Basics for XJ owners

Collecting a list of XJBikes members' basic tips for new XJ owners:

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REFERENCE INFO...

XJ Bikes CD
Aftermarket Service Manual (e.g. Haynes)
Factory Service Manual for your model
Yamaha owner's manual
www.XJbikes.com forums, of course


USEFUL TOOLS...

basic metric and hand tools
normal garage stuff (batty. charger, etc.)
JIS style screwdriver set
electric multimeter
good quality torque wrench
good hand-held impact driver (1/2" Drive)
portable electric air compressor

Colortune plug
manometer (homemade is fine)
2 hardwood hammer handles (to pry carbs, apply impact)
plastic/rubber pan - kitty litter box size
metal carb rack - (e.g. grill from a toaster oven, appliance)
rubber eye/ear squeeze bulb syringe
bag of long, white pipe cleaners (carb and detailing work)

automotive style electrical test light

Road Tool Kit (discussed in separate thread)

compression tester
blowby tester
length of fiberglass driveway marker (YICS and probing)
medium sized funnel
3 feet of 1/4" vinyl or rubber hose/tubing
brake bleeder (usable by one person alone)

long "Snake" flex cable parts retriever
long magnetic parts retriever/probe


THINGS TO DO... (what every XJer should check/improve/do)

normal MC operation & safety checks (tires, clean tank, etc.)
wear gloves, ankle-high shoes, and esp. good quality helmet
MC riding safety course, beginners or refresher

Maintenance:
top up battery w/distilled water, charge fully
lubricate all cables, lever pivots
take up excess rear brake slack
lube steering head bearing, or upgrade to tapered
check, clean, repair, synch, maintain carburetors
keep carbs clean - line filter, safe cleaner in gas, etc.

check condition and balance wheels, tires
check and adjust valve clearances *important

add inline fuel filter
check, repair, replace fuel petcock
replace old fuse block w/modern
check, repair, replace alternator brushes
clean, seal all electrical connectors/connections
upgrade carb bowl drain screws to allen-head type
eliminate Warning sensor/bulb (if applicable)



XJ UPGRADES... (not required but recommended)

Better Headlight, Tail/Brake/Turn Lights (details on threads)
Spin-On oil filter
Air Filter - UNI foam, etc.


THINGS NOT TO DO...

don't try to open middle gear drain plug - unnecessary, risky
don't weld on the bike without the necessary precautions
don't put "energy saving" motor oil in - can ruin the clutch
don't just pull the plug boots, then crank the engine (may hurt coils)
don't use resistor type plugs
don't crank if a petcock, line or carb is leaking on your engine <fire>

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Special Thanks to: Robert, Rick, A.Fault, Time2Ride, Chacal, Ritz, labelleb, MGM, and others

 

I don't want to steal Rick's thunder but Alternator Brushes should be in your list of tasks.

 

G,

The manual(haynes is what I have) covers all bikes. The factory manual is specific to YOUR bike. Kinda nice, my dog ate mine(literally)

From what I understand, the colortune works best WITHOUT an adapter. I think someone else, CHACAL, should comment though....

Dont worry, I WILL help you break in that Colortune

 

The quality helmet - gloves - shoes that cover the ankle, for riders who haven't been on a bike in a while, and a safety course.

Homemade Manometer and the tune-up skills

Lubricate all cables, lever pivots, take up some of that rear brake slack!
lube steering head bearing, or upgrade to tapered set-up.(Chacal-PM)

Balance your own tires at home.

Remove the WARNING bulb.

 

Also, get yourself some JIS style screwdrivers. I will make your life so much simpler:

HCP5904 JIS Standards SCREWDRIVER SET. Japanese phillips drive screws have sharper corners than regular phillips screwdrivers so they won't turn out under heavy torque. In order to take advantage of this feature, and to avoid stripping out the JIS screw heads by using US-standard phillips screwdrivers, it's a good idea to invest in a set of quality JIS-standard screwdrivers. This set of 4 contains one each of #1, #2, #3, and #4 sized-tip screwdrivers, and this range of sizes will handle everything down to an M3 sized screw (that's tiny, like the size of the petcock faceplate mounting screws) all the way up to screws bigger than anything I've seen used on these bikes. They all feature sturdy plastic handles, chrome plated steel shafts, and come in a handy vinyl storage pouch.
$ 34.00


