XJ650 Starting issues

I'll wait for the bike to be running again once I got the new shims in, and then tackle doing that. If only because I don't want to add another project while I'm trying to fix the more important thing (shims/carbs)

Most likely I'll spit some Kroil on them for a few days in a row before I even bother to touch them.

I also have some ACF-50 if that helps

 

Upper and lower rack bracket screws were assembled using thread-locker material, and that's why they are so difficult to remove (and also why the rack kept it's carb-to-carb alignment for 40+ years!).

It is suggested that they also be re-assembled using a low-strength locker fluid.

We've found that the easiest way to remove them is to use an appropriate sized set of vice grips and grab 2 sides of the screw head with end of the vice-grip jaws and give them a little turn.....once you break the thread-locker loose (only takes 1/8 of turn or so) then the screw can be removed with a standard screw driver.

Kroil or penetrating fluid won't really help, as it's not a corrosion issue that has the screws "frozen", it's the thread locker fluid doing it's job........

 

I don't really have a vice nor do I have a place to put a vise, but I can definitely try to see if I can get like an adjustable wrench and grab and twist the head a little bit

I'm assuming applying some heat to them will. I'll also break the locker fluid, but the bottom rail also has some problematic screws. If they accidentally heat up some o-rings or whatever, it doesn't matter because I'm replacing everything anyways

 

"Vise Grip" locking pliers.

 

Oh I got those yah

 

Correct, vice-grip locking pliers.....and you may want to come up on the bolts heads "from the side" rather than straight-on....for example, on the upper rack screws, come in with the top, flat edge of the vice-grip pliers (not the serrated teeth of the plier jaws) from the bottom of rack, and grab a screw head with the pliers as far to the "left" of center as is possible.....since once you firmly "crush" the head of the screw with the pliers, you'll be rotating the pliers counter-clockwise, and you want as much rotational ability (movement) of the pliers as is possible (which will probably be about a 1/8-turn). The handle and long axis of the pliers will be at almost a 90* angle to the horizontal top edge of the carb rack (and to the top edge of the upper rack bracket).

And do some warm-up exercises on your dominant hand, as you'll have to set the "closure pressure" of the vice grip jaws (onto the screw heads) at the maximum amount that you'll be able to squeeze the jaws fully shut ("locked") against the screw heads (hence the word used above, "crush"). Otherwise, the jaws of the pliers will break loose from the screw head.....those screws are loctite-ed in there very tightly!

Once you break the screws loose, then you'll be able to use a standard phillips-drive (or even better, JIS) screwdriver to back the screws out.

 

Nah, i meant the part, where the return spring is attached. im having trouble figuring out where and how it connects to the frame, and how the spring is positioned. i think mine is missing, so ill have to make one. here are the photos. Would be awfully kind of you to send yours. Rock on!

 

I can't seem to find my vice grips, So I'm going to swing over to harbor freight. I also think that the vice grip that I do have is probably too large so I'll get a smaller one. One of the things that I just noticed from taking a better look at this, apparently these already have 40 & 112 jets. 50 & 205 are under the carb hat, and 40 & 112 (side stamping instead of face)

So I'm guessing somebody in the past had already increased the jet size but not the other one

 

It looks like stores around me only have blue loctite, will that be okay instead of purple?

 

The vice trick worked!

Well sort of. I had to hit it with some heat, for a while, and then I was able to get one of them off.

Then, what I did was, I had enough of the screws off of the rail, that I could move the rail back and forth a little bit. Eventually when I was down to the last screw, I twisted the rail a little bit and was finally able to unseize the screw. I don't see anything is stripped

Some of those screws took a inordinate amount of strength.

 

Make sure you use a torque wrench when reassembling.

 

Yes they do! Which is why you may want to use the purple (low-strength) fluid rather than the stronger blue loctite.....which will work just fine, but if you ever have to get into that rack again.....well, you know what you'll be up against!

 

I have carb #1 reassembled, and the new fuel lines and vacuum lines (which was connected to intake #2 anyways??), and 2/3/4 are in the ultrasonic for the next hour.

