Picked up another winter XJ Project!

Found this one buried in an ad on Craigslist, The guy was looking for a Dualsport. Had this 82 XJ550 Maxim that just quit running on him for sale or trade. Picked it up for $300, 7505mi on it, New tires, Carbs freshly cleaned, New battery, Recent rebuilt petcock..., Smells of gas oil and probably gonna need a rebuild. Good Clean Title!

 

That's damn good buying... Even with the ignition looking dodgy

 

GOOD SCORE!!! Gotta love those 7000 mile 550s! Every XJ enthusiast needs a 550. Let me know if you want any reference diagrams (cable routing, etc.) Once you go through that puppy, you're gonna have yourself a NEW motorcycle there!

 

Good score Richard!

 

I like to check out a bike while I'm trying to make a deal, but didn't have a connector small enough on my compression gauge to fit it. Had I one, I probably would have offered him less. Took out the plugs last night, and did a quick finger compression test, 1-ok, 2-0, 3ok, 4-0... Shined a light into each cylinder and saw a less than dime sized hole in those 2 pistons. So, it actually will be a good teardown project!
Best thing is that it's complete and in great shape with title, less a toolkit and the crankcase breather hose.

I still have a few things left on the XS1100 to complete but have all the parts sitting here. This XJ should last right up to fishing season!

Now to decide which to sell...

 

How in the heck could he have holed two pistons in only 7000 miles? The poor thing is only 2K overdue for a valve adjustment. My '83 has 7100 on it and had never had the valves touched; all but one were tight but none enough to do damage. WTF?

 

I'm curious too- - can you post-up the valve clearances?
If it's not that, the carbs went lean,- - or - ??

 

I like the XS750 in the background. I remember using a finger in the oil filler hole to chcek to condition of the (real) primary chain. If you could pull it up and it hit the crankcase, it was time. Easy fix compaired to XJ bikes.
Good luck with the 550

 

The guy told me it sat in a barn before he got it for 26 years... Said he's only been riding it 7 months. My guess is that the carbs didn't get cleaned thoroughly, maybe wrong plugs, Ran lean, detonation. My other guess would be that petcock drained fuel into the crankcase, filling it where it finally couldn't displace what was there while running, pushing what it could into the airbox and needed to find a way out. Cant tell yet if the hole is a burn through or a break.

Will be sure and post pics through the teardown.

 

Sorry TIMEtoRIDE, didn't think about the clearance check before the teardown. Gonna clean up the head and lap valves before re-assembly. Figured I'd check it then.

Found #4 Carb to head boot loose and carb was not all the way in... Not sure about #2, looks like maybe lean carb, carb to airbox boot was 3/4 the way around on the carb, sucking air before the air cleaner. From what I can see now, all the valves look fine. Will know more when I pull them.

Here's a couple pics :

Carb #4 loose in the boot



Dis-assembled, Cams out



#2 Piston



#4 Piston

 

Great time to "0" time it... and start with a new bike ...

 

I nominate this guy for Jackass PO of the Century. It takes a card-carrying ring-tailed FLAMING TWIT to blow up a 7000 mile motor.

He didn't have the carbs back on right and rode it that way. It couldn't POSSIBLY have been running very well for him, didn't he have any "mechanical empathy?" INFURIATING.

a340's right though, once you get done it WILL be a brand new bike. The whole rest of it only has 7000 miles on it!

Congrats again on the find; my condolences for WHAT you found. Look at those cylinder walls---it's a brand new motor. If you see this toad again, bitch-slap him once for me.

 

That's a great deal. It didn't take you long to tear into it and get right to the problem.

Speaking of mechanical empathy, what kills me is these burnouts that get posted to YouTube. Why anybody in their right mind would intentionally do this to their bike and then brag about it in a video is beyond me.

 

Heat issue on both pistons? Why is #4 very clean and #2 not so clean?

 

#4 carb was not in the carb boot fully. I guess it ran hotter than #2 since #2 carb was 1/4 open on the airbox side.

And of course Standard Pistons are far a few between!

 

I say the PO is an out an out liar.
No way he was riding the bike running as bad as it must have.
It's not like both pistons just holed at the same time.
I'd be suspect of the odometer reading, it could be turned back.
What do people think, I'll just beat the crap out of it 'till it breaks.
This is the attitide we had as kids with our field cars.
Run 'em 'till they puke and leave 'em were they died.

 

Oh, it probably ran "ok enough" with a hole in one piston for him to keep riding it (hard, apparently) until the second one went and the bike quit. It's probably the real mileage, the guy that sold it didn't have a clue... Don't confuse incompetence with consipracy.

