Pictures and Priorities

Rode the bike home yesterday. Its an 82 XJ750 Seca. Here are some (terrible quality) pics:





She rides real nice. Everything seems to work. The anti-dive stuff and 80's computer stuff are pretty neat. The fuel sensors and that flashing red warning light work too well. The engine is strong and smooth.

I've been given a good list of things to do to get her better elsewhere in the forum. This weekend I plan to change the engine oil and shaft drive oil, check the rear brakes, pick up a battery tender and look at the spark plugs.

These are the issues I've encountered so far:

1) Steering head bearing tends to stick a bit on center.

2) Check oil light is on for first few minutes of riding and then stays off.

3) After warmed up, revs take a bit of time to drop down to idle at stops.

4) Speedo is pessimistic. It said I was riding 60, my buddy in the car behind me said I was going 80.

5) Starting occurs only after 3-4 tries and much horrible grinding noises.

This is my first time trying to keep an old bike going. Questions:

How big of a deal are these issues?
I know I need to deal with the carbs and am honestly a bit intimidated, how much time does a carb cleaning/sync take and how likely am I to screw it up?
Ditto with checking valve clearance.
Ditto with taking rear wheel off to check brakes. What else should I do while the rear wheel is off?
How should I prioritize dealing with these issues?

Thanks.

 

Also, the fuel petcock is stuck on "On."

 

I can only comment on the parts I know.

Do you have a manual for it? That outlines the valve clearance, carbs, and tire removal. There's also writeups on this site for valve clearance and carbs for sure and the tire removal is likely covered in detail as well.

Briefly, Tire removal is normally easy if nothing is stuck. Remove cotter pins, remove axle nut, loosen pinch bolt, disconnect brake arms and slide the axle out. Then the tire will lift off to the right to clear the drive gear is what I remember. Install being reverse order, don't forget your cotter pins and watch for spacers/washers that fall off the axle when it's removed

When it's off inspect your shoes, clean your drum and brakes, lube the proper points on the brakes and inspect the wheel bearings and drive gear. If you don't know what to look for say so and we/I can explain better.

The valves are a fairly simple process. The writeup on this site by bigfitz is great. It has pictures. Simple tools are required, he covers that. Takes maybe an hour to check them.

Carbs are also fairly easy and the time it takes will depend on what they need and how dirty they are to start with. Take your time and do it right. Short cuts here won't work and you'll just have to do it again.

As for my priority I would put steering and brakes ahead of the rest but they are all important for a properly running bike.

 

Thanks.

I have a manual but I value the insight of those that have done this stuff before.

Will use search function.

 

ask away on things you don't know.

If you add your general location to your profile people will know if you're close by and can lend a hand in person. Sometimes that's easier and quicker than a response here.

 

BRAKES first. "GO" is no fun without "STOP."

The petcock is always "ON" there is no "OFF" it's vacuum operated. If it doesn't turn off when no vacuum signal is present, it has a problem.

Petcock tech: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=25058.html

 

Welcome to the site Suttree !!
some answers -

1) Chacal sells roller bearing replacements.

2) You should fill until the sight glass shows just a little air bubble.

3) Air leaks, check intake boots for cracks, loose clamps, cracked block-off caps, then, the dreaded throttle shaft seals (8).

4) Get your friend to drive exactly 55 and 75, mark these spots while driving with a bit of tape. This will help save you a ticket.

5) This might get better after an oil change. the RIGHT oil is Rotella T 15W40 non-synthetic from Wal-Mart (example) the WRONG oil is 10W30 or thinner, fuel conserving, or synthetic anything.

You can dismantle, clean, inspect the petcock on the tank. I found a little twig in mine holding the shutoff valve open !!

First time in carbs - 3 hours of reading the 3 loooong how-to's, and 20 hours of cleaning, polishing, throttle shaft seal replacement, adjusting, and most importantly, comprehending what you're supposed to do.
(it's a rite of passage)

You could rush your way thru the carbs in 3 hours, but you WILL miss important things.

 

Your best bet (because the list would be too long) is to read
every thing Chacal, Rick-O-Matic, Bigfitz, and the many other
gurus have posted.
All of them have long and detailed write-ups covring most of what
you need to get started.
The best advice I can give is NO SHORT CUTS!
Research and more research on this site and all your ??'s will be
answered.
Follow all instruction in how to tune carb's,brakes,elec, etc.
and your bike will scream down the roat like a cheeta on fire.
This I know for sure because my bike ran like crap before finding this site.

 

My head bearings were notchy too.Found old dried grease and minor pitting on the races.Cleaned,polished races and bearings,regreased.Rode it several times and readjusted,now steers fine.But as others say,you may have to replace the bearings.I got lucky.Oh yeah,spread a cloth under the neck, the bearing balls will fall out.I still had to chase 3 across the floor.lol