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81 xj550 project

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by saftie, Mar 29, 2015.

  1. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    :)
     
  2. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    With charged battery and some throttle, the bike started up without issues.
    Too cold right now to pull carbs, I'll do it later today.
    The engine sounds so much better after the cam chain tensioner reset. Yay.
    Next is setting the floats to get rid of the flooding and to prepare for sync.

     
  3. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Spent some time last weekend fiddling with the floats. Worst ever. I managed to bring the fuel level down and get rid of the flodding, but it is not yet quite within specs. And talking to hogfiddles, I decided to do it again and change my approach.

    Anyway, I will put the clutch cable on today and hopefully take her around the block for a minute or two.

    In the meantime, I created a slideshow video of the entire project. Enjoy...

     
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  4. rocs82650

    rocs82650 Well-Known Member

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    Very nice craftsmanship saftie. This forum just keeps on doing it. It's second to none for restoring/moding these every day classic street bikes.

    Gary H.
     
  5. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Thanks Gary.
    Been a long road and still not done...
    It's always the small things now that keep me from finally riding it...
     
  6. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Spent some time today hoping I could ride, but no luck.
    I think the bike is running way too lean. Takes 5 min to idle on its own and stalls quite a lot when giving it throttle. If it doesn't stall, there is a lag. Managed to go up and down the alley, but throttle was very uneven.
    Runs well with choke. I'm no expert but from what I read over last few days, it's because opening the choke makes it run richer, correct?
    So anyway, I'll have to pull carbs again and adjust float height. I know it's too low.
    Bike shifts through all gears nicely. At least one good thing.

    Oh, and I have a small leak from the petcock. It's new and seal is new as well, but I still get a few drops where it sits on the tank. Aaaaand, it's slowly eating the paintjob. Only underneath, so no big deal yet. But still. Grrrrrr....
     
  7. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Btw, I ordered a colortune kit. Since i have another project bike sitting in garage, i will get good use out of it.
    I will test the kit first before taking carbs off. This should give me a nice "before and after".
     
  8. rocs82650

    rocs82650 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, opening the choke makes it richer. Yamaha was very methodical when they designed these engines. Certain parts and components must be within spec to have any chance of a properly running engine. Float heights is one of them. Are the air jets correctly located?

    Gary H.
     
  9. Alan63

    Alan63 Active Member

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    Very nice work , and vey stylish , I am becoming quite proud of the work some of the members of this site are doing ,
    Keep up the good work!!
    Alan
     
  10. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    As I cannot see an issue with the petcock seal (new and seated perfectly) or any roughness on tank surface, I decided to take the easy route (at least for now) and applied fuel resistant silicone/sealant. I hope this helps stop the leaking.
    I'll have my answer in a few days when everything is cured and I have time to work on bike again.
     
  11. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Have you inspected the tank to rule out a pinhole in the tank?
     
  12. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    That's what I thought at first too but the area where the leak happens seems solid
     
  13. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Actually... I think you might be right and I must have missed it. Just checked the pic that I too and there appears to be a tiny hole.
    Never noticed before.
     
  14. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Bottom left. No idea how I missed that.
    Poop. Another item on my list.

    [​IMG]
     
  15. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Glad that you found it. Those can be really difficult to trace. Gas can run to that point form much further away.
     
  16. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I am really grateful for the tip. I would have never thought to look for that and it would have driven me insane. It never formed a drop. I checked that area three times looking for some sort of drop formation.
    Next question is how to fix it.
     
  17. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    My prefrence with that small of a hole is to braze it shut, but you have some nice new paint there and that may be a problem if you don't have a pencil-tip torch and good heat control. Loctite and Permatex both make a fuelproof two-part epoxy that should fit the bill.
    The only other method I can think of is to fill it with plumbing solder, and in that case you can use a high-watttage electric soldering iron, or heat up a peice of stock with a torch. The soldering takes some skill though, and just as much prep work as the other two methods.

    Now, for the real issue. How rusted is the inside of the tank? It may be worth your while to just line the tank as a preventative measure. Caswell sells a fantastic kit for just such a situation, but it is the more costly solution.
     
  18. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Great, thanks.
    Another thing learned for next time.
    Category "things to check"

    Just saw the last part. Tank has liner in it from previous owner. And from what I can see, it looked good. But then again, I can only see so much when looking through the gas cap. Didn't think of using any dentist mirrors.

    I will look into caswell but I would prefer not to line. I did it once and the result was not that great. I remember it was red stuff which colored the fuel.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2016
  19. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Dropped off my carbs to get the float height set. I figured it would be easier and better for my health. They are ready for pickup.
    I also ordered new bolts for the airbox/intake clamps. The old ones were worn out.
    Weather for the long weekend looks promising too.
    Fingers crossed...
     
  20. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Confirm the fuel levels when you pick up. Ask if they wet-set or dry-set the floats. Dry set gets you close; wet-set is the standard called for.
     
  21. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Will do. It sounded like he wet set them because he noticed one needle had some play and gas was leaking. It is fixed now.
    There was some background noise so I did not hear the details. I will ask him tomorrow when I pick them up.
     
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  22. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Hello,

    So, carbs are back in bike. Haven't started it yet, it's too early in the morning and I don't want to wake anyone up.
    Apparently I have another leak in the tank. I jacked up the end where the petcock sits to leat the sealant cure. Had fuel inside which has been leaking a bit for a week now. The right front corner started to bubble. Grrrrr. Not super huge area but it annous me. Looks like the tank will go back for touch ups at some point. And I guess I might as well apply sealer before I drop it off.

