My introduction.

Well I currently reside in whitewater wi.
I find myself on your forum because a friend of mine was kind enough to give me his old 82 xj650. He had grown tired of it and he is not very technically minded.
This will be my first motorcycle that I have owned and I plan on getting my cycle license with it once I get it fixed.
My other project vehicles are an 89 nissan 240sx hatch that i have done many different undertakings with.

http://wi240sx.omgforum.net/t669-the-daily-driver

I also have an 89 Mitsubishi mighty max
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/2937-my-turbo-mini-truck-4g63t-build-thread

 

What seems to be the issue with that awesome score you have there?
This site by far has exceeded my expectations with the amount of people that are willing to help. All you need to is ask and you shale receive.

 

The previous owner over torqued a bolt for the valve cover and destroyed a cam cap.

 

And they have been extremely helpful with my random questions. I just won my eBay parts order.

 

nice job hope that solves the problem=as by your previous posts you understand the importance of torqueing bolts especially with aluminum to there proper specs.
I have an XJ700 x and the bolts that I thought would have a high torque rating are like 5.1 ft. lbs and 12.ft.lbs heck the only bolt or nut on the whole darn bike that is above 30 are the lug bolts- both are 75.

 

Yeah if you look at the 2 links in my first post you can see my car and truck builds

 

So it begins.

 

At least your dry and warm hopefully.

 

Yeah I was in my garage and the rain was out side. There was a horrible paint job on the tank. He had west coast choppers stickers on it. I have not decided on a color or if I want some kind of design on it.

 

I wonder if there is a way of using photo shop or some other program where you can use your tank and add color and change color so you have a opportunity to see the differences? That would a nice thing to play with.

 

Yeah you can definitely do that. I was thinking I might get a comic or manga art book and select some of the pages and figure out how to adhere them to the tank and the put some clear coat on to seal them from the weather. I am a big fan of the punisher so I might try to do something with that theme in mind.

 

Ah the punisher- nice choice I would agree.
Hey just by the off chance could you let me know which paint you are using?
I am using an enamel based paint for the engine and the valve cover but what I noticed in comparison to the original is that the enamel paint is much thicker in texture. As I have also used clear gloss coat 3 times.
Sure hope I didn't make a mistake by using it cause it gonna be a pain to remove and have to start all over.

 

I more than likely will be going the cheap route since my air compressor is not rated for paint guns. I will be going with automotive industry spray paint.

 

No worries here I am doing the same thing and I've a compressor that can do the work. Besides I never thought of using the compressor lol.
Currently using
VHT GLOSS BLACK & Gloss Clear
High temperature engine enamel/ paint from a local hardware store.
Rated up 550 degrees F
I have noticed it is that the prep work is the most essential and time consuming. Also allowing the paint to cure between coats-for me this meant setting the pieces on top our fireplace mantel till the next day. Also prior to painting to make sure the aluminum was nice and warm for the paint to adhere too.
So far three coats paint
followed by two coats clear and a possible third If needed.
this is what I have been doing.

 

It is all about prep. And the care between coats.

 

I need to get my dremel out with the wire wheel next.

 

Very nicely done is that bondo or fiberglass?
And is that a Camaro or a trans am your using for a table?
I am uploading another video of the Jug and Cam assembly that I have taken the tape off.
Right now it is 7pm here on the Pacific coast and I have a class from 730-930 so you may check it out tonight or tomorrow.
Let me know what you think.

 

That would be my 240sx. Looks like the previous owner put bondo on it. I know I need to get some filler to clean it up.

 

All my comments are on the positive side of life. I appreciate seeing others peoples work for ideas on how to improve.

 

Yeah I enjoy seeing others work for inspiration and direction.

 

First coat of primer applied. Going to sand it down a little before the next coat.

 

Welcome to the forums. Looks like good progress is being made. Just a suggestion ... take the Motorcycle Safety Course to get your license. The course provides great information and makes getting the license an easy process (at least here in NY, the road test is waived).

 

+1 on the course, in the service we were required to take it to drive on base/post. They also recommend taking it every three years as new things are added.
http://msf-usa.org/

 

Thanks. I will have to see when the next guard on is. Got the cam caps in today and it seems the one that broke does not even really touch the cam. And the ones that are ment to seem to be good. Still waiting for the pan gasket. I also need to pick up the random bolts the previous owner still has. I also need to get oil and filter. Then it will be onto compression test before I fire it up.

 

so after the first coat of primer i sanded it down just a little and it brought out the imperfections in the bondo that was on the tank. I had some fiberglass bondo that I decided to apply. Once that dries I will sand it smooth and then apply coat 2 of the primer.

 

I didn't notice until you posted the pic and then I forgot to comment. That thing the broke isn't a cam cap. It's an anchor for one of the valve cover bolts, and has the timing mark on it. It's not meant to touch the cam at all.

Note; It really is helpful to have one thread per bike, no matter how many questions you have.

 

I think I am going to continue this thread as kind of a build & questions thread.

