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82 650 Max First Bike (Warning: Novel)

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by deadwood83, Jul 26, 2019.

  1. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Hello XJ Bikes and greetings from Salt Lake City.


    Multi-month lurker, first time poster.


    Backstory (warning: long): I have done work on all my own vehicles. First car was a 2003 BMW 325xi that ended up supercharged, A/A intercooler with meth injection at the compressor to increase air density, custom AFR/Boost gauges in the vents, full suspension, transmission flashed, custom ECU mapped, custom ECU programing (NCS Exper), custom swapped headlights, header back custom exhaust system, on and on and on. Younger brother totaled it.

    Second car: 2003 M3 (also white but w/ Cinnamon interior), SSV3 headers, euro cats, SCZA exhaust, hardwired radar detection, then bone stock w/ lots of maintenance. Still have that one.

    Third car: 2008 Kia Rio 1.6 Limited trim. Got that as a beater while the M3 was down getting clutch done and other transmission work. Paid 999 at a dealership with 118k miles. Wrenched on that for awhile then sold it when #4 came along.

    Fourth car: 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec in sunset orange. Had no intention of replacing the Kia (but I was tired of hitting 4k rpm before crossing an intersection at 12mph) and on a whim test drove one for the $50 Amazon gift card. Fell in love.

    Back In March my younger brother revealed that he has owned an XS400 for a year. I was missing having a project to wrench on. I kept begging him to let me wrench on it. "Yeah I'll get it over to my place. I still don't have the title." Blah blah blah blah.



    First mistake:

    Found this XJ on the local classifieds in late April. $500, PO said it runs great, but was stuck in first. Started to research, found XJBikes, found the guidectomy information, figured "this would be easy to fix up, then flip for a couple hundred profit."


    Second mistake:

    Went to see the bike, made ALL the first time used bike buyer mistakes. Didn't start the bike, didn't ride it (had only ridden dirt bikes prior), didn't look at the title closely. Title got sorted, PO sent documents from out of country.


    Third mistake:

    Picked the bike up by loading it into a borrowed truck with some 2x12s. Heavy tow package, extended bed, no hills nearby, found the bike did not start, ofc still stuck in gear with one out-of-shape friend 1hr+ from home. Queue two hours of sweat and one falling 2x12. No damage to truck (except liftgate trim, easy fix) and one EGA bolt caught and bent away from header (more on that later).



    History of findings, fixes, and a couple 'mods':

    -PO said the carbs had been worked by a 'buddy' 12 months ago. Found them incredibly fouled. Emulsion tubes were almost glued in with varnish and green (ethanol?) crystallization. Jets were all chowdered up at the screw slots, mismash of screws on the top hats with chowdered heads (clearly the PO or his buddy didn't know about JIS drivers), float needles were all seized and varnished into their seats, main needles looked to be coated in green laquer (really just varnish and ethanol fallout), etc. Idle circuits plugged, enrichment plungers seized, THE WORKS.


    Fourth mistake:

    -'Rebuilt' carbs with a Damineding kit from Niche Cycle (didn't realize until later that I paid $60 for a $20 kit of four 'rebuild' 'kits.' Went through all passages with carb cleaner and compressed air (mixture needles and o-rings OUT). Set float heights to 17.5mm with a set of digital calipers. Did not realize the needles may be a different height. The bike runs! It starts!

    -Fished out two large chunks of primary guide, including one with the center, blank steel tab. This tells me the cases has probably never been split. The bike shifts! I can select gears!


    Fifth mistake:

    -Test rode the bike on the spiderweb-cracked dry-rotted, horrifically dangerous tires. Went for about a half mile ride to make sure the bike 'worked.'


    Sixth mistake:

    -Fell in love.
     
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  2. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    BIG: Where I find religion and go to church - Went back through carbs after seeing one tiny ball of AL on an electrode.


    Panicked. Started shopping for new head, jugs, and pistons. Researched feasibility/cost of a re-bore. Priced out replacement aftermarket pistons and a +.5mm rebore with pistons, rings and new (to me) jugs.


