What did you do to your Yamaha today?

I’m late posting by almost two hours, but I loaded onto a trailer.

 

Drove 900 miles today

 

You ralise that bike will be making a strange bodoom boodoomp noise don't you?

 

I do. Though it's not the potato-potato sound of that one brand.
It's a bike that I refurbished 10 years ago for a friend, and it's coming back to me as a gift.

 

Talking of unusual sounding bikes, I’m tempted to look into making a Big Bang xj engine, imagine Yamahas 4 cylinder sounding like a rasping parallel twin, with 12,000 rpm available..

 

custom camshaft?

 

Indeed, maybe a cut and shut, if indeed they are forgings. If they’re chilled cast then no chance. Would also need to be a 900 head I think.

 

Took a long, lazy ride this morning and rebuilt the forks when I got home. They needed it pretty desperately, with hardly any oil left in either.

 

It’s odd how after a while riding you get to “tune in” to little (or not so little) things that need doing - I got my front brake performing really well, then thought I felt a little “skewering” from the front end under braking. Decided to rebuild the forks - well the seals were knacked but there was oil in there, however, one of the mudguard mount bolts had been sheared off. Given this is a fork brace I wouldn’t be surprised if this was what I was feeling.

 

1981 xj650 4KO (uk) full rebuild. Finished valve clearance check, fired her up, didn`t sound too awful, but not quite right. Plugs examined, 1,2, look ok, 4 was a bit sooty, 3 was wet. I tested the coils on the bench before reassembly, and they checked out ok. Spark does look weak on 3, but 1,2 and 4 plugs also similar, no fat blue sparks evident at all. I am prepared to accept the 42 year old coils/leads are goosed, are there any other suggestions please?

 

Make sure the caps are screwed into the wires good. You might try nipping off 1/8 - 1/4 in. and screw the caps back on.

 

You can fit Honda CB750 coils if you want to change them. There is a thread on the forum @Jetfixer did.

 

No fat blue sparks ever came out of the Yamaha coils - that’s just how they are.

 

Thanks guys, we`re getting there!

 

Good little ride up to Mt St Helen's today. This is the east side at the Windy Ridge viewpoint. The final 16 miles up the hill are a bike dream...great road, incredible scenery, fun twists. If you're around SW Washington, definitely put it on your list.

It was an eclectic trio of bikes on the trip with a Road Glide, a Tiger and my old XJ. The bike did great today, other than my tach quit working...Hopefully just a parted cable.

212 miles total trip. Good time.

 

A while back I wondered why all my main wiring connections hung below the headlight bucket, but figured out shortly after that I had an aftermarket bucket without enough room inside. I found an original bucket in good shape and swapped that in today. Nice to have the wiring contained, although I really preferred the bulb retaining method on the aftermarket unit which was a simple twist lock on the trim ring.

 

Finally got my carbs exploded open for a full rebuild. Without an ultrasonic this is gonna be a chore…

 

Get a one gallon container of Berrymans carb cleaner from Autozone it has a small bucket inside dip each carb body in it for about an hour, take it out wash carb body in some hot dish soap Dawn is what I use , and let it dry blowing with an air compressor helps to .

 

Bummed it has been monsoon season here , today was nice BUT I had to work and had to work late even though I work from home was not in my plans . Finished for the day , aired up my tires on my truck and decided better check tires on bike they were low on the rear tire aired up and went for a short ride ohh wanted to go for a longer ride . Every weekend I plan to go it has rained or I've had to do something else , fall is going to be here soon so riding season will be ending .

 

Took a ride to a bike swap meet today. Didn't really know what to expect, and turned out to be pretty much old Harley, Indian, etc. Stuff that has just never struck my fancy. I'll take a Japanese bike anyday. But, it was a beautiful day for a ride.

 

Yesterday the temp was in the 70's but was windy, today no wind but is in the 90's rode my 7 mile course going down the back road two very large does ran out of the corn field ran across the road into the woods . That is worst part of riding in Indiana and Illinois lots of cornfields and deer, raccoons, possums be careful out there.

 

This time of year, the deer make me more nervous than even the stupid cars do.

 

Same here. Yesterday, on a ride through Mendon Ponds Park (actually fishing, fly rod in saddlebag), which is full of deer, a doe was standing in the opposite lane staring at me. After slowing almost to a stop and beeping my horn, she ran across the road and disappeared. Some areas need extra animal vigilance.

 

Almost every ride, there is one near the road. I'm on 2 lane back country roads after work. I do deer hunt, so I've for years been pretty keen to see the movement as I'm driving. Especially at night when you see the moving glowing eyes.
Trick I tell people is that when you see one cross the road, slow down cause good chance you will see another. The fawns are still pretty stupid and soon, before the rut, the does are running away from their own children.
Come Oct/Nov around here things get REALLY crazy. I have a Solunar app, when its 4/4 and peak near dusk, WATCH OUT, lots of movement. I'll be changing my routes come mid September away from areas I know they concentrate on. Shame, cause those are the scenic routes.

I took the '83 XJ650 Maxim out for a ride yesterday after work. Still running good.

 

Oh how I miss that area. It is now absolutely as beautiful as it was before the eruption. It's just different is all.
A Digression: Dad was an amateur radio operator, and accompanied a USGS survey crew to the mountain to survey after it had calmed down. I was a dumb kid and broke about every bit of pumice that he brought back for my brother and I. Mom's piece was set outside and became a ball of moss. There are photos in a box somewhere that Dad took. I think brother has them.