 

You should check out vinyl wraps or Hydro dipping. Not sure about doing it at home, but I know that the pros can put anything on anything.

 

I like K-moe's comment about one bike one thread it least then we can find what we are looking in regards to a specific bike say the XY700 X. Off to class have a good day.

 

It's more about making sure that when a problem cones up we know what work has already been done.

 

Yeah I didn't mean to hop all over. I think that most of my questions have been answered. As well as the manuals I was given have helped me a lot. I will keep you guys updated with the progress of the bike.

 

Got through 2 cans flat black primer. And some things came in the mail. I also picked out some oil. It is unfortunate that it is freezing cold in my garage.

 

I am still waiting for the valve cover bolts.

 

I wanted to see how the matte black tank would look. I like it but I still have other plans for that paint job.

 

So I got the lower pan gasket and installed it on the bike. My next step was to pull the plugs and pull out the craftsman compression tester. Hooked yo the cables to my car to serve as a power source so as to not damage the battery by draining it. I hooked up the tester to the left most cylinder when sitting on the bike. Inserted the key and cranked the motor untill the tester stopped increasing. 150psi sweet right im the sweet spot that the hanes manual says is recommended. Going good so far. Removed the tester and put it on the next cylinder in line. Same steps turn key and press start. Engine cranks but no compression registers. Remove tester reseat to make sure it is getting a good seal. Turn key press start. Still no compression. Hmm maybe I tested wrong so I re try cylinder 1. Same result of 150psi. Move to the 3rd cylinder. 0 compression. Move to the right most cylinder and you guessed it 0 compression. So I refer back to the hanes manual. It says to diagnose what might be the problem add a little oil to the cylinder and retest. So I add a little oil to the cylinder and retest. It has. Compression now. Not a good sign this points to the piston rings being a problem. So off to the web to find pricing for the rings. Found a few different places and prices. I then head onto CL to see if maybe someone has a running motor. I come across a post that is listed as a 750 or that is how I read it. I contact the guy and he gives me a price I can not resist so I hop in the car and take the 3 hour ride to pick up what I thought was a 750. I get there and it is not a 750 like I thought. It is actually an 1100. But since I have already made the 3 hour trip out to meet him and the price I can not resist. I bought it. And I am currently on my way home. Yes I did read the post about this being a bad idea because of the drastic differences between the 650 and 1100. I have not fully decided on what my plan is. Beneficial input is welcome.

 

The rings are probably just stuck. Soak with a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone. Let it sit for a week, spin the engine by hand, check compression, and repeat as needed.

 

I will have to give that a try. When you say soak it do I put it in the cylinders or do I have to tear it apart?

 

Remove the spark plugs. Pour about 2 oz. of the mixture down the holes. Replace the plugs so crap can't get in.

 

Sounds good I will do that.

 

*down each hole.

 

Grabbed some atf, acetone, a measuring cup that looks like a little beaker. Fixed up 4 x 2oz shots of the mixture and poored it down each cylinder. I also pulled the 1100cc beast out of my van and put it into the garage. I see what they mean about it not fitting in the smaller frame. It looks like it is a good 4-6 inches longer. (Did not have my tape measure for exact size) I think it would have to be widened and lengthened. I think I might try to find a different home for it.

 

Little update.

I pulled the oil pan off because it was leaking like a siv. Silly paper gasket sucked. I ended up cleaning it up and goinf with old faithful. RTV black. I leat that cure for 2 days because I was not home yesterday. Today I loaded it back up with fresh oil. Grabbed my jumpers and hooked it up to compression test again. I was happy to see that I have compression on all cylinders. My next stage is to get out my inductive volt meter/ timing light and see if I have spark. Thpugh that is a project for another day.

Once again thank you for the advice.

 

We have spark yay. Next run new fuel lines and try to start it.

 

That 1100 will slot right in to an XS1100 frame

 

Well I tried to fire up the bike for the first time. It fired up but ran like poop. Then it cut out. I then tried to start it again. And it seems to only be firing on one cylinder. Now it will not even crank over. For the time being I am to clean up my messy garage. I also pulled the engine harness from my truck in the hopes of rebuilding it.

 

Not sure as what to suggest but I will start
check fuel supply / carbs are working properly
spark
timing
engine compression as this will give you a very good idea as to the internals i.e. valves closing and rings sealing
no compression no start or at least run like crud.
start with the easiest and move to the more challenging.

 

I am certain there is issues with the compression. It is not the carbs or fuel or spark. I will have to tear the engine apart and replace what is broken or excessively warn. though I have a few other projects to get working on first. I need to clean up the garage and make some shelves and a work bench. then I need to rebuild the wire harness for my turbo mini truck so that I can sell that for project funds. I also need to catalog and clean all of my misc car parts so that I can put them up for sale. then I can pull the engine apart to rebuild it.

 

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/mcy/6069727159.html wish I had the money to pick this up. then I would have a spare motor for an actual bike.

 

That is fugly in a cute kinda way... good price.

 

The old can't find title thing, how about doing the work to get a duplicate title before they sell?