New to this site and to DIY Mechanics

I'm a newbie to this thread thing and a newbie motorcyclist. Recently purchased a n 81 xj550. Might be interested in the pegs, luggage rack, and do you have the backrest you mentioned in earlier post.

 

I do but my girl will be riding with me so I'm going to keep it for her

 

Does anyone know the exact measurements of the crush washers needed for brakelines on my bike

 

10mm

 

What issues are you having with your brake? Is the piston seizing etc. If your just changing the pads, that's a simple thing.

 

Bike is up and running the British still feel a little squishy but I think I might just need new pads they were good but who knows maybe a new disc rotor whatever they're called I didn't actually running strong I know you say after she's been running a while its hard to turn it back on here's my finished product my turn signals aren't working so that needs to be rewired but other than that everything solid

 

It's a good looking bike. Did you test the relay (brown box under tank) for your flashers?

Gary H.

 

Also buy decent bulbs , my experience Chinese bulbs don't draw enough( sometimes) to cause the flashers to flash properly.
Alan

 

you're not the first person to say that

 

Priceless.......ROTFLMAO

I didn't catch that one. Lol

 

looks like led in the rear on the pic

 

Hello fellow female XJ rider and wrencher!

I'm from next door in Indiana

Nice looking bike, I really like the orange! My old man's Vulcan has a rattle can paint job, it looks so good I'd have never guessed it was spray paint.

Can I see a picture of the windshield you're selling? Thanks

Have a good one

Here's a picture of my XJ650

 

I like the crash/engine protector bars do you know where they came from?

 

Thanks! It's a Lindby Linbar. (http://www.lindbycustom.com) Found it at a local custom shop for $100. (they're expensive new!) I think they're mainly for HD's, had to fab the bottom brackets.

 

Welcome home!

 

Lol ment brakes....

 

That is slick here is windshield it has some scratches I'll try and get better pics

 

Cool looking bike! I like the orange. A lot. Haven't read all of the thread, but looks like another xjbikes success story!

Do you have pictures of the windscreen mounted on the bike?

 

I can't figure out how to mount it to my short bars but if I do I will hit you up

 

Over the winter I will be working on perfecting the bike...now I call my bike Riley it sounds bikey. It needs carb work and new front pads and rotors as well as a ton of electrical work all of which I am learning but I need someone local to help teach me

 

What carb related issues are you experiencing? I found that the carbs seemed daunting on paper, but were really not too bad to tackle if you follow the right instructions. You have a whole forum of people to help you through the task and you have Len chacal and his massive xj parts supply and knowledge. Some invaluable tools for the job: jis screwdrivers, access to an air compressor and air chuck, wire gauge cleaners and the tiny drill bit Len sells. A manometer and colour tune plug set is also key once you've got your carbs cleaned. Like I said, sounds huge on paper - but I took my rack all the way down and back up in one day, and managed to be thorough enough with help from this forum to earn me a "hole in one". Plan to replace all rubber, fuel needle and seats, and if you want to make it easier to wet set the carbs, get Allen hardware for the bowl drain screws.

Bottom line is that the carb rack is a detail oriented job, put on your ocd hat and clean clean, clean some more. When I (at long last) put my squeaky clean carb rack back on, it had noticeably more power and ran a lot smoother than I had ever felt. It also solved a fuel rail leak I had, and gave me the tuning range to get my pilot circuits dialed. Now the bike runs to its potential.... And I really owe a lot to the numerous contributors to this forum.

Rotors: are they worn out of spec? You might be able to get then machined if they are ridged. Measure the width of the rotor with caliper vs. Spec. To check for the grooves, you can hold a straight edge to the rotor to see how deep (if at all) the grooves are.

Brake pads: I diagnosed my bike as needing New pads falsely at first - the pads on these bikes have the "meat" at an angle, so it will appear that one side is really really worn and the other not as much.. Might be worth sending us a picture if you are unsure.

 

Hey guys its been a minute thanks Tombo the task seems less daunting now. The pads are worn at a wierd angle which i believe happend when my caliper piston was javked up. The grooves on my rotor are not to bad but id like to replace them anyway. Recently my bike has been sounding different on the top right part of my ingine creating a cleaner whirring vs the gutteral roar or the left side not sure if this is a problem but i plan to look further into it. I believe riding season is over so i need to prep my bike for winter but i thi,k ill do my carbs before winter sets in so i dont have a bunch of fluids that need to go back in my bike laying around.

 

Your pads are probably fine. They have an angle to them when new. Maybe 5 degrees or so.

 

Exactly

 

^ what they said.
The 650 Maxim caliper is odd in that it pivots instead of sliding. The pads are manufactured at an angle to allow for full contact as the caliper pivots during use.

 

Your pads are fine

 

Are the valves clearance in spec?

Gary H.

 

Maybe your exhaust pipes are loose. I've had that happen.

 

I believe my brakes are ok i assumed they were like car brakes just flat. As you all know the whole brake system has been redone and ive bled and bled them i cant figure out why theyre still so squishy. Also my rear brake is starting to squeal real bad im glad its winter now i wont feel pressured to hurry through things. Im going to clean up my bike get it prepped for winter and start fixing up some minor things im still looking for a grab bar if anyone has one.

 

Also is there any good carb cleaning walkthroughs that include resetting them

 

Church:
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/
And Ammo:
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threa...whole-9-yards-by-rick-massey.2908/#post-23725

The why and whatfor's:
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-secret-life-of-carburetors.14751/
But How does it?:
http://www.xj4ever.com/inside your carbs.pdf

Fuel levels:
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/dry-setting-floats.44805/
http://www.xj4ever.com/setting fuel levels.pdf

It seems like a lot, but as you mentioned you have all winter and it is actually fun tinkering with them once the gas vapors dissipate! (Fer cripes sakes make sure your in a properly ventilated area).

Pictures, notes as you step through it.
You know where to come with questions.

 

Oh yeah and then this afore you wrestle them back on your bike (you have to grunt to get them back on).
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-bench-synch-your-carbs.6366/

Once you get them back on we will talk final tuning (running synch/ colortune)

 

Either You still have some air in there somewhere (most likely), or you have old lines that have gone soft and need to be replaced.

Rear brakes..... Did you replace the shoes?

Yes-- you may need to chamfer the leading edges a bit. they may need a little sanding...to remove some glazing

No-- uh, you better

Did you clean the drum braking surface?

You may have dust build-up

 

Thanks umm I think I'll dismantle my rear brakes after Christmas i do believe your right. They work fine but probably couldn't hurt to look in there. Carbs will start mid January when cash is back up is getting a set of needles a good idea or a waste?

 

Depends on which needles you're talking about, the condition of them, etc.....