1984 XJ750RL to Cafe Racer?

Thought the Vanden Plas's (for the 80's at least) were 12 cyl. only. It does handle great, but I mean the car oozes sexy, definitely a good car to cruise around in LOOKING good.

 

no infact very few were v - 12's ..

 

Really? Good to know!

 

Now your really making me miss the old MG.

 

I can understand that, what technique did you use, through the screen or take the seats out? (I've heard you can leave the screens in & get it through a back door if the seats are removed but never tried it!) Also never realised it was injected, that's where the "economy" is coming from :lol: the carb ones got about 5mpg!


And YES! thank you 8) PM returned

 

Time to buy another maybe? They are pretty dirt cheap.

750bloke, I didn't have to take anything out, found a blog or something with very detailed instructions on how to turn and twist this here and there to get it to come out the back door without removing seats or windshield/windscreen. Reverse the process to get it back in (I would think, but the mechanic did it so I dunno how he actually did it).

I wouldn't mind having a carbed one though, might actually be able to do some work on it my self then!

I'll get on the carbs today.

 

Oh that's pretty cool, everyone I've known reckoned it couldn't be done & mine had *whispers* rot that required the rear screen to come out anyway so it got squeezed through the hole...

Thanks appreciate that, would be cool to get correct carbs on the beast

 

Good news! The gauges and light are mounted, and all the wiring got stuffed under the gauges. For the gauges I took the original mount for the original gauges and welded a little bar across it with 2 big flat washers that bolts go through to mount the gauges, and it works fabulously. The wiring all plays nice with it, as do other bits and pieces, even the speedo cable is easy to connect. Not bad considering I eyeballed it then the next morning just welded as I saw fit. But with the wires, I need to make a cover for them because you can see them, all of them, and they are rainbow coloured, which does not fit the bikes motif. I planned to cut a hole in the light to hide the wires, but I decided that the light was too nice, no dice on the retainer ring (even with homemade tool) and laziness. Its far easier to make a sheet metal cover then it would be to mod the light. One thing I noted about the light was it only had 2 wires. Oh well, for the riding I do, lo beam is enough. Turns out its grounded through the frame and the 2 wires are lo - hi beam wires. I didn't even think to consider that because this bike has everything grounded with wires (Why they didn't use the frame beats me) so that was an awesome surprise while hooking it up! "Well, we got 3 pins, which ones do I connect so the light is on on lo, and off on hi?" Testing, and BOOM! Sudden moment of realization and happiness when flicking it back and forth from lo to hi on the handlebars and watching the two different elements firing up!!!

On another hand, the bike would only run on full choke this morning, it wasn't getting enough gas to run on less choke. Good news, it was just a kinked fuel line, so that has been rectified and she runs great!

On yet another hand, there is a small exhaust leak, you can hear it , and lightly feel little puffs of exhaust from 2 of the 4 headers. Again, good news, I let the bike warm up for a good solid hour, totally went away, and after letting it cool down during the day and starting it again tonight, has not continued. I think it was caused by the fact I polished up the pipes really well, and since it had been leaking oil from the valve cover had really grimed up the pipes for x # of years so I think cleaning them may have opened up a few little gaps where exhaust could get out. (It doesn't leak any oil anymore, just FYI, replaced the old gasket that was causing that as well).

And on the last hand, I am essentially down to just the seat, which I have put off because I am lazy, and because if it had a seat I probably would have ridden it already. Seats easy though, I need to rivet the cowl to the seat pan and then pad 'er up!

PS - I listed it as a joke on the local bargain finder to see what offers I got, not a huge amount of response, but all the offers were in and around $4500 - $5000! Not bad for something that originally cost be $500, and I am now at maybe $1200 total, and probably will be around $1500 once its completely done (going to have brakes and fork seals attended to by a shop).

PPS - I just thought of this, if anyone is switching gauges and the original gauges have a separate bulb for each side turn signals (instead of one light that tickers along with the signals regardless on side, and each side has its own display light to tell you which side you are signalling), to switch over to a gauge cluster that only has the single light you need to wire in an 1N4001 diode to each of the display bulbs wires (being aware of polarity) and then connecting them together, then to the bulb and the other wire is just ground. If you don't connect both wires together, the display bulb will only come on for one side turn signals and if you don't use diodes, all the turn signals will come on regardless of which side you are signalling to (and this will also burn out the 2 big sandstone resistors under the seat that control the blinker speed in a hurry). I will include a wiring diagram in a later post if I remember.

EDIT - And the horns are mounted differently, they wouldn't co-operate where they were.

 

First thing I was going to suggest even as I read it! It's a Hardly part & they obviously use the "old school" (read "dodgy") electrics... Yamaha didn't use the frame because (As I read in a magazine article by "ferret", an electrical guru wh rewires old brit bikes with earth return wires) "Frames aren't for carrying electricity, they're for bolting bits to"

Another common (but less commonly thought about) fix on the single "idiot light" for the flasher conversion too.

And the exhausts likely just carboned up after a little running, quite a common thing with turbo vehicles using steel exhaust gaskets for it to leak a short while & then "cure" itself.

 

That's true, I am personally a frame grounded person myself though. The simpler the better.

I was looking at it thinking, "I probably should have this light here hooked up for both sides" cause I would be the idiot driving for miles with his signals on. And it occurred to me that they would be wired right in with the flashers so I thought they would need isolating. Tested it and they did. Without the diodes you get 4 way flashers only.

Good to know! I was worried it might not fix itself, or get worse and I would have to disassemble again!

