First bike need help with routine maintenance questions

Nobody's being a dick; you've got a 30-year old bike and garage kept or not if you ignore certain maintenance items you WILL get bit.

If the valves haven't been adjusted at the proper intervals, it will quit running eventually. Ignore away, it's your motor.

Hopefully the rear (or front) brake locks up on you in your driveway, not when you're running down the road at 60. Either is highly possible.

And let's don't think about what would happen if you pop a front line under hard braking, because, hey-- it's not falling apart. (I never said it was.)

Sorry if the truth is too much for you to accept; but I was genuinely trying to keep you from getting hurt.

 

Then help walk me through it don't tell me I'm going to wreck for all I know the bike enthusiast I bought it from has changed the brakes in the 20 something years he owned it honestly I would love to spend tomorrow morning checking first thing I just don't know how to I am not a mechanic at all but I've got tools and I'm willing to learn just go easy on me

 

Or if there is already a good walk through show me the link ill park it until I can check the brakes and whatever else u think is a must do

 

Get a manual. The Haynes is widely available; the factory book is better but it assumes you're a trained motorcycle mechanic to begin with.

Go through the entire "Maintenance" section, step by step and don't leave anything out. No shortcuts, don't skip anything. Garage kept and properly maintained are two different things. It took me 11 months to recommission my "garage kept" bike. Unless the PO (previous owner) provided receipts don't believe anything he told you; check it yourself. Your life literally depends upon it.

The very first thing to do is to pull the rear wheel and check the rear brake shoes for signs of their delaminating from their backing plates. This is very common; and dangerous: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

You can check the age of your front brake lines by looking for the dates of manufacture embossed in them or stamped in the flange of the ferrule. The original brake lines were to have lasted four years, the original ones need to be replaced, and often weren't. The caliper and master cylinder seals had a recommended lifespan of 2 years; they also need to be replaced. You shouldn't trust your life to 30-year old pads or shoes, regardless of how much "meat" is left. Replace those too; and take the opportunity to upgrade to stainless steel brake lines. They're the single biggest improvement you can make to the stock Yamaha brake.

I just posted the whole "basic resurrection checklist" for a new member here, take a look: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=36276.html

A LOT of the things on the list can be done before you get the book.

Start poking around in "XJ FAQ Suggestions" most of the tech articles are in there. For instance, valve clearances: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

Lots of good "background" information in here, too: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html Give the linked articles a read.

And ask questions.

 

Where in Fl are you located? There might be an XJer close by who is willing to give some hands on help.

 

Pensacola

 

First off, welcome to the forums. Owning an XJ is a wonderful feeling, you are in for a treat - even more so when you master the basic principles of maintenance.

I know it seems like a lot of people are coming on here and telling you that you can't ride it and you have to do all this work that seems overwhelming, but they all really mean well. Some of the members of the forum have worked on these bikes since the day they arrived in the dealerships in the early 80's, so they often have a lot of useful information.

As a general rule of thumb, the more urgent their posts sound, the more important the information is.

I joined the forum about a year and a half ago after purchasing my first motorcycle, an 81 XJ650LH. Unlike yours mine was not garage kept and was in dire need of a lot of TLC. Here is what it looked like when I bought it:


With the help of the advice I got from this forum in the first few weeks I had my XJ rideable but still full of bugs (not starting, idle problems, poor power and acceleration, a leaking head gasket, leaky suspension.. the list goes on).

The reality is I probably would have gotten on and just started riding, ending up with headache after headache of problems (and I did to some degree), but after getting the exact same advice you are getting here and listening to it, I now have a beautifully functioning, beautiful to look at (after a complete teardown and repainting) XJ.

 

The PO had a yamaha service manual I'm going to check the rear brakes now

 

Ok so rear brakes aren't brand new or anything but definitely not the originals pads and they look pretty good

 

Dunecruiser,

The folks here are really great and there are only a few dicks that most kind of ignore till they go away. In particular, pay particular close attention to BigFritz, Rick, SnoSheriff. XJ Wizard, and Maxim-X. That isn't to denigrate any others, but anything those folks recommend is something which absolutely should not be ignored and I have never seen any of them act "dick-like". There is another honored member I recommend searching for posts written by, our sorely missed Bill. Search for Rick's write up on proper cleaning and care of the Carbs. Read the stickies as well. They are important.

For impossible to find parts, check with Chacal. He is the most likely source and has actually found ways to get some new parts for parts not made any more, like air box to carb boots. Lots of things also show up on eBay with fair regularity.

Assuming you are your own wrench monkey, you will want to get the tool Chacal sells for performing the valve check. You will require calipers. And you will require some form of the YICS tool. If you don't know what YICS is, you need to know. It is one of the things that make these bikes so special and gives them the performance they have. I am a bit lazier than BigFritz and will let you do the searches yourself.

If you really know the PO enthusiast from which you purchased the bike and trust what he says quite literally with your life, then feel free to ignore some of the checks given to you by folks here. If you don't feel like risking your life on his word, then listen carefully to what you are told here and heed the advice given. For example, I mentioned the fuse box previously. While not as urgent as checking for rear brake delamination, that is one of the single greatest causes of electrical problems for these bikes. I was in the left lane zooming down the freeway in busy traffic when my bike went dead. I found that the danged glass fuse in there had vibrated out of position. I made replacing it a high priority. If you still have the original in there, replace it ASAP. The blade fuses are much nicer. Again, Chacal sells a replacement block which will fit in the space required..

Best wishes for happy motoring,

 

Ok front brakes look good too and front brake lines have been replaced but not with stainless its on the to do list but not a necessity at this point I'm going to try and change the fuse box one evening early this week (waiting for a hand with the electrical) something mentioned that was a foreign language to me was valve clearances please elaborate

 

Also tires are tubeless and not brand new but no signs of dry rot and they still have good tred they will also be replaced soon if possible but I do have to do this slowly money is an obstacle

 

Going back to your original post and question, I have the following suggestion. When it is time to replace your battery, be sure to get a sealed AGM or GEL battery. It will cost about twice as much (less if you do mail order such as from BikeMaster) but it performs much better and lasts much longer. Many of the lead-acid batteries meet a tragic doom just months after purchase during the off-season. Lead Acid batteries get cranky about not being used or kept at full charge. In addition, the AGM and GEL batteries can go in any position and won't leak if your bike is lying down for some reason. Invest in a float charger to extend your battery life. Autozone normally carries a cable in their trailer wiring section with a male/female connection on both ends. Take one of those and cut it, attaching one end to your battery and accessible outside of your side cover, and splice the other to the end of the float charger. Makes maintenance charging much easier.

 

BigFitz has your answer what valve checks are and why they are important:

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3 ... rance.html

Some others of help:
http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7 ... +shim.html

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7 ... +shim.html

The process is well spelled out in the manual (I have a Haynes). You WILL need a manual, so go get one.

 

Check the manufacturer date on the tires. Stored inside, I don't believe they will dry rot that much, but the rubber still ages. If they are more than 6 years old, replace them...call a couple of stores and find out how old tires can be before they should be replaced.

Also, check the rims themselves. They should say Tubeless.

 

YEA LISTEN TO THE DUCK....as much of a pain the guy can sound like...hes NOTHING but FACT AND KNOWLEDGE...

All hail the Duck!

 

Valve clearances, the how-to's:

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

and http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29209.html