81 xj550 project

My favorite show! I pity the fool......

 

Doesn't beat MacGyver though...

 

Dood! A-team created stuff out of found scraps and the BA van that would put MacG to shame! His mullet didn't need any help with shame, though... how'd that stand the test of time as compared to Mr T's beard-hawk? I rocked that look a few years back. Ladies loved it, the teen gangs in the 'hood were terrified of me... Great success!
When I has a kid, I always wanted to be BA, but my friends made me be Murdoc (for some reason!). Ieven had the Mr T action figure, but they made me pretend it was "Howlin Mad" Murdoc. what's up with that?
MattV
Still crazy after all these years

 

The invisible dog is what sold me.

 

Slow progress but wiring is sorted. Just need to tidy up and run one or two new wires.
It would have been easier to do it from scratch instead of removing stuff from original loom. But at least I learned a few things about what each relay is and does.

Hopefully next week I can finish up this chapter..

 

like this build....certainly more organized than mine

 

Slowly...
Still waiting on new light/horn control switch and need to figure out wiring of the engine cut off switch. Replacement has different connector and colors

 

The headers of the exhaust, there is a long and a slightly shorter one on each side. Which one is the outside?
I believe the longer one?

 

#1 and #4 are the longer ones.

Also not the orientation of the exhaust probe bolt (which is almost always rusted shut and will probably break if you actually tried to remove it) at the bottom if each pipe... They go on the inside, toward the oil filter cover.

Also, if you have clean original pipes, the part number is stamped in them near the bottom followed by: -1, -2, -3, -4 respectively.

 

Thanks Dave. Took a pic before I disassembled and am good with the little screws' orientation. Didn't break and came off nicely.
Good to know about the numbers on each pipe. Never checked.

 

Exhaust on, still need to attach brackets after the paint is dry. They are original, just took a good cleaning with 000 steel wool. Still need to clean muffler insides

 

Wooooooo, clean.

 

Didn't work for headers, unfortunately. Will replace them at some point. For now I wrapped them. But it should work nicely with the color of tank.

 

Time to think about tail light and turns soon. No idea yet which way to go. Same for license plate.
License plate: either swing arm attachment or fender like above the rear wheel.
Turns and tail light: either integrated led strip (turns and tail/brake light) under hoop or tail light on swing arm license plate holder and turns somewhere else.
Still need to find someone the upholstery my seat...

 

for your seat there was a thread a few months ago a guy was making and selling seat covers for 28.95 on the ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-XJ55...er-/321108655445?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

if you are not looking for a stock style maybe he will do custom

 

Thanks.
I will try the upholstery in my neighborhood again first. I spoke to him before but he didn't want to do fiber glass seat pan as he staples into wood only.
was thinking that I could have him make the seat but not attach it to pan. Just leave extra leather/vinyl as overlap. I could do that myself using snap ons or glue.

 

Or get an air compressor powered stapler to do it yourself. Glue first to keep out the wrinkles, and pull it tight. Then staple.

 

Staple fiber glass? That's not going to crack?

 

Oops! I missed the fiber glass part. Thought you were gonna re-work the original seat pan and re cover it. Sorry!

 

No worries.
I decided to rewire everything from scratch first, seat has to wait. Besides, my tank is still not back and I need it to double check my seating position. The seat will have a small hump in the back, so I want to make sure all is good before I have it done.
feels like I am so close but then again, still a lot to do. At least I put the brackets for the exhaust back on.

 

Fiberglass can be stapled. It won't crack unless you use a really shitty resin or make the seatpan too thin.

 

since i am doing my wiring all over again, i figured i come up with something that would tidy up the connector mess i had in my battery box.
et viola... a home depot flash light turned connector hide-away box. just needs a few coats of spray paint and a lid.

 

Great build. Especially for being on a budget. Following.

 

Not really a budget build I am afraid. Replacing most of the parts etc. I will list every single item when done.

And btw, it is "et voila". Et Viola is a joke my dad used to make when I was younger. Viola is a girl's name. Anyway...

 

Just realized that I still need to figure out where to install the ignition...
Don't want to put it where the horn is though.

I have the original replacement t but think there are smaller options out there. Will stop at auto parts tomorrow and see if they have anything. If not, online order

 

Found a small one at dime city. Yay.

 

Decided to put ignition in that little triangle in front of the horn. The tiny ignition came in.



I also decided to go with a new LED tail/brake/turn strip for back. Here the bracket am working on:


Still fighting with wiring but have everything laid out and working, just need to redo it nicely.

 

well, after looking at the bike again, i decided to scrap the little container box. nobody will see wires anyway because of the rear fender and the side covers.
i am also no longer sure about the contraption i build for the tail light LED.

The tiny ignition is installed but i had to relocate the horn. it is now above the carbs.

 

All the road detritus, spray, bugs... Etc---- will blow right into your ignition switch.

Make some type of hinged, and sprung, cap for it to both protect it and hide the key.

Also, attach a lanyard of some sort just as a safety in case the key should vibrate loose and fall out. Don't tell me it can't come out when it's switched on-- I seen/had enough that the key slide right out with the bike running.

Dave F

 

Tank and headlight bucket finally came back today.
Still need to finalize wiring before I put on the tank and take pics. But it's a beauty. You won't be disappointed.
Just wish I had the seat done or at least in the making. Need to take care of that tomorrow.

 

Wiring is done. Here the fuse box.



