XJ550 Owners in LA?

Is there anybody out there who owns either a Seca or Maxim 550 so I could come by and try out your regulator/rectifier on my bike. I've tried 3 different used RRs from salvage shops and I still get bad readings. I'm having charging problems obviously and before I lay a hundred bucks on a new RR I want to make sure that's the problem. Thanks.

 

A city the size of LA you should have several motorcycle salvage facilities , you might find better prices and lay your hands on parts without waiting on shipping and sometimes a guarantee part works .

 

RR’s are not a high failure item on xj’s
And to have 3 different ones give you a “bad” reading makes me suspect something else is wrong.
Bad ground
Bad brushes
Bad connection
Bad meter
What reading are you getting from
Stator baseline reading (ohms)
Rotor ohms between copper rings
Stator output while running
Battery voltage before startup
Battery voltage at idle
Battery voltage at 3000 rpm

 

Thanks for responding. I agree, I don't think it's the RR.
Bad ground: I'm guessing you are referring to the battery ground which I cleaned up with sandpaper and got them nice and shiny.
Bad brushes: Mine are brand new
Bad connection: I cleaned up all the connection harnesses and also replaced the fuse box.
Bad meter: My multimeter works great if that's what you're referring to.
Stator checks out fine: all 0.4-0.6 ohms
Rotor is fine at 4.6 I believe
Stator output: when I rev it up goes off the charts 30+volts
Battery has been fully charged everytime I conduct tests
Battery voltage at idle: usually somewhere between 12.1-12.2volts which I've learned is normal for XJs
Battery voltage at 3000rpms: If I have a fully charged battery and I rev it to 3000rpms I will get the required 14.5volts of charging output. What seems to be suspect is that after 20minutes of riding I will come home and run the same test and only get 12.5volts of charging output at 3000rpms. Some people on here tell me I don't have a problem with my charging system and that's normal but my battery will get as low as 12volts after a ride but will sometimes charge up to 12.6. It's never consistent so that's why I wanted to try another RR.

 

What's the problem you are chasing? Bike won't after a ride because battery is dead? I have three bikes now and I don't think I can tell you the last time I checked voltage on any of them. I recently checked the voltages on a Vulcan 1500 but only because the bike had a dead battery after riding it and had to troubleshoot it. If the bike starts and rides every time I'm not sure I'd be too worried about it.

You've mentioned in multiple threads now that the voltages drop after it warms up, we've asked twice if you checked the resistance of the stator etc. after it warms up and I don't think I've seen a response on that question. I could've missed it though, my apologies if I did.

@Toomanybikes is correct, I think I've replaced one RR on who knows how many bikes I've owned in the last 25 years.

 

there are 3 grounds on the bike frame (motor)
where the neg cable from battery connects to the motor
then a smaller cable from motor grounds to frame on bottom right of battery box hold down screw.
there is also a ground at the right side ignition coil .

 

I did mention it in an earlier post so yes, you might have missed it but I believe after a ride it went up to about 6.8ohms. I didn't feel this was any concern because I checked the output of the stator and it was still producing over 30 volts ac.

 

Joshua,

With no disrespect, I believe you are making a problem out of one that does not exist.

Other members here have reiterated the same belief.....

I say "button up your bike and go riding".
Go have fun.

 

The stator should be .5 ohms, 6.8 is way out of spec. You could still get 30+ volts without load on the stator.

In case you don;t have it, here is everything you need to know and test on the charging system.

https://www.xjcd.org/node/1250

I am curious if you have an issue though, does the bike not start because of dead battery after riding?

 

My bike always charges at ~14v at all times when I'm above 2000-2500 rpm. I dont experience voltage going back down to 12.5 until I turn the engine off. No matter if I ride across town or across the state, and my voltmeter attached to my handlebars tells me so. Does this mean I have a charging system issue? I had thought this is how it was supposed to function. You dont expect the voltmeter in your car/truck to settle down to ~12v once its "charged the battery back up from starting" or am I way off base? I think Josh has an issue in his charging system, I just cant pin down what it is. I agree with jayrodoh that out of spec is out of spec on the stator. Maybe that's the issue.

