What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Ever have one of those days where it seems like everyone or everything is out to really p*ss you off? Yeah that's how my day started out so I made some lemonade out of those lemons and that started with filling the tank of my SECA and taking a 300 mile ride around the state. Started out making my way to US-61 going north to Duluth where I scooted around a little then made my way up to Hibbing on US-53, wind was out of the southeast and that took the cold air right off Superior and I wasn't dressed for the sub-arctic chill. From there it was down US-169 to Mille Lacs Lake where I snapped a few pix of the bike looking south. Quick stop in Garrison for a bite and I was south once again.
Overall the bike did well and got about 42 MPG, what really stood out was the number of people who gave me the thumbs up and air high-fives on the old machine. Maybe tomorrow someone or something will p*ss me off again and I will do another long ride... where should I go this time?

 

Over the weekend I rode my former Maxim to the Slimey Crud Cafe Racer Run in Wisconsin. All told a 460 mile round trip and the first time the bike has been out of state or away overnight. Can't complain about how it ran--I did a steady 75-80 along US 19 from Mt. Horeb to Dodgevill (about 20 miles) on Saturday night, trying (successfully) to get to my motel before that ominous black cloud crossed my path, and it felt like it was loafing. Nice and steady despite gusty crosswinds (especially when the road passed through cuts in the rock). I recall how my last Japanese four, a 1976 KZ900, was so flexible that it would start wiggling if you took one hand off the bars at 55mph. Of course, those old Kaws were known for using rubber as a frame material...

My modified seat worked... OK. I really wish I had done a better job of constructing it, because my "booster seat" pad under the vinyl cover leaves some gaps, which of course landed exactly where I did not want them to. Oh well; I think I will be taking it apart soon enough because the vinyl I used for the new cover got really scuffed up by the straps on my Ortlieb dry bags. Apparently motorcycle seats are made from a much better grade of vinyl than expensive recliners!

Somebody on one or another board (not this one) asked why I felt the need to assemble a tool kit. Here's why:



Just needed to tighten the nut on the back of that turn signal stalk. Two minute job with tools, major PITA if I wasn't carrying tools. Speaking of the tool kit... while I got only a few of the original tools (plug wrench, screwdriver, 4mm Allen and a double-ended box wrench that fits the axle nuts and FD filler and drain), I was able to supplement this with a number of wrenches from my previous Japanese bikes. Mostly from my 1979 XT500, a bike that went away in the mid-80s, plus a couple from my Z (which went away in 1980). Amazing I still had these tools lurking in the bottom of the toolbox in my garage. Even more crazy, I found I still have this:



Let's see who recognizes it...

Anyway... the Crud Run is part of the reason I revived this bike; I wanted something old and a little quirky to ride up to this event. The XJ is still pretty ordinary compared with the "Kawashocki" homebrew electrics, and beautifully restored two-stroke triples, and three brand-new-looking CBXs, and of course this beast (which started life as a Yamaha Venture Royale):


A sign on the sissy bar reads "MUD ABOVE LINE NOT RECOMMENDED." OK...

Still, the Maxim attracted a few people, mostly those who had owned one at some point and had fond memories of it. And it fit in well with the many less-than-concours-level old bikes, the ones people still ride regularly.



I had a nice ride through the curvy, hilly roads of the Driftless to Leland, via the Merrimack Ferry and Baraboo. I got to ride a nice curvy stretch of Wisconsin Route 19 that Google tells me is officially Closed For Construction. Well, that explains the barricades at both ends of the road, though I saw no "CLOSED" signs and there was plenty of room to get between them. And it was a beautiful ride on a great road that may not be here next year--judging by the earthmoving equipment and some of the hills that were in the process of being relocated, the point of this project is to remove the curves. Sigh. Progress (?)...

So, a nice First Trip for this bike. Now that I'm home, it's time to tackle those rusty mufflers. Inmate @Fuller56 kindly sent me a pair of slightly-used Harley Sportster mufflers (along with a set of new forks that can actually be disassembled), so I guess I have to figure out how to make them fit. Searching the site has been a bit frustrating so far, as several people said they did it but so far I haven't found a post in which somebody explains just how. If any of y'all have done this on a US model Maxim (cans welded to the collector) I would appreciate knowing how you did it. Preferably with some pictures. Thanks...

 

For the last 15-20 years I've been 'meaning to' make the SCR. Or TWALD. One of these days. The pics make me miss the old Rockerbox show in Milwaukee. Maybe next year . . .

Nice adventure.

I'm in the Algonquin area, let me know if I should keep an eye out for you at bike nights in the area.