Tank and headlight are on. I will have to adjust the clipons a little. They are not touching but close.
I am not too happy about the headlight bucket. I should have gone with black. Thinking about having it repainted.

 

Also need to add the badges on the tank again. I will have to come up with a name and have it made.

 

Wait until you have the bike complete before repainting the headlight bucket. I think it looks good. Maybe think about an accent stripe to help visualy shorten the length of the bucket.

 

Yeah. Tank badge will break it up, maybe different fork ears/clamps. The nice ones are too skinny. Not important. Have other stuff on my list first.

 

I think I'll try a shorter/not as deep headlamp tomorrow but would need to find a new place for speedo/replace the existing one.
The blacked out bike makes it look bulky and the long headlight doesnt work anymore. Didn't appear like that when it was a rolling frame with less black.
Also need to install front turns. Wires are already there and working.
non-wrapped headers would look nice but not spending money on that right now. Already too deep in.

 

I just realized why I don't like the look of the long headlamp bucket: the new brackets move it farther away from bike. Swapping back to the other ones, the ones I had in my test setup, pics on one of the previous pages.

 

finished up most of it yesterday. last parts are ordered (fuel shutoff, tach plug, front and rear brake switch). after that, only thing left is the seat, building a license plate holder and connecting the tail/brake/rear turns. oh, and putting the chain on, which i have never installed before.
i was wondering about the front brake switch: while i am waiting for the actual connector, i attached the wires to the pins and the brake light came on. now, that is a good sign i guess, but the light was on no matter if i applied the brake or not. my thinking is that it should only come on when that little piston is actually pushed in, no?
or did it not work properly because i hooked up the wires straight to the pins and the actual switch would take care of the correct behavior? just curious.

 

I don't have an answer to your question but I wanted to compliment you on your build.
Been following Since I joined this forum and I'm very impressed with your work and your descriptive posts.
I'm very excited for you and to see your finished product.
-EM

 

Thanks EM. Glad you like it. Yes, so far it came out nice.
Reading my previous post again, I think I actually just found the answer. I think the trigger has nothing to do with the piston but with that little push in button which is facing forward. If the brake is applied, the lever no longer pushes it in and the light come on.
when I tested last night, I did so without the lever installed and completely ignored it. This meant the button was always in the "on" position. I will try again and this time press it in. That should turn it off.

 

Changed headlamp bracket which brings the assembly closer to bike. Much better...
I also put on flush turns for now, might swap them at a later point.

 

Looks better; not that it was bad before.

 

License plate holder using left passenger foot peg hole. Still need to clean up and drill additional holes to attach a plate which will hold the license plate.

 

Finally figured out the seat. An upholstery in my neighborhood will do it. Advantage is that the guy is a rider himself and gives me a really good deal because of that. Only thing, he only staples into wood. A trip to a local lumber store and getting advice there, I ended up with somewhat flexible sheets that have a layer of plastic inside. Forgot what it is called.
I glued two sheets together and will attach it to the fiberglass pan I already have.

Here it is after being clamped to the fiberglass seat pan over night.

 

Now that everthing is in place, I realized that my "ingenious" way of attaching the seat no longer works. I was going to bolt on the seat from underneath. But now that the airfilter box and that tray are in, I no longer have access. D'oh.
I guess it is back to the drawing board. The rear attachment still works though.

 

I sprayed it black after I took pics

 

Last pic before seat pan goes to upholstery and me on vacation.
Was hoping to get the bike ready before I leave. Plan was to take it with me. Instead, my MV will come. Looking forward to stopping by at Dave's (I vacation in his area) and check out his bikes.

Bottom of seat pan is now wood. I grinded off the bolts as much as I could after pic was taken.
Len did an awesome job again in getting me parts super quick. Now i have the rear brake switch and cap for missing tach. I also ordered nicer front turns and petcock. Last missing parts should come in today. Bike should only require another hour or two after my vacation before she is done.

 

Pretty and should work well with bike.
Much better than the flush turns I have at the moment

 

Well, back from vacation. Had the pleasure to meet Dave and get a tour of his bikes. It was great.
Also picked up a few bikes that I found on CL while on vacation: 85 Kawa GPZ, 79 honda CB750K, two Kawa KZ 650, both year 78 if I remember correctly.
Honda ran before disassembly and is in boxes now, PO bought new seat and had carbs done. They look like new. GPZ runs but turn signals don't flash-should be easy fix. Both KZ are complete, one bare to frame, all parts in boxes, the other one (in pic) had plastics, seat etc removed for transport. Not sure what it takes to get them running. I'll find out, or whoever buys them.

 

My seat came back and it didn't turn out the way I had envisioned it. Not at all. I thought my instructions were clear, I guess not.
I now decided to build my own tail and little hump out of metal. Not the way I wanted to go but it will work better with the overall appearance.

I finally managed to work on the front brake. It got a new paint job and is ready for reassembly. Thanks to Moe and Dave for the grease gun tip. Worked well and the piston popped right out without turning into a projectile and killing me. Bike bandit sells custom brake line lengths, I just received mine.

I am still struggling with the brake lever. I have shorty levers but on that side and even after modifications, the lever sits too close to the grip.

Next up is the clutch plate replacement, putting the chain back on and bleeding of the brake. I have never done the latter two things so this should get interesting. Hopefully I can fire her up and take her around the block for the first time soon.

I also need to shorten the speedo cable. A kit is on its way.