1983 Yamaha Seca 750 Touring

Picked this guy up today. 1983 Seca 750 Touring bike. It's been sitting for 4 years, but starts right up and the motor sound tight. It has 11k miles on it. Needs some cosmetic help, a tune-up and some newer tires. Going to start with the normal tune-up stuff and make it safe. Then going to work on cosmetic stuff. I'll be lurking and reading a bunch of whatever I can find on this thing. I'm sure I'm going to have some questions, and given it's rarity, it'd be a good idea to keep everything in one place so others can benefit off this thread. Everyone likes pictures so here yah go.

 

11,000 miles! Bring’er up to snuff and ride another 100,000.
Definitely worth time and investment there.

 

We need the play-by-play on all of it, please. Sweet new ride!

x2 on Simmy's above comment. Plunk the coin - the enjoyment is 100% worth it.

Let's not forget the best XJ parts supplier in the USA right now - http://xj4ever.com/catalog/a-catalog-index.html

 

My uncle commuted to SF on a 82 Seca 650, the gray one with white/blue decals, and put almost 80k miles on it before it got parked on the side of a house for 15 years. I picked it up to restore it but unfortunately it was to far gone. The engine and tranny were surprisingly in good shape so the clear title, frame and drive-train got sold off to some one to be used for parts. I really liked the style of that bike and always wanted to pick up another one. Fast forward to today and I could not pass up this deal, so here we are. I won't be able to afford the bigger ticket items for awhile (back in college), so for now I will be fixing and refinishing things piece by piece. I really like the looks of the bike and since it's not so common I will be trying to keep it as close to stock as possible. I'll get some better pictures of it up once I start wrenching on it.

 

Excellent choice for a project.
There are some links in my signature that are worth your time.

Brakes are more important than anything else, so take care of rebuilding that system first.

 

Mind if I ask what you paid for this beauty? Congrats!

 

Love the bike

Mine is the same without all the touring gear... had 9.8K when I found it. You will be very pleased with this bike once she is cleaned out / safe. Lot's of good people and info here.

 

T M, welcome to the forum!

That is a great looking bike the the miles, come on, not even broken in yet keep us up to date on your progress and really like the way she looks.

 

The plastic bits and touring bags are quite rare. Especially the fabric liner for the bags. If you have those in decent shape, whatever you paid is probably a good deal.

 

I’m jelly.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I paid more for my textbooks this semseter than for the bike, plus it came with a brand new battery. I can't wait to start tearing into this thing.

 

*then.
Sorry; had to be done

 

Common mistake. "Then" is a reference to a change in time. "Than" is used in a comparison. Also, semi-colons are only used when follow by an independent clause.

 

It also helps to not misread the sentence in question. I could have sworn that you wrote, "I paid for my textbooks this semester, than for the bike."
Also, typos happen.
Do yourself a favor and finish grad school before you take on a full-time job. I wish that I had.

Dave is going to have a real chuckle at my mistakes (we're both teachers).

 

Yeah, I was quietly surprised to see the error... Hooray for grammar nerds! I do not feel that autocorrect helps with spelling. If you can't spell with a pen, you can't spell.
For an amusing read, check out Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Funny and angry about punctuation.

MattiThundrrr: putting the "punk" in punctuation!

 

Spent some time on the bike today. Got the tank off and drained, new battery installed, and found some more stuff to fix. I need some new fuel line. Looks like 5/16 for the fuel line and 1/4 for the vacuum port of the petcock? Need to rebuild the petcock as well. Going to put an inline filter in with the new line. Got my eye on some new tires (Dunlop d404 or Shinko 230 touring tire) that should be coming soon. Progress. It was about 78 degrees today with crystal clear air. Perfect day for a ride.

 

Rub it in why don't ya...haha. 30 something and wet heavy snow here

 

+1 on the snow thing! 78 would be so nice!

As for working on the bike, way to go. Yes I think you are correct with your guess on your fuel line size, that is what I used. I think you can rub some Mystery oil on that aluminum engine parts and it might help clean them up a bit. I know some people also use the soda blaster method to clean up engines that have that look. You might have your own method Make sure you check the brake system and see if you have nasty brown (or worse) in your clutch and brake masters.

 

Yeah, we are a bit spoiled over here in CA. I wouldn't mind an actual winter though. So, 5/16 worked for the fuel line, but the vacuum line was closer to 3/16" than 1/4" (I'm wondering if the OEM I.D for the hoses is metric?). Got the fuel tank cleaned out, refilled with new gas, new fuel lines on and a Rotella T4 oil change. It starts right up, but seems to have some problems with the idle circuit. The choke was very sensitive to idle speed in a very short range, plus even after it was warmed up it wouldn't hold an idle with the choke off. I'm hoping it's just junk that will clear up after putting some miles on it. The engine had some noise to it that sounded like valvetrain or an exhaust gasket leak, but went away almost completely once it warmed up. Exhaust had zero smoke in it and it rev'd up fine. The bike came with the black box in the picture. I'm not sure what it is so maybe one of you guys can identify it for me. Also, here's a quick video of it running so you can hear the noise.

Hoping to get this thing on the road by the end of May.

 

T M, I think you will find that you will need to take the carbs to Church. I do hope they clean up for you as she is running but I have never found that to be the case with these bikes. There is a great thread to follow and the parts would come from Len from the link on the t0p right of the page.