 

think about what a stator is, just a long wire wrapped into a coil. what could happen to it, break and it is open or short between the windings and the wire effectively gets shorter, less ohms. so where 6.8 ohms comes from, i don't know, could 6.8 really be .68 ? since resistance goes up with temperature
i could see that being right.
i've never seen my volt meter go to 14, starting around 11. idle after start ~12, riding ~13. by voltmeter sucks and the battery is around 5 years but i'm happy

 

Agreed, I didn't think about it that way. Makes sense. When riding though you dont see your voltmeter go back down to 12 from 13 unless you're stopped idling though correct?

 

My indicator for a charging system issue on these older bikes is when the blinkers stop blinking when the bike is running

 

Reference this thread:

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/bike-doesnt-start-in-cold-weather.122988/page-7

I think this is the quote he was referring to and the rotor and stator have gotten confused.

"#142- I also checked the ohms on the rotor after the first ride and it read 6.7ohms. Is it suppose to be out of spec when the components are hot?

And from the same thread:

"# 127 Update, stator read 0.7-0.9 ohms after an evening ride. It read 0.4-0.6 ohms before the ride. Going to change out the stator with a used one I found off a Maxim. Stay tuned."

And yes, the charging system should read 14.5 +/- .3 volts with a fully charged battery so there is a problem. If you leave the house with 14.5 and return with out of spec numbers the battery is discharging.

 

Thank you soooo much. Someone finally heres me!! Yes, my voltmeter goes down down down until it is barely over 12 volts. In any case, my readings after the ride were for the rotor not the stator. Sorry about that.

 

The reading was for the rotor not the stator. I don't know why I got that confused. The stator read about 0.8ohms after a ride.

 

Ok, just checking. I cleaned all 3 of those a while ago with sandpaper and got them very shiny so those are good to go.

 

Thanks but I want to take some extended rides not just little neighborhood rides and I'm scared I'll be stranded somewhere with a dead battery.

 

This is exactly what is happening and yet everyone is saying I don't have a problem. Thanks for clearing up everything.

 

In addition to the charging problem I also have a valve issue. A couple months ago my uncle and I did some work on the engine and pulled the head off. After we put everything back together and tightened everything down we measured the valve clearances, purchased the correct shims, put everything together and the bike ran great. Recently, the bike started to act up where there is extreme popping on acceleration and the engine became louder and chattery. I opened the top cover to check everything and it seems all the valve clearances with the exception of one became tight and out of spec. I checked the cam chain and that seemed pretty good. Not loose at all. Before I do a whole new valve job do you have any suggestions of what might have happened that would've made all the valve clearances too tight?

 

this is some kind of sick joke isn't it

 

It may be a psy-op.........

 

Hmm.. OP does appear to be having an awful lot of problems with his machine..

Years ago (60s/70s) my father would tell me an apocryphal story about two blokes only known as 'The Brooks Brothers' in Bedfordshire. They ran a Rover car and spent most weekends pulling it apart to see why it was running so well.

 

Joshua,

I would sell your XJ550 in the LA market due to an extraordinary amount of incurable problems that you currently having with this demon.

Get into a car, drive down here to San Diego, lay 3k on me and drive away with an upgrade.....my '82 XJ750J Maxim......problem free

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mcy/d/1982-yamaha-xj750j-maxim/6823737119.html

Just my thoughts

 

I think they are curable I'm just a novice at fixing bikes. The problem I'm having is trying to learn about something complex through the advice of strangers on a forum. Doesn't help that some people want to turn this into a joke. I dropped a couple grand into a bike that doesn't run and it sucks. Should've just bought a brand new bike. Oh well.

 

Calm down grass hopper , many of us are PROFESSIONAL mechanics here , we have skills on multiple bikes/cars/aircraft , sometimes what we advise might be technical and difficult to decipher. As to your valves first and foremost did you do the reading with a METRIC feeler gauge ? ( NOT a combination SAE/METRIC )
and did you get chart out of the manual , when you changed shims it is possible your readings were off and possible this is why valves appear "tight" a "clappy engine is a happy engine " on the XJ .

 

Joshua,

As I said before, all responses here are meant with no disrespect.......

