz750 old and shrunk. soaked them in oil of wintergreen and rubbing alcohol mix and presto bigger and softer

 

i bought new replacement boots as the old ones were not in the greatest shape anyway. looks like someone really tried to make them work and messed them up.

 

Alrighty, with family out for the night/day, I managed to measure the clearances. Have to take that sucker apart and remove cam shafts to get to the shims. Argh.
Always one out of the three intake valves is off (the other two are within specs), and on exhaust side all of them are out of spec.
I assume it is good that all measured the same though, even when out of spec.
Wish me luck...

 

Download the shim spec file on this page:
http://www.maxim-x.com/notes.html#shimpool

It's a huge help in determining the proper shim sizes to get you in spec. and try to go on the high side of the recommended clearance so they will stay in spec. longer as the clearances tighten up over time.

 

Ok. I assume it's the same as in the manual? I'll read it.
And yes, most of intakes are in spec, but they are .12 when the spec range is .11 to .xx
I'll swap them as well since I am already on it.

Camshafts are removed and I already looked at all the shims. Now I have to order the new ones.