1982 XJ650RJ Seca Build

Why not the fenders and tank? then the carb hats will match.

 

It was. Looking good.

Aren't you at least halfway close to some sort of minor "metropolis?" Find an industrial powdercoater; one that has all the equipment to do it right. If you can't I'm sure my guy (out by Metro Airport outside Detroit) would do stuff you shipped to him. I'd rather pay him $9 each to do carb hats than invest in a bunch of limited-use equipment. Powder coating is great, but has its limitations; it all depends on where you use it. It can and will chip/ding; and the only fix is to re-bake.

 

I'm going to paint and clear the hats with the paint and clear (fuel safe) that I'm going to use, since they are small and I'll have plenty.

If the paint doesn't work for me I'll look into getting them powder coated. Would also like to either:

A, find a decent set of chromed headers, or B, get these powdered.

PO decided these needed to be flat black engine spray.

 

Mine (headers on the 650) are way too rusted to save; I'm planning Jet-Hot coating for those (the high temp version of powder-coating.) The finishes available in Jet-Hot just keep getting better and better.

I did powder coating on the carb hats, rear brake backing plate and lever, and luggage rack on the 550. In hindsight, I probably should have painted the luggage rack; powder coat isn't all that "rugged." For the other items, it's great.

 

+1 for powder coating carb hats.

Had mine done a silver/gunmetal colour at back end of 2008 - still look as good as new (and they were rusty as hell).

Nige

 

tskaz- this is exactly what i have been working on. I have an 82 with 5600 miles that needs the same treatment ( with the orig headlight) . I have rebuilt the carbs but thats about it. Needs to be tuned since it seems to be running rich it 2 of the 4. But needs paint seat redone etc... plus i have no title and have to deal with the state on that one. But... bought it for 330.00. Ill be following your progress so keep us updated. Thanks!

 

Been a busy boy, making parts lists for chacal, sanding, priming, sanding, painting, sanding.....AAAARRRGGGGG! I would have become a professional body repair guy if it weren't for all the damn sanding you have to do.

Remember the tank with the 2.5" dent that was 1/2" deep?



Well, finally got that all taken care of, along with 3 coats of primer



Got some more brushes for the Dremel as well as a few more cans of brake parts cleaner



So now the brakes will be waiting for a couple weeks until I can order the parts from Len (hope you're ready for a BIG order)



I really wish I would have had a helper on the calipers, just to take pics. There was a lot of rust and water in this system for the lines being as new as they were. Can't wait to get this thing going so I can make it stop. Should stop on a quarter after a complete rebuild with stainless lines.

Oh, would you like a peek at the new color?

Well, would you?

If so, keep going....















TADA!



This is after 6 coats, with no clear on it yet.

Stay tuned for some more fun next week
Same Bat-time
Same Bat-channel

 

love the colour!

 

Been busy sanding and painting for a couple weeks. Have I mentioned that I despise sanding?

In between coats I had been looking for some new(er) gauges.

These kinda suck



Snagged a set off fleabay for a '78 750 Yammie for ten bucks.

Then the surgery started

New speedo is on the right... 85MPH will be gone shortly!



New tach (with glass that I broke last summer) on the right. Nice and bright compared to the old one.



Time for a drink in the middle of surgery so I snapped a quick pic of the workbench. Yeah, it's under there somewhere.



And time for a beer well deserved. Install completed!



The new speedo has 22,000 on the clock. I haven't decided if I want to chance breaking the glass to get at the guts to reset the mileage. If I do I want to reset to 0 so the 650R can start it's life anew.

The tach has non-working high beam and neutral lights, which doesn't bother me. But there are two holes at the top for white light, so after checking them with a multi-meter and a battery, I spliced two into the old harness. Should be easier to see the tach at night now.

 

And here's the work I've done on the tins so far. Tank isn't cleared yet, so those pics will be posted in about a week.

Front fender



Oops. I forgot to wipe the dust off before I snapped the pic


Rear



Sidecover

 

Lookin good. I hope to be hearing more good news tomorrow.

