Nschultz' 1982 XJ650RJ Seca Build/Restore thread

Hey all, This is the build thread for my 1982 XJ650RJ Seca. I decided that I wanted to participate in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in Phoenix this year, and this is the bike that I am putting together for it. I'll be posting plenty of pics and im sure will have tons of questions along the way.

so far Cost of the Seca to me has been $0. I found it on Craigslist here in the Phoenix area and the guy that had it traded me for a Playstation 4 that I was no longer using. Here are pics of the Seca on the first night I got it into my garage.

The pic hasnt been run in I don't know how long, and was abandoned in someones back yard. I ran a VIN check on it, and it doesn't come up as stolen or anything, so I think I am in the clear on it. I just need to get it into running condition so that I can get it inspected and file for an abandoned title on it.

 

I originally was told the bike was an 81 Seca 650, but after asking on here and being pointed in the right direction it was found to be an 82 Xj650RJ Seca. this site has been a fantastic resource for me so far, and lots of help and information here. In short, you guys have been awesome so far with helping me find out about it, decipher the VIN, educate me on what ti actually is and how rare it is.

As of this past weekend I went to work and started the tear down process. Here is how the bike looks now:

 

Here are a few pics of what the Exhaust (nice and gunked up). It isnt in too bad a shape, no real rust or anything to speak of.

 

Here are some pics of the bottom of the motor (more Gunk). This thing definitely needs a good cleaning. But i guess thats what happens when the sit for years and get abandoned.

 

After working on it off and on this weekend I was able to get some power to it, and had the blinkers working and the horn honking...lol. I was also able to pull some Compression numbers which are as follows:

These numbers are shown as they would be seen sitting on the bike.

1=92 / 2=120 / 3=120 / 4=121

The compression test was done on an obviously cold motor (hasn't run in years from what I'm told) and there was no oil in it. I'm hopeful that after the carbs are rebuilt, and I get some good oil in it, that the compression numbers will bump up a bit. So what do you guys think so far? is it a worthy project? any concerns about those compression numbers?

I'm planning on draining the final drive as well (probably isnt anything in there either) and taking a look at all of that stuff. I'll also probably take off the clutch cover and have a look at the clutch and clean things up a bit in there as well.

 

Get that hideous black spray paint off of the mufflers, collector box trim and should be nice bright chrome

 

And when you clean the engine and replace the oil and filter, put the oil filter cover on the correct way. Those rims........sheesh------etc......

You have a you have a LOT to do to bring it back, but----- you also have a diamond in the rough there.......so I posted the pic of a restored one for you to see and keep as a vision.

Welcome aboard

Dave f

 

I would get the title sorted first be a shame to do a ton of work and find out later it was an out of state bike that was stolen.

 

Compression on cylinder 1 is low. Add a bit of oil to the cylinders via the spark plug hole. Then recheck compression. If the number jumps up, then your problem was most likely a piston ring. I don't know if turning it over without oil in there is a good idea...

 

Thank you Dave! Im excited, That pic is very close to what I want it to look like.

From my understanding here in AZ, the bike has to be in running shape before I can get it inspected. I checked the vin against a the NICB site https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck and it didnt come back with anything. The bike was gotten out of Chandler AZ, so Im going to contact the PD there and have them run it as well, just to make sure.

I dont know if it was a good idea either, LOL. I was excited and jumped the gun a bit I think, but I think it'll be ok. I figured that Cylinder 1 was a bit low, but wasnt surprised due to the lack of oil, and how long it had sat around.

 

just a quick update on the XJ, ive been working on it in my spare time. finally got a good battery hooked up to it and am planning on doing some fuse box cleanup this weekend...heres a pic of what I am currently working with.....

Also 3 of the 8 Carb joint bolts broke off. anyone have some good tips for getting those out? I have an easy-out set, but getting into the space with my drill isnt easy. I tried getting some locking plyers onto the nubs that are left behind, but they seem to just slide off.....



thanks!

 

Ahhh. Now I see how and where.

The easy way: Roll the bike to a machine shop or welding shop. Have them remove the stubs. Easy-peasy.

The easy way that takes more time, but less money: That thing with Alum and water from the other thread you asked in. This is the specific situation that we've advocated that method for.

The less easy, but quicker (if you don't screw up) way: Buy a 90º gearbox attachment for your drill. Carefully flatten (with a file) and then center-punch the stubs. Heat and apply candle wax to help lubricate and free the threads. Use progressively larger left-handed drill bits to drill the stubs out. Usually the drill will catch and the screws will back out. If they don't just keep drilling until you almost reach the peak of the threads, and then use a dental pick to peel the remaining bits of bolt out. (this is honestly the least attractive method unless you already own the gearbox and the drill bits. The cost of those will equal or exceed what a shop will charge for the job).

