Thanks!

Been lurking here since I picked up a 750 Seca several weeks ago. Started restoring it and thanks to you folks it's been a painless process so far.

Upgraded the fuze panel and cleaned all the electrical connections that I can find, checked the valves, replaced the starter, replaced the cellenoid, replaced the air filter, and rebuilt the petcock over the past few weeks.

The next things on the agenda are to go through the carbs, rebuild the front brakes, check the rear brake, check the bearings, and change the plugs and fluids. The bike hadn't been ridden for at least two years....

Once again, thanks for having such a great site with excellent resources!

 

Made a bit more progress, the valve shim made it in Friday from chacal and installed it this evening number 1 exhaust was too tight.

Carbs are pulled off the bike and the outsides are now clean. Tomorrow I'll start tearing the carbs down and get them cleaned on the inside.

 

Good luck. Have fun

 

Having lots of fun... The carb jets look like someone poured concrete into them and so far two of the bolt heads have snapped off one of the carbs. despite heat, an impact screwdriver, and vice grips.

I've got several small left handed drill bits and have one just about drilled through.

This things supposed to be a winter project.... Might just take the winter!

Valves checked out, shims in, and that part of the engine is buttoned back up.

 

I just dismantled a set of carbs that are going to be a backup set. What I did with stubborn screws is sprayed them with Kroil let them sit for a while heated the screw heads with a small butane pencil torch, great for pinpoint jobs, the gave them a nudge with really small vise grips if the screw driver didn't work. The key is patience and just nudge the screws. If they don't budge repeat the procedure. If need be let sit overnight and respray with Kroil every few hours. The heat cause the screw, which is steel, to expand the aluminum that the carb body is made of. This WILL loosen the screw. Also the Kroil will burn so be careful!

 

Geez, I just got on my 750 maxim and stated riding it.

 

LOL fakeplay, the Seca sat up for over two years with gas in the tank and the front breaks are locked up. Wish the PO had kept it going!

Thanks ground hugger, I had hit them with Kroil a couple of days earlier. I'll try the heat and vice grips technique this evening.

 

Hugger, followed your advice on the next two carbs and it worked like a charm! Between the Kroil, heat, and vice grips all of the screws came loose without breaking any more heads off. Was able to drill out the two messed up screws and re-tapped the threads.

I figured out what it was plugging the jets. Dirt Dobber mud. There were several nests on the bike and in the air box which I cleaned out after getting the bike. That stuff is like concrete when it dries and does a number on the jets!

 

Number three carb body is toast. The body itself had two cracks in it and the air fuel mixture screw was totally stripped out. Got another body coming and finished up cleaning the other three carbs.

Started on the front brakes and have a question... Should the break pistons be very difficult to move when they are cleaned up?

 

You need to replace the caliper seals, not just "clean up" the pistons. The caliper and master cylinder seals had a factory recommended lifespan of TWO YEARS. Even assuming a bit of conservative margin, 30 years is way past. Crud and old dried brake fluid builds up in the channels behind the seals and needs to be cleaned out. This is not the place to take shortcuts. Brake lines need to be replaced too, they were to have lasted four years.

That sir, is going to bite you, and repeatedly. Hopefully you don't get hurt in the process. I hope you at least checked the rear brake shoes for delamination. Might want to have a peek at the date of manufacture embossed in your front brake lines.

It's not a used car, it's an old bike. The rules and the stakes are different. You can die.

 

Got rebuild kits for the MC and calipers from chacal. I reread some other threads on brakes and noticed that the groves need to be cleaned down to bare metal. I'll pull it back apart and do a more through job cleaning the groves...

 

Hit the piston with some computer duster compressed air then regular compressed air in the caliper and the piston popped out. Cleaned the piston again, honed out the caliper, used some of chacal's piston lube and put it back together. Working better now, one down, one to go.

 

The carb body made it in and I could,t resist finishing the carbs. Got the carbs reassembled and bench synced them. Installed them on the Seca and it fired up and is running much better! I plan to sync them up today then get back on the brakes.

 

Re: those brakes. Did you get the channels that the seals sit in religiously, dentally, clean? Honing the bore is usually unnecessary unless horribly corroded, but if you fail to get the seal grooves clean the caliper will continue to hang up on you, even with new seals.

Re: The carbs. Did you verify the float levels using fuel and clear tubing before reinstalling? If you didn't wet-set the floats you'll drive yourself crazy trying to set up the carbs.

 

Yes, used a brass dremel brush on both and then liberally lubed them. Then I burnished the piston and bore. It is fairly smooth now and easier to compress the piston in and out by hand.

Yep, but I noticed that he angle of the carbs on the bike is different than when I did the clear tube check. On the center stand the carbs angle down a bit towards the front of the bike.

 

Started rebuilding the master cylinder last night. It was rusty on the bottom and the interior had brake fluid so old it looked like coffee grounds. Cleaned it out and ran out of time, putting it back together tomorrow evening.

Almost time for a test ride!!

 

Finished up the front brakes the other night and am changing all fluids this morning. Getting close to cleaning it up and test ride time!!!!!

Can you gents think of anything I missed?

 

Looking good from your list.

Don't worry about the carbs being "downhill" on the bike, the spec is to set them level and it takes the "mounted" orientation into consideration.

 

Took it out today, what a great riding bike! Handles a lot different than my Valks but it's a hoot to ride and there's nothing like the sound of an inline four!