Questioning if I have enough throttle shaft shim washers. I have pulled six off, and the kit I got only had four.

 

I don't think that I'm going to have time today to do a check of the float levels. I should have it all assembled in the next hour or two.

I noticed with the new metal tip float valves that they don't hang they just sit, there's no little hanger.

 

NOTE: all of the float needles that have a rubber tip also use a retaining clip to secure the needle to the float arm. Please note that the clip can be installed in two different ways (orientations). User experience indicates that the clip should be positioned so that the "open" area of the clip (that part of the clip that snaps over the ridge on the top of the needle) should be oriented towards the "back" of the carbs; in other words, the open area of the clip should be towards the airbox.

By the way, the purpose of this clip is to prevent the rubber tip of the needle from "seizing" within the float valve seat (due to the rubber swelling), or fuel varnish forming around it (and "gluing" it to the brass seat). Since the clip is attached to the float, as the fuel bowl empties the weight of the float pulling down on the needle will tend to overcome any needle tip seizure and prevent that float valve from remaining closed, even as the float bowl empties of fuel.

Metal-tipped needles, although not original on Hitachi carbs, were used on many original Mikuni carbs. The metal needle tips are much less prone to tip seizure and thus metal-tipped needles do not need, nor use (or even accept) the needle retaining clip.

 

Do I need the little metal hanger for the metal tipped float valves?

I have Hitachi carbs, but I got the deluxe kit

Edit: I reread what you posted and it sounds like I don't need them

 

Correct......not only do you not need them, you can't use them, as the metal-tipped needles for either Hitachi or Mikuni carbs do not have the "groove" in the needle case to accept the hanger clip.

 

Finally got these carbs cleaned and reassembled.

Things I noticed:

First time I cleaned carb 1 in the ultrasonic w/ dawn dish soap @ 100F heated water, it was shiny and nice!
When I cleaned carbs 2-4 same as before, they all looked stained afterwards, along with some of the brass. A bummer, but I don't care that much. I only care if the passageways are clear at this point.

Things I did when building:
- Noticed I only got 4 "throttle shaft plastic shim washers" from the deluxe kit. The carbs came with 6 shims. Because of this I reused some shims.
- I need to go back and check, but I had more orings than I needed. I think I had four left over, which is normal apparently.
- I think I may have missed a few throttle shaft shim washers when installing, I think I had a few left over, and I should have used all of them up. Easy enough fix, since nothing is loctite'd yet.
- I think I may have also missed a few throttle shaft seals. Again, easy fix.
- I had some left-over purple loctite from a previous order for the crash guards I can likely make use of for this.
- I dryfit everything without using loctite, or tightening down the lock washers, to make sure I wasn't missing anything and everything went in the right place
- I had some difficulty figuring out which direction the carb 3 throttle cable attachment was placed, because it seemed confusing. Forgot to take a picture of how that's supposed to be setup.
- connecting the sync screws with the tension spring/bolts while connecting each carb is kinda a pain in the ass. I found it was easier to line things up, and then use a metal pick to hold down the bolt and slide the other metal piece in. Not sure if there's an easier way or if it's normal that it's a pain in the ass.
- checked every hole was clear by shining a light through it. I'll spray some carb cleaner through the main/pilot air jets just to be sure
- Noticed it was a massive pain in the ass and a timesink to get the main/pilot air jets back in their holes. Double and triple checked the main #50 was in the middle, and #205 was on the other side (not the screw hole). Using one end of a hex wrench helped to align the tiny screws without stripping anything.
- ensured the float bowl hole was clear by shining a light through it
- Noticed the fuel jets were #40 & #112. Stock is #40 & #110. Probably got increased when someone replaced the exhaust with a 4 into 1.
- Replaced the main/pilot fuel jets with #41 & new #112 (because the new ones have numbers on the face instead of the sides)
- ensured the (I forget the name right now) thin brass tube near the main/pilot fuel jets was clear, but will hit it with carb cleaner later just to be sure
- noticed the o-rings in the idle screws tend to get stuck in the cavity, and I made sure to dig out the old ones so I wasn't double o-ringing in there
- didn't tighten down the idle screws all the way, since I wasn't sure what they needed to be pre-set to, and figured I could do that later.
- checked diaphragms for any rips or tears, they all seem pretty pliable and nice.
- noticed that carb 4, the main jet tube would get a bit stuck on the last millimeter going into the carb body and had to be pushed in, unlike all of the other ones, which went in smoothly.
- replaced all screws (except the spring screws along the back that modify the opening of the butterfly valves?) with hex screws (wish the idle screws were hex too...)
- replaced all o-rings for the fuel supply tubes
- replaced all float bowl gaskets
- replaced all choke plunger dust caps (they were hard as a rock and starting to deteriorate slightly)
- gently etched #1/2/3/4 on the airbox side of the butterfly valves to make sure I remembered the direction of the valves and which one went to which carb
- used 1000 grit sandpaper on the inside cavity where the brass plunger/diaphragm body goes, but did not touch the brass plunger.
- lifted the brass plunger on all carbs after assembly and they dropped back down smoothly and at the same rate