Do not use the 14-to-12mm adapter if it can be avoided.....you'll get false readings, which defeats the purpose of using the colortune plug:

j5b) Colotune Spark Plug 14-to-12mm ADAPTER. Available for those who have bikes than use both 12mm and 14mm plugs, but only want to buy one Colortune Plug and use it on both engines. This adapter allows the use of a 14mm plug in a 12mm spark plug hole. NOTE: not for use on cylinders under 180cc displacement (720cc or smaller on a 4-cylinder motor) as the extra volume that this adapter increases the combustion chamber volume, which in turn decreases the effective compression ratio of the engine---thus resulting in an unreliable reading from the plug. Only really useful for XJ750-X owners, as they are the only XJ-series bikes that have 12mm plugs AND have a cylinder displacement greater than 180cc.

HCP6496 Colotune plug 14mm-to-12mm ADAPTER.
$ 16.95

 

Saddle up, then. Because the CenTex XJ family has another Colortune in hand. PM or email me to meet.

Chacal, thanks for your advice on the adapter. I asked in case it would be of wider use by my bike mechanic buddy, since I was heading over there today to talk him into a sharing deal.

Happy coincidence: when I got there he dug into a drawer, came up with a brand new 14mm Colortune in the box and said "here you go!" Seems another mechanic bought it for old multi-carb sports cars but gave it to my buddy unused. And his shop relies on vacuum gauges for carbs.

So we got a Colortune and I saved some bucks I can now use to get stuff. [What do I need next, Chacal?]

 

Oh, that's easy!: Everything!

Just be aware that the "older" automotive style colortunes had a problem when being used in bikes, due to the increased cylinder head temps on air-cooled bikes.....and if you leave those auto style colortunes in the head for too long, they "clear" window either goes opaque or cracks.

So, in-and-out quickly when using a colortune is hte name of the game, and let is cool down just a bit in-between cylinder tests.........

 

Thanks for the good advice, T2R.
Do you happen to know a link for tips on balancing?
Could you explain more re: the Warning bulb? I'm not clear on that.

walked into that one, didn't I? Oookay then,... could you tell me (PM?) the next few items on the Everything list? Inline filter is in.

 

New fuse holders are pretty much top of the list.

 

Replacing old 4 fuse block w/new blade fuse box, right? maybe 6 in case we ever want to add circuits?

There aren't any other fuse holders to worry about, are there?

 

Hey gcrick, well, like you said at the top, the three sorest spots on these bikes are:

- electrical system (meaning, upgrade the fusebox and check/replace the alternator brushes, clean and seal every last electrical connector/connection on the bike, a truly boring and tedious pain in the tailpipe, but, your life will be better and since it's a tedious kinda task, you can get as wasted as you like while doing it and still be pretty successful at the task. Just remember to disconnect the battery first!)

- fuel system (fix/rebuild the carbs, fix/rebuild the petcock, and install an inline fuel filter)

- oil system......not necessarily a problem, but the factory filter is small and a pain in the butt to get to.

- check and adjust your valve clearances!!!!!!!!

- upgrade the carb bowl drain screws to the allen-head style.

- owner's manuals are nice to have for basic info, such as how to operate the controls, etc....that type of "user instructions" are not found in the "service manuals".....such as, you are ALWAYS supposed to "push in" on the turn signal switch after it returns to its central position.....that releases the internal spring and prevents you from bending it, etc.


- But perhaps the most important things that an owner might want to have are the proper ways of THINKING about these older bikes:

a) So, for heavens sake, everyone, PLEASE get a factory or aftermarket service manual for your bike (or both) and I know that this is kinda of a heresay, but READ AND FOLLOW THE FACTORY RECOMMENDATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS. I realize that many people think that they know "better" than the company that designed, built, tested, and serviced the original bikes, but in most cases, following the factory advice and specs will put things exactly right. Once you have mastered the "factory way" of doing things, then sure, by all means you can use some tricks or shortcuts, but please try to learn and understand completely the "right" way to do things BEFORE you go to the "shortcut" methods!

b) Realize that while these bikes are quite reliable, that just because their selling prices are "inexpensive" compared to the prices of new bikes does NOT mean that parts or service work is also going to be cheap! The rule of thumb in the vehicle world is annual service and maintenance costs are 10-20% of the vehicle price, and that is based upon the price of a NEW vehicle. Just because these bikes are 20+ years old does not mean you get to figure the annual maintenance costs based on the "used" prices! A comprable brand new 2208 versions of an XJ650 Maxim is about a $7,000 - 9,000 dollar vehicle, and therefore, you can assume about a $800 - $1500 annual maintenance/service costs (you save the labor costs if you do-it-yourself), EVERY YEAR. In some cases the maintenance costs will be even greater, given the age and previous up-keep of the particular machine.

