81 Seca 550 0m the paddock again.

Well after almost 30 years I have a 550 Seca once again. I had one back in the days when I was in college and working at a Yamaha dealership. A complete restoration is planned.

a survivor with only a few mods and 12K miles.

 

SUHWEET.

I love mine:


(Daily Rider)



(Weekender, backroad blaster)

 

I am truly envious of your bikes. They are calendar material for sure!

 

Very nice bikes!

 

nice bike OP. are you restoring internal issues? because the aesthetics look great in that picture!

 

The picture is deceiving. The tank has some small dents and scratches. On the mechanical side, front caliper needs attention and I want to replace the K&N set up and exhaust with OEM parts. I took her for a ride wearing full gear and was about 2 miles from the house when the front caliper started locking up. I have forgotten how much these bikes like to rev. The last time I rode a Seca my gear would have consisted of a helmet, gloves and a Members Only jacket. No mesh in those days.

 

You need to check the rear brake right away, too: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

That front brake will need more than attention to the caliper; new lines are in order (4-year recommended life span) and you really should replace all the rubber parts in the system which means caliper and master cylinder rebuilds. Not difficult, just a PIA.

Pulling together a stock exhaust system will be a challenge, but it can be done. (I did it twice.) My white bike came with a rusty Kerker 4-1, the black one had a stock system but it was pretty well mangled except the collector.

 

Thanks for the info. This is my first vintage bike restoration. The front brake did feel real spongy, brake line I'm sure. I may stay with a 4 into 1 exhaust, I had a chrome kerker on my first Seca.

 

Just take your time and be thorough; I use the "maintenance" section in the service manual as my flowchart. Go through that procedure by procedure, and don't skip any. Along the way, clean, refurbish, renew or replace any part you discover to be unserviceable.

The more careful and thorough you are, the less "trouble" you'll have with the bike once you put it into service. You will have to attend to it all; whether you do it on your schedule or the bike's is up to you. You might want to read through this: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html lots of good stuff in there.

You'll have a lot of neglect to reverse; plan on replacing pretty much any gasket you replace, at least the first time.

Oh, and save yourself one "oh what now!" Replace the tach drive oil seals-- both of my Secas had theirs fail shortly after being put back into service, despite a 12K mileage difference between the bikes. Not in the book, take a look: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=19538.html

Other how-to's you might like: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=25058.html

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14948.html

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15303.html

I love the 550 Seca. Let me know if you need anything.

 

Welcome. Love mine too.
before

after


Geting the red off the rims at the moment.

 

What paint are you guys using on the exhaust?

 

30 years ago I too worked at a Yamaha dealership. A white 550 came in that had thrown a drive chain through the crankcases under warranty.
I got Yamaha to approve the claim and I was the one to fix the bike. I'm sure it was the customers fault but I couldn't proove it.
Yamaha's quality was far superior to any other brand.
Same in the watercraft industry I've been involved with since the late 80s.
I love my mid life current seca.

 

Pazalas; I do believe we have the same luggage rack.

 

Yeah! I haven't seen too many of the racks, thought mine was a one off till I saw yours. Can't live without it. Think someone picked it up by the rack. looks bent compared to yours fitz. The paint on my muffler was some old VHT hightemp black I had. The rest is wrap. Anyone know where the aluminum Rear brake brace came from on mine by chance?

 

Rear brake torque arm looks like it could be home-made, or it could have come off almost anything. It's a pretty simple part, a bar with a hole in each end, and exact length isn't even that critical.

The rack is a GSM "SportRack" from back in the day. GSM is still in business, but not in the motorcycle rack business any more. I found mine on eBay; and it took a while. There WAS a "Yamaha Factory Official" luggage rack, but those are scarcer yet. It actually fit directly to the rear mounts, not needing the "link" thing like the GSM.

Hang onto it, they're rare.