    Calmed down, did throttle shaft seals with two #011 (#11 is a genuine size that is much too large!) HNBR o-rings per side, broke the rack, polished slide bores, replaced fuel rail o-rings, replaced garbage-tier Damineding parts (except the bowl gaskets, they're not bad; still sad I paid $60 for bowl gaskets though) with suitable replacements. Stayed 110 on mains because I am at 4500 ASL. The old rule of 1 size per 2000 feet theoretically makes these perfect compared to the 'standard' 112 mains outside the USA.


    Went 41 on pilot jets so I could keep the mixture screws closed a little more for more spring tension (read:eek:-ring sealing force).


    Used the Damineding needles and seats, but polished the mating surfaces and lapped the metal needle tips to their respective seats with some Brownells Polish-O-Ray grey. Left the carbs in the fuel level setting jig for a while with the tank on PRI and the carbs BELOW where they would sit (to try and recreate a worst-case-scenario). No leaks, no fuel level change.


    Ultra-sonic and pile-sol for individual carb body cleaning. Polished enrichment plungers, loc-tite on butterflies and took time next to a window to set them in the center of each bore. Bench synced. Mixtures to 2.75 out.


    Scribed a 3mm and 4mm down line on each bowl with my calibers, from the bottom of the upper carb 'flange' and set fuel levels. Found the alternative supplier of stainless hex-head drain screws, got 4 for $16.5 shipped. Fit beautifully, possibly the best upgrade for these carbs behind maintenance.


    Balanced with Morgan CarbTune 4-column (an awesome tool). Color sync-ed to just a hair closed from where yellow disappears. Goal was to find deep blue, maintaining blue close to yellow when slowly coming on throttle to 3000RPM and staying 'aqua' green after throttle released; to blue back at idle. Bright yellow when very quickly blipping to 3000. Settles back to blue with just the tiniest drop in idle. Will still probably need that extra 1 to two degrees leaner on the mixtures, but a plug check after a while more will tell me for sure. Found what I was looking for. Engine is smooth, pulls at all RPMs. Tried some high RPM fun the other day, once you get past 5500 everything happens right quick in a hurry!
     
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  3. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Prior to finding religion, I performed other maintenance including new tires mounted and balanced. I went with Shinko 702's because I am cheap and they seemed okay from reviews.

    This section keeps getting flagged so in short: cables, filters, ignition coils, plugs, gas cap cleaning, fuel and vacuum hoses, spark plugs, lights are all diodes now, projector style diode headlight, rebuilt fuel valve, new filters, spin-on filter adapter, valve adjustment, valve cover gasket and donuts, rear brake shoes, front brake caliper rebuild, stainless lines, master cylinder rebuild, new front pads, intake manifold gaskets, new airbox boots, heatshrink and RTV on manifolds, rebuilt forks, replaced head bearings, re-torqued axles, lubed final rive, new final drive fluid, new airbox covers to prevent leaks (screw holes), removed warp from airbox front, new air filter, new oil.

    Things left to do:

    -Exhaust leak on number 2 header where EGA screw caught the 2x12 loading ramp and tore a hole. I chased thins thinking it was top end noise for about 3-4 weeks. D'oh!
    -Possible full exhaust system because the collectors look like wire-wheeling the rust off would result in holes.
    -Front wheel bearings are en-route
    -Swingarm bearings
    -Progressive front fork springs are en-route.
    -Rear shocks are original. Set to highest preload, after wavy sections of road the rear end bounces smoothly like a mid-eighties Rolls Royce on pressurized oil suspension. These shocks are SHOT. Progressive seem nice and people like them a lot but there are the reports of harsh ride... and that cost. Considering EMGO replacements.
    -Rear wheel bearings.
    -Clutch
    -Split cases and replace chain guide and oil nozzle (which is most likely eaten to bits). This is a winter project.
    -New fuse box (sitting on dining room table, searching for motivation).
    -Remove fuel tank dent, remove light rust inside with phosphoric acid, repaint tank, repaint side covers, restore Yamaha emblems to gold leaf.
    -Refurb aluminum trim and clean engine exterior. Repaint the black inside the grab bars.
    -New alternator brushes and clean tracks. Have them, but brush holder screws cammed-out when forcing with JIS #2 driver. Have extractor. Anybody know the size of these bolts so I can have replacements on-hand?
    -Battery. On a 2A trickle charger I could hear it bubbling. I am calling around to find an AGM replacement today. If it bubbles on a 2A trickle (drawing 1A) then it is 100% bubbling during operation.
     
