What did you do to your Yamaha today?

I've been seriously thinking about this - rebuilding a second set, install them and tune. That way if things go sideways, I can always reinstall the current set / compare with it.

 

As continuation of my luggage rack and side cases install, the presence of the accessories do not allow the seat to be tipped for access to fuse box / air cleaner. The seat is supposed to be removed by sliding forward, but then you can't have the original hinge pins in place. There is supposed to be a sliding locking pin to replace the original hinge pins that then allow the seat to be slid forward, like this:


I didn't have one, so using a second seat I had for sizing, I made my own:

Not exact, but effective.

 

That looks awesome! Great job!

 

That looks like a pretty solid copy of the original pin, and it doesn't even look like you used a coat hanger! Please see "Are You a Hack?" thread for the proper way to MacGyver (or giv'er!) a bike.

 

nice thing about a spare set of carbs is you can use them in the next bike you purchase to see how it runs. then rebuld that set of carbs for the next bike you buy to see how it runs, then .........damn I need help

 

First day of school today which means first day of driving the car to work instead of taking the XJ.

 

No, you need another bike. Something with more challenge. CBX has 6 carbs. VMAX has them wedged in a V4. Harley needs all the maintenance a man could wish for. Maybe that'll keep you busy! Or try a pre WW2 4 cylinder bike. Just finding parts could take a decade.

 

The correct number of bikes owned is always n+1.


I've love a VMAX, personally. A buddy had one of them back in the day, and damn, did that thing pull insanely hard. So much torque. Mmm.

 

ripped off my carbs......tore down & cleaned them......put back on bike.......

Full choke...hit start once & she is purring......ease off choke after a couple of minutes & she idles just fine.......

Great feeling..........went for ride, all dialed in.......running perfect.......

Now all I need is a buyer.........

 

Right now, correct number for me would be (n+10ish)-1. The Rebel is in no way a permanent resident. I'm thinking of changing it's name to Trade In Value, cuz that's what it is to me.

 

Got up this morning and went for 20 mile ride-felt good not just riding to work and back.
returned home and 1/2 hour later it was pouring rain for 15 minutes at least knocked down the some of the smoke.
Last week found a new jacket, Field Shear for my wife and she loves it!
If it would just cool off enough for her we can go riding together.

 

My carbs came back from Hogfiddles last night
I Know what I'm doing this weekend.
This, then this, then this, then this, then this(vroom vroom)

 

Although we know how sparkly they look, you should still post pictures!

 

^^^ great description!

 

Big shout out to @Jgronk2771 and @Toomanybikes !

When I bought my xj700n last October it had pods and a 4 in 1 exhaust. It was hard to get started and when it did it didn't run very well. Every time it rained the pods would get wet and the engine would choke out and leave me stranded.

I pulled the valve cover and adjusted the valve clearances myself but after that the bike wouldn't start at all.

Dave @Toomanybikes had a spare airbox and offered to clean my carbs so I loaded her into the back of my van and ferried her over to Dave's place.

Dave had his own inventory of parts and ordered what he didn't have from Len. He took the carbs to church, had them hydroblasted, reinstalled them along with the factory airbox, and reinstalled the original exhaust and a replacement muffler I had found on eBay.

I told Dave that it was going to be hard for me to trust the bike again after being left stranded so many times. He assured me that it would start every time now. After riding every day all summer, rain or shine, and he was right. Dave really knows his XJs and I own a summers worth of riding to him.

It turned out that the eBay muffler had had the baffles cut out so the bike was loud and out of sync at certain RPM ranges because of the uneven exhaust.

All summer I have been searching for a replacement for that eBay muffler. While there are plenty of Righty mufflers available the Lefty's are unobtainium. (I suspect that @chacal and @hogfiddles have hoarded them all away.).

I was just about to give up my project and buy a Honda when @Jgronk2771 posted on the forum asking for something to make the bare pipes on his xj700n louder. I immediately messaged him to find out if he still had his lefty.

After messing with me for a bit, not only did @Jgronk2771 still have it but he gave it to me and had it in the mail the next day. Unbelievable! I couldn't believe my luck! Thanks Jim! You're awesome!

Long story but today I installed the replacement lefty muffler on my Yamaha. Now the bike is running amazingly and I can really appreciate Dave's carb work. My sooty black plugs in the left cylinders have turned a toasty brown. The acceleration is smooth from 1050 right through to 9000 rpm!

Next step. Petcock, fork seals, and front brake system rebuild! All the parts are ordered from @chacal and are on their way.

Thanks guys!

 

looks like you made all the right decisions...

 

Yes I would have to agree Chacal and Hogfiddles could change their usernames to Hoarder 1 and Hoarder 2-
All be it they are also very helpful when it comes to fixing the XJ's

In regards to what did I do to my Yamaha yesterday ?
I took my wife out for a 45 mile ride and she had a great time.

She did mention that I needed to get the rear seat fixed- By this She means that her Bum wasn't holding up.
I have no rips or tears and when I took it to a upholstery shop they said that it was pretty soft as is.
Any body got any ideas as how to make this more comfortable?

 

I have been running K&N pods for four years now rain or shine and I have never had any problem with being left stranded other then when I pinched a wire in the run button and when it finally broke through 1 week to vibrate through that was my own darn fault.
Dave does do great work !
Pictures would be nice very nice

 

do you still have the carb covers on bike that say 5 valve? could be why you have no problems or that you are using K&N pods may be a better quality then most if the ebay pods

 

Get a sheep's skin. You can buy them at IKEA.

