82 XJ650J Carbs

I just got a 82 XJ650J from a guy this weekend. The bike has been sitting for 6 years. Last night I took the carbs out and looked into the crank case. The butterflies on the carbs won't open and the crankcase looks to be dry. Any recommendations on cleaning the carbs and lubricating the crank case? I want to do what is needed to get the bike to run and am a newbie. You're comments are greatly appreciated.

 

When you say the crankcase is dry, did you put it on the center stand and see if any oil appeared in the sight glass? If you just looked in the fill tube, it could look dry, but there could be oil in there.

If it is really dry, I would look to see if there is a crack in the engine case before filling it with oil. Before hitting the starter button, I would also pull the plugs and try turning it over by hand to see if it is seized. If you pull the small circle cover where the crank is on the left side (facing forward seated), you can put a wrench on it and turn the motor.

Carbs are a story in and of themselves. Look for RickCoMatic's and Chacal's detailed posts on carb cleaning.

 

Oh, and one other thing, you probably want to get a service manual. That will be a big help.

If it's been sitting for 6 years, be patient. You have a lot of work to do before it's road worthy. Once running, you will need to completely go through the brakes too to name one thing that should be on the to do list.

 

Get a manual for your bike first thing. Once you get the manual read it front to back, then do it again.

As Joe said look for oil in the sight glass. I wouldn't even dare to try to turn it over until I personally did all the stuff in the maintenance section of the manual.

After six years I bet those carbs are good and varnished. Do a search for carb cleaning, Rick's how too should pop right up.