Barn Find

Picked up this '82 Seca 550 project bike over the winter. Got 'er for less than the price of a good meal at a fancy restaurant. She hadn't run in fourteen years, and was tucked away in a baby barn that whole time. Did some maintenance over the past week, and fired her up today. Here's a photo of the old girl, plus a video link of how she sounded when I got 'er running, today…

Barn Find Video

 

Looks like a good find.
What do you mean by "some maintenance?"

 

Looks like a good starting point.

Tires
brakes
valves
carbs
fusebox

Thats a start.

 

You suck.....


<----------jealous

 

Drained the fuel tank, replaced petcock gasket, installed new vacuum line, filled with fresh fuel, drained carbs, wired in new starter button, lubed cables, changed oil and filter, cleaned and re-lubed K&N air filters, and bolted on some new mirrors.

Next is a complete carb cleaning, brake rebuild, and solve the dead starter mystery.

 

Now go back and adjust the camchain, check your valve clearances and get a compression test.

Unless you plan to immediately break the rack to replace the throttle shaft seals, don't submerge the carbs in anything.

Nice find. Welcome aboard; you've got some work to do, but it looks like a solid starting point.

Don't ride it until you pull the rear wheel and check for: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

 

Nice Bike. Welcome aboard.
I agree with bigfitz. Especially regarding the rear brake shoes which will almost certainly have delaminated. On first glance they can look serviceable but if you gently prize the friction material away from the shoe with a screwdriver you will realize that the bond has catasrophically failed.

 

Woo hoo!
Nice find!
I've always love those tanks. The bike is so smooth looking!

Get up on the Maint! She needs it
Have fun
-Chris

 

Thanks for the rear brake de-lam tip, in particular, guys. I have ridden her already, but won't again, until I check the brakes out thoroughly.

 

Nice find, welcome aboard

 

Update…

New brakes front and rear, new braided steel brake line, carbs cleaned, new tires, rusty exhaust can repaired.

Runs like a top. The more I ride it, the more I love it…

 

Another one that caught the fever, ride on man, relax and twist the throttle.

 

Can't stay off the thing. Out for a run to the most easterly point in all of North America (Cape Spear), today…

 

I put about 70 miles on today just running errands and then "taking the long way" to get to and from. I know about that "can't stay off it" thing.

Didn't take any new pics though; this one's a cheater from last season:



Prolly gonna go for a ride after dinner too. Maybe I'll remember the camera.

It's so nice to be back on two wheels again. I love my Seca.

 

Love that mars bar paint scheme, fitz. A buddy of mine has an RD350LC, with the same.

Turn signals and headlight will be the next changes for me.

 

My Seca made a new friend today, who's even older than she is…

 

New turn sigs...

 

Likey!

 

Don't worry guys I'll give it the full inspection when I see it in person (should it ever stop raining here)

Looks good! I'm still on the OEM blinkers... Too hard for me to fix something that's not broken!

 

I see a Yokohama "Speed Line II" on the rear of the "barn find." That's not exactly a current product; what's the date code on that gem?

Tubeless tires over about 6 years old are dangerous. I wouldn't be riding it a whole lot or at high speeds until you fit some new skins.

 

I second Fitz's comment above. A few years ago Fitz pointed out some old tires on my Maxim. I misread the date code (I only looked at one tire, had I looked at the other one I would have caught my error) and was riding on 30+ year old tires. Not a good idea.

So yes, check those codes.

 

I probably would have kept the stockers, Marcel, except mine had a really bad case of floppy-dog-ears rubber stalks.

I got the old school rear tire as a well-preserved NOS item. A local guy had a bunch of 'em, still wrapped and greasy. Had to wash the blue off the raised white letters, and all. Total time warp.

 

One from today…Needless to say, I'm really enjoying this bike…

 

Fitz, I drove by that elevator on my way to you know where in Yale a few weeks ago! (I too took the long way, from Davison, on a brilliant springtime Saturday afternoon in the thumb, with the top off, in my Big Red Bronco.)

Good to have a guru nearby in case I get stuck on something.

 

Spent another full day in the saddle on the old girl, today...