 

Finally re-mounted the tank and fender my son and I painted a couple of weeks ago.
New saddle on the way soon. She's coming together!

 

Switched out a 650 Maxim(?) Airbox for a stock one in one of my 900 Secas. Other than 2" of fuel in the airbox after running it for a few minutes, it's running great! ;oP

 

A few weeks back I went up the east side of Mt St Helens. This morning I rode up the west side. This is the more heavily visited side with a well maintained highway the whole way up, although the visitor center at the end is currently closed due to a slide. Still a great ride. The forecast this week seemed like it might be threatening the end of fair weather riding, but it was bright and sunny today.

I failed to get any scenic pictures, so here's one of burger King on the way back.

 

Baby got a new pair of (Bridgestone) shoes and a shine.

 

And for some more fun this evening, finally dove into the starter chain guide on the 750. Lots of plastic bits in the oil pan. Only about an inch of the guide left intact with the rest scattered throughout, including a sheared bolt on the crank end of the guide. And this motor is filthy inside. It'll be interesting, but that's a far as I'm going tonight.

 

Yamhadium Explodio! Or whatever the magic words are...

Scratching my head on this one. I can't put it back together without doing a thorough cleaning to ensure all the chain guide bits are out. But then I get real tempted to do a more extensive rebuild when it's this far. Haven't found any other damage so far other than a couple cam journals are kind of scarred up. Lap the valves? Rings? Bore it out? I dunno. Maybe tomorrow will have the answers.

 

Make sure you replace the starter clutch springs and rollers , I used an overhaul kit from England bought off of eBay .

 

Definitely. Already have the starter clutch parts, and the chain guide of course. Then looking at the cam chain guides...I've never seen brand new ones so I'm not sure what worn out looks like. The book says "inspect for wear...". Yah, well it's more than 40 years old! I was already worn out at that age too.

 

Tried to ride a bit today ....too hot , but cleaned it up , looking at my shift linkage rather sloppy. So robbed off spare engine wow much better on the shaft shifts better . I think ACE hardware has some nylon bushings , if the shifter arm on the pivot point is reamed out and a bushing installed I think it would take all the wobble out .

 

Search ebay for 8mm x 10mm plain sleeve bushings. About a buck apiece. I've been putting them in all my levers. Drill 25/64. Press them in. They come long, cut to length and file flush after install. Works great.

Oops edit.... You said shifter arm, thought clutch lever.

 

Absolutely. And check the cylinder head and jugs mating surface for straightness, there are specs and a nice diagram in the service manual.

Depends how they measure out.

Size matters.

And, of course, whether the pistons and cylinder bores are in spec.

 

Well my 82' XJ750 started smoking from the spark plug holes so that's new.

 

Took some pictures of the master cylinder and sent them to a dealer so that I can get the right rebuild kit. Want to stop on a dime when completed.

 

i fitted new shoes, bike off road for at least 13 years, as I tighten the axle nut, the wheel binds and almost locks up completely. Its like I am missing a washer/shim somewhere. Gutted cos I was going to a show tomorrow. I have had the wheel in and out 10 times, all washers are present ( though not standard probably) brake torque arm ok, brake adjuster backed off, I did note the hole in the axle for a rod to hold it while tightening the axle nut is partly covered by the swingarm collar. I would have thought it would be well clear.

 

Rode it. Hit 26,000 miles today just as I was approaching my house. Only about 550 miles are mine though.

 

Spent several hours cleaning the oil and dirt off this greasy pig. Brake clean, Gunk engine degreaser, wire brush, dremel and some soda blasting. Still not pristine, but at least I can wheel it back into the shop and keep working on it without creating a Superfund site on my floor...

 

The mutt approves.

 

Pulled the carbs and checked all the butterflies to make sure I had them in correct. I did. Checked the throttle shaft seals to make sure I had the correct ones. I do. I got them from Chacal when I rebuilt the carbs last year, so in my head I knew they were the correct parts and not the cheap o-rings. But the paranoid in me had to pop the clips and take a look so I could say I checked them, and mark them off the list. They are correct. Going to turn the idle mixture screws out a turn and see if I can affect the hanging idle.

 

Went to visit the folks and made time for a ride with my dad. Started slowly with a flat tire on his Virago 1100, but we made like a Nascar pit crew and got it fixed and restarted the trip. About 165 mile loop along the Oregon coast. Beautiful day, fun ride.

 

Spent the day Pressure washed the engine , this took alot of the paint off of the engine , repainted engine and after a chore to get it to start . Rode a quick trip and worked a bit on my VW

 

Trying to get serious about getting the 750 reassembled. Every single piece aside from motors, frame and wheels from two bikes is piled in 4 storage tubs and every time I look for a part, it's an hour of searching.

So I spent some time this morning to get organized. Went through every tub and inventoried parts. Pulled out the needed things for the next couple steps. Even found some stuff I didn't know I had!

 

Put the carbs back on, but ran out of time to sync them. I'm getting to the point where I can pop a set of carbs off or on in less than 10 minutes, which makes this a much less frustrating endeavor.

 

"What are you doing in the kitchen?"

"Nothing...just....doing the dishes"

"Oh. Well ok..."

 

Got the motor back in the 750 today. I think it can be done with the swing arm in place, but I cussed it for a while and finally unbolted and pulled it back. Much easier. Even remembered to put the airbox in first! The spaghetti wiring system is next...I haven't been looking forward to that part.