My '81 550 Seca Restoration log

Alright!

So after much searching I found a 550 Seca!

Checked it out and ran a compression test, and it blew mid 120's accross the board - green light go!

Its missing a fair amount of parts, but I couldn't pass it up for a bill! I know with the help of my fellow xj'ers we'll get this pup back on the road - Kinda like "it takes a town to raise a child," it "takes this forum to bring an xj back from the dead"

Plan for now is to bring it back to mostly stock, but going to throw on some euro-bend bars that i bought for my maxim and never used.

Its a project for me to be able to tinker and get dirty with, and the final goal in the end is that i can let my dad ride it - He loves riding my maxim, and since he's old and wouldnt pull the trigger on a bike himself, I had to do something about it instead

Deff looking forward to some father-son motorcycle bonding time

The resto is going to be slow - with school and a non heated place to work which is a buddies garage that he lets me use, its not the most ideal working conditions. However, It will all work out I'm sure.

On to the pics! (I'll get some better ones in the daylight soon!)



She's just a pup!


Welcome along on the journey, its gonna be a fun ride!

P.S - If you have any 550 parts that you think i might need, PM me!! Thanks!

 

Yep, 16K means even if nobody ever touched the valves you're still probably safe.

The amazing thing is that with everything else that's missing, you have the little snap-on plastic dashboard. Priceless. And a great spot to put a clock.

Euro bend bars will require a shorter clutch cable; a 750 Seca cable works perfectly. (I've got Euro's on both of my 550 Secas.) Len also has the proper upper brake hose spec for a 550 Seca with Euro bars; he's made two for me.

You also have the little plastic plugs in the handlebar clamp bolts. Wow.

Did you get a seat and/or what else is missing besides the obvious?

**edit** I'll bet I'm older than your Dad. Get this thing back on the road and I'll ride over there next summer, or meet you at the Michigan UP/Wisconsin border. Only problem is, once YOU ride it, you won't want to give it up.

 

you mean like this one? - I absolutely love the Formotion timepiece, got that recommendation from you actually a while ago (and yes another will be going on the 550 when the time comes.




As to you being older than my father, idk, I'm guessing you may be somewhat close as I recall you saying you had a son in his later teens - 17 iirc? Papa's 60 though, not sure about you. would you be 60 as well? bigfitz52?

But i would be down to meet up and ride, sounds like a good plan to me! I still think it could be cool to organize a big WI/MI/MN group ride/weekend somewhere. like meet somewhere friday night, then a nice day of riding on saturday. or just a single day thing, whichever people would want to do really.

 

Thanks for the info on the shorter clutch cable and brake lines, are there any other options for tach/speedo/throttle/choke cables?

As for whats missing, there's more than originally thought, but i haven't gotten a chance to actually make a list yet. School's been kicking my ass lately with finals coming up, so i just parked it and once finals are over I'll be able to tear into it more.

But off the top of my head, Im going to also need all but one turn signals, tank badges (are these the same as what are on the maxims? I bought a REALLY nice set for my maxim and might try repainting the ones currently on my maxim and putting them on the seca) the headlight and trim ring, rear shocks are pretty rusty, the 4-1 is pretty fugly imho, the brake lever is bent, the tank mounting rubbers and bolt/hold down plate, (ill update this as i think of more)

Theres a member out in cali who is offering to work something out for a bulk of parts, as well as i pm'd this guy: http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... art=0.html

as i see a lot of parts in the pile of parts that he took off that i could use. Plus Milwaukee is not that far away and i could just scoot over and pick em up.

Any pointers on where to find the manuals for a fair price? just keep an eye on ebay? would you recommend both the haynes and the factory service manual, or would either suffice independently?

 

The original turn signals are big and clunky, I recommend the FJ/FZ style like I have on my '83. Len carries the K&S "Yamaha pattern" replacements.

Tank badges are the same as for the 650 Maxim, screw mounted, I have a set on my '81.

As for service manuals, the aftermarket book for the 550s is a Clymer. You really do need both it and a factory book, and there are still some gaps.