Things left to do:
- I forgot to use the spacers on the enrichment shaft, so I'll need to do that. I also was confused about the orientation of the enrichment linkage
- get two levels and some clamps to align the carbs before loctiting the carbs to the racks, since I don't have a vice and using a glass plate sounds sketchy as hell
- make sure to loctite the butterfly valves
- do a bench sync
- check the float levels, since the old carbs were set to specific distances with rubber tipped float needles, and now are using metal tipped needles, I assume it's going to be slightly off. I'm not convinced the float levels were a problem before, but it's wise to double check it anyways. I should be able to do this with a digital caliper.
- also use some extra tubes to check the float levels. I should also be able to use a digital caliper for this. The hard part is going to be holding the carbs somehow in a way that keeps them level while testing. I don't have a carb stand and I don't think I can afford to spend $170 or whatever on one.

Also:
- Replaced both ignition coils with new aftermarket coils, since they were very slightly out of spec on the battery side, and one of them was showing as OL when measuring the resistance. Both of them had cracked housing. Kept them in case I needed them later.
- noticed replacements had metal things placed around the wire housing that probably would help with fitment, but realized there wasn't a good way to screw them on and they didn't help with grounding, and would probably hurt the wires by bending them back more, so I ignored them

Finally:
- Once the carbs have their float levels set, and are bench sync'd, it's time to go back on the bike
- once the shims come in, I'll replace the out of spec shims, and spin the engine a few times CCW (towards the front) and re-measure the shim clearances to make sure I didn't make any math errors
- Afterwards, do another compression test and see if anything changes with compression (I'd expect the low ones to come up, if they don't come up...lets cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen please)
- Cross both fingers and toes and start the bike, and do a carbtune pro sync

Am I forgetting anything?

 

as an aside:
once I had disassembled one carb, the rest of the process was pretty rote. It's a fun enough mechanical puzzle, and after having completely disassembled four of them, and then put everything back together, they're actually pretty simple to remember where everything goes. It's just daunting having never done it before, and tedious.

I guess we'll see how setting the floats, bench sync, and carb tuning goes. I probably won't get a colortune, but I might ask the technician I'm bringing the bike to in a few weeks for a sticker to do that for me instead. They tend to work with cafe racers so I'd assume they have one.

I'm going to be pretty satisfied if I do all this and the bike starts up and doesn't piss gas all over the floor or into my crankshaft (though I am going to change the oil after this anyways)

 

Yes, the carb kits come with enough fuel pipe o-rings for both the HSC32 (uses 6) and the HSC33 (uses 10) carbs.....so, 4 leftover for your model!

Whoops, sorry about that...........I can send you the extra shims if you still need them. Your carbs actually uses a total of 7 shims (there should have been 2 packs of 4 shims each....we normally send 8 shims, rather than 7, just because......)

On the HSC32, carbs #1, #2, and #4 use 2 shims per carb (one on each side), and the #3 carb uses only 1 shim. Thus, on HSC32 model carbs, there are a total of 7 shims used per entire carb rack. On the "other" side of the #3 carb, there's that really thick plastic spacer bushing that acts like a seal shim for that side of the carb body.