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  4. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    The big question, scary thing, and biggest fear:

    Above 5.5k RPM, shifting becomes scary. Through my boots, I can feel the shift lever 'kick back' at my toes. In soft toe shoes, this is nearly painful. Happens going 1-2 and 2-3. On a freeway onramp, I think I felt it once going 3-4 but 6k in 3rd is pretty much illegal so my senses were focused on my surroundings. I also ride with earplugs for wind noise and a full face helmet, so I am not sure on the nuances of the noise.

    My shift process is this:
    Reach shift speed, quickly roll off throttle and pull clutch (to prevent fork dive/engine brake) and kick shifter up to feel engagement, release clutch.

    These symptoms do not happen at lower RPM/load. I can avoid the symptoms at 5k or so if I pull the clutch late and let the engine start to brake. This makes me think the clutch basket is divoted. Too scared to try that at high RPM due to the sudden decel that would happen.

    Second gear and first gear do not pop out under hard acceleration.

    I tried setting the cable tension/linkage to where I thought it was too tight, and I imagined the wafer bearing was under load since the lower cable section was quite taut. I could push it with a finger and get a little deflection, but not much at all. The problem was less present but it only got me a couple hundred rip-em's (RPM) before the problem resurfaced.

    When shifting from 3rd to 2nd, when shifting slowly on decel with clutch in, I do feel the change has a bit more of a metal sliding/rough-ish feel than 4-3 or 5-4. Could this be shift forks?

    I ordered a complete replacement clutch basket but it arrived with a broken finger. Contacted seller, they 2nd day aired a replacement (did not ask for a return) and the second one was also damaged in shipping in the same way. Did not have the heart to ask for a third because it's a mom and pop shop and they have already gone negative in shipping. They also both came with main bearings that have ZERO play, so I think there is value there. Also both came with a full set of friction plates and steels and inner basket hubs so I can piece together basically a makeshift clutch kit from the best parts. Friction plates on the more worn of the two mic'ed out at 2.95mm.

    I have not taken the clutch cover off because it's all a little disheartening considering what all else I have done to the bike, and I am afraid of messing up the cover/gasket.

    I see that gearsets are not that much on fleabay/evilbay. When the cases are split, how bad is it to replace the gearset and shift forks? My biggest fear is that the POs (I am at minimum the 4th owner) hammered on it and have destroyed the gears/dogs. That said, wouldn't it show up as gears popping out of engagement at high load/RPM? I really want this to just be the clutch basket, but I also know that if I open it up and find some big divots, smoothing them out could throw it out of spec/balance and may make the issue worse until a suitable replacement is available to me.


    Any suggestions/advice/help is greatly appreciated.
     
  5. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    I'd split the cases and inspect things before buying parts. The shift bounce could just be from a bit of guide that's still in there.

    Rebuild the starter clutch at the same time. Sometimes the carrier for the rollers cracks, so wait to buy parts for that until after inspection also.
     
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  6. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    OK, in an attempt to see how urgent the splitting was, I took off the alternator cover, popped off the stator using a less than recommended method, and inspected the oil nozzle. Light touching of the chain. It can officially wait until winter.

    Fuse box, done. Put in a 6-pot so I can add some small 3A circuits.
    Found a leak on the front tire, pulled it and will have the stem replaced tomorrow since soapy water told me that's where it's leaking.

    Generic ebay LED headlamp is out. It had an.... okay hotspot. But it is faithful replica of the first gen JW Speakers light, complete with dark vertical striations.

    Morimoto Sealed7 1.0 is in. TRS has them on clearance, was cheap and will hold me over until I inevitably retrofit a bi-xenon or bi-led projector. Building on a quest for output, I also got a car h4 relay harness, did some re-crimping of the connectors, and now have a direct to battery headlight! The Sealed7 1.0 doesn't have the best distance lighting, but I can still see the cutoff at the base of a fence across a church parking lot, so it's already an improvement. It does seem to have a somewhat cheesy optical trick, and you can see a vertical rainbow on the right hand side of the cutoff when parked close to a wall. I believe this is to provide 'flicker' when passing people. Kinda cheesy but whatever.