What you're really going to need for this is a dealer assembly manual. They pop up on eBay from time to time, I paid $9 for mine, DO NOT spend $40, it's a 12 or 15 page booklet. If you can't find one reasonably priced, I'll be happy to scan mine and email the pages to you.

 

I do like the look of the smaller signals more - these look like they would fit.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... ink:top:en

Thanks for the info on the manuals, I'll keep my eyes open and if all else fails ill shoot you a message.

 

Yep, like those. I got mine (K&S 4136's) from Len.

 

An 81 has popped up here as well, tempting the hell out of me, but can't make a move on anything until the spring......... will be monitering it.....

 

You know it's inevitable...

I bought my '81 because I thought it would be a quick, easy way to a nice little commuter bike, and it was covered with snow and needed to be rescued. Then I discovered there is a bit more to an XJ than there is to a Triumph/BSA/Norton twin. Ok, a lot more.

Then (5 months later) I finally got it together and actually RODE it. And fell in love. My first thought was "I gotta get another one of these before I can't." Especially with two of my kids insisting that it's theirs.

Hence my '83. I've had it for over 4 years, and I still can't believe it's mine. I have to go look at it in the garage periodically just to be sure, despite the fact that I've put 10K miles on it myself.

You know you gotta have one. This won't help one bit:



(Pre-front brake upgrade.) They look so much better de-fairinged.

 

BF started riding the year I was born. I'm a '68 model. My guess...BF is between 56 and 60. Very knowledgeable, well respected and has some of the cleanest bikes on the forum. BF is one of those whom was instrumental in my rebuild. I'll always be grateful. Thanks BF...you the man.

Gary

 

LOL I think it is inevitable, Fitz

I look around at used bikes for some of the newer ones I like, watching prices, yet seem to click on every XJ add I see as well

If I could get one looking even close to one of your beatys
I'd be a happy camper

 

** 2012-1968=44 ** 44+16(age able to start riding motorcycles)= 60

SO:

bigfitz52 = 1952 = 60 years old

bigfitz start riding year member born, member is 44 yrs.

add 16 as age able to start riding motorcycles = 60 years

Its like a detective mystery!! 8O 8O

 

Not too much of a crazy update, just some random excitement -

Snagged up this bunch-o-carb parts on the bay for only 15$



As well as picked up a front fender for cheap that looks to be in superb condition -


So those should be coming in the mail next week!

More updates as the come, school has been crazy with finals being next week, but things should be picking up shortly!

 

EXCITING news coming soon!!! hopefully!!!! I'm so excited i couldnt wait to post!!! but, i dont want to open my mouth before everything is finalized!!

 

BOOM.

Picked these up:

 

I can't wait to see this bike finished.

 

Well, yeah, I mean good deducing and all, but putting birth year at the end of a screen name is pretty normal. :? I always assumed "52" meant "1952." I'm gonna change my name to "maximike92" and celebrate my 21st birthday again

 

Fitz - Question for ya - What speedo did you use to replace the stock 85mph speedo? I for some reason recall it being either a 900 or an 1100. Did you surgically replace just the speedo into the 550 cluster, or did you just swap the whole cluster out?

and iirc there was an issue with either the trip odo or the fuel gauge or something?

Thanks!

 

It's from an XJ900 (pretty sure.)

I simply "transplanted" the new guts into the Seca 550 cluster. I lost the trip odo reset feature, as the reset mechanism was this overly large, bolt-on piece that changed it from "rolling a knob" into a push-button located in the wrong spot.

Details here: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=22823.html

I will eventually re-engineer the trip odo reset; it looks like I'll need to "transplant" the center shaft from the original type. My Norton doesn't have a trip odo, I never really use it so it doesn't bother me.

 

The speedo used by Fitz was also used on the 84-85 FJ600. The FJ600 cluster being the same as the XJ900 did not have the built in digital clock.

Ghost

 

Thanks. I figured out the "XJ900" match by doing Google Image searches because the speedo was mis-listed on eBay as being for a 750 Seca (which it clearly wasn't.)

One thing that throws anybody's "research" off will be that it came with a white/clear needle; I painted it to match the others.