Ghost

 

Got a package from Len today.

Carbs almost done, cables replaced, MC sight glass in, calipers done.

Tomorrow will be the new brake lines, finish carbs, install calipers and pads, change valve shims, bench sync and float height.

Then I just have to wait on tires and clear coating the tank.

More pics tomorrow.

 

Well, I planned on having more pics, and I will...as soon as I can find where the camera went.

Got valves in spec, took two days but finally got the damn intake on 4 out.

Oil changed and new brake pads installed. Decided to wait for tires to arrive before I do the brake lines.

Got all the bolts in the carbs replaced with allen heads.

Cable lube tool arrived today along with the new rear shoes.

Should be able to do a running sync and colortune in a couple weeks, then it's time for a ride.....of course that means it will probably snow in two weeks.


EDIT:::: Of course it snowed

 

I did think that list was optimistic, tskas.

 

What better reason to get up at 5am to go to the in-law's than to use the workshop as a spray booth?

Front fender, 3 coats of clear





Tank after 3 coats of clear





Sorry about the size of the pics, still haven't found the camera so I had to snap these with my phone.

Will post better pics after the tank is wet sanded and re-coated and buffed.

 

Lookin real good tskaz - are you gunning the red or rattle can? Reading your thread, seems like 3 coats of red and then the decals followed by clearcoat? I'm at stage 1 or 2 with the 4-1 fixed and blacked and just starting to get rid of the PO's "cherry red"....:



more sanding / bondo / primer etc

 

Thanks Yam.

Using rattle cans of Duplicolor Torch Red (late 90's Corvette color match) and Spray Max 2K clear coat, which I can now HIGHLY recommend for clear coat (Petrol safe too!)

I actually did more coats, just that I sprayed 3 coats before the first wet-sand.

The order I did was:

bondo, 80 grit, bondo, 120 grit, spot putty, 150 grit, spot putty 220 grit,

Primer, 400 wet, primer, 800 wet

Color, color, color, 400 wet, color, 800 wet, color, 1000 wet, color, 2000 wet

EDIT::: Forgot to add that the decals go on HERE. OOPS!

clear, clear, clear, 2000 wet

still to do: rubbing compound, then polishing compound. Hand buffed with microfiber detailing towels.

I'll have good pics of the final result up tomorrow. Have to wait about a week to see them on the bike though, bench sync and wet-set carbs today.

Hope to have it 100% synced, tuned, and on the road (snow permitting) within two weeks so I don't have to listen to the wife gripe about her kitchen counter being "full of those damned motorcycle parts!" LOL

 

Yep that's a few cans right there + a bucket of elbow grease! Lookin forward to those pics......wife really likes the red [I was planning gunmetal grey]...may yet go with the grey as the 4-1 is matt black...keeps the bike understated...also lookin for chrome colored vinyl decals....also have a long list for Ken that I need to send off....Snow will still be around for a couple of months...

 

On Ebay, look up the seller advantage-design.

I have ordered decals from a few different places and ended up going with his decals for the entire bike. He has different sizes and colors, including chrome and reflective. Ships fast, ships worldwide.

And if you need something custom, like I did for my sidecovers (pics coming soon), he is reasonable price and fast shipping.

 

All painting is done. These are what the tins look like after hand buffing with the rubbing compound. The color didn't come out exactly as I had imagined, but it's pretty close.



These are the custom decals I had made for the side covers



Crappy lighting in the kitchen doesn't do the paint justice. I might go back to the in-laws with the tank just to get a couple of good pics for my file.


.........and now for other news.........


Got the bench sync and wet-set done on the carbs. They are ready to go back on the bike tomorrow.

The tires came UPS Friday, so now I can Tear the front end apart, change the tire, add the calipers, and re-assemble with the new stainless lines.

Then it will be time to turn the bike around, can't get to the back-side while it's in the shed, pull the back apart and re-do that tire, add my new shocks (that haven't arrived yet), and install the new rear shoes.

