85 Suzuki Madura 1200

I can't leave these old bikes alone, when they show up on line and are the right price, I just go. Looking forward to getting the manual in the mail so I can get the carbs cleaned. I will work on all the other stuff while I am waiting.

 

What a great period for metric bikes! I love the spoked tires.

 

Thanks I was hoping for something a little different then the V65 I used to have, so this is a gem for me. Needs much work but hope it comes along well. And to think this one has hydro valve adjuster so nothing like my "X". This is the carbs...might need some TLC.

 

Is that a wasp nest or corrosion?

 

I think it is a wasp nest, all under the tank and under the carb. Nothing alive and can't really tell how old they are, lots of the mud pack in and around the underside of the tank. I am sure I will find more stuff, I will keep posting pics. Hope this does not turn into a horror movie.

 

Found the starter issue, just the kisser button on the starter swx was all nasty. A little cleaning and grease and she turned right over.


While cleaning all the connectors and putting grease on them, I found what I would guess to be a heated gear wiring harness left over from the PO.


Pulled the plugs and checked for spark, I have spark so I will see if I can get her to fire once I put the carbs back in. I will be plugging the CA system on the carbs before I put her together as I live in WI. Still lots to do with fluids and safety check everything, but sense it is a rare bike so with it for me.

 

Only had a little time today with her but she is running! Yes tested the fuel pump and the fuel relay and they worked. I still have issues with the gas tank so I used the AUX I picked up this past few weeks. So now that I know she runs and runs well I started to take apart the front brake system. The master is okay but the calipers are not so good. I have broken the calipers and need to clean the master but I think they are savable.

Forks are going to be another story, the fork uppers are a little pitted and I hope that they can be cleaned with some good steal wool. Rear final drive oil has some flakes in it, but I think it is factory oil. Should be interesting to see what the secondary gear oil looks like, just can't get the drain plug out of the bottom, need a wrench. So now I need to check out the right turn signal front signal but that should be the normal ground or open wire. I am really hoping that this will be a great bike...looking forward to the power of the 1200 CC's.

 

Got to the front brakes today, rebuilt the master and both slaves. They didn't look bad for a 85 bike. The brake line no the right front was plugged, had to run a thin copper wire up from the bottom with ling nose pliers to get the crud out of it. That was after I had enough lever pressure that I could not touch the bar with the lever. Funny how much pressure such a small hose can take. The brake lines did say "85" on them so I will change them out once I get her road worthy. Back brakes are next, then the gas tank.

 

Back brake was much better then the front. The clutch, wow kit is in the mail. I had let is soak for two days with a combination of PB blaster and DOT 4 to see if the rubber would soften up. No such luck, so had to tap it out. Once out the tube was nasty! I was not too sure that I could get it cleaned up. With a combination of DOT 4 and B12 chem tool it started to get clean. I then found a 20 Gage shotgun cleaning brush that I had around, that did the trick.

High pressure air, DOT4 and then B12 and the copper cleaning 20 Ga bore brushed worked great. So by chance if you even have a brake or clutch master that is just caked with old dry fluid, you can get it clean.

Had a spare brake master in the shop so I tried to bleed the longest clutch line I have ever seen. There seems to be no end to the bubbles that are coming up and the vacumme method so far is not working. I don't think it is moving the correct amount of fluid, so I will have to wait until the re-build kit comes in the mail.

Secondary gear oil today, that should be interesting...

 

Buddy dropped off a 21mm wrench for me, got to the secondary gear oil plug. That oil also looks to be from factory and had the normal shaving on the magnetic grain bolt. Not filling it yet until I find out if I have to pull the cover to get the clutch slave working. Worked a little on the brake/clutch but still not working and got lots of air bubbles coming up. As stated before, this is the longest clutch line I have ever seen on a bike. Might have to use some compressed air and reverse bleed the clutch and see if that helps.

 

Worked on the clutch today a bit, I took the 8mm bleeder off and got a flashlight out to take a close look. The bleeder hole was plugged, go figure.... Removed the line to the other side of the clutch slave and put some compressed air in there to clean out the old brown goo, it worked. Put the line back and and within a few pumps had a working clutch!!!



Moved on to the gas tank, the petcock is really different on this bike compared to other metrics bikes I have worked on. Normally you have a petcock that has the RES and the ON with different height tubs inside the tank, not with this one.


Sense I am waiting on the mail and it is raining on and off here, took the time to shine up some aluminum. I picked up a cheep HF 6" polishing wheel and thought I would try it out. I have a long way to go and need to get some different grits of sandpaper. I think I am leaving too big of scratches between my 400 and 1K grits. The polishing wheel works easy and fast, I like it.

 

You work fast and really made some progress!

 

"you have mail" so that means that I will be working on the bike during the Holiday. got the clutch master rebuild kit, new clutch line and fork seals in. I will be happy to get to the forks that would be nice. I do need the clutch to work to give it a test ride.