 

Oohh, "550 Seca parked on a rock by the lake" pics?

Here's one (Lake Erie

 

I'll have to find myself a lake tomorrow. It won't be big. Kansas lakes never are.

 

Lakes don't count...It has to be blue water and salty!

 

So Fitz's lake doesn't count then.

 

Oh, c'mon now. That's a REALLY BIG lake, it's one of the Great Lakes. Granted, Erie isn't all that blue though.

Now if you want blue; then there's Lake Huron (another of the Great Lakes.) Known for its "blue water" but it's not salty either. Big, though.




I'm a good 900+ miles from any salt water.

 

Got blue!…Thanks to The Atlantic Ocean, but I guess even lakes make a nice backdrop for a good lookin' Seca. :wink:

The Atlantic…Bluest of them all...

 

next weekend ill try to snap a pic near the lighthouse down the road from me then you'll have seen lake huron from both sides

 

Did someone say "lighthouse"?!

 

the one by my place is all limestone, however it is near the end of a major restoration project and is still covered by scaffolds wrapped in tarps.

I think its supposed to be reopened to the public next year.

 

At least they're preserving it, Krafty. Many historic lighthouses have been completely lost to dereliction, in Canada.

 

Love lighthouses! Once I get my bikes road worthy again (one only needs a flat fixed with a new tire) I plan on starting a picture album on here of local bridges like this guy did on another forum I frequent . But one with only lighthouses would be cool too.

 

I've always thought of lighthouses as great excuses to ride to scenic and off-the-beaten-path locations. As a result, I have dozens of photos of my bikes with lighthouses as backdrops...

My FZ1..




My Triumph...




My V-Strom...




Cape Race lighthouse's Fresnel lens, from the inside...The largest Fresnel lens in the world. It's also where the first distress signals were rec'd from the sinking Titanic...

 

SecaSaver sorry to be off topic but I'm curious about the Scrambler and the Wee,Ever carry a pillion on the Scram,were they comfortable?I see one of these in my future I really,really like the Scram but my head keeps telling me that the Wee is probably the smarter choice especially since pillion accommodation is important.

 

According to my wife, and somewhat to my surprise, the Scrambler is the most comfortable bike for her, on the back, of any of my bikes. She hated being on the back of the 650 V-Strom, despite me going the extra mile and buying a topbox with a back rest. She really likes the big flat and wide seat on the Triumph, and that her head is level and next to mine, instead of above it.

Also...

The Strom was a really great bike all round, but no where near as much fun as the Scrammie. And the Scrambler sounds amazing with the Arrow Exhaust (like a small block Chevy). There's no dealer in the province where I live, so mine and my buddy's Scrambler are a couple of the more exclusive bikes around here, too...

Here's a video link so you can hear the bike...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8EVLC-db14


And a couples of photos of mine and my best buddy's Scrambler, together...

 

Nice Seca!

Love to own a Scrambler someday.

 

Thanks mate,decisions decisions.
And yep nice exhaust note as well.

 

Headlight upgrade on the Seca…

The high beam went in the halogen sealed beam, so it was a good excuse to upgrade to a modern headlight and bucket, with a modern halogen bulb socket. I had this one leftover from when I did a street-fighter conversion on my FZ1 a couple of years ago. It's from a Honda CB919. Same diameter as the stock one…

 

Now you've done it. You're going to have to polish the engine cases, replate the exhaust, and repaint the frame. Once that's done you'll notice how shabby the wheels look in comparison, so those will have to be done. Then the seat cover will stand out......oh my, the trouble you have caused yourself by changing that headlight

 

LOL...Very true k-moe...Self-inflicted Seca slavery. It'll never end, I know.

 

Another old school ride (July 5th 2014)…

 

Another Sunday oldies ride…

 

Another old bike group ride…

 

Gee the paint on the RD looks familiar...

Yamaha brought the 550 to North America to make up for the fact that they couldn't give us the RD-LCs any more. It's no coincidence the '81 550 Seca has the same color scheme as the RD400 Daytona.

Be honest: the RD is faster than the Seca, isn't it? (This coming from the owner of two 550 Secas.)