On threaded items that don't have "starter" threads, turn the fastener counter-clockwise (like you are removing it) and the threads will semi-automatically align themselves (you'll know it / feel it when it happens) and then start tightening them.

Ummm....not recommended. You need a perfectly flat surface to place the carb throats (or the airbox throats) onto so that the carbs stay FLAT....as in "really flat". Otherwise, the carb bodies will tend to start "walking" (twisting) in relation to each other when you go to install the upper or lower rack screws......and this throws off the alignment between the 4 throttle shafts, and that results in (at best) some butterflies staying open more than others, or some butterflies that can't ever close completely.

You have to get all 4 throttle shafts in a perfectly "straight thru" alignment with each other......imagine a perfect-fit (about 3/8") metal rod stuck thru all 4 carbs where the throttle shafts would be fitted......that's what you're shooting for. Now imagine one (or more) of the carb bodies twisting a bit while you're tightening down rack bracket screws.....while each individual carb body will still be "correct", all 4 will not be in alignment, and the overlap and meshing of those throttle shaft end brackets (which hold those pain-in-the-butt synch screws) won't be in proper alignment with each other, either.

A proper decision!

It's a better practice to verify the FUEL LEVELS, rather than simply checking the FLOAT HEIGHTS (what you called "float levels"). Proper fuel levels in the bowls are just as important as proper valve shim clearances, and mixture screw settings, and engine synch in terms of carb tuning.

https://www.xj4ever.com/setting fuel levels.pdf

And yes, fuel level setting is kind of a pain in the bowl, but.......typically you only have to do it once, and it remains pretty constant until the next time the fuel inlet valves are changed (or needles changed).

 

You also should inspect the rubber diaphragms for pinholes......in a darkened room, use a strong light behind the diaphragms and look at the diaphragms from the other side, and see if any light is shining thru. Pinholes will allow air (vacuum) to leak from one side of the diaphragm to the other side, and decrease the responsiveness of the piston to the vacuum signal.

 

If you have a good formica countertop, it may be flat enough to assemble the carbs on. Check flatness with a straight edge.

 

She doesn't, and I think she'd be angry if I put the carbs on the kitchen counter lol.

I could also use a known straight piece of stiff metal, and some clamps (ergo why I was initially thinking to use two stiff things of metal to sandwich the carbs between, and then use clamps to hold it in place. A table vice probably also would work to keep things from shifting.)

if the carbs are flat along their carb bodies on a true surface and they're stopped from moving, they shouldn't shift when the upper and lower rails are tightened, I assume.

 

That's what one would think, but unfortunately....not true!

The holes in the rack bracket are just a tiny bit (fractions of a mm) offset of true centers of the carb body threaded holes, and thus screwing the adjacent carb bodies together creates a repulsive tension......the carb bodies try to "run away" (gently) from each other.....and that's what causes the twisting effect. Without a completely level surface, the carb bodies will try to twist or "walk" away from each other.....amd unless restrained/constrained to their absolutely proper alignment with each other, you'll get some of the issues discussed previously. Clamping the carb throats and the airbox throats togther (each against a flat-and-true straight surface is ideal, but doing so might (will likely) interfere with installing the screws.....otherwise, it's an ideal solution.

Even with a flat piece of something that one end or other can be placed upon, you'll find when installing/tightening rack bracket screws you'll still need to put hand pressure on the "other" end (face) of the carbs to keep them all in alignment (flat against the surface) .

Pieces of somewhat thick glass (window glass, which you can get in small pieces at Home Depot, etc.) is about the cheapest truly flat surface which can be purchased (plate glass is remarkably flat due to the way it's produced).

 

I guess what I'm worried about is getting a plate of glass and pressing the carb along it, and then when I tighten one it shifts anyways, or the glass breaks.

I wonder if there's like a YouTube video of how someone did it?