 

Thanks guys- much appreciated. Now i know what to keep my eyes out for if i see one being sold for cheap.

Having lost the trip odo, do you just use the gas gauge to judge when to get gas, or just do the math from the total odo?

Being thats just how i gauge when to fill up my maxim - is by mileage on the trip odo

 

Small update - as well as a question -

Thanks to a member who just so happens to live in the same town as my best friend, I now have aquired a nice handful of parts that I was previously missing. He's the guy who did the BEAUTIFUL 550 seca cafe build (here: http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... rt=15.html )

Another member was selling a 750 maxim a while ago and i noticed that he had a REALLY sharp looking seatcover on it. I asked him where he had gotten it done and he sent me over the guys contact info.

He's been real busy but has now given me the go ahead that he can do the covers for me. My 750 max cover is mint, but we worked out a deal in exchange for both the stock seca and maxim covers and he is going to make them both for me. So I'm super excited, both are going to look beautiful. I will surely post his contact info when i get the covers back so i can showcase his work.

I havent decided for sure what im going to do in terms of colors, for the maxim im thinking black with dark grey stitching and piping, and on the seca black with red stitching and piping. we shall see, opinions are welcome!

So last night I removed the mass of tape off the old seca seat, thing was ROUGH:



Then after a bunch of scubbing and goo-gone, the remaining tape adhesive residue was removed:







Which left me with the seat pan, foam, and cover:



Cover is a bit rough:





Now, hopefully you have stuck with me long enough to assist me in my inquiry -

How can/should i repair the big chunks of foam that are missing? I read somewhere that to repair broken down foam, i can massage a silicone caulk into the foam to stiffin the foam back up, but I cant find much on repairing big chunks. I thought about filling it in with "great stuff" foam insulation and then shaving/trimming it to shape, but then remembered ho hard it gets once its dry. Or just find some foam at an upolstury shop and just stuff it in there? Ideas would be much appreciated.

Here are some pics, hard to see real well due to the lack of contrast in the padding material -

The biggest issue:





Smaller places:





Thanks!!

 

As far as rapair to your foam seat. Obviously you will need some replacement foam first. If it was me I would first expand the areas that are damaged to larger sections, but in nice dementions and even shaped - So for example your first photo labeled " smaller pieces" the damage covers perhaps 1 inch, uneven area... I would cut a nice square even piece out say 2 x 2 x 2 . Then from the replacement foam cut a piece 2 x 2.5 x 2.5 and using contact cement glue this piece in. Be sure to put glue on all 4 surfaces making contact with the original foam seat as well as the replacement piece. Once dry, reshape to match the original seat contour.

You can like get vey similar foam from any auto junk yard - from any car seat.

Just a thought....

 

mbc55,

Just a thought...you might ask the guy who's going to do the uphostery restoration. He'll probably know how to fix something like that and already have everything necessary to make it look original.

Gary

 

Good call on making the damaged area a bigger/square area and then grabbing some out of a car seat, i hadant thought of that - good call!!

What kinda knife/cutting/shaping device would work best to cut it back down to match the contour?

Thanks guys!

 

Okay!

Progress is being made!

Braved the -9 degree weather and worked on the bike for a little bit yesterday. My game plan is to pull everything off, bag it, take it inside, clean everything up, and then re assemble everything when its cleaned up.

Furthermore, possibly even put it all together inside.... hehe.

So i had pulled the tank already, but other than that, here was the starting point -



Pulled off the brake, exhaust, horns, headlight bucket, turn signals, cluster, etc etc etc.

So everything is bagged up and ready to be shined up. Which I can/will do inside

I have a few q's about the MC, the lever seems to be bent and one of the resivoir cap screws is missing, so idk if its salvageable or if it needs to be replaced. I'll snag some pics of that tonight.

Here's where I left off, i'm happy with the progress as its pretty much the first time I've been able to turn a bolt on it.

 

A bread knife with a serrated blade did a great job the last time I worked on reshaping a foam seat.

