Service manual, shim pool, and missing brake dust boot questions

Hello, this is my first post and I had a few questions about my bike. I just got a 1980 XJ650 Maxim from a guy off of Craigslist. I did all the basic work it needed but am looking for a free service manual for the bike. Does anyone know where I can download one so I will be able to see further repairs? I was reading threads and found that there is a shim pool for this bike and was wondering how I would go about getting new shims and send in my shins for this. My valve clearances are way off, but haven’t checked which new ones I need yet since I haven’t had time to remove the head again. The last question I have is are there any places I can get a front caliper brake cylinder boot thing? When I cleaned it out, there was none and I feel like I need it so dust doesn’t collect inside and cause my brakes to stop working. I’ve been searching eBay to no avail so any help would be appreciated. I guess I will add one more note. It looks as if cylinder 1 (left one when sitting on the seat) isn’t firing. I noticed it when changing the plugs. There was a spark but I didn’t have a way to measure anything. Should I measure my resistances and make sure everything on each line adds up to 5k ohms? I am not confident on what I need to do to get that cylinder firing. I’ve also got an ultrasonic cleaner in the mail so I will be able to clean the carbs even better. What else do would you guys recommend. thank you so much!

 

Your going to have some quality reading time ahead of you... LOL.
I found a service Manuel on line in PDF and they had just about every bike for a good price.
Check out XJ bikes.com for your valve shims and carb parts, I would stay away from the low price aftermarket ones, they don't fit correctly in the buckets, you will also need some tools.
Check the fuel volume for # 1 carb by draining the float bowls, your going to have to get the valves set to spec before doing the compression test.
Doing the carbs your going to need a sync tool and a plastic fuel container to set your carbs, at the least I would recommend new float needles and seats and take your time... and do a lot of research on repairing and setting up your carbs,try to learn from other peoples mistakes and there are a lot of them to learn from including me LOL

 

check your inbox for the manuals.

post your shim clearances and shim size only after you do that will you know what shims you need and our shim pool guy will be glad to help you.

i purchased a few place holder shims from our supporting vender made of plastic. worth the price as you can easily swap around the shims you have to where needed then exchange your un needed shims for the correct ones in the pool.

most of the time the pool will have what you need if not you can buy them here too about 9$ each

 

our supporting vender sells the dust boots too. www.xj4ever.com


brake setion

http://www.xj4ever.com/catalog/j-2-calipers.html

 

i hope you mean the cam cover, and not the head,
the head doesn't need to come off to check the shims

 

When you have your clearances and current shim sizes measured, let me know— and I’ll check the pool.

dave Fox

 

Yeah that's what I meant haha. I removed the cover and found every single shim was 2.60mm. And one was in tolerance.

 

I just decided to order them since the shop I went to gave me a pretty good deal on them. Once I re measure the valves I will see which ones are still off if any, and message you again.
Thanks though!

 

Thanks for the manuals!! I just decided to order some shims because the shop gave me a really good deal on them. But If any are out of tolerance I will post the ones I need. Thanks!

 

what is this "shim pool" all about? is this swapping used shims? I thought that was a no no?! I have two heads -currently rebuilding one.... it essentially needs all the shims replaced with different sizes, but if I look at all the sizes I have between my two heads there are only 2 shims that I actually don't have.... but I am unsure about moving used shims from one follower to another, much less from one used head to another! what's the opinion on this?

 

The shims are hardened, and it is perfectly fine to swap shims. That’s what the pool is for........so you don’t have to spend much $ for shims

 

Better than free with exchange + postage?

 

Swaping shims around is standard practice, even among certified OEM technicians.

 

excellent thanks Hogfiddles! I'll contact you directly

 

There is only a few instances that you don’t reuse a shim is if is galled or cracked or has been overheated by the cam shaft due to zero clearance

 

You are right. That is a better deal and I have no idea why I didn’t just use that. I will use this system next time I check the shims...

 

Sometimes it's nice to have extra shims around if you look in and maybe the ones you need in the future purchasing new ones may be a good idea of course the OEM ones cost about three times as long as the aftermarket ones

 

Parts lots often have shims in them. Cheapest way to buy shims IMO.

 

When I buy new shims to replenish the pool or fill in where some have emptied out, I only buy them from LEN.