 

I want to kick the clutch slave engineers right in the ****! Okay, got the new clutch line in, put the clutch master rebuild kit in. Got the clutch primed and bleeding the bubbles when I hear a noise, you got it, slave is leaking from the bottom of the bike. Now I know whey there was oil or clutch fluid all over down there. Started to look at what I had to do to pull the clutch slave, WOW what a pain in the butt. No wonder the PO moved on to a different bike.

This is what the slave looks like when you pull the first cover.


Once you get it pulled off the output shaft and have access to the bolts. Do you think it was leaking before, nice dark nasty DOT 3 fluid crusted up ever where.


I had to take the stator/starter cover off too as I could not clear it with the slave. I think I might have skipped a step and should have taken the Secondary Drive Unit (SDU) apart. I am sure I will ahvae to do that to put it back together.


Very nasty and is getting a new rubber gasket and spring before it goes back into that strange position.


This is the bearing that goes over the output shaft of the bike.
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As it fits to the engine block to engage the clutch push rod.

 

Got to work on her today! Getting the clutch slave together was only the two new parts easy, getting the SDU back in place not so easy. But with persistence it paid off! The nice thing was all the good lessons I learned putting the carbs in on the XJ700X really paid of with the axle drive boot and the air box to air cleaner boot. Got her all buttoned back up and even went as far as putting the gas tank on and filling all the fluids. I reached up and started to work the clutch master and sure as heck, the clutch slave was leaking!

So what does that mean, it was time for a brake. When I got back I was hoping that the DOT4 fluid had did it's magic with the rubber "plug" and the leak would not be there. Sure enough it was gone and the clutch works great now.

Did a road test on her and she runs well, I didn't want to get into the throttle too much as I want to run her a little change out the oil again with new filter. Once I do the forks and change the oil then I will get into the throttle a lot more. But with just a little roll of the throttle she was doing 90, so she is a runner.

 

Okay, there has to be a trick or a multi tool for doing these forks. I have done a few different sets of forks and most of the time I can brake lose the bottom bolt. One of the last pair I did stripped and had to be drilled out.

This time went at the bolt with a good 10mm and then tried to hold the fork and turn, no way. Then I tried to make a tool to stick down the fork so it would not turn, still no way. I would guess a person would have to buy a set of the "special tools" that fit inside the forks and hold the lower section so you can get the bolt out of the bottom.

So sense it was supper humid today and around 90 F in my shop, I went with a hand made little sharp pointed chisel and worked the seals out. Took my time and made sure not to ding the fork or the seal area. Was able to get them both out with minimal effort. Got he 1K sand paper out and went to work on the upper forks to get any rust of imperfection out that might hurt the new seal. Also went the extra mile and got the new polishing wheel out and went after it to make sure any blemishes would be gone.

The bike is back together but I am working on some other little things before I take her out again. Trying some JB steal epoxy on some of the little plastic bits that broke off inside the speedo housing. Still need to drill and tap one side of the clutch master to make the top fix right. Slow but sure.

 

I'm not familiar with that fork specifically but an impact wrench will usually get things moving on those lower bolts if you can't hold it from the inside.

Good to see another older bike being put back on the road, keep it up!

 

Thanks jayrodah,

It is just a different bike and sense I have owned a V65 magna but never a Vmax I thought I could not pass this bike up. Right price but long drive, well worth it.

Today worked on getting the speedo fixed, it works fine but the housing plastic inside was broken. Started with grip glue and moved to JB steel epoxy and then to cushion it from impact and or vibration 100% silicon.

After that I went at the chrome with some 1K grit wet/dry sand paper. Really worked well to get all the surface rust off all things chrome. Taped and painted the radiator covers after sanding and polishing them. The back rest is really in ruff shape, I don't think it will be worth all the time to bring it back to shining aluminum. I might have to just get the surface good enough for some paint and just do that.

The spokes on those wheels are also very rusty looking. I good the 1K sand paper to the rear wheel and that really came out well but the front wheel has visible chrome bubbling up so to speak. Might just have to take it back off and paint the wheels too.

Getting a plate for her int the morning and hope to get her on the road for some long test rides in a few days. I will get more pics once I get her put back together.

Anyone know a good rattle cane clear coat for my gas tank? The paint is not bad but it is old enough you can tell the clear coat is almost gone.

 

If you want a fuel resistant coat, you need to use a two part paint. Eastwoods 2K stuff works well, they have a high gloss clear. I have no idea if it would be compatible with your factory paint and you have to use it all within a day once activated.

 

Jay, that does sound like what I am looking for. I would think a simple Enamel clear coat would work to for a little gas now and then. I just know the tank is in need of some type of clear coating.

Was able to get at the backrest of the bike today, too far gone to bring back to a nice aluminum shine, so took paint stripper to it, then knocked off all the surface corrosion without going too nuts. Cleaned it up with air, acetone and then primer and paint. Have it hanging to dry for a few days before I put it back together and then put it on the bike.

Need to take a look at how the fuel lines and hoses are routed in the book, not easy on and off with the gas tank like on some bikes. Also need to got the DMV to see what the issue might be with out of state title skipping. Seems the last person who bought the bike never titled it in there name (back in 1995) so that should be interesting.

