82 XJ750J Clutch Position Switch, headlight adjustment

That bike has air adjustable front forks I believe , what is the air pressure set at? If it's quite high it could be raising the front of the bike and the headlight beam with it...
Am I correct in this assumption?
Alan

 

I don't think it would be that. The fork seals would blow out before the front end would lift enough to make his light as high as it is. It would be nice if that were the problem though.

 

Was the rear suspension measured?
Alan

 

Approximately 8-10 psi if I remember correctly.

 

That's well within the usual range for solo rider, or 2-up, depending on rider prefrences. I run 7psi when riding solo.

Alan's question did get me thinking. Air pressure won't raise the front end, but changes to the fork internals will. Would you mind measuring the distance between the ground and the bottom of the oil pan near the front (not the oil filter housing).

 

I measured the sag on the rear with the bike on the center stand and with it on the ground with me on it. I forget what the measurements were but I followed several guides online which all seemed to recommend the same range of sag. After increasing the preload on the rear (several weeks ago, before I came here) the sag is now right where it should be. The bike doesn't appear to be tilted back or anything like that. It also rides very smooth and I cant imagine that the front or rear suspension are too far out of adjustment.

 

Unfortunately that was set with a bike pump and measured with a stick gauge so it may be a bit off. Still, I can't imagine it being over about 12 psi.

 

Max pressure is 32 psi (I would never run it that high in practice though). Again, the amount of air in the forks isn't the problem with the headlight.

 

Were all the square lights the same across models, e.g. Seca and Maxim? I also have an 82 XJ750J, and it looks like mine is slightly different, but I'm not sure if that is an angle difference or if I am just seeing things. It looks like my housing is pointing further down. Is there any way you can move stuff around a little to get more room to move the bucket?

 

The Seca 750 and Maxim 750 use the same light bucket, but different mounts. As methioned before, the headlight bucket is not designed to be adustable, and really only goes on in the one position.

Having said that, his bucket does look to be angled higher than yours (though that could be from the difference in camera angle). He already tried to lower the bucket angle as far as he could.

 

Your clutch cable is routed differently than mine. Is yours routed as it was when stock or have you moved it? Could you take a couple pictures showing how the clutch cable should be routed?

As k-moe said, I have tried to angle my bucket down. While my bucket does appear to be angled slightly up when compared to yours, I can't change that angle at all.

At this point I think I'm going to remove the bracket entirely and try to bend it down with an anvil and sledge. If that doesn't do it then I'll order another one off of Ebay.

It's really too bad. I was hoping for a less destructive fix.

I asked before but never got a response. My speedometer reads 20% slower than my actual speed. Is there a way to fix that? I already have a new cable installed to replace the previously broken one.

 

I have not done anything to change the routing of the stock cable, however, I was in an accident and the front forks were removed and reinstalled for some repairs, it could have been changed. Here are two more images I had taken before, let me know if you need more.

Sorry, I can't help with the speedo thing. Maybe the old one wasn't lubricated enough?

 

Hmm.. I guess I'll have to keep looking for a diagram then. Thanks though.

Is there a way to lubricate the speedometer?

 

I found this diagram in the Haynes manual. I know someone here had a link to a pdf version of that, I'll see if I can find it.

 

I found the link for the manual download: here , I'm not sure if this is the manual you referenced having earlier or not. As far as lubricating the speedometer cable, you should remove it and oil it that way, I found this description from another member:

Take the Cable right off the bike.
Pull the inside cable out and thoroughly clean it with Carb Cleaner.

Hang the outside cable sheath so it will drain into a gallon milk jug.
Flush the outside cable sheath with Carb Cleaner.
Force cleaner through it with a Rubber Ear Syringe.
Get it so its nice and clean inside.

Oil the outside cable sheath with 10-40 Oil until it drips and stops dripping.
Oil the inside cable with 10-40 Oil, too and feed it back into the outside sheath.

Another user suggested using Tri-Flo to lubricate the cable , I can't say that I have seen it before, but it's something to consider. In the past, I have just used motor oil.

If that doesn't work, the issue may actually be in the cluster itself, I haven't fiddled with that myself.

 

The speedometer cable is brand new. I'm thinking it would be the actual cluster that needs lubrication.

Thanks for the diagram. I was hoping for something that showed where the cable went after passing the steering lock.

 

OK, sorry, I will see if I can get some pictures of how mine is routed more clearly, if that helps any.

Did you replace the speedo cable yourself? Does the needle still move smoothly and shows consistently 20% off, or does the needle jump around? How are you getting the 20% figure? I know that the speedos on these aren't always spot on, but from what I have heard, usually are wrong on the other side of things (the speedo says you are going faster than you are).

You mentioned earlier that you're tires are stock size, how did you confirm this? Not trying to be a jerk or anything, but if it was a bigger tire then it could explain both the speedo being off and the headlight being higher.

 

The speedometer cable was broken so I replaced it. The needle is steady as a rock and smoothly goes up and down as it should. It reads slower than I'm actually going.

My dad and I check its speed vs our minivan's speed which is pretty accurate. we checked at several speeds and found a consistent 20% error.

For example:
If you're going 25, it will read 20.
If you're going 45, it will read about 35.
If you're going 70, it will read about 55.
That's almost exactly 20% slower then your actual speed.

I used the original tire specs from the manual to replace one tire, and I had to use a converter to get the other tire because it is no longer made in the size standard used in the manual, but they are both pretty spot on to the stock spec. Also the bike had a different set of tires on it when I got it and the headlight still aimed too high.

 

Just out of curiosity, I'm running a 100/90/19 on the front, is that what you came to?