I assume you'd need to tighten all of the screws within 10 minutes or so, I'm just not certain that I'm visualizing this process correctly. I'd imagine even against the plate of glass, you would tighten one and then it shifts all the others slightly.

https://www.xj4ever.com/hitachi throttle shaft seals.pdf

Page 28 was what I was originally talking about, sandwiching the carbs together as you tighten the rails

 

Always a possibility........but if you get the thick glass (1/8") then unless you start beating it with a hammer, it won't break unless you drop it on the floor........


I spent about 1/2-houron youtube looking for videos of "carb rack reassembly" and couldn't find a single one where (when they had actually taken the carb rack apart) that shows or mentions using and alignment plate (like Yamaha tells and shows on page 75 of the XJ650 service manual). Of course, some of the videos were for other model carbs, and what was most surprising is that only 2 of the 30 or so "complete rebuild" videos did the "expert" replace the throttle shaft seals while the racks were apart. I mean, many of these carbs that were being worked on are closing in on almost 50 years old! How in the world that they think that 50-year old pieces of rubber are still going to be viable enough to re-use....especially after going thru the entire effort to break the rack apart and re-assemble.....is beyond me....


But after a moment's reflection, I thought "let's see what mezzmo has to say"....he's very professional and anally-retentive (in a good way) about such things, and sure enough, right in the middle of his carb assembly video....in which he, unlike all the others, actually replace the throttle shaft seals (and installs them the right way, too)...right there at about the 14:00 minute mark, he tells and shows the importance of keeping the faces in alignment when tightening the rack bracket screws:

 

I feel like I have watched that rebuild series so many times. I guess it's time to watch it again.

I really wish that I had the space and the shop tool access like he does.

Edit: yeah what he did to his carbs is literally what I was going to do lol

Also anti seize and no loctite??

 

Don't we all!

I noticed that too....great minds think alike.

He's south of the equator, so things get reversed down there....

 

Clarification for later:
"This is for use on the half-moon end plugs (HCP1619 for non-YICS applications) and the molded-in end plugs (part of the actual rubber gasket) on YICS engines. Do not use on the paper or rubber valvecover gasket itself!"

Isn't the half moon end plugs...part of the rubber valvecover?? Or are the half moon end plugs of the gasket a different material?

I'm assuming the other gasket maker tub that comes with the valve adjustment kit, is the stuff that goes underneath the valvecover gasket area with a tiny brush, and the rubber valvecover gasket goes on top of? EDIT: apparently that's not "gasket maker" that's "high tack adhesive"

Nothing goes on the head itself, it's all behind the rubber gasket?

I will say I have done a trial run of putting the rubber gasket on my valve cover and it stays in place extremely well so far, without any adhesive. I expected a lot worse.

 

Correct. The hi-tack adhesive is used to hold the v/c gasket in place onto the underside of the valvecover, to keep the gaskets in place while holding the valvecover upside-down during installation. The cover gasket has lots of twists and turns and fits into a shallow channel in the valvecover, and because of the tension it takes to install the gasket (turns and all) into that groove, it typically pops off, out of place, and then you have to start all over. The adhesive is used just to keep the gasket in place prior to / during install.

The black RTV sealant is used to create a thin gasket on the outside of the half-moon plugs, as that area is prone to leakage. All engines have those cut-outs on the right side of the cylinder head (it's where a milling machine came in from the side and bored those holes and then cut/bored the camshaft "bearing journals" in the head, as well as boring (the previously solid caps, before this machining operation) the bearing caps that were bolted in place during this operation). Non-yics engines use a flat fiber ("paper") valvecover gasket and then has the separate HCP1619 1/2-circle rubber plugs (which should also use the sealant on them). The YICS engines have the same 1/2-circle plugs molded into the rubber valvecover gasket.

It's your lucky day! If the gasket doesn't pop off as sone time during the installation, drop everything and go buy a few lottery tickets, because you're living a charmed life......

 

Yeah, I don't know. When I did my valve clearance I threw away the old gasket, and just very carefully placed the rubber gasket onto the valve cover head. There were times, specifically on corners, where it would try to pop out, and then I just gently pushed it back in until everything was flat. I then turned it upside down to put the cover back on gently, making sure not to bump it on anything or the chain, and it was fine. I've taken the cover off and on twice now, and this Friday (when I replace the shims, which just came in) it will be a third time, and the rubber gasket hasn't come off. When I go to put it on for real though, I'll use the adhesive just in case.