As for my Seca (detailing progress in my old thread), I dropped the mounting plate for the Atari unit to get welded today. Brake bleed finally took overnight (I cheated a bit), and I'm about ready to get it all back together for the first time in 11 months (HOW has it been that long already?!?!?).

 

Going back over some of my earlier work trying to figure out why my MPGs are down and was looking thru some of the posts, I came across one that mentions the aftermarket emulsion tubes are not the same as the OEM parts and would cause poor fuel consumption so I pulled out my original tubes and looked at them carefully under a medium power microscope, it's now clear.

The OEM tubes have several different size holes that get progressively smaller closer to the bottom. Mine starts at 0.79mm at the top and ends with a 0.58mm while the aftermarket emulsion tubes are a constant 0.55 according to Brown & Sharpe. The snapshot with the phone camera doesn't look that good.


Going to take the tubes to the church of clean and poke the holes clear and see how this goes, I will post my findings here for all.

 

First ride in 11 months, after repairs took longer than hey should have. Just a quick late-night blast for some fresh gas.

 

Put another 200 miles on because I had nothing better to do.

SECA at Lake Nokomis, my old stomping grounds and not far from the home of the original owner.

 

Took the slightly long way in to work. Gorgeous day for it and she sang like an angry kitten.

 

They definitely have a great sound to them

 

My Maxim has a great sound, mostly because almost none of the exhaust is exiting the back of the mufflers!

Changed oil and FD lube today. Oil because it was due (2000 miles since I first changed it), FD lube because I figured an early change would flush out any crud (from 20+ years of sitting) that didn't drain out when I changed it 2000 miles ago. And because I had filled it with Mobil 1 75W90 synthetic, which is probably just fine (GL5), but not quite the recommended weight and I have read a few places that say synthetic gear lube is bad for some copper/bronze parts in the drive. So I found some 80W90 non-synthetic, and there we are. I filled the engine with 10W40 Valvoline dino oil as well (4-stroke motorcycle oil; I know the "fuel saving" additives in car oil can adversely affect the wet clutch). Figured this engine wasn't designed for and doesn't need synthetic. And at $6.69 a quart, I can afford to change it at the specified (2000 mile) interval...

Along those lines... at one point I ran Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W50 full synthetic in my Harley Road King. Got concerned about top end noise. Was told by the Harley community that yeah, the Twinkie motor was designed pre-synthetic and the valve train makes a lot of racket on synthetic. Switched over to Valvoline dino oil and it quieted down. Nobody's quite sure why, but it is a lot quieter on the natural stuff. Go figure...

 

So for the past few weeks I've only been riding my 1100. Breaking it in, getting used to it, putting quite a few miles on it and enjoying it considerably.

Tonight I rode my 750 for the first time since, and I gotta say...the 1100 is kind of a big fat ungainly pig. Out on the hiway the extra weight does give it some gravitas I suppose. Or maybe that's just gravity. But add in some twisties and stop and go traffic or lots of up and downshifts, and the 750 is awfully nice.

Two different beasts. Nice to have them both in the garage depending on mood.

 

Yeah, but you get the feeling that the 1100 could drive thru a brick wall w/o being much worse for wear. It's the kind of bike I always imagine that Meat Loaf would be riding in the "Bat Out of Hell" song.....

 

I never pictured him on a Japanese bike, but if he was...yep, this would totally be the right one.

 

Took my single seat 650 maxim with the flat bars out for a wakeup spin today, nothing special, just 10 miles or so. I'm finding the flat bars are giving the insides of my thumbs a hard time, maybe will try some 650 seca bars.

 

Look more carefully at the album covers (both "Bat Out of Hell" and "Back Into Hell") and you will see the bike is an inline four. Undoubtedly Japanese.

 

A very productive weekend of smashing bugs.

 

You got me there! Old Mr Loaf had more style than I gave him credit for. I bet it would be pretty depressing to be leaving hell on your Harley and break down before you even got the smell of sulphur out of your nose.

 

Not today, but last night I went out for a ride for the first time with my nextdoor neighbor on his new-to-him 2019 Indian Scout Sixty. Young whippersnapper thought he was going to drop me off a light. Second gear around 9k impressed him. Respect your elders.

 

I gave a modern crotch rocket a good run for his money this evening, got me on the top end but I'm sure he learned some respect for the old horse.

 

During a leisurely ride this weekend, a crotch rocket came out of nowhere behind me, passed me up and disappeared around the next corner. I thought, "Ha, I'll catch up to him and show him something..." By the time I got around the next corner I could see about a 1/4 mile of road and he was gone. Yah. I slowed back down.

 

There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. - Someone.