 

Cool, I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

 

So, big progress has been made - Took a few hours yesterday and went at it again -

Started by getting the carbs out of the way-



After a little persuasion, as the boots sure dont like being friendly at 5 degrees -
Also found that the PO wasant lying, and found 4 brand spankin new boots, thats nice!!




They look "decent" on the outside, but the throttle shaft seals are all shot, but going to do a full rebuild anyway so it doesent matter anyhow -





Started to remove the engine


And she's out!




Now, since I work in a residence hall on my campus, I figure hell why not just bring the bike into my room to work on?

So here I bring you quite possibly the first motorcycle that has been in a college dorm, haha. Good thing since I work here they give me my own room


Frame:


Engine:


Box-o-parts:


Tank/Wheels/Forks/Exhaust


The setup - For the initial scrubbing


Put the second divot in my mallet handle....


Have yet to do the measurements yet, but that will be soon.


So thats where I'm at now.

Plans are to give everything a nice cleaning and overhaul the switches and disassemble and clean/lube everything, perhaps repaint the frame, but I'm not quite sure what that all would have to entail - Would i have to strip the current paint, or just knock off the rust and then hit it with some primer and a few good coats? Paint has always been something I've never been to knowledgeable nor is something I've done a whole lot of.

In all honesty the frame paint is in good shape and theres not much rust at all, but I just figured if it wouldn't be hard to paint it, it is all apart anyway.

Thoughts?

Also, does anyone recognize the exhaust? I cant seem to find out what it is. Plans are to go back to stock, but I'm curious.

Going to do new swing arm and headtube bearings while its apart, it's only logical.

Only broke one bolt during the process as well, that being one of the inner fender bolts, so its no biggie. if anything i'll just drill it through and use a nut on the other side.

And the fun carries on!

Chris

 

Knock off the rust, then you'll want to sand it starting with a coarse paper eventually down to fine. Make it all smooth, clean the residue off with some Varsol or something and THEN prime it. Should be golden. Hope your dorm neighbours don't mind the fumes!

 

Awesome, thanks for the advice.

Thinking about rubber. On a budget, but dont want to TOTALLY skimp on the only thing connecting me to the road.

Needs to not have a continuos center groove.

Rear: 110/90-18
Front: 100/90-19

Option 1:
Shinko 712 Rear: http://www.shinkotireusa.com/product/product.php?id=20
Shinko 777 Front: http://www.shinkotireusa.com/product/product.php?id=15

Can be had for ~94$ shipped to my door. Good reviews on the 712's, would get 712 front but has continious center groove. 777's only H rated(130mph) but i doubt the 550 would even be able to hit 130.

Option 2:
Dunlop 404's F+R
Cost $156 shipped. Not a fan of the look, multiple people said cornering is not the best.

Option 3: Avon AM26's
Cost 215$ shipped. Pricy.

Any other ideas? around $100-150 would be preferred.

 

I've run through 2 sets of Duros, front and back in the years I've owned the 750. Don't know if they have them in your size for the 550, but I've got no complaints. The have a wavy center groove, it doesn't get caught in the grooves like a straight groove. We have lots of grooved and generally crappy pavement here, so I would notice. It also rains all the time, so my review is based on riding almost exclusively in the wet. Except for a couple months in the summer when I can really put the blocks to her

Just looked at their, site, they do have the one I have (Excursion) in smaller sizes.

Here is just a pic of the tire I have, looks like it belongs on a compact pickup, I know, not the sportiest thing in the world, tread wise: http://www.durotire.com/portals/0/Image ... -small.png

Here is the size chart and different tire list: http://www.durotire.com/tires/tabid/186 ... fault.aspx

 

Who said "cornering isn't the best" in regard to D404's on a 550 Seca?

The Dunlops are fine, and the bike handles and corners quite well with D404's. I have them on my '81.

The Avons are better yet, but you'll only get 6K ~ 8K miles out of a rear.

 

I suppose now that you point it out, I doubt hardly any of the 404 reviews i read were ridden on 550 secas.