Honestly what I'm more worried about, is the fact that someone in the past, had put a bunch of like red sealant, what I think is a lot actually, all over the surface of the rubber gasket, so much that some of that red goop, got into the valve cover socket screw holes. Why did someone do that?? Is there some sort of leak that I'm going to run into? Or was the gasket needing to be replaced, and whoever touched it last didn't replace the gasket?

The other thing that I don't really understand, somebody had glued a temperature gauge, to the valve cover head. Were they worried about the engine overheating? Were they worried about an oil leak that they couldn't figure out? I have never noticed an oil leak so far with me running the bike for maybe collectively 3 hours since getting the bike last fall.

 

Because the cover gasket was leaking oil. However, 99.9% of the time, the cover gasket is leaking oil because the rubber "pressure washers".....those cone-shaped rubber grommets that fit into the tapered holes in the valvecover (12 in total), had shrunk and/or hardened over time..............in which case, when you tighten the cover bolts down, the shrunken grommets can no longer exert a proper downforce onto the valvecover, and thus the valvecover can't exert the proper downforce onto the gasket, and thus the gasket can't seal itself against the cylinder head.....and viola, oil leak(s), and if you don't know (or don't really care about) what you're doing, you then:

a) replace the valvecover gasket, but find that it still leaks (because it's those shrunken "pressure grommets"....or in rare instances, a warped valvecover itself)....that was the real culprit, rather than the valvecover gasket itself.....

b) buy some red RTV and sling a metric crap-ton of it onto the bottom of the valvecover gasket (or the top of the cylinder head.....or even better, both) and maybe (or maybe not) you stop the leak for a while, and just live with the ugly, insufficient, ham-fisted "fix" that you've implemented.

Maybe! But let's hope not. Since you're going to replace the pressure grommets, and you're not going to over-tighten their bolts (and crack a cam bearing cap by doing so.......), and using that piece of plate glass that you probably didn't buy, you'll lay the valve cover down on a super flat surface and then go around in a dozen spots or so with a thin feeler gauge blade and make sure that the cover is not warped, and if so, use the flat glass as a "surfacing plate" that you can use to gently shave down the high spots on the valvecover mating surface.

And after all that.....you won't have any leaks, for sure. And if you do, then you scream bloody murder and curse the heavens and the world around you and then try, try again.....

 

Poor man's loctite...........

 

You know I didn't actually check to see if the valve cover was warped. I can definitely check for that.

I did replace all the grommets on the screws. They were screwed on pretty tightly, onto the valve cover. And if I recall correctly, you want them to be like hand tight, because you want the rubber grommets themselves to hold down the valve cover. When I took off the existing rubber grommets, some of them were a bit deteriorated. Parts were cracked, or torn slightly. I actually replaced them manually, not realizing that that little brass cylinder thing, was the tool to get the grommets on. I didn't realize that until I replaced all the grommets by hand.

 

You want them to be....ye verily....you need them to be at the factory-specified torque of 7.2 ft-lb ---- no more, no less.

Anything different gets you 5 minutes in the penalty box.

 

Look at how disgusting this was.

Also one thing that I ended up noticing afterwards... Isn't the cam chain supposed to be endless? If so, why is there a different colored linkage there?

I'm trying to think how I would torque these to exactly 7.2 ft lb. I do have a digital torque wrench, that goes that low potentially

 

Yikes! How much was the hospital bill?

 

Honestly after the first couple I had a process.

I put the screw head on the ground, and I would sit in my rolly chair in the garage, and then I would push down on the grommet and shimmy it back and forth a little. Once it had gotten on a little bit, I picked up the screw in my hand, and just squeezed my hand to push it the rest of the way on. That seemed to work pretty decently. The grommets seem to be fine, though that tool would have made things so much more easy.

Perks of being 37 and lifting weights and rock climbing I guess.

 

Aftermarket cam chains are endless (although you can remove one link and substitute a proper (which is not the original one) master link.