 

100/90-19 is the stock tire size for the front (metric equivalent to 3.25-19). The rear for a Maxim is 130/90-16. The Seca rear is 120/90-18

The most overlooked cause of an innacurate speedometer is the weakening of the magnet over time. If the speedo head is cleaned and lubricated, but still reads low you have three options.

Option 1. (cheap, accurate, and ugly) make a run with a GPS, note the speed discrepencies, and use a label maker ot print new numbers for the speedometer face.

Option 2. (cheap, can be accurate, fiddly) Using an electric drill find the displayed speed at the maximum RPM of the drill. Compare that to the stock ratio (60MPH = 2240 RPM). Using a neydoniu magnet, carefully re-magnatize the speedometer drive disc until the speedometer regains it's former accuracy. The downside to this is that if you overshoot there is no way to de-magentize to correct the overshoot without making a degaussing tool.

Option 3. (expensive, accurate, and very pretty) Send the gauge cluster out to be serviced and rebuilt. There are several companies that provide this service, though none that I know who specialize in Yamaha gauges are in the U.S.

I did a mix of options 1 and 2.

A consistent 20% error is screaming "weak magnet."

 

Alright I just spent 2 hours pulling apart the headlights, brackets, instrument cluster, and wiring.

While I had the bracket off I spent 45 minutes working on it with several hammers, a sledge, a propane torch, an anvil, and a vice.

I started putting everything back together and realized the bracket now hit the fork tubes and wouldn't bolt down. (cue stroke)

So I pulled it off and spent some more time re-bending it, and eventually I got it to fit on the bike.

I started redoing the wiring, and when I turned the key to test it, a turn signal lit up. (cue aneurysm)

I started looking for an incorrect connection (there are four black wires that go into two connectors! Which one is which!?) until I found a brown wire that, when swapped with another identical brown wire, fixed the turn signal. (but whyyy?)

So after smooshing the wires around to get the headlight to fit back in I backed the bike up 25 feet, turned the key, and...

Nothing changed. (cue several aneurysms and a psychotic episode)

After wallowing in my failure for a while (and a hospital visit) I got the bright idea to try and move the housing down again.

So I did and...

http://imgur.com/bIoGDyN Boom.

Well that's that. It's fixed. Too bad it wasn't something simpler but hey we got here in the end. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put a curse on PO for what they've done to me.

Thank you.

 

Just how expensive are we talking?

 

Lookin good, buddy! Glad you got there, even if your bp took a hit. Have a nice bourbon.

 

From what I've been quoted it's north of $75 just to have a speedometer done. I'd have to do some digging to find the place that gave me the quote though. It's been a few years.

 

If my disgust with almost all alcoholic beverages wasn't enough, I'm also not 21, so I'll just swap the bourbon for a cappuccino. Thanks for the help TheCrazyGnat!

 

Ouch, I think I'll stick to my mental math for now.

"My speedo said 70 officer I swear!"

 

.

Gary H.

 

I realise that comment is in jest, but fair warning; anyone going that route will only get the ticket dropped if you can show a work-order and reciept for having your innacurate speedometer re-calibrated.

Option#1 is cheap, and easy. I need to make new stickers this year since I didn't use UV resistant material the first time.

 

My instrument cluster is in really good shape (aesthetically speaking) and I don't like the idea of putting stickers on the clear plastic for fear of them leaving residue should I decide to peel them off later.

Is there a safe solvent to use on that plastic? Or is the a sticker that wont leave residue?

 

You own a real motorcycle. The gauge cluster window is made of glass.

 

It is?? I could have sworn it's just a thin piece of frosted plastic. Does that mean it wont fog up with sun exposure?

 

Having broken one I am absolutely sure that it is glass; sharp, cutty plate glass. That does not mean that someone didn't replace yours with plastic though.
The window won't fog up because there is a gasket and a vent system built in to the cluster. It also won't yellow from UV exposure, but they can get dirty on the inside if the gasket fails, or the housing cracks.

 

Well that's useful to know. I guess I'll break out the label maker and stick some new numbers on. Thanks.

 

http://imgur.com/13F8k5p Ta-da!

Now I just need to figure out a way to front light the numbers so I can see them at night.

I should ask; How much trouble would I get in if I got pulled over with this setup?

 

I don't front-light mine, but I only have correction marks at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 MPH, leaving 55 (65 MPH actual for me) visible at night. You won't likely get into any trouble unless you have some other issue and give the officer a hard time.

 

My town has a few school zones that I ride through to get on the highway so having marks as low as 20 made sense. I guess I didn't need one at 10, but I felt like putting it on there anyway.

Also I've heard that motorcyclists are often targeted by police for speeding. Is this because the riders who say this are speeding? Or do cops actually pull over motorcyclists more often, even if they are only going 5 or so over?

 

I've yet to be stopped for speeding while riding, and I've been riding on public roads for nearly 30 years. Dumbass motorcyclists who speed, street-race, and stunt get targeted, and rightfully so.

 

That's what I thought.

Just out of curiosity; You say you've never been pulled over for speeding. Have you been pulled over for something else?

 

To clarify: I have never been pulled over for any reason while riding a motorcycle . I was young once, and foolish. Some people say that I am still young; others that I am still a fool, but I have learned quite a lot about avoiding "Imperial entanglements."

 

Oh.. Alright. haha

So I wanted to ask, other than replacing the fuse box, are there any recommended mods for these bikes that I should consider?

 

So now I'm having problems with the electronics on the bike.

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/82-xj750j-major-electrical-problems.83698/

 

Never mind that other thread. I fixed the electrical problem.