Failure to appreciate the reality of the above leads to incredible amounts of misunderstanding, neglect, and frustration, leading to ignoring the service or taking shortcuts, which starts the neglect>frustration cycle all over again..........

 

Correct!

Much better choice. Especially if you want to get the most out of your stock or upgraded headlight, which means you need to add a set of headlight relays, the stock tiny wiring just barely cuts it on the stock haedlight, and certainly doesn't cut it for upgraded light.

Oh yes there are, depending on the model:

XJ700 and XJ1100 models use a small, inline glass fuse holder for the MAIN bike fuse.

XJ650 Turbo, XJ750 Seca, and XJ750J (1982) models all use a 5A glass fuse inside a in-line fuse holder, up by the gauges area, for the computer dashboard system.

 

I picked up some extra front lights. Set of 50 watt halogen round lights from Walmart for 29.99. Got "wire cables" with rubber backs from Home Depot for 1.25. Basically a metal saddle clamp with rubber that I can lock down and then bolt the lights right into. I'm still wiring them up but I'll post a picture when Im done. Not really necessary but the more light out in front the better I think.

 

Balance tires- - remove axle then tire/rim. Get 2 cinder blocks, or 2 steel chairs, put axle back in, place between blocks, wiggle the axle a little. The heavy part goes down. Now go out and buy some weights.

WARNING light- - If you don't know what this is, you're lucky!
Apparently someone thought it would be cool to monitor the battery condition with a probe (that dissolves, maybe shortening battery life?)as well as other functions, and relentlessly flashes unless everything is perfect.

Also those new to XJ ' s need a list of "THINGS NOT TO DO"
middle gear drain plug- - don't go there!
don't weld on the bike without the necessary precautions
don't put "energy saving" motor oil in- ruins the clutch
don't just pull all the plug boots, then crank the engine, this could damage the coils, sometimes.
don't use resistor type plugs
don't crank it If you have a leaky fuel valve, carbs or lines, and they are dripping on your Alternator, Starter and Exhaust. (fire!)
don't do handlebar tassles or ride a dude.

I'm sure there's lots more. . .

 

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By far the most important of all.......

 

An Automotive Style Electrical Test Light.
A MutiMeter
A Compression Tester
A Blowby Tester
2 Hardwood Hammer Handles for Prying Carbs and Applying Impact
A RubberMaid Kitty Litter Box
A Grill from a Toaster Oven (Carbs)
Rubber Eye and Ear Syringe
A length of fiberglass driveway marker (YICS and Probing)
A Good Torque wrench
A Craftsman Hand-held Impact Driver 1/2" Drive
A bag of long, white Pipe Cleaners (Carbs and Detailing)
A medium sized funnel
3 feet of 1/4" Vinyl Hose
A One-Man Brake Bleeder

and ...

A long "Snake" retriever
A long Magnetic Probe

Portable Electric Compressor

 

gcrick I see you're in Austin. If you ever get up to North Dallas for something drop me a note. We can talk bikes over a beer

 

Sounds good! lived up there a couple of years during school (if you call South Oak Cliff living) married girl from Farmer's Branch.

Wonder if we're getting enough Texans to start an informal XJ Texas chapter? Maybe all meet in Waco?... ride our bikes inside the Ranger Museum?... meet a nice Waco bail bondsman? ...or maybe not.

Where you mounting the new lights on your bike?

 

I have no clue how hard it would be to remove the bulb, but i just hotwired mine. Sensor wire to a hot source cured the warning light.

Don't EVEN wanna ask! 8O
:lol: but ditto on both!

 

You guys should make plans to attend our N TX Carb Clinic when the time comes. Last year it was in September, it would be nice to have it earlier in the year so we all can get our bikes tuned up for the full riding season.