Sometimes members here like to rib one another.....it is all in fun.........we all have been on both ends of it at one time or anothcer........there is no disrespect

These bikes can be expensive to bring to a great running condition.......you can't expect to buy a XJ bike for next to nothing and get it great working condition without putting $$$ dollars into it.........

Bought mine in '82 for 3k and I put another 3k into it after yrs of neglect.....

Stick with it because when these bikes are dialed in......they will put a smile on your face.....

Not sure of your financial situation....but I was just suggesting that I have a great running machine for sale ........and it is only a 2 hr drive away from you

 

valves in the XJ motor get tighter. maybe when you did the shims you were just on the edge of being out of spec with the new shims. got any numbers from the job?

measure the shim clearance then change the shims again let us know what measurements you have plus what shims you have in the motor. you should keep a notebook on your bike.

 

Sorry, but I'm a first time rider who thought it would be fun to buy a vintage bike. I've spent more time fixing this bike then riding it. It's very frustrating and now I have a $500 parts bike in my backyard that I've sunk 5k into. So pardon me if I'm just a tad bit sensitive.

In any case upon further inspection I believe I have bent the cam shafts. It turns out three of the outside cam holders and one of the inner cam holders had come loose since my uncle and I took apart the engine two months ago. You'd think that would make more distance between the lobes and the shims so I only have reason to believe that they have bent. Why did they bend? Well this is my only guess: I had to replace the 2 inner cam cap holders that hold the cams down. I found on ebay a whole engine head with the cam holders that could have possibly been off a Maxim. I've heard that there are some differences between the cams of a Maxim and a Seca and the cam holders might be different too. I don't know. You tell me. When my uncle was installing the new cam holders he mentioned that they didn't quite match up but we went ahead and put them on anyway. This might've thrown off the whole cam and the couple of rides I rode it may have eventually knocked it out of wack. Am I in the ballpark here? When I checked the bolts of the cam holders about 11 of the bolts were completely loose and could not be screwed back in. Almost like they were just ripped out. So, here are my questions:
Are the cams to the Seca different then the Maxim and do the cam holders reflect that too?
Can I put the head of a Maxim on a Seca engine and still be okay?
How do I check if the cams are actually bent?

Having said that. I have not given up on this bike but I think it's time to get another one. I love the Seca550 and I stumbled upon another one. I'd like to know if what he's asking is worth the investment. It's the 82 Seca 550. Very clean. Paint is still nice and it had been sitting since '94. Has just under 27,000 miles on it. There are some mods. He cut out the airbox and put pods on the carbs so the airbox is no more. He also changed the original exhaust to a Mac 4 into 1 but still has the original exhaust. Also changed the handlebars. Tires are brand new and the owner says it runs great. He's asking for $1600. Any thoughts?

sorry for all the negative energy but I guess I'm happy for the education even though we'll all be riding electric bikes in the next 20 years or so.

 

Thanks for responding although I'm not to keen on being called grasshopper. To answer your question I did all the measurements correctly there was no error in that part of the equation. I used a metric feeler gauge and yes I referred to the manual.

 

I only like the Secas so if that's what you have let me know. I stumbled across another one though and I might grab it. Look at my new post.

 

Joshua,

On that bike you are looking at.........

Be careful.......sitting since '94 but runs great.......pods equal problems on these bikes.....I would hate for you to go down the same road again.......I am sorry for your experience so far......tough learning experience for you to go from a $500 parts purchase bike and have sunk $5k into it.....ouch...I feel your pain......

but if you are not stuck on Seca's have a look below:

here is my ad.....It is a Maxim....not a Seca........worth looking at .........

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mcy/d/1982-yamaha-xj750j-maxim/6823737119.html

 

Thanks for your sympathy. I actually meant it it turned into a $500 parts bike. I originally bought it for $1200. Thanks for your telling me about your bike but I'm not a big fan of the Maxim.

 

This is the Seca I was looking at:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/309648366356422/?ref=messenger_banner

 

Turns out my cams aren't bent, they're just teeter tottering back and forth as I turn them because the cam holders are loose hence the tight specs on the valves. I just happen to have another head to the engine and I would like to use it because it still has all the header studs. My studs keep falling out. Would it be unwise to replace the head of the engine with the head from another 55o engine?

