New XJ owner!

Hello everyone! I'm pretty excited to be a new owner of a 1982 Yamaha XJ650! I recently moved to Amsterdam from Vancouver and needed a fun new project, luckily I was able to score this very reasonable XJ. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Europe it's just an XJ650, but in America it's an XJ650RJ Seca?

The previous owner has had it sitting the last two years, but prior to that it was his regular rider, so he claimed the carbs just needed a bit of a cleaning and she'd fire right up. So yesterday I had the carbs off and cleaned them out, and sure enough, today she fired right up! I've got a video clip of it I'll try and attach. I haven't done the fine tuning yet, that's next!

I'm brand new to Yamaha's so I'll definitely be using this forum a lot to learn and ask questions. I've been a happy Triumph owner for a few years and there is a similar forum that has been extremely beneficial. But I'm extremely excited to get neck deep in the XJ world now! I've managed to find the shop manual already on this forum which is great!

 

Attempting to add photos.

 

And a video. I'm having a hard time inserting the video directly in the post, so here is a youtube link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_atXK7m ... e=youtu.be

 

I'm going to do an oil change tomorrow and I was hoping someone could confirm the proper oil type. SAE 20W/40. Is that correct? The local shop doesn't have that but has some 20W/50. Will that be alright? Also, I haven't found any information on replacement filters, so if anyone has some knowledge they can shed, I'd appreciate it!

And also bleed the brakes, is DOT 4 appropriate?

 

For oil 20W/50 is good, just make sure it is suitable for motorcycles with wet clutches. Will usually say so on the side.

 

Nice Seca, but I miss the gaudy colors!

 

Use DOT 3 brake fluid.

The FRAM pn CH6003 oil filter comes with both o-rings; if not available where you are, cross-reference that number. It's the correct filter for the XJs.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm a bit bummed it doesn't have the original paint. The person who painted this one didn't do a great job either, so I'll probably get the tank off of there at some point and clean it up! The gas cap is keyed, and unfortunately is broken, so I have to pry it open with a screw driver every time. Does anyone know if I can get a new gas cap?

 

Chacal should be able to get you the correct replacement gas cap.

Click on the link in the upper right hand corner XJ4Ever.

 

If the cap itself is ok, and it's just the core that is screwed up, you can get a new core and key, disassemble the cap and restore it as you are re-assembling it.

Welcome aboard!!

dave

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm going to leave the gas cap for now, there are more pressing issues, like my brake callipers! They are a bit scratched up inside, the question is, are they too scratched up? Some more experienced opinions are welcome!

 

That looks bad. If they are as deep as they look in the pic, looks like you should replace it.

I've had to repair cylinders with smaller grooves and wear rings and it JUST got us by until new cylinders came in. No ones life was on the line for those repirs.

And is that pitting on the piston? The bore on my caliper is fine, but the piston is like yours it looks, so that needs to be replaced.

 

The black stuff on the piston can probably come off with a bit of elbow grease and a wire brush. But the scratches inside the cylinders are deep enough that I can feel them quite well with my finger tips, I can't quite get my nails hooked in them though. Chacal has a new calliper for $150, which isn't a huge price tag for peace of mind when it comes to braking!

 

On the gas cap lock, if you could dismantle it and re-assemble without any "pins" then your key (and any key of the same blank) will open it.

It's a zero-cost fix.

 

Good call. 8)

 

The way I see it, the scratches are deep in the caliper housing, behind the two seals. If you put new seals, I can't imagine how these scratches could cause any problem. But I may be wrong, it happens pretty often...

Scratches and pitting on the pistons are another story. Let's see how yours look like after you clean them.

 

DOH! You are correct sir!

I was thinking in reverse. oops

 

So the consensus is, new seals and it should all be good??

 

Good to go! (after cleaning and inspecting the piston)

 

Welcome aboard

 

Welcome aboard

 

Not necessarily. The scratches in the caliper bore, while not exactly wonderful, shouldn't adversely affect operation as long as the piston can move smoothly and the scratches don't intrude into the channels the seals go in. The seal channels are the most important part of this; getting them thoroughly, dentally clean is necessary for the new seals to sit properly.

Of greater concern are the pistons. Once you get them cleaned up, you are likely to discover some pitting. The location of any pitting is the key: as long as it's outside of the area swept by the seals then the piston is still usable. If there is any pitting in the area of the seals then it needs to be replaced.