    Today, I threw in the progressive springs. WOW. What a difference! I didn't have 10W fork oil handy, but I did have ~10 quarts of Redline D4 ATF from my old boosted 325. Popped open a bottle after cutting spacers to Len's specs, 293CCs in each tube. Pretty sure some of the difference I am feeling is the effect of replacing mismatched (one spring was 1/3" shorter than the other), 37 year old springs. That said, these forks feel good. Sadly, they now highlight just how shot and shoddy the rear is. I suspect I will end up ordering some Progressive 412s within the next two weeks.

    As the bike sat ~2 weeks ago. The blue 3d-printed fork caps really tie it all together. And yes, one fork does indeed still have old, yellowed clear. Again, cosmetics are for off-season. See how far out the turbo clutch lever sits? Look at all that extra throw. Probably only 1-5mm at the clutch pivot, but I like the added security in case my adjustment is less than perfect. Please ignore the hedge taper.
    67821970_10156719363502636_4605116810113581056_n.jpg
    The exhaust looks pretty clean in the photo, but my boots (being a pale/desert tan-green hybrid) say that my right side collector is not long for this world. They are several shades off, foot-to-foot. They matched before I started riding with them. Headers are hopelessly rusted/pitted on the sides and back. I am thinking MAC megaphone 4-2 then putting in a custom crossover to preserve stock function and keep the volume in check.

    While on LightingQuest II: Advent of the Output I decided to bring the bike into the current century with dedicated LED indicators. Previously, I was running LEDs in the lollipops with an electronic flasher. But the rears are hopelessly bent from the PO mounting them wonky, and the fronts are deteriorating. You may notice how they are rotationally different. The left side no longer makes a hard mount and the wind spins it. Sad day. Surface rust is popping up on both, so the chrome is not long for this world. The emblem plate is spider web cracked through on both ends, and painted black. Oh well, it was $4.

    Inspection of my desired rear mounting point also revealed one of the POs got 'creative' with rear fender mounting... meaning only on one side with what looks like old valve stems. That explains the slight vertical play I get when grabbing it.

    Enter, Morimoto Pindicators. I like the motogadget M-blaze, but hole mackerel, $45 per corner is pricey. The Moris come in at $35 per set.
    Fronts will be on the headlight bucket mounts because the pindicators happen to be threaded M8. Rears I plan to put at the furthest back point on the grab bar. Currently it is M10 (x1.25?) into the welded square nut on the frame tails. I plan to thread in some thread reducing tubes that go just shy of the grab bar surface, then use the fastening nut of the pindicator as a lock collar. This should preserve a good amount of the structural strength. The pindicators also function as running lights. Unused fairing pinout in the head bucket, tail light split for the rears.

    So, how about brightness? I would rate it as annoying for people in front of me. I may need to aim them a tiny bit higher, but distance and beam angle is working in my favor for vehicles not up against my front tire.

    And yes, I do keep all my OE parts so it can return to stock. Even the oil coils and mismatched fork springs. Heck, I still have the original front bumper from my 325... and the headers.. and my M3 muffler and headers, and the old Kia Rio starter motor w/ solenoid, etc etc.

    The more I stare at the bike, the more I think the gauges would look pretty good dropped 3/4".. They are this sheet metal mounts and they would 'cup' the top of the headlight tree nicely.... Maybe. We'll see. I now need to manufacture another lower triple cover, sans indicator stalks.

    I am also thinking when the engine is out, it really wouldn't be that much extra work to strip down the frame and paint it with an epoxy paint. I could do the triple, handlebar mounts, and swingarm at the same time. I plan to paint the fenders, because they are dinged (front and one side rear) and gouged/rusting (rear under seat). I'll do the same color as the side panels and tank. Still thinking hard about that (choosing colors is difficult).

    Oh an another thing I found: the crash bars are almost worthless. One looked a bit off so I gave it a light kick in frustration. It started to bend back. I bent it back into alignment by hand. They ARE very handy for jack stands though. Very, very handy for jack stands.

    Oh and I ordered a complete XJ900 oil cooler. These past few weeks have been 100+ in the city, and the bike could do with insurance in traffic. Not sure how many of it's 9 lives it has already used up! I'll need a bracket, but I would need to either weld on the frame or make a bracket for any other oil cooler anyway (no top post holder loop thing.)

    And last but not least, enjoy a photo of the bomb I diffused.
    67689857_10156717114842636_3719396435150503936_o.jpg
    Yeesh.
     