 

My sincere advice is to find another hobby. You don't have the skills to be in the "old motorcycle restoration" field and you're going to end up dumping tons of time and money trying to acquire those skills working on a high-complexity, high-precision engine (and related systems) such as these bikes are. Take a local college course or technical skills course in small engine maintenance and repair. Or buy an old lawnmower and try bringing it back to life.

You're "doing things" before you have the slightest idea what you're doing, and then you start these long, convoluted threads asking the same questions over-and-over again, and won't:

a) listen to the people who are experts on these subjects
b) take their advice and stop, look, and LISTEN before crossing any particular set of tracks.......

And then you always offer up the excuse that you don't have enough money to do things the correct way. Well, how's your way working out? With the amount of time and effort and truly professional help that you've been offered, and refused, and then offered again, you should be somewhat grateful that people are still offering to assist, at all. You're going to question Polock about whether he is correct about electrical systems? Really? You're going to doubt Jetfixer about things mechanical? REALLY?? You think he uses that name as a joke?

You're not too keen on being called grasshopper, is that it? Trust me, there's a lot of other words that people might be using, but by and large we're a pretty polite group around here. Stop acting like a spoiled brat who demands that others give him the answers that he wants to hear or otherwise he's going to huff, and puff, and blow your house down. People who are accomplished at tasks and have skills developed over a lifetime of effort, LEARNING from mistakes, LISTENING to others, and putting their money where their mouth is don't take too kindly to young bulls charging around and whipping their horns about and then blaming the shop owners for having aisles too narrow.

I think the very first thing that you may wish to study is the concept of modesty, respect for others, and the ability to reflect HONESTY about yourself. Your hubris will be your downfall, not just on this bike, not just on the next one and any that follow, but in almost every field and aspect of life.

Unless you aspire to be a politician. Then spouting off nonsense about things you know nothing about and blaming others for problems that you cause and throwing your weight around like a 40-year-old brat is a perfect trade for those otherwise unskilled and incapable of handling the realities of life.

Sorry to be so harsh, but you've had this coming for a while.......

 

If you ever get out of the parts business, you should be a writer.....I enjoyed the read above.....

Very well said.....and spot on......

 

Thanks. I kind of needed that.

 

Joshua,

Buy a brand new bike.....your best option.....it will run great from day 1

 

Okay tiger, relax. We're just talking motorcycles here.

 

You're welcome. Recognition is always the first step to recovery!

 

Quite frankly, I don't need to be recovered from anything. I'm passionate about getting my first bike to run right. I knew nothing about motorcycles and I just dived in spending up to eight hours a day working on this thing. Yes, I'm making HUGE mistakes but how else am I suppose to learn. I'm sorry if you are getting your feelings hurt when I'm trying to figure things out. I'm just speaking the truth. And that's all I'm speaking hear is the truth. I don't have some hidden agenda. And yes, I don't like being called names. I'm not using any names on anybody else. Do you like being called something derogatory? And what professional help have I been offered. What's this golden nugget of truth that I should be so grateful to have been given. You just told me to find another hobby. Is this some amazing advice I should cherish for the rest of my life. Maybe if someone is barely spending a half an hour trying to fix their bike I'd say, get out of this hobby. I also never said I wasn't grateful. Where did that come from?. I've thanked people for chiming in with my problems. What else am I suppose to do? I've even bought parts from this site. And now you have the gall to call to talk about my hubris being my downfall. What the hell man. Anybody who takes the time to write that nonsense should look in the mirror themselves. So go ahead, why don't you use the words that you feel so many people need to use on me right now because what you wrote is exactly the kind of crap that you apparently despise. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try and fix my bike, and I'm probably going to mess up, and it's going to piss me off. Sorry for being human.

 

Well, so be it. Best of luck to you. And since you can't afford to buy parts, and seemingly use "poverty" as an excuse on a regular basis, then BY ALL MEANS go spend another $1600 on another bike.

Your passion is compelling, but meaningless in the greater scheme of things to others. Perhaps following the advise of others ("strangers on a forum" is the term I think you used, and is also the attitude you convey, consciously or not) or even a workshop manual would be infinitely more useful than any type of "passion". This isn't a coffee-klatsch (or a circle-jerk) here; motorcycles are dangerous objects to operate and poor or incompetent maintenance and/or judgement is one of the biggest killers out there.