Original cam chains always used master link

P.S. using a small pick (or a sledgehammer, your choice) you need to dig as much of the red schmooze out of those threaded holes.

Nightmares R Us: think of what other acts of genius might be lurking on or in the engine, the forks, the rest of the bike..........

 

Phew. I took the valve cover off I was like "someone cooked here and I don't like it"

Oh believe me, I picked that crap out immediately. Any little red schmutz got removed. Not on my bike.

 

A firm handshake you have, no doubt.

Bonus points if you recognize the lyrics, youngster:


And after a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, a firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye, an easy smile.

 

To be honest, I actually have not heard that song by Pink Floyd before. My dad would put on a lot of stuff including Pink Floyd and Yes and various other things, so I'd get a wide gamut of music that I was interested in. It's not entirely accurate to say that my primary musical interest is heavy metal, because it entirely depends on my mood at that given moment.

Regardless, this song is great. Love a long musical track. One of the comments said "sounds like dropping acid in the 70s" and I could see that

 

Excellent research. You get a free something on your next order!

That song "Dogs" is from their album "Animals" (1977) has only 4 songs on it: Dogs, Sheep, Pigs, and a very short love song "Pigs On the Wing" (which opens the album.......).

Of course, like many pink floyd songs, they are not only instrumentally/musically creative and beautifully constructed, but the lyrics are also cutting commentaries on human behaviors (hence the 3 different animals alluded to).

"It's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around....." How much more creative and honest can songwriting be?

"Mother" and "Wish You Were Here" (which is a tribute to a former member of the group who OD's on heroin) are also remarkable. And of course, "One of These Days" (I'm going to cut you into little pieces) is another notable achievement.

Pink Floyd goes well with most drugs.


Of course, if it's songs about dogs that you like, this is a chart-topper too:



The 1-minute lead-in oration is odd, but it's the prelude to the actual song.

And what's a little oddity to suffer thru in return for strong drumming and a hot saxaphone?



Ziggy Stardust is another favorite. Bowie was a testament to what judicious use of good drugs could do for a performer.

Heroes (live) is also great:




And I don't think these guys consulted directly with Neil Young on this one:



I love the Samurai Guitarist who has a guitar made from 2 hockeysticks taped together (he's Canadian, eh?).


Of course, Neil Young didn't consult with the producer of SNL, so he wasn't allowed to play "Broadway" during his appearance on their show:




All songs above should be played at almost-maximum rpm's for best enjoyment.

 

How are the "dunlop ae2 mt90b16" tires? The tires that are on the bike are "basically" new with no divots in the rubber, however I noticed a crack inside the tread itself in one specific spot (nowhere else on the front tire, and nothing on the sidewall). I did not notice any cracks whatsoever on the rear tire.

It's got some michelin tires on there now, so I know I should probably replace the front tire, but not sure what would be good/cheap/price to value. The design of those dunlops looks great tho.

 

Fwiw. Where I live at any rate. Bridgestone battleaxe are my go to.
Last for miles and miles and stick to the road when attempting to get your knee on the road.

 

Speaking about Bridgestone, I miss when they made motorcycles. My dad has a partially disassembled 1970? Bridgestone motorcycle in the garage that I want badly

 

I had no idea they made motorcycles. Tyre wise for superbikes at least they have impressed me.
I have always been more inclined to cornering than straight roads though.

 

Sort of question for later:

Once the bike is running again, I'll want to work on replacing all the gaskets on the sides of the bike, like clutch and shifter covers and upgrade the screws to hex if they aren't already, since there's more rubber in places that probably have deteriorated. Since I wanna do an oil change anyways (wasn't sure when the last time it's been done, maybe it was done by the previous tech? and I wanna put this T4 rotella in there)

I figure while I'm in there I'll grab that "performance pawl arm" as well and upgrade that, replacing any wear items, and inspect the clutch pack. This will also allow me to get the side covers off so I can polish the aluminum so it looks less corroded.

Not sure what to grab, however. Thinking: pawl arm, gaskets, engine side covers hardware kit. Not sure what else would be good to do while those are off?