I had also seen some post of yours saying theywere a little sketch in 2nd gear cranked corners when i was googling reviews on them

 

No, what I said was that you have to be careful with the throttle if you're into the powerband and cranked into a second or third-gear corner. Twisting it on too suddenly with 8K on the clock can crack the rear end loose in a hurry.

I suspect that a 120 instead of the stock 110 on the rear would help immensely in that respect; the Avons come in old-school sizes for the 550 Secas, I'm running a nice fat 4.00-18 on the '83. It's noticeably meatier than the 110 on my '81; and I'll be fitting a 120 on that bike when I replace it before spring. I'm staying with the D404 because the front is only at half-life.

(I may have also mentioned that it's nearly impossible to break the Avons loose.)

For long life and performance, I'd still recommend the Dunlop D404. If you want sticky and don't mind buying a new rear tire every 6000 or so miles, then the Avons are fantastic.

 

Gotchya, now thats cleared up -

Deff going to go with a 120 in the back now, most likely 404's, unless i can find some metzlers or the Avons for a REAL good deal. Not even going to bother with the shinkos, lol

 

Jake Wilson has Avons (AM26's) for $99 front/$119 rear.

 

Just ordered front and rear wheel bearings/seals, tapered steerer tube bearings, front pads, rear shoes, grips, front and rear sprockets, and the chain.

Exciting exciting!!

Will be like christmas when all arrives.

I was going to replace the swingarm bushing, but then i realized, why fix whats not broke? So that I'm going to let chill for now.

Going to order up some new rubber soon, I actually just got hired part-time at a motorcycle/trailer shop detailing bikes, as well as a general around the shop hand, errand runner, etc. so I'm having fun with that. Going to see what kinda deal my boss could get me some tires at, that would be legit. Plus he said i can use the lifts/tools after hours to work on my own bike if I so desire, so thats AWESOME.

Also has a paint area he can set up along with a gun/etc, so that will make painting things alot nicer.


Also finally got a paint scheme in my head as well as a general style direction.

I want to make it look more modern, and since the replacement decal set is ungawdly expensive (200$) I'm going to put a little custom twist on it instead of bringing it back to 100% stock.

I'm going to model it after the bike of my dreams - the Yamaha 1300XJR -



So I'm planning to just go all gloss black on the plastics and tank, and then get a couple modern tuning fork badges for the tank like seen in the picture above.

Already have the modern style turn signals coming straight from hong kong - should be here by spring

Bummer thing is having to bring myself to paint the perfectly chromed fender that i bought, thing is beautiful. Even cooler is the miraculous level of non-existient rust on the bottom. super stoked.

But its going to be sweet, going to go with the black/red theme, and going to paint the valve cover black and polish the fins and yics protrusions.

Not going to be alot of red, probably just red shrink tubing on the spark plug wires, red fuel line, red ss brake lines, red stitching and piping on the seat, and red grips. simple and classy.

Going to try and get the engine soda blasted, we shall see how the budget looks when the time is right.

I gotta decide if I'm going to paint the fork lowers or not. hmmm.

for some reason i just really like black motorcycles, lol.

 

Don't paint the chrome fender. Find a fender from an '82 or '83 or a 650 Seca (same fender) they all came in "body color." Good chrome front fenders are too hard to find. Hang on to it.

Oh, and you're going to need a new set of rear shocks. As for the swingarm bushings, they can be upgraded to needle bearings. I'll be doing mine and making a "how-to" from it.

 

Ahhhhhh, i knew someone would pressure me into saving the chrome fender, lol.

We'll see how cheap i can find an 82-83 for.

New shocks are in store for the rear - As for the swingarm bushings - i saw the needle bearing upgrade len has, but its just too much money right now at least. In the future, sure, its a definite possibility, but for now, the bushings will be fine.

Question - How the hodag do you get to the fork springs? On my 750 max, theres a nut looking cap that you screw/unscrew. On these, theres just a flat, seemingly aluminum cap recessed into the fork stanchions. How is one to remove that?

Thanks!!

 

dang, just saw these - look almost identical to the ones on the xjr:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0668961266

 

Those are two wire signals. Are your two wire or three wire( three wire have running light and blinker).