Then it's just rebuild the gas cap and petcock, then get her running.

 

Looks good +++ ....thanks for decal info.....cold ++ up here with wind chills running -30 to -40C.......no painting til April.....by the way tskaz, does the misses complain about the poor lights as well? On the do list..enjoy...

Dave

 

Real nice work! Looks great!

 

Rebuilt calipers? - installed
Polish front forks? - done
New RED sheathed stainless lines? - installed....kinda.

The MC to Distribution block line is a little.....lacking in length.

Good excuse to buy the new euro bars I wanted.

Pics tomorrow when I have some daylight.

 

Looking pretty darn nice there TsKaz. Your paint job on the tank and side panels is probably going to look pretty much like new when you get them back on the bike. Wish I was as far along as you are on mine. Here I am still working on re-modeling the shop-fun, fun, fun)($)#()$#) grunt007, 81'Yamaha 750 Seca R. Mi.

 

great job!!! looking awesome!!

 

Got the handlebars in the mail today, didn't expect them until Tuesday. BONUS!

So I got the front end buttoned up today.

New bars, the MC fits now, but I should have went with 26" instead of 29". But they'll work for now.



Left side, showing the new stainless lines in red sheathing.




And the right side front. New Shinko 712, calipers painted, lines installed and brakes bleed in 15 minutes, forks polished and buffed. Oh, and the road rash on the forks... not my fault.



I'll have some touch-up on the paint to do this summer.

Now on to the rear.

 

Hey TsKaz, looking pretty good there. I still like the polished lower forks better than the black painted ones like mine. It sort of looks like you have a round cromed headlight bucket also. I have the black rectangle one on my Seca and I personally thought that SUCKED FROM THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT ON MY SECA. I also notice the round faced Tach and Speedo. They look much better also-were they stock that way??? That brake caliber you have on there, how much better does that make the braking??? grunt 007, 81' XJ Seca 750 R, Mi.

 

Thanks Grunt. The 650R Seca came stock with round gauges and headlight, although the original was an 8", and the one I have on there now is a 7" unit from an XJ550 Maxim.

The gauge housings are the stock cans, with internals replaced by units from a 1978 XS750. They were much nicer looking than my sun-faded, 85MPH stockers.

I'm still waiting to rebuild the petcock so I haven't had her running yet, but the feel of the lever just moving her around in the shed so I can get to the rear I could tell a night and day difference in the front brake.

 

Rear fender is off.

Rear shocks replaced with slightly used 12.5" units from a Harley-Davidson.

Tomorrow morning the rear wheel, gear housing, and brake backing plate will come off for another round of polishing.

 

Looking great... (Looks cold there)

 

Cold? Are you kidding? I was working with the doors open and wasn't even wearing a coat. LOL

Today however, yes it's damn cold. Especially at 6am. But I got the rear wheel inside, so I'll be working in the warm today.

 

Stay thristy my friend...

that'll keep you warm and motivated...

Keep posting pics, looks great

 

Got some polishing done. Having a heck of a time with the gear housing though. That might take a couple days.



If you would like to see the warning on the rear fender......PARENTAL ADVISORY: Explicit Language

 

Yeah the gear housing is a pain in the ass to polish. If I had to do it again I wouldn't.

 

Well the Seca is nearly done.

List of to-do's is very short.

Rebuild petcock, fuel and vacuum lines, fill with fuel, install battery, new plugs, running sync, colortune, hook up front signals, test ride.

Here are some pics, although the tank is back off the bike so it doesn't draw condensation outside.
















































Will also be getting some black tank seam edging, new footpeg rubbers, new brake and clutch levers, and new fuse block to clean that area up. The inline fuses don't look very clean.

 

I was also just informed that my birthday is coming early this year. The wife decided I needed a new lid, so I'll have a Bell Revolver flip-up on the way.

 

Looks real nice! We just got buried by a foot or so of snow.....had to retreat to the cave....escaping Oscar ........

Dave C

 

I haven't seen a foot of snow all year, unusual for Michigan.