 

Thank you Sir!

 

Congrats on your project. Lots and lots of work there. At least the exhaust collector looks very sound and not rusty. I wonder where the brake rotors went? Have fun!

 

Thanks! I would also like to know where they want..lol. Im focusing on looking at mechanicals right now, and just seeing if it will run. if it does, I'm going to start the abandoned title process. if not, well im not sure yet. with the new battery on it she cranks pretty good. Cylinder 1 compression went up from 90 to 120 PSI, so Im happy about that. The fuses should be squared away either today or tomorrow, and it definitely need a starter relay. im hoping I can get those busted bolts out as well.

 

the best way to remove studs like that is to place a slightly smaller nut onto the broken stud and button weld it together. Apply wrench.
Requires good welding skill though. Just the heat from the welding is probably what really loosens it up.
Make certain there's gap between the nut and the surface before welding because it will tighten up when it cools.
Not a skill I actually have myself so I'd probably follow K-moe's method.

 

The fuse box replacement went pretty well, unfortunately the bolt removal did not......ugh. I think its going to have to go somewhere to have those removed, which really sucks. The carbs look decent after inspection, so I'm going to put them back on and see if it will run off of some starter fluid. If it does I'll be looking to see what is around me.

 

I also do not possess those skills, so I'll be looking to see what kind of shops I have around me. I may have a neighbor that can help me out, he restores classic cars in his garage. I have apropane torch, so i was heating the bolts with that. The candle wax trick didn't do much at all. Easy outs suck!!!! The damn drill bits keeps breaking, and I tried something called a speed out, which also failed miserably......soooooo frustrated.

 

How small of a bit did you start with? (typical is to start with 1/2 the diameter of the bolt to be drilled)
Was it left-handed?
Was it freshly sharpened?
Did you let the bit do the cutting, or did you try to force it?
Did you center-punch the bolts?

 

I started with the smallest bit in the brand new set I bought, which I would say is less than half the size of the bolt and was trying to step it up from there. they are not left handed, but are what came with the set. I wasn't forcing them at all ( at-least I don't think I was) and did center punch them. I'm going to wheel it down the street on Thursday afternoon and my neighbor who has all the welding equipment, tap and die sets and every thing else is going to take a look.

 

Do yourself a favor. You have low compression anyway. Pull the head off, take it to a automotive or bike machine shop, have the bolts extracted and have the valves/springs/etc. pulled and a valve job performed, head checked for straightness, etc. This will give you a chance to inspect the cylinder walls, too.

You're going to learn a lot by the time you're done with this bike. You will be the local "old bike guru".

 

I put the rear end back together tonight, and just for grins and self gratification decided to plug in the ignitor and everything, sprayed some starter fluid in the carbs, and she actually started for about half a second. Im wheeling it down the street tomorrow afternoon to see what my mechanic neighbor can do about those stupid broken bolts. wish me luck.

 

I searched and am not finding a how to for cylinder head removal. Do the cams and everything need to come out as well? Or can the while thing be pulled all in one? Neighbor told me he would rather I just bring the head down to him, instead of the whole bike....

 

You have the FSM for that bike? It'll cover it in detail. If you have a gmail email address, I can transfer a copy over to you. The gaskets needed when reassembling are pricey though, will set you back over $100 so you might want to further assess the engine condition etc. and see if it fires on starting spray etc. There are cheaper gaskets but I wouldn't recommend them. There's a couple thread on there about users running into issues with bad gaskets. I'm one of them.

To answer your question though, the tensioner comes off, then the cam sprockets. This will allow the chain to come off. Then you can remove the cam caps and then the head.

 

She fired on starting spray briefly last night. I have broken boots so that why I may need to remove it, so they can be removed.

 

I missed that you said it fired on starter fluid. That's good news. I definitely agree with chacal, pull it and you'll get a good idea on the state of things and then decide what to do from there.

 

Do the cams and everything need to be pulled, or does it all come out at once?

 

Needs to pulled in pieces unless you want to break the cam chain.

 

The cam sprockets get unboled from the cams, then the cam caps get removed (gradually and IN SEQUENCE), then the cams can slip out (tie a wire to the chain so you don't lose it down into the sump)., then the head bolts can be loosened (gradually and IN SEQUENCE).

On note; the IN SQUENCE warnings are why you really do need a service manual on hand as you do the work. Unbolt it wrong, and there is a real risk of warping the head (same if you reinstall it wrong).

 

Oh, when you get gaskets, don't forget to order the two special crush washers for the rightmost head nuts. Those don't come in the gasket kits.

 

Thanks very much guys!!

 

I do have the FSM, thanks!!