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  7. joejr2

    joejr2 Active Member Premium Member

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    Good luck bro. Soon you will have a garage full of engines and frames that you might use someday
     
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  8. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Well, it happened. New shocks are in. After retrieving some tools , on the way home I hit a dip that was just enough to get the back to bounce off the road. Tried some compression strokes on the old units once off the bike. They have zero damping. Just sliding tubes with a spring on them.
    68581761_10156760789412636_2869673808887808_n.jpg

    While pulling the shocks, I levered the right rear muffler out slightly to pull the bolt, and heard a rustling noise. Chunks of rust fell off/out of the collectors.
    Ordered the MAC because the rest of the parts make the exhaust look a bit ratty. I've put a lot of elbow grease and quickglo fine into the exhaust but the progressive shocks just make it look terrible. I may try and fix up the stock unit once it's off and then resell the MAC, or maybe I will like it, we shall see. New gaskets en-route to go with the exhaust. Depending on the "rustivity" of the original studs (read: if they come off with the bolts) the studs may get swapped.

    Started modeling the bracket for the 900 cooler in SolidWorks based off measurements in this thread:
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj900-oil-cooler.91824/#post-517798

    I will be cutting the bracket from sheet steel and bending. I am thinking since the 900 cooler has to sit so low, I may as well just make a third arm for the bracket to hold the top. Not sure how I want to ensure rigidity yet. Maybe I'll just make it from 1/8" plate? Two hole YICS engine hose bracket for the cooler arrives arrived today. Proposed stack: crank case <-> oil cooler mount <-> FZ600 spin-on filter cover. If the 900 cooler is too tall to make work, I have a shorter but equally wide FZ600 cooler. In/outlet spacing is the same so the hose arrangement should work. I do not have a welder, and I know from years of BMW ownership that the old addage of, "nobody cares about your discontinued vehicle more than you do" is the complete truth.

    Also, spacer studs to go from M10x1.25 to M8x1.0 are proving almost impossible to find. I had a batty idea. What if I used the old, discarded banjo bolts from the brake rebuild, drilled them out, and tapped the internal diameter for M8x1.0? Time to dig out the drill press.

    I got into this thinking I was going to buy a cheap bike to wrench on for some mechanical therapy and flip. There's a short circuit somewhere in my brain.
     
  9. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Last weekend, I found myself in a bit of a clutch.
    20190817_100809[1].jpg

    Wound up with 6 plates measuring 3.00mm and one measuring 2.99mm. All springs were 39.65mm. Good enough for the girls I go out with, meaning they will work until I do the full monty this winter.

    I have been putting a lot of thought into the bracket for the oil cooler, and learning some about sheet metal. In my research, I found articles about bending, strengthening, and stiffening sheet metal. I do not have a full shop, and I do not have a press brake nor bending brake. But then, something I do have. There are articles about 3d printed (specifically fused deposition) sheet bending brakes. Apparently they are catching on. And hey, I have a FDM 3d printer and some PETG filament...

    So at the heart of my bracket design was simplicity. I wanted something that is light enough gauge that it won't be a bear to cut and bend, but heavy enough that the cooler won't flop around. Hey, 16ga sheet steel is cheap and available at Home Depot.

    So, the bracket:
    bracket.JPG

    But that tall part... seems a tad floppy. Will bend in a Z-shape at the skinny bit to meet the center post since the bottom part is offset by the cooler mounts. The upper set of holes are sized for the frame mounts. This drops the 900 cooler about 4cm so it clears the bottom triple clamps.

    Anyway, that bendy bit. I want to reinforce it. I happen to have a 20 ton press. Seems that bead rolling is a popular way to add rigidity to sheet metal so.... break out more CAD. Add in bend radius tolerances and thickness clearance for 1.5mm sheet steel...

    bracketry.JPG
    Process the CAD into an STL and 3d print.. (this is just the top half). 50% infill and 4 shells for strength...
    20190821_203242[1].jpg

    Hey not too shabby. That just might work. I can cut out ~3 templates from my sheet steel so if it is not strong enough I'll just do a 70% infill and 6 shells.