That sure is a nice looking bike hope that it really runs and rides well.

 

Ummm....everything on the bike is metric (except the speedometer).

As for the idle, running the engine ain't gonna fix it.
IN THE CHURCH OF CLEAN
Replacing your Hitachi throttle shaft seals
Setting the fuel levels

The sound is probably an exhaust leak, and the valves sound almost too quiet to my ear.
Bigfitz's AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT with Pics - parts I & II
You probably also hear the alternator whine, and that's normal.

The box is a voltage regulator, though I cannot say from what.

 

Thanks, yeah I'm hoping it will too!

Right after I turned my computer off I remembered it was a Japanese bike and that everything was likely metric. I work on Jeep's a lot and they tend to use whatever was on the shelf (metric and american) so that's stuck in my head for most things I work on. I've taken many carbs to church (did my old Seca 650 carbs as well) so I know how much time that's going to take, which I won't have until summer. Thanks for the links, those will be handy once I can tear it down. It looks like the voltage regulator that's currently on the bike is a used replacement so I'm going to test it to make sure it's working correctly.

 

This is the only other touring bike I have ever seen. Other than mine. Do her up. I recommend doing the fuse box conversion first, otherwise you'll have electrical gremlins for days.

 

I'll look into that, thanks. That's a great looking bike you have, really like the paint job on it (not factory paint I'm assuming). Funny you say it's the only other touring bike you've seen. I haven't seen one since seeing this one on craigslist and it does seem they are rare, but by some crazy coincidence there is another xj750 touring bike in the same town as me that looks pretty much identical to mine for sale for $1,500 that is in pretty good shape. If i had the cash I would've just bought that one instead.

 

The touring package became optional in the '82 model year, and fully replaced the standard Seca 750 for '83.
The real rarity is finding one with undamaged bodywork; particularly the lower front fairings.

 

That is absolutely factory paint. It seems to have a funky 2 tone option. I'm going to wind up repainting it soon. I like a little bit more gloss. I also have to repair all the damage. As the other guy said, undamaged lower fairings are rare. I'm building metal inserts, and fibreglassing them all together.

 

Very nice find! I have an 82 that is nearly the same, as pictured in my avatar. Keep the updates coming.

 

I love the lines on that bike. I'll bet it is a great touring bike.

 

Little update. Got the brake calipers off and soaking some pb blaster on the pistons. One piston is corroded a bit on the outside but I'm going to try to reuse both, otherwise I'll pick up a couple new ones from HVC cycle. I am shopping around for new brake lines for this thing. What have you guys used? I'm on a fairly tight budget and have thought about using the universal braided lines from Dennis Kirk and just get them as close to the stock lengths as possible. Also, since I have it all apart, does anyone recommend changing the MC over to a bar mounted one?

I also took the front fairing off to find that a P.o. had butchered the harness due to a main connector issue (the big one going to the fairing). Probably going to find a new connector for both the fairing and harness and bring it back to stock wiring set-up.

 

hi Jelly im scottie )

 

I replaced my brake lines from Chacal here @XJ4Ever. Already to length with the proper angles already on the banjo fittings. IMO, the only ones that you should replace with. From the catalog

“NOTE: our lines are the ONLY fully DOT approved brake hoses on the market.”
​

The others may have DOT approved components, but not as an assembly. The custom fit is a bonus. I would not necessarily suggest changing the Master Cylinder to a bar mounted one. You will need to remove the bar covers. I don't know, maybe you would prefer that.?

 

Well, I think plans are changing for the Seca. As much as I want to see this on the road I think I may have to sell it. The direction I am going in school and once back in the workforce is towards the electric vehicle industry. I want to convert something to electric as my "senior project" and to have on my resume and had planned on converting my Jeepster. After figuring the time/cost it would take for the Jeepster, I realized a motorcycle would be a much more realistic option. I don't want to tear the seca apart and have to deal with the shaft drive so I will likely pick up a chain drive basket case of a bike to start with. If I keep the bike it will end up on the back burner for who knows how many years. I will complete the brake caliper rebuild that I've started but then it will be up for sale. I'm not competely against parting it out, but I'd have to have most of the parts spoken for first. If any of you guys are interested let me know. I would like for it to have a new home by late July.

 

The bike has been taken off the market and will be staying in the family. Part of that deal is that I have to get it to ~100% mechanically and will have access to it whenever I want basically.

Got the brake calipers rebuilt and system bled. I know bleeding the brakes on these things can be a chore so I'll share what I did to bleed them.
1. Filled mc.
2. Put 4-5ft of clear tubing on each AD bleeder and had them pointed vertical, opened bleeders and cycled the lever many times while refilling the mc. Nothing came out at first, but then fluid started flowing consistently. Stopped once I didn't see any bubbles come out.
3. Repeated step 2 with the calipers.
4. Tapped all the brake components to free up any stuck bubbles.
5. Repeated steps 2 and 3. Not many bubbles came out so it was quick.

Took the bike for It's first ride on our private road. Brake pads have plenty of life but could be upgraded/updated. Rear brake worked great. Gears/clutch all felt good. Bike ran suprisingly well but still had to have the choke on slightly to idle. Will tackle the carb rebuild in July.

Next on the short list is clean up wiring, tires, and take it off non-op.