 

Ferret wires an earth return into previously "frame earthed" bikes very simply, he just runs a big black wire from the tail light along the frame spine to the headlamp & splices the battery & components into it along the way (and obviously uses a fat wire from batt - to the starter if fitted)

Makes things a whole lot simpler for when powdercoat/rubber isolated parts/subframes/age related corrosion etc get into the mix...

Over here a bike will fail the MoT test (roadworthy check?) if the indicators don't have an idiot light OR the front indicators visible from the seat (and post 1983 will also fail with no indicators unless primarily designed as a dirt bike IIRC)

 

I am glad we don't have those MoT's here. You have to do them yearly correct? If you have a vehicle here that is registered and insured and you don't let those expire if its more then 15 years old, you will never need it inspected. You let those go after a vehicle is 15 years old (or is it 10?) though and then they want a certified mechanic to inspect it, or if you want to register in another province you need an OOPI (Out Of Province Inspection).

I know here you have to have actual signals (For inspection, you can get away with taking them off after your bike has been inspected, cops don't worry to much about it on bikes. Cars are another story though), but I don't think its necessary to have the idiot light on the dash here. I could be wrong, I don't sit around reading the laws here on a daily basis.

Yeah, its not too hard to put a ground wire in, I just like the frame ground still. You have to leave the coils grounded to the frame though don't you? I had bought one of those mini pocket bikes once and the magneto on it was isolated from the frame and was grounded with a wire and it was always electrocuting a person. (Don't even ask why I bought one in the first place, it was an impulse buy)

750Bloke I can't get a hold of the shop! I hope they didn't close?! I will take a run out that way Thursday if I haven't heard back by then.

 

Yeah it's every year, and the state of people these days (dumb f*cks that don't know HOW to lift the bonnet/hood let alone what to look for underneath it!) I'm glad it's that often... Honestly about 70% of cars I think it is fail their first MoT at 3 years old :?

Why'd ya buy a pocket bike? lol sorry had to... our coils have the ground from the TCI, permanent ignition live & ground is switched to cause the spark. I'm not saying the frame shouldn't be in the circuit at all, just that it's far more reliable to have a separate wire for it (handy though to have the frame earthed as well for multimeter testing stuff & making sure if a plug wire leaks that it doesn't shock people like that mag!

I hope they didn't close too was getting all excited like, when you said maybe the carbs were there lol

(looked on ebay & there's a 700 on there local but it's got no carbs anyhow, plus it's seized solid, and lots other bits missing, and they want £200 start price ($400?) ridiculous price! 8O

 

True, here it seems people keep their cars fairly well maintained, and the ones that don't are farmers, so when they get too bad, they are left to die in a field, rusting back to the earth they came from!

I thought they were super cool and they were liquidating them...I bought 4 for the price of one...I made profit selling them though.

I hope they didn't close either, best prices in town, its where I got my bike from. It cost me $500 and it ran w/ 1539 original km on it. Doesn't get better then that. $400 is way over what that other bike is worth. Wouldn't surprise me if they only wanted $100 - $200 for the carbs. They are very reasonable (considering there are yards in town that will charge $400 or more)

There is some guy in my town selling a high mileage 1987 FZR 1000 (80000km) for $6000, considering its a $800 at best bike, he is nuts. But there is an idiot/sucker born everyday...

 

Stupid seller, said she was last registered in Alberta. Needs an OOP Inspection because it was last registered in BC. One they wouldn't give me a free or reduced price for an inspection even though they lied on the bill of sale, but it floors me that anything from BC needs an inspection. Seems to me the inspection something goes through in BC is way more involved then really any other province I hear. Here you pay $150 and it takes the guy longer to light a cigarette then inspect the vehicle (but its been a few years since anything I bought needed an OOP, maybe they toughened up!)

Good news is the registry gave me an "In Transit" pass thing good for 3 days. Going to take 3 days riding to drive those 10 blocks to the inspection place! Haha!

No more pictures or updates until shes all done and I am riding her around!

 

Took it for a short run to the gas station, and 2 shops for quick opinions on things that it needs for the OOP inspection, and back. 13km. Petcock seems to be leaking. Anyone know where to get a good petcock repair kit? Parts N More have them for a 1983 XJ750R under universal fit. :? Right, "Universal" fit. Never had a petcock apart, or even off a bike. Nervous newby here.

I am looking for either a repair kit for the petcock on the 1984 XJ750R, or a new petcock for it. Anyone know where to get either, for a reasonable price?

I think the problem is from where the fuel line attaches. The little barbed thing that fits into the fuel line isn't a solid part of the petcock, it comes out. And well it came out at some point, I remember doing it... I am sure that messed the seal up in there. Since I think its stupid to have that thing come out, could I use fuel resistant epoxy to just glue it in there where I want it?

The thing I am talking about is like a little elbow, about 60degrees, fuel line goes over one side, the other side sticks into the petcock if that helps.

I guess if that is leaking the petcock is leaking past the diaphram thing its got in there as well isn't it?

Suggestions?

 

Forget repairs ... unless the part you want is unobtainable. Go NEW with fuel components wherever possible.

If that means cost ... so be it.

 

I just bought a rebuild kit for my 82 xj750 on ebay and it works great no more leaks

 

Ok, but where to get a new petcock? I am having a hard time finding one like the one on my bike (fits and is a vacuum one, not just a shutoff valve).

 

A better question would be, will a 1983 XJ750 part fit the 1984? 1984 XJ's don't show up on anyone's websites. I wonder how much it would cost just to get the guy doing fork seals and inspection to do it? Hmmm, laziness and a lighter wallet, that sounds not too bad...