    Oh and the MAC exhaust is on. A few things:
    1. I do not like The flanges. They seem flimsy and flexible compared to factory.
    2. The pipes feel cheap. The chrome is definitely thin. The Progressive shocks have quite a nice chrome and the exhaust is noticeable more blue/polished steel looking than the shocks.
    3. The bends aren't very precise. The right side was quite good but the left side took more convincing than I like to make it all line up. I expect the headers will fracture at the welds over time. It definitely feels like "ebay headers" but at a significantly higher cost. I really wish the Marving system was built for a Maxim and available in the US. The Marving collector looks really nice. That said, the collectors on the MAC are definitely from this century. They are reminiscent in design to the SuperSprint headers on my M3. The merge is, no doubt, superior in design, though maybe not execution. Hey, that sounds like my hackneyed mechanic work!
    4. It's too loud. I do not like it that loud! Adding a crossover should help, if any exhaust shop is willing to weld it in for me. Queue the research and I found this gem from Polock:
    I have ordered 12 stainless pot scrubbers. I ride with earplugs so the exhaust volume is ultimately inconsequential compared to highway wind noise, but the neighbor appreciation factor should be high. What I thought was excessive engine/valvetrain noise has disappeared with the new exhaust, so the old one was definitely leaking quite a bit.
     

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  10. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Intake manifolds are now replaced. The old ones had RTV and heat shrink, but I still distrusted the manifold<-> gasket mating surface.

    Vacuum caps are renewed with some cute silicone variants. If silicone can't handle the radiant heat of the engine, then I am probably breaking something internal.

    Manifold clamps are replaced with Norma FlexSeal type clamps. Not as pretty as the originals, but significantly less stretched with age.

    No amount of searching on the internet will tell you when your exhaust ships with a different style baffle quite like taking it apart.
    20190824_095855.jpg

    Well now I know why the blasted thing was so loud! It was just drag pipes with massive, empty bell-bottoms. My pot scourers are now quite useless. I bought a couple hundred miles' time to decide what I want to do by stuffing it with ye olde fiberglass insulation. That toned it down to only a bit louder than my rotted stock mufflers. I can hear that lovely intake whine once more. It does sound pretty good once you're on the throttle. I tried to think of a description, but they all ended up wrong.

    I did some digging on the 6 Sigma kit as well. Near as I can tell, they shipped Keihin jets judging by the powers of zoom + enhance like a mad TV detective.
    20190822_064143.jpg

    Using the Jets-R-us cross-reference tables, a Keihin 115 corresponds roughly to.... wait for it....

    A .044in diameter hole. A little math and that comes out to... 1.18mm Oh hey, that's pretty much a Hitachi 112 jet from a purely bore size point of view. And, looks a whole lot like factory Canadian 1982-1983 jetting. I am wagering it runs a bit richer since the jet is bored a bit deeper before the actual orifice.

    I put those in, and added one supplied shim per their instructions. They threw in a set of Keihin 120s (Hitachi 116.8 equivalent?) and a set of Keihin 45's which I have had significant difficulty finding any specs on.

    When colortuning, the Keihin 45's came out like maybe Hitachi 42's or 43's (I had 41's on there prior). 2.5 turns was about dead nuts on, but I like to idle a little richer for that off-idle transition.

    Anyway, I suspect the bike is indeed running richer because
    1. I put a single shim on the needle like 6 Sigma suggested
    2. The exhaust is not discoloring as quickly as most MAC systems do, and
    3. it breaks up a bit after 5k, farts around with inconsistent exhaust tone until 7-7.5k, then pulls like an absolute bat out of hell right before you need to shift. I will vet this by popping out the intake tube thingy from the box to lean it out just a hair and see how she acts at 3/4 throttle. If that works, I'll remove the needle shims, see how it feels with no shims and with airbox snorkle. If that still feels a bit rich then I'll pick up a set of actual Hitachi 112s and maybe 114s (since this is now just dampened drag pipes).

    Intake side is still bone stock, hence my sticking very close to factory jetting.

    Anyway, I guess I need to fab up that oil cooler mount. My biggest dread with that process is having only a dremel and angle grinder to cut with. Seems like a chore having to buy an angle grinder cutting blade and dealing with that.
     
  11. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Frequently I'll feel intimidated by a task. Sometimes, that feeling is justified. In this case... it was not. Bracket and cooler itself are ON. Now I just need to grind down the adapter bolt to mate the FZ600 oil filter plate to the front of the cooler.