 

I got a package from Len yesterday, proving once again that he is the man. The package was here 53 hours after I sent payment.

Included in the package was:

Deluxe petcock rebuild kit
Front footpeg rubbers
14mm colortune
Ball valve for the gas cap


After installing the ball valve in the gas cap and the rebuild kit for the petcock it was time to get some fuel and ATF and go to work.

The homemade manometer worked brilliantly, as did the colortune plug.

It started on the fifth try. After letting it warm up a bit I shut it down to check the oil level, look underneath for any leaks I didn't notice when it was running, and hook up the sync gauge.

After syncing it was running quite poorly. I went through the colortune on one through four. Runs perfectly now....almost.

The problem I am having is that after the sync and colortune the bike is idling around 1400RPMs. The problem with that is after adjusting the idle during the sync my idle screw no longer touches, so no amount of backing it out will make the idle drop.

The idle isn't erratic, blip of the throttle brings it immediately back to 1400, I just couldn't get it figured before I lost daylight yesterday.

I'm going to do another round of sync/colortune today, but if anyone has suggestions of what else to look for, I'd appreciate the advice.

What I have done:
Valves in spec
Carbs 110% cleaned
New gaskets
New o-rings
New seals
Clunk test
Float heights set wet
Bench sync with business card strips
Manifolds all good
needles, seats, floats all good

 

My guesses FWIW:

If the shaft seals are replaced and oriented correctly, then I might guess on the butterflys ...When the butterfly-valve covers are repositioned in the throats, of course they need to face the right way (they are beveled), and it is easy to not "center" them leaving too large an air gap either all 'round or off-to-one side

OR

The boot(s) could have a leak

 

butterflies all installed correctly, checked each one three times before i loctited the screws in.

No leaks, checked with ether on first start up and again after the colortune

 

Shaft seals facing right way? Also ensure all 4 enrichment plungers are "seated" when "unchoked" and that none are "hanging" up even a small amount release choke handle on the bar then duck under take a screw driver see if any can be depressed further til fully seated all 4 have to fully let go and seat

Ummm that's all I got right now

 

Got the high idle sorted out. Somehow I squished/cut two of the seals when I installed them. So I'll be ordering an entire set and inspecting them again. Full set in case I need them. Spares if I don't.

And going to buy a propane torch, the starting fluid didn't detect the leaks.

 

Good news!! Progress!! Sometimes it's two steps forward - one back -

Good job

 

Another spot to check for vaccum leaks is the small plug caps on the vaccum ports of the intake boots.

For the price. If they are even slightly aged. You should replace with fresh new caps.

Ghost

 

I see your a testor model paint fan too lol - the silver is perfect on the front forks and handlebar plastic YAMAHA logos - unlike most paint it dries without many brush streaks and the gold is the same on the side cover, tank emblems and speedo tach cover SECA logo - I have one of the original crash / engine bars and a friend with a fabrication company is making me up the mirror image for the other side - that reminds me " when the h%$%$$ is he going to tell me it's ready for p/u lol - got the same problem with the cold north of Toronto - been picking up parts over the winter but just can't bring myself to freeze out in the garage - must be an age thing - thanks again for your help with the decals

 

i noticed you recovered your seat. was it difficult. miners pretty tattered and torn and needs it as well.

 

Actually, I haven't done that yet. The current seat was work of a PO. But they didn't replace the foam, only the vinyl. I'll be doing the seat sometime this summer.

The hardest part about the seat is getting the foam cut to shape.

You use a harder foam for the base, then cut to shape.

Once you have it cut to shape you glue a softer foam on top, and trim that.

Then it's just a matter of replacing the vinyl. The hardest part about that is getting the fabric tucked and rolled the right way, then you just use hot glue and some staples to finish it off.

 

i have seen those replacement covers are they ok? And do you get the foam from an upolstery shop?

 

The vinyl on mine is decent, I will be using something a little thicker though.

And yes, the foam needs to be upholstery foam, if you have a shop near you they may even have a remnant that they will sell you at a very good price.