Fond memories, of a '48 Plymouth special deluxe with the big balloon fenders removed... flinging mud EVERYWHERE covering the windows...

 

He admitted to riding it until it quit as he had no other transportation. Said it was running like crap when it finally died. I bought it for the rebuld anyway.

61 Ford Falcon, doors taken off(after they were smashed and wouldn't work) for easy in/out access. They whole neighborhood learned to drive that 3 on the tree. Moms old 1967 Ford Galaxie 500XL was our rolling Boat and Ice Shante until the brake lines rusted off of it!

 

You guys are great.
Yes, good memories, back when you could buy a decent car for $50.
The '68 Dart, a 2x6 between the rear deck and floor boards, for a seat.
Kicked ass until the demolition derby.
That galaxie would of won hands down I'm sure.

 

Got all my parts coming for the XJ550.

I didn't pay more than $50 for a vehicle for sure!
The Galaxie was a pig, 2spd auto, 98mph...but it was free!
Buddy used to have a 1962 Valiant with a slant 6 we couldn't kill!
I later picked up a 1964 Plymouth Belvedere for $25...318 in it, sold it for $200. Wish I had it back now !

 

Pistons/Rings finally here along with gaskets. Took the time this week to Decarbon the head, lap the valves, Hone the cylinders and install the pistons.

 

Thanks for the pics. Motor looks new, the whole BIKE looks new. You did gap the rings, right?

 

Yes indeed Fitz.
Thought about doing a valve gap check on the bench before installing the head. And if needed(I'm sure), change out shims.

 

I figured as much just double-checking. +1 on valve lash check, with PO's maintenance record they were probably never done. All of mine were tight on the '83 with 7100 miles on it.

 

Very Nice! So clean

 

I figure I'll see the same on this one. Fortunately we now have a new Yamaha dealer 5 miles away and turns out they picked up all the stock from the one that shut down in town including their valve shims .

 

Wow, I'm jealous... That head looks pristine!

That's going to be a screamin' little 550!

 

Well I couldn't find my metric feeler gauges... but with what I had, here's how the valve clearances shake out:

Intake
1->.127 <.152
2->.127 <.152
3->.076
4->.038

Exhaust
1-<.152 >.127
2-<.178 >.152
3-<.178 >.152
4-<.152 >.127

Haven't cracked the carbs yet, but thats gotta be what took out #2.
#4 looks like it could have been a combination of the valve lash and carb not seated in the boot.

I'm gonna re-check them tomorrow after I pick up another set of metric feeler gauges and a set of long nose snap ring pliers for the cirlclips on the XS's carb slide needles.

Went ahead and stuffed the cylinders back on the crankcase.

 

After swapping a couple shims, picking up 2 I needed and getting a good set of metric feeler gauges(Thanks Len!), this is how the valve clearances measured up:

Intake

1 - .13
2 - .15
3 - .15
4 - .13

Exhaust

1 - .18
2 - .18
3 - .20
4 - .16

Hope to have it back together after the weekend.

 

Damn...how come I never make friends like you? I'd love to watch over your shoulder and learn all this.

 

Good job Richard!

Break that little guy in right and get started on the cosmetics (and you don't have a lot of that to do.) I rode the project bike yesterday for the first time after the valve adjustment, and I couldn't believe the difference, even with the carbs still needing attention.

XJ550s rock.

 

After I got the engine back together I tore into the carbs...
The emulsion tubes were stuffed up with crud. Had to drill out the pilot plugs while cleaning them. I'm sure that had something to do with it burning up 2 pistons as well as the carbs not in their holders all the way.

 

Ya think? Poor thing was running on air and the fuel from 2 carbs.

 

Dropped off the seats for the XJ550 and XS750 to be re-done Last Friday. Picked them up last night. He did a great job on them, $300.

 

Took the time today to change out the fork seals on it.
First time I have ever had a damper rod spin in 8+ fork seal replacements. Welded up an extension into an upside down 5/8 plug socket and used it to hold the damper rod.



Had went out last week to try and start it up, barely turned over. I figured the wife hadn't been riding it and the battery was dead, not so... When I got off of it from trying to start it, there was a puddle of oil under it. Checked oil and had fuel in it. Pulled tank/petcock found vac line had fuel in it. PO had buttered up the diaphram with some kind of sealer and closed off the pisser hole and had the diaphram coated with it, probably to stop a leak. Petcock kit sitting at my work addy waiting ot be picked up. Went ahead drained oil and replaced oil filter.

 

thats a sharp looken bike.. i wish i had half the knowledge you folks on here have.. I changed the sprockets and chain on my bike a couple weekends ago and had to remove the swingarm and I found that a chore *never done my own maintenance on my bikes*... Great deal for a great looken bike