    First test fit after initial bends:
    20190831_130908.jpg

    A touch of paint:
    20190831_163124.jpg

    Cradle to frame:
    20190831_183123.jpg

    Cooler is mounted. Shock dampers at the top are 9/16 OD O-rings. I formed the radius with a $10 bottom of the line clamp-on mini vise and a socket.
    20190831_183713.jpg

    But the real test... the clearance. Test passed!
    20190831_183729.jpg

    I think the cooler lines are long enough, but I also haven't measured.... Also, look how pristine that cooler is! Pretty sure it came off a bike that just sat, hardly ever ridden. Kind of wish the seller also listed that 900 engine.....
     
  12. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    The deed with the oil cooler is done.
    I had to grind down the mount bolt ~1.5-2mm. I used the trusty angle grinder and a flap disc. New fasteners and O-rings. Disassembled the adapter plate and pressure valve, then ultra-sonic cleaner with the ground down adapter bolt and oil filter adapter plate.

    The crash bar mount had to be cut, and I used the original XJ900 hose clamp, secured to the base of the cylinder jugs with the lone center screw. I gently "massaged" the 'ears' of the hose clamp to make it fit snugly with some large, flat-grip Knipex.

    20190903_182603.jpg

    Since I changed the exhaust and jets I did another colortune, and found all my pilots were rich. This is supported by the lack of coloration on the single-walled exhaust. After that was sync, colortune, sync. That carbtune pro is really paying for itself in time saved.

    Minus the spin-on, this whole thing is looking pretty factory-equipped.

    Getting the rear LED signals mounted has been a nightmare. Finding a center-drilled M10x1.25 bolt has been awful.... until today! In the BMX world there is thig thing called the "Potts Mod." Seems to route the brake cable through a bolt. I found some M10x1.25 "Potts mod" bolts for about $1.89 each, and they come with a 6mm pre-drilled concentric hole. I will bore it out to 7.1mm on my drill press and tap.

    Also oh BOY. This thing runs sweet. It just wants to go. Per Rick's recommendations everywhere, I colortuned on the rich side of blue. Right where it goes from blue to starting to lighten up towards rich. Mains are still too rich, as if I open the throttle hard when under 4k, it burble farts for just the briefest bit before taking off. If Hitachi made 111's I think it would be about perfect. I may try going back to the 110s if the soot ring is still too far up the porcelain (it was 3/4 from the top of the plug to the electrode) after 100 miles.
     
  13. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Fully compress the forks. Does the fender hit the cooler?
     
  14. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Negative. I made the bracket quite tight. I think the pipes would hit before the cooler, and the clearance is greater than the fork travel. Yes, cylinder 2 was leaner than the rest for ~50 miles.

    Note: I am actively looking for a brake line holder that is less than the ridiculous $25 fleabay wants.

    20190903_190859.jpg
    20190903_190929.jpg
    20190903_190939.jpg
    Forks have been to full compression recently (before dust can accumulate) and the cooler is untouched.
    No, I have not cleaned the grime from POs. The cooler lines clear the head by about 5mm. It was a very tight fit with little room to spare.
     
  15. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    That oil line is quite close to that exhaust pipe...……...
     
  16. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    I'm actually not that worried about the oil line proximity. It's a about an inch away, and in this PelicanParts tech article you can see a high pressure oil line routed in a significantly hotter part of the engine (directly next to a high-revving straight six exhaust manifold). It has a small section of heat shielding over a flexible section.

    A good example of an 'uprated' oil line is the Rogue Engineering part.
    [​IMG]

    In that application, the oil pump (attached to shielded section) produces more heat than the headers. In my M3 the headers are JetHot coated, and cats relocated, but the line still lasts on average a decade or two (less at the track).

    I understand the applications are different, but the line is steel near the exhaust. I do monitor it for paint discoloration, though at that point it may be too late. The engine definitely runs cooler with the oil radiator, but I am not opposed to suggestions regarding heat shielding. The poor thing's done nearly 40 years.

    Do you have any suggestions for an effective shield? I am thinking maybe a clamp-on highly polished stainless or chromed piece. The air gap, small contact area (two small clamps), and high reflectivity surface should help.

    I could also redesign the bracket to sit about 9mm higher.