Which gasket sets did you have issues with? if i order from Chacal, looks like its going to be almost $200 for everything needed. I've done cars for cheaper...lol

 

If you order from someone else it will cost the same, and you're likely to get the bad gasket set (labeled right, but the cam tunnel gasket is incorrect). Cost is determined by unit volume. Compare a bajillion SBC, to the remaining tens of thousands of the XJ series. Same tooling and production costs for the gaskets, but fewer sales to make a profit from.

 

Here she is all taken apart.....pistons are a bit dirty, but i honestly expected worse.

Cams left side:

Right side:

Valves:

more Valves:

Motor:








I'll be taking it in to have the bolts extracted this week hopfully, and will be ordering some gaskets from Chacal in the next couple of days so that i can get it back together. What do you guys think of the condition from what you can see here?

 

Why do you f eel you need to extract the bolts?

 

There are three carb joint bolts that broke in the head while removing them.. I removed it so that i can take it in and have them removed.

 

Got it..... I thought you were talking about the long engine studs shown in the pics.

Carry on

 

Can someone please explain to me how the Vermont loop hole works? I spoke with MVD today about lack of title on this thing and looks like tis going to be around 500 to have them inspect and go through everything to get a bonded/abandoned title on it. I'm looking for other options at this point and trying to decide what to do with it. Thanks!

nevermind....found it.

 

sad to say it but......I was just told by MVD in AZ here that they can only give me a certificate to crush the Seca.....At this point I'm not sure the Vermont option would work either, since they wont sign off on inspection papers. I took it in to Level 1 inspection a few weeks ago, and they told me since the VIN sticker is damaged and not fully readable, I had to go to Level 2. I took it to Level 2 inspection today, and was told that because it is not a running and complete ride-able motorcycle, all they can do is give me a certificate to crush it.

Obviously I don't want to spend money on this thing without knowing if i can title it, that would be like throwing money away. So I guess this is now a parts bike. I'll be posting a for sale thread in the next day or so.

 

FWIW, the VIN should be stamped on the engine case above the transmission. That should match what's readable from the VIN sticker. Did they agree that you could help you once it is running and complete? That would be something at least.

 

The VIN-Stamping isn't the problem. the 8 digit VIN on the engine case and on the Neck is completely readable. its the Sticker with the 17 digit that MVD goes by that is rubbed off.

Yes they will work with me if the bike is running and ride-able, problem is they wont even start the Bonded title process or sign off on the inspection without it in that state. my estimation to get it into a running and riding state would be around 1500-2000 dollars.

So that would mean that I would spend all that on it, and then they would look in to whether or not I could maybe get a title. I checked the 17 digit (figured out from this site) against everything that i could find online and none of the insurance databases or anything have it stolen. So that's good, but if I start going through the bonded process here after spending that, and find oput I cant get title to ride it I might as well just toss money in a fire. Maybe getting a title just isn't worth $1500 for me.

 

What in the world does this mean? A certificate to ALLOW you to crush it?

What is going on out there?

 

My thoughts exactly.......I looked at the guy crooked and said, I dont want it to go away, I want to restore it....we will just say he was not sympathetic......UGH!

 

Certainly, one option is to leave it and look for another titled bike. I wonder if getting it running and together enough for inspection could be done for a lower figure and then, once you're getting your title, you can go back for whatever else you'd like to do. At least that would mitigate the risk.

 

According to the officer this morning, has to be running and completely road worthy.

Currently its in pieces. the cylinder head is off of it, still need to get the broken bolts out of it, needs a full upper gasket set, new tires, the gas tank is way worse than it looks in the pics. lots of bad rust in there, and lots of bondo to get it to look decent (very dented underneath). the calipers are shot, and have no mounting brackets, the master cylinder is toast and needs replaced/rebuilt, the brake discs did not come with the bike either. rear brakes need to be replaced, needs a starter relay and all cables are shot. not too mention checking the valve clearances. The carbs need to be taken apart and rebuilt, the shaft drive needs to be checked to make sure it is in good functional order and all the seals and everything there freshened up......I think its just too much of a basket case to attempt.

I did have it running momentarily before all of this, but it would have needed all of these things done regardless, before I would consider it safe to ride. Not to mention anything else that may be found out along the way.

I had such hopes to bring her back again because it is such a rare bike, but I don't think that is in the cards.

 

Vermont.

 

Can't. they wont sign off on inspection.....in order to go that route they have to inspect the bike....

 

sell it to someone in Vermont. Actually, for what you paid, hope someone takes it.

 

Doesn't the sheriff's office do the inspection? Go to another one.
Another option is to utilize the services of a member in a nearby state to get the Vermont registration. Road trip!

 

Or, this... https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mcy/6061552290.html
It would look great in the DGR you talked about riding in. Needs some love, but there is a site just for the XS elevens.