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Howdi Blokes

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by oz_johnno, Aug 28, 2011.

  1. oz_johnno

    oz_johnno New Member

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    Hi guys,
    I recently retrieved my old XJ550 from under a mates house in Hobart, where it resided for the last 15 years.

    the reason for its retrieval is that I am looking for a project while I recover from a bad off last october (broken, C1, C2, C7, T1, T7, L6, L7, 6 ribs, sternum, punctured lung, 1 week of coma, punctured lung and Im now 2" shorter than I used to be :) )

    anyhow, This is the first time I have tried to restore a bike and I figure it would be a good way to learn how stuff goes together on a bike.

    Anywhoo. the the bike was 'sort of' going when it went under my mates house, so the first order of business is to try and get it running again. to do this I was going to drain the oil, replace it with new oil, crank it over by hand, test for spark then' kick er in the guts'.

    Does this sound like a good way to proceed??

    Once I get it going I will then go through the carburetters to get the bike running properly, then strip the bike back to the frame andgo through the whole lot, replacing bearings, rebuilding forks, bushes etc as I go.

    apologies in advanced for stupid noobie questions.

    Cheers blokes

    OZ
     
    oz_johnno, Aug 28, 2011
    #1
  2. TIMEtoRIDE

    TIMEtoRIDE Active Member

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    Location:
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    Welcome to the site !!

    I can 99% guarantee that wont work. You will need to tend to the gas tank, petcock, and (most importantly) the carbs.

    These carbs tend to gum up solid, inside, at critical points, such as the Pilot/idle needle and circuit, the slider pistons, and the enrichment jets and passages. If a few of these are gummy, you won't be happy. You'll get tons of help on this site.
     
    TIMEtoRIDE, Aug 28, 2011
    #2
  3. pbjman

    pbjman Member

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    Welcome!
    You might want to put a compression test near the top of your to-do list. If your compression tests low, next thing to look at would be valve clearances. After doing the above, you'll know if the engine is good or not.
     
    pbjman, Aug 28, 2011
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  4. tskaz

    tskaz Active Member

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    Location:
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    Things you will NEED to do before even attempting to start her up:

    Compression test
    New oil and filter
    Air filter
    New plugs
    Clean carbs
    New battery
    Valve clearance check/adjustment

    Turning the motor by hand is a good idea to get some oil into the cylinders before attempting to start a motor that has sat for that long.

    When you get her running we can start on the next list of things to do to get her back to being roadworthy.
     
    tskaz, Aug 28, 2011
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  5. skillet

    skillet Active Member

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    Like the members above said, there's usually a little more to it when one has been sitting "under a mates house in Hobart, where it resided for the last 15 years" :lol: !

    skillet
    btw WELCOME from TN!!!
     
    skillet, Aug 28, 2011
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  6. inet101

    inet101 Member

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    Welcome to the forum!.......... :D

    At least the XJ had a roof over it.......

    Ya picked a good n for a project....

    Gonna be a lot to do mate!.....

    Involved little units they are to sort out, but if ya have the time it goes together if one keeps at it and starting where you are ya can go any direction you decide....


    Cheers
     
    inet101, Aug 28, 2011
    #6

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