 

Press that flat cap down a FEW mm and pry out the internal ring from the top of the fork tube. This will allow the cap to come up and out.

IN THEORY.

In the real world, said caps are usually rusted in place. DO NOT pound them way down into the fork to try to free them up; the top of the tube is tapered on the inside and you can wedge the cap in the taper.

It helps if you loosen the upper fork clamps on the triple tree.

Rusted-in fork caps is how I discovered Kroil. Recommended by a forum member when I recounted my 8-month battle trying every penetrating oil known to man. I had tapped the caps down just enough to clear the rings, and had been flooding them with Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, WD40, CRC Freez-off, JB80; putting the plugs in and riding the bike, hoping to find them popped back up at some point. Kroil worked in less than an hour on one side and 5 minutes on the other.

RE: Signals. "The ones on the FJR" are also the same style Yamaha signals that were on a lot of the the FJ/FZ series, the Seca II, etc. On the FJR, they have clear lenses.

That style signals are quite available; it's what I have on my black bike, as do more than a few forum members as well. A company called K&S makes them; the specialize in OE "pattern" signals for all makes of bikes: http://www.kandstech.com/index.php?page=yamahaturn# I'm running 4136's I got from Len.

 

The stock signals were 2 wire as well.

I have two sets of these already on the way:



I just had not seen the clear housing ones before i ordered the ones above, as I think the clear ones would have looked more like the xjr's, as those have clear lenses on it. Although, i think I'll be happy, and if anything, i could always swap them out and sell these down the road.

Thanks for looking out though!

 

Thanks for the info on the fork caps, the fork tubes are off the bike/triple trees, and I have them standing upright currently flooded the top with kroil.

When you say "press" down, is that just finger pressure? I know you said not to hammer them into the fork tubes as they would get jammed, but would a little movement provoking tapping be of any help?

Thanks!

-And ill shoot you some pics of the chrome fender shortly, i seem to have misplaced my camera somewhere between using it last night and this morning, lol

 

Ummm, it's more than finger pressure. It's not so strong that you can't put your weight on a suitable tool and push them down; most folks use a long bar clamp.

I push 'em down with my smaller hammer-handle pry bar*, and have one of the kids pluck the ring out. Once they're free, that is.

*The RickCoMatic Hammer Handle Pry Bar is an important addition to anyone's "XJ" tool box. Get a replacement hammer handle from the hardware store, and saw off the split part where the head goes. Smooth off the edge, and presto: non-marring pry bar. Great for carbs, valve covers, etc. I made two, one smaller, one larger.

 

Update: one cap lose - one still stuck. will continue to soak.

Due to financial reasons, I'll probably get it on the road before i put new progressives in it like i did on my maxim, but i want to get everything loosened up so its real easy when the time comes. Or I'll just do it when i get the money, who knows. I still have fork oil left over from when i did them in the maxim, so it would just be the 50-60$ for the springs. They do make an incredible difference though, thats for sure.

How much oil did you put in yours as well as what weight?

I used 15w in my 750.

 

I use the factory-recommended 230cc; and I also stiffened up to 15W. Every Yamaha street bike I've owned has specified 10W and I've always run 15W.

Caps gotta come out to change the fork oil anyway; and the spring swap can be done at pretty much anytime without a lot of disassembly if you pull the handlebar and lay it back on the front of the tank.

If you're not using Kroil you need to get some, it WILL work.

I went back and looked at the signals you ordered. Those are K&S's, like what I'm running but in a shorter length. The ones you have on the way are K&S 4036's. (Or cheap copies.)

Now here's the good news: go back and go to the link I posted to K&S' website. They can be got with clear lenses.

Even better: replacement lenses are widely available, cheap, the K&S part number for the clear ones is 25-4030C. http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/products ... ement-lens



You're going to need to replace the bulbs anyway (they come with too low of a wattage bulbs and your signals won't flash) so get amber 1156's.

Now that I look at it, I might go to clear lenses with amber bulbs in the front. Hmm...

 

PM me what you're lacking for your project.

I've got an 82-83 fender. I could use a spare chrome one if it's nice.