    Anyway, reason I am writing: I have a vacuum petcock, but I am not fully sure I understand what's going on. I thought I did, guess not.
    Tank is off the bike. On prime, fuel just runs. In the on position, nothing happens, even when I suck on the vacuum hose.
    On reserve, nothing happens unless I suck on the vacuum hose.
    I thought, for whatever reason, that "on" should make the fuel flow with vacuum as well? And that's the setting the petcock should be on at all times (only allow fuel to flow when bike is on)?

    I dont mind leaving it on "reserve" at all times to get the result, but am I wrong or is the petcock behaving silly?
     
  23. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I just reached out to two bike shops who are mentioned on the caswell site and who work with caswell tank sealer products. Think I'll just ship it out, hopefully they can touch up the paint as well.
    The tank must have been coated before from the looks and I don't want to do it myself in case the existing coat ruins the new sealer.
    Got to a point where I rather have a pro do it quick and clean vs me on trial and error.
     
  24. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Your petcock is behaving silly. Since you get fuel flow in the reserve position with vacuum applied I think that you need to take the selector lever off and look for an obstruction, or a misaligned gasket.

    Petcock Rebuild
     
  25. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Thanks for confirming.
    Hmm,it's a band new petcock. Grrrr.
    I'll do it when the tank is shipped out and getting the touch up.
     
  26. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    At least I'm pretty sure now what I am going to call the bike: Major PITA

    [​IMG]
     
  27. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Welcome to the world of classic bikes. Look on the bright side; you are working on a machine that has good parts availability, and well documented service procedures.
     
  28. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Very true. And I didn't have to do anything to engine yet :)
     
  29. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I just rode around the block a few times.
    Oh man... I am sooooooo happy.

    After float adjustment, the bike sounded different too.

    This was so much fun....
     
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  30. Matthew Lipski

    Matthew Lipski New Member

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    Wondering what the ratio of the speedometer is..? I am looking at getting a new one for my 81 Maxim 550 for my build and I wasnt sure if its a 2:1 or a 1:1 ratio... Thanks
    Matt
     
  31. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Ohhh, I don't remember but there is info out there. I do remember doing all the research ages ago...
     
  32. Matthew Lipski

    Matthew Lipski New Member

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    Alright, well Ill keep looking! Haha!
    -Matt
     
  33. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Took the bike for another spin. It is just so awesome. You have no idea how happy I am to finally be able to take it out and ride it around for a bit.
    Shifts great, throttle response is immediate.
    Buy I still need to figure out my front brake. Was a bit scary to ride without.
     
  34. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Think I found it...
    This is what I ordered on mike xs
    Smith's Style Speedo for XS1/XS2 (03-0760)
    According to it it's a 2:1 ratio. And I know I did a lot of research to make sure it's correct
     
  35. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    2240:60 mph
     
  36. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Hm, that number definitely sounds familiar.
     
  37. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    It is possible to put some of the innards back in in the wrong positions..... Maybe you accidentally did that when you rebuilt the petcock
     
  38. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Hey Dave.
    No, it was new, I didn't rebuild it.
    But all good for now. I was able to ride in reserve position. Vacuum worked nicely and had a constant fuel flow
     
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  39. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    And unbelievable what a difference the float height makes. Truly sounded like a different bike

    Will color tune at some point. Bought the tool a week ago.
     
  40. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Open it up. People put those together at the factory. People make mistakes. Running out of gas because you're running on reserve all the time will happen, and it will suck.
     
  41. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Yeah.... I've only done that 3 times---- you'd think I'd have learned the first time.....
     
  42. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Are you sure you have enough gas in the tank for gas to flow in the on position?
     
  43. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I thought there was but good point, I'll check next time
     
  44. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    shipped out my tank to have it sealed and paint job fixed. unfortunately this means a downtime again. Patience...
     
  45. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I am looking for a short lever to fit my brake cylinder but I don't know how to go about it. It appears that levers have different designs.

    Is anyone able to tell me what a replacement for this one could be?

    [​IMG]
     
  46. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Ordered something that looks like it might fit. We'll see.
    (And to add on to the previous post, it is an aftermarket brake, so I can't just look for a specific model)
     
  47. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  48. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Dang it, now i got Drool on my screen.....
     
  49. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    No work on bike but built a new table and rearranged stuff in garage. Gives me a bit more room.
    [​IMG]

    Bike on left is my next project. It's going to be more involved than the xj.
    Already half fitted a new swingarm two weeks ago. But not focusing on it for a while.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2016
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  50. JustinOther1

    JustinOther1 Member

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    If you're still having trouble with your petcock, I've had a Grizzly 600 Petcock on my XJ550 Seca for the last 2,000 miles and not a single issue whatsoever with leakage or flow or anything. It's got an on/off/reserve setting and fits perfectly.

    I know you have a Suzuki tank, but I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to find a Suzuki ATV equivalent for way less than the cost of an OEM one assuming it's a different size than the original petcock from the bike.

    www.ebay.com/itm/Gas-Tank-Tap-Fuel-Petcock-Valve-Switch-For-Yamaha-Grizzly-YFM-600-YFM600-98-01-/221655307570

    Can't beat the price and if the value scares you off, the OEM Yamaha Grizzly petcocks are like $20 and I'm sure Suzuki would be the same if you could research it and find the sizing specs.
     

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