    That said, the Yamaha MT-10 oil cooler is even closer to the exhaust system.
    [​IMG]

    Should I hackgineer a solution or do you think it will be fine? I'm not opposed to altering my bracket design (would be simple) .

    EDIT: I may also be able to reform the tube to be further from the exhaust, but I would want a bender and a mandrel to prevent kinking.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2019
  17. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    Is the system on these bikes considered "High" pressure? We are talking 5-7 lbs that is it. I just hope nothing happens to your oil at lower speeds when the heat is rising from that pipe. I would consider getting a new line to route around that header. Hope it works out for you.
     
  18. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    This haunted me all night. I considered stopping riding the bike. I looked at it this morning. The picture is very misleading as to clearance. Before looking at it, I even ordered some lavatube heat sleeving. I will put it on, because otherwise I will have wasted $40.

    Anyway, time to share a little thought experiment. At first, I was programming the differential equations for heat transfer to the air and then from the heated air to the cooler into matlab. That wound up being way too deep of a thought experiment and the variables were too many.

    Let's just say that maybe on the first fill, I learned the importance of bolt flange thickness on different spin-on adapters. Let's also say that in the 12-15 seconds it was running, a full 1.5qt of oil barfed out around the filter before I saw it and killed the engine. That would make a theoretical oil flow rate of 1.5gal/min.

    A radiator 1/3 this size can keep a 150W TDP processor cool at a flow rate of .8gal/min with 3ft^3/min airflow.

    Thermal radiation heat transfer equation: q = ε σ (Th4 - Tc4) Ah
    Plug for 400C exhaust to 50F air over a 1" section of 1.5" diameter exhaust nets about 150.24W heat load using 0m/s airflow; emissivity constant for new galvanized steel to approximate shiny chrome.

    Heat load, reduced for area of the bottom half of the tube, through a 1" air column is <15% total surface thermal emission so like... 22W of heat energy or less. If the two metals were touching... That's closer to 96% thermal conduction and you have no air gap so we're getting closer to 300W+ heat energy.

    In short, at idle (the 400C used for exhaust is NOT idle) the pipes would not have greater than a fraction of a degree C influence on the oil temperature entering nor exiting the cooler. Fluid flow rate, and the metal oil line itself being exposed to the open air dissipates more heat than the exhaust proximity contributes.

    20190904_194526.jpg

    If any of this interests you, or if you are interested in some engine heat efficiency papers and effects of locally-sourced heat on moving oil, the University of Texas @ Austin has a neat paper regarding turbocharger thermal blankets. I found it superbly interesting while researching this before doing the sensible thing and looking at the stupid bike.

    The rear signal bolts arrive Saturdayish maybe. Potentially as late as Tuesday. I'm running out of things to do that don't require splitting the cases. Maybe overhaul the wiring to the rear of the engine? Design a 3d-printable ignition cover? 3D printable fork emblem? Those seem rare. Side cover emblems? I would like to share all these designs to make parts readily accessible (at least, non-load-bearing parts). Maybe if these parts are easier to get, originals will be molested less frequently. I think I enjoy working and problem solving as much as riding.

    Oooh maybe something totally radical and actually clean the engine exterior. Realistically, probably design something
     
  19. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    First iteration done. Found a photo, built out a sketch, applied effects for approximation of painted design.

    side logo.JPG side logo side.JPG

    Does anybody know if the back is contoured? I can't find any decent top view photos and my bike has neither left nor right side. Making that radius correct might be a challenge.
     
  20. deadwood83

    deadwood83 New Member

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    Bike felt really sluggish on the freeway. Fuelio indicates a 7mpg drop in efficiency. Mornings have been colder, so I have been warming it up a bit longer. Still, too rich.

    Dropped the 110 mains back in today. Notable improvement on the highway. 5th gear is for passing again!

    Had dinner, went for a ride. 50 miles later, fell in love again. The noise. Oh boy the noise. Also, that 3k mark and then 5.5k mark. Oof. I found myself unconsciously leaning forward, the tach and speedo faded from view.

    When I glanced down, I was at 8k. It just feels so good. I can't find anything that quite sounds the same. The closest I can find is this supertrapp'd 650:

    It's like a best friend. Always egging you on. I have a 150 mile (each way) trip planned next Saturday AM. I'm taking the bike.
     
    k-moe likes this.

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