 

Marry woman with a larger booty? They are the next big thing!

 

I just recently lost the left side 5 valve cover-As it being summer I have no evidence concerning the rain issue
now I am waiting for Hogfiddles to give one up

 

Well it is a bit late for replacing the wife idea. LOL

 

let her drive? how about a gel pad some are made to go on top of the seat some under the cover a little pricey. or you could fit some carpet padding under the cover.

 

the cover looks like it would shield the outer pods from rain as most want the pods exposed for the cool factor.
there is a post in one of the pod posts about someones success because he used sidecovers.

 

the 5 valve cover actually stops prior to the pods. As you mentioned for the look I guess. Seems odd since your legs actually cover the viewing of the pods.
In regards to my wife driving- she wants to get her own license and a 250 virago or something that size as she is only 5'2. I am pro Yamaha being as I have most of the tools already and this wonderful site to reference.

 

I am quite impressed with the rideability of my Honda Rebel 250. Very easy clutch, excellent maneuverability, people love the looks. My only issues are the size, which is a bit cramped for my 5 feet 10 inches, and lack of power, but it's a 250, what do you expect? Tiny wives should be able to get their feet down flat, as the seat is quite low, and manage the bike's weight, which is under 400lbs. I'm sure the Yamaha is fine too, just sharing my rebellious experience.

 

I have a 2007 Virago 250 as well as my XJ. It is super low and a lot of fun to ride.

 

Funny... went pretty much just like that.

Wet set then put it all back together... when I tried to start-for some reason had a small electrical glitch that resolved itself, probably from me thrashing about the fuse box trying to get an intake boot reseated. Then after warming up and setting idle after a short break went down the street where she sputtered and died, then started on enrich then died again , then realized I had closed the petcock before the restart , then took a nice 20 minute test ride

 

Went for a ride back to buddies house..his new to him 82 Maxim 1100 would not start. We tried every trick no joy... he had put new plugs in ...was ready to give up ...for giggles we changed out 2 of the plugs on left ...AND it started right up...bad plugs is only thing we could figure. I let him take a ride on my Seca he was impressed how it rode and ran. I left feeling good that I was able to help him figure it out,was a real nice day temp about 70 degrees bike ran great .

 

could be the plug caps and the connection to spark plug wires ,corrosion in wires and the removal and replaced made the connection.

 

Nope we put new caps on ...no change till we put back in original plugs. This thing has KZ1100 kehin carbs and pods ...going to take some work to tune...

 

Been enjoying the cool rides in the morning and late evening

The rain here in Southern Oregon is coming this Sunday-Thursday Sigh.
It is what it is-

Tomorrow starts off with getting the gkids off to 2nd grade then split the last 1-2 cords of wood.
Talked to wife about going on another ride through Butte Falls and she agreed YEAH.
40-5o miles round trip. Open country roads with road side signs that state OPEN RANGE should be interesting.
May pack a lunch and just enjoy the time out in the country with the Wife-Peace and Quite.

 

I do

I too like the ride ability of the rebel and the virago as they where also the bikes the motorcycle course provided for the hands on. Now I am just waiting to afford one for her ( Tina ) AKA wife

 

One small thing to check on the Rebel. A common occurrence is a blown out seal on the main bearing. Oil will leak out of the crankcase on the left side at the bottom, and get on the exhaust. Look for drips and oil cooked on the exhaust. Not a big expensive repair, mebbe a couple of hundred bucks, but something to watch for.

 

Thank You for the tip Sir

 

That's what she said.

 

^^^^ surprised matti wasn't all over that one

 

Matti ain't about "the tip", more of a "whole nine yards" kinda guy. Inches? This metric/imperial thing...

 

You gotta be fast if you want to respond with an unhelpful and childish comment on this forum!

 

no I don't.
put a new used set of speedo and tach on my 550 came from a 650 found out the bulb bases were not blade type now I have to go back in and see if I can convert them so I can use my led back lights.

and for @MattiThundrrr I found a repair manual for xs 750 tripples and every manual needs a bike to go with it

 

There's a trailer park on the edge of town, and a guy there has a stack of Kawi tripples, at least four of them... Interesting, verrrry interesting. Not familiar with xs tripples.

 

Ok - I might get kicked off the site,,,
Different thread but more Canadian Icons - Trailer Park Boys. I could see Ricky with a yard full of broken bikes/ projects/ dreams. Julian impresses the crap out of me how he ALWAYS seems to have a rum and coke in his hands. And Bubbles.....

 

Never owned a yamaha until today - bought a truck load of parts... my garage looks like an XJ bomb went off...

 

Looks like you have started off on the right foot as many of have. Good times ahead
Welcome Aboard

 

Honestly, I'm planning on using them to fund my other project... who knows though.

 

let us know what you have everyone is always looking for parts. if you have trouble id ing the xj,s there is a thread on vin numbers with a link for quick look up

 

We like pictures. Lots of pictures!

 

Spent the ride to work trying to figure out why my bike was suddenly idling at 2200k. Kept stopping, checking for vacuum leaks etc...

Realised when I got to work that because it was 4C out, I actually used the choke....

And didn't turn it off. *Sighs*

 

See my post in the for sale ads!