Although no one can ever be truly 100% sure of anything, I can assure you with almost utmost certainty that you could never hurt my feelings.

Sure you aren't, "tiger".

None. None whatsoever. None at all. Everything that has been offered to you is nothing but the rambling, semi-coherent musings of demented old souls who periodically escape from the shackles of their old-age homes and break free to the internet, come to this forum, and respond to your convoluted "issue du jour" (or of the hour). You're on to us now, tiger!

Yes.

Who's this "we" you referring to kimosabe? Wait, let me guess, that's more "green" and will "save the planet" and all that bogus, lets-dig-deep-into-everyone's-wallet claptrap? An Elon-Musk devotee? Where does all the electric power come from to power those electric vehicles? "Clean" nuclear power? A reactor on every street corner?

You already know what you are. What's really bothering you, I suspect, is that everyone else does too; like Jussie, you let your mask fall away.

 

Joshua,

"What professional help have you been offered here ??" ....you ask...

Well, if that is the way you feel about the advice that you receive here......then....

I highly suggest you trailer you bike or walk beside it and push it to the nearest "professional bike shop" who works on 35+ yr old bikes and charges an labor rate of $80-100 / hr......I am sure your next $1.6k will get well spent.....because what you are doing now surely is not working for you.

Anytime I need professional help, I turn to my brothers here on this forum for their first rate quality parts and their professional advice.....they know who they are and I know who they are.....and then I turn to my Yamaha workshop manual for a truly enjoyable learning experience......I am 35 + yrs. into my bike and I am still learning from others here on the forum.......

Joshua..remember the professional advice you receive here....

Wise men heed it, fools don't need it....

 

Joshua, please don't give up , we are having a little humor ...sometimes you have to laugh. I once bought an 82 Yamaha Virago 750 with 4000 miles , but had sat since 84 paid 400$ put another 400$ tires,carb kits, battery, braided brake hoses, 3 starters ...I know more about the starter system than I care to recall, but I got it running GREAT , was a really fun bike took 2 months to get all sorted . Put it on Craigslist sold 2 hours after I posted it for 1500$ guy loved it ,I told him if he had any problem to call me ...he never did . I have not owned but about 8 different bikes ,but I tend to own for extended periods of time, I try to keep bike stock with tasteful mods , at my age (52) I do not need speed , my seca is plenty fast , winter seems to be hanging on and not giving up ...I just started bike and let it run started right up stabil/ marvel mystery oil is good stuff ,for sitting since late October ..I'm just counting the days till spring.

 

https://days.to/spring/2019

 

The cams to the Seca are Seca only, they can be changed to Maxim but that requires different jetting for the carbs I believe.
The heads are common across the 550's. The cam caps are part of the head and should be compatible between the Maxim and Seca.

If your cam caps threaded holes are stripped a new head may be in order. That sure shouldn't happen. Was a torque wrench (a correct known good one) used to secure them?

You can verify cross compatibility on parts by checking one of the Yamaha websites or using the wealth of information from Len.

One yamaha website

https://www.partzilla.com/

And checking the head this is what was listed:

Related Fitment

This Yamaha 4U8-11101-00-00 CYLINDER HEAD ASSEMBLY Not Available fits the following models and components:

Yamaha Motorcycle 1982 XJ550RJ Cylinder Head

Yamaha Motorcycle 1983 XJ550RK Cylinder Head

Yamaha Motorcycle 1981 XJ550RH Cylinder Head

Yamaha Motorcycle 1981 XJ550H CYLINDER HEAD XJ550H J K

 

Thanks Rooster. It seems that the bolts were over-torqued. I decided to remove the head and I'm just going to helicoil all those holes. Will the helicoil have an effect on the torque when I use a torque wrench?

 

Thank you for your kindness Jetfixer. I don't plan on giving up.

 

Details on this would be nice and could help others who happen to read this thread. For example, it could have been I used a defective torque wrench, or the improper torque wrench, or thought I could do it by feel - we all learn from others mistakes.

Torque should be the same with the helicoils.