 

Lets try Flikr and see if I can post pics.
4 by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

Okay looks like I/we can and it is free if and when you have a yahoo.com email account...1TB worth for free I think.

I will add the pics that were removed and or updates...I hope.

The one above was day 1 after getting it home.
2 by Tim Brown, on Flickr

Secondary Drive Unit (SDU) and the hidden place of the clutch slave.
SDG cluch slave by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Back side of the SDU with clutch slave attached on upper part of pic.
Output shaft by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Primary and reserve on this model...interesting.
New fuel lines 2 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Clutch plunger that the slave pushs
Engine side 1 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Carbs with mud bees
15 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
More mud bees on body
13 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Cleaning and shining time
Polished sides by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

What she looked like today when I took her for a little longer ride.
20170716_163213 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
20170716_163221 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
20170716_163229 by Tim Brown, on Flickr

Need to spend some some on cleaning the engine and what ever I can get my hands on. Those wheels I am not too sure what to do with. Besides that she feels wonderful and wow does this bike have scary, to be respected power!

 

Got the horn on and then it stopped working....hmm. Trouble shooting drove me nuts, if you have ever had a partial open then you know what I mean. I found the partial open on the Bl/W wire in the horn button area. I would guess with the age of the wire and all the vibration it just finally went. That however was not the only thing to go on the new horn ckt. The "NEW" relay that came with the horn was bad, sure it would "click" when I fixed the partial open but now power to the horn. The output let of the relay had disconnected somehow inside the relay. Put another relay in and now that air horn is blasting away.
20170808_163129[1] by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

Got the vacuum screws in the mail the other day and had some time this morning. Wow were those carbs out of synch. 1&2 were way out from the other two. She is running really nice and and once I get the paper work back from the WI DMV on the title I will be able to ride her....legally.

I think I will have to take the SDU off again as I think I see some hypo oil under the bike on the bench. Not too happy about that as I am sure it will be the seal in the back and not the gasket. Just another thing to work on while I am waiting on the paper work. In the mean time there is a 81 750 Seca close by with a "title" for a good price...thinking of picking that up.

 

Update, just got the paper work back from the WI DMV, sure enough, they didn't like my signed title and all the work I did to get a title. So I had to call up a bond agency and $110.00 later, I will have all the paper work needed to get a boned title that will turn into a clean title in five yrs. I will be out the $110.00 but that is the way it goes.

Moral to my story, if the bike is worth the extra paper work and cost of the bond, get it. This Madura is a interesting bike and much better to work on then the V65 I used to have. So was the WI paper work a pain in my butt, yes but worth it. Hope this little exercise in bonded title 101 helps someone.

 

Well I had to pull the secondary gear box off again, I head a hydro leak! Pulled it off and sure enough the seal around the output shaft from the engine to the Secondary Drive was bent and the spring had come out the seal. Had to wait a while to get parts in but she went together today. I also started to clean up and shine up the chrome side covers. With all the little nooks on the left cover it will be interesting. All the aluminum has heavy outdoor wear on it.

20171029_163956[1] by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

Okay, well that pic above of the cover is no longer, I had to just paint the other cases as I didn't want to spend all the time polishing them and then keeping them polished as well. So after getting the new seal and gasket in the SG I painted the side covers and engine sides. I will clean up the engine vanes before the paint cures. I will get some more pics soon to show progress. Trying to get a deer this yr so that is taking a lot of my time.

 

Side case pics...
20171106_160213[1] by Tim Brown, on Flickr
20171106_160240[1] by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

Project creep!! Looking good!

 

Got a chance to look at the bike, found some hypo oil under bike AGAIN! Looks like the book says to put some special Suzuki sealer on the top left bolt of the SG housing so it will not leak. I will be trying it with some ultra black and see if that does it. I don't like oil leaks, reminds me too much of the old HD bikes and the lazy people that don't fix oil leaks!

 

Pulled the two bolts on that are on the Front of the SG unit, sure enough, the top one had hypo oil on it. Put some Ultra black on it and then re-torqued it. As I was almost at the 20 lbs mark on the top bolt I thought it broke, as it didn't get tight. Another full turn and then it did, so lets hope it seals this time.

 

Well for those of you that were wondering, that little trick worked. Got to love some of the engineers thinking, leaving it up to a bolt to be covered in sealer to stop a leak of hypo fluid around a gasket. So here is hoping that this last for a season or until I have to tear it back down.

 

little late now but in the future get yourself some Glad Press n Seal for masking jobs like that.
https://www.glad.com/food-storage/p...MImqaml8O-1wIVAw5pCh2kNg7cEAAYASAAEgK_hfD_BwE

 

Really? Are you pulling my chain on this one? I don't think it had to do with the threds as I had locktight on it and still leaked. Has to be along the bore of the bolt that needed to be sealed and don't think the cling wrap would have done it....

 

stop, backup, i see all that green tape and newspaper all over the engine. now read that other post again.
now if i was to pull your chain about that bolt i might tell you to drill a hole in the bolt so it can drain back in

 

(I am nodding my head) I C and I agree, that would work great for that! Locked that away for later use. That has to be so much better then trying to tape around everything and use paper, good call and thanks.