A new project, the abandoned xj650RJ

Yuck

 

After taking a poll on this forum I am leaning towards this scheme:

 

Now THAT is pretty sharp !

Dave

 

I found the decals for my bike and they have been ordered:


So now that I was able to find them let's remove the old paint and get it ready for a shiny fresh coat:


This paint is tough as nails so I am going to go for the same Die Hard paint!

 

I got my euro decals in the mail today now I need to get the tank, side panels and fenders a fresh coat of paint.

 

Yesterday I installed the new steering bearings. Removing the old races and getting the new ones in was a lot easier than I thought.

I also sanded and primed the headlight bracket, now I need to get a dent off the headlight bucket and paint it as well... anyways... just moving along, slowly and steady... mainly slowly but it is taking for ever to take care of everything.

 

But it will be stunning when it's done....

 

Damn, I should have gone with the Euro spec stripes! They look so much better! Thats a damn fine color scheme.

 

It was a PITA to get them. I will try to go to a local shop and get some replicas done in case I need to replace them. I am pretty sure there is a shop that makes decals for NASCAR teams doen the street that can do that

 

The steering bearings are in as well as the front forks. I also gave the headlight bracket afresh coat of paint.



Now on to the tank, and rest of body to prep for a fresh coat.

 

I just put some decals on my tank and screwed it all up. It's a total PITA to put them onto compound curves. Check out some YouTube videos before you do it. There's some good tricks. I had to order another set...

 

I had to take a few steps back, I primed the front fender and once I put down the first coat of paint I found small dents on it. Not sure if they are that big of a deal or I am being OCD with this project but I want it to look perfect if I am going to work on it so... now the fender is stripped and ready for some bondo to take care of the small dents.

It seems like this project is taking a lot longer than I ever imagined but will be done before I die (hopefully).

 

I've been building my x-from-scratch bike for three years, my first trophy bike took 8 years before it got there.....

Don't pay attention to time.

 

Ok, so I need some ideas about where to go from here. I have valves in spec, carbs fully redone. I have a new fuse box for the wiring harness. I rebuilt the petrooster already as well.

All the plastic panels and gas tank have been stripped and ready for some bondo and a fresh coat.

If you were restoring this bike what would be the next step? I don't have money to buy everything at once and I hate asking Len for stuff Nd quotes and not place another order.

Here is what's in my list:

- rebuild brake calipers
- rebuild master cylinder
- new brake lines
- service clutch?
- rebuild starter?
- new tires (i guess this would be the last thing once it is road ready), right now is not going anywhere.

Any pointers of order that things should be taken care of would be much appreciated.

 

get new brake shoes, they aren't pricey. scuff the inside of the drum. replace rear gear oil, grease brake pivot shaft, grease rear brake pedal pivot shaft.

service the starter

those are all things that can be done without too much $

dave

 

Yup, then save the rest of the spending money until you have enough to buy all the parts for the brake system at once.

A tip: If you plan on changing out the stock bars (Euro bends on the 650R are quite nice) make sure you get the bars before ordering the lines. If you don't, you end up with an odd looking setup for the MC.

Don't ask.

 

So I have been a bit busy the past few weeks but finally made it to the store and picked up some bondo. This is my first stab at body work so I made sure that the tank was sanded down to the metal and totally clean.

I mixed the stuff and watched a video on how quick it starts to dry so of I go... a few dabs here and there. Now I am waiting for it to fully cure and then more sanding, I'm sure it will need another round of fill ups but eventually will get there. This stuff also smells pretty funky.

 

Today I was doing a little more bodywork and also decided to start looking at the wiring harness.

Somehow I own three full harnesses so I decided to take pictures as I was comparing all three to figure out which one is in better shape.



On this picture you can see how the harness at the bottom of the picture has different plug for the headlight. I believe that is the one that came out of the bike with the original headlight so I will look into that bulb at some point.



On this one you can see how one harness does not have a fuse box and was replaced with inline fuse casings. Another one the PO decided to bypass one fuse and hot wired it.

The third one looks unmolested so most likely this is the harness that will go in the bike. I already have plans to replace the fuse box for blade style fuses.



PO owner also decided to extend and double the stop light with two bulbs on one of the harnesses, not a great job but It seemed alright. Again that one harness is facing elimination.


Somehow one of the harnesses still has a relay...


One harness has a diode...



And in the box of wire harnesses even managed to find this kickstand switch.

After reviewing pictures, wires and connectors I have picked one of the harnesses that will go in the bike. I will save the other two as spares or put them up for sale since wiring harnesses is not something that you just need to replace very often.

That was all for today, tomorrow I will clean the wiring harness, all connectors and then test them for continuity (when possible) for continuity to make sure that everything is working before going back in the frame.

Since tomorrow it will be not so hot I may do a bit more bodywork since I got some good advice on bondo-shaping techniques.

 

2 years on and this thread keeps on giving. Remarkable persistence! Thanks for sharing.

 

So here are a couple of pictures of the Master Cylinder, the first one is the MC the way it came out of the bike, it was a pain in the neck to get the circlip holding the piston in. Once that came out the whole body went in for a good boil in vinegar and lime juice. After that all I had to do was to clean with shop towels and all the gunk came right off.





Nice and shiny:



The next step is to use a metal brush, get everything squeaky clean, put the piston back in and install a new glass. I might as well strip the paint and give it a fresh coat before anything else.

 

Shhhh........don't say anything too loudly---he might finish the bike and even ride it.

Sorry, Eco.....couldn't resist. LOL

dave

 

Who knows, by the time I am done we may not have gasoline available in this world 8)

 

And the Master Cylinder cover is done. Now all I need is install the new glass window.

 

And the glass window is in. Thank you Len for all the help and providing amazing customer service.


Now on to the next step, replace the fuse box and clean terminals on the wiring harness.

 

I think you could use a little touch up on the MC cover, my personal opinion.




But this:



Definitely gets you closer to this:




(A little motivation)

 

Thanks and agreed, the MC cover could use some sanding for a better finish vs. polishing with a dremel.

I need to keep myself motivated at this point by making a list of things that I have done so far even if the bike (or parts) in the driveway do not look like much.

- Compression test, valves in spec.
- complete teardown and carb rebuilt (thanks hogfiddles for the extra hand)
- Rebuilt pet rooster
- Rebuilt Master Cylinder
- New swing arm bearings
- New head steering bearings
- New brake lines
- New fuse box
- Fresh coat of paint on rear swing arm, center stand, headlight bracket, touchup the frame.
- Almost done with body work and ready to paint gas tank, front fender, rear cowl, and side panels.

I think that is all I have done so far and still a few things to do as well as putting a lot together. I am hoping this one will be ready to ride by the time my 2 year old can take the school bus and I can ride my bike to work.

 

Today I came back from a work weekend and found a couple of boxes waiting for me. The first one is a nice set of gauges in pretty good shape.



The second one is a headlight in pretty good shape. I didn't even know the bucket came with a label on the back so this one looks great.

Soon I will have the carbs back and will start putting things back together.

 

I just read the second half of this thread and all I can say is dang, your dedication is amazing. Also for painting the swingarm etc. what kind of paint and primer did you use? It might have been stated somewhere earlier in the thread but I may have missed it. The paint looks good!

 

I have been slacking on this project but I want to get some stuff done before winter, here in North Carolina winters are not bad and could work on it most of the time.

Tonight I practiced a couple of times with my crimping tool and finally got the new terminals looking they way they should according to chacal's tutorial



And after a few terminals the new fusebox is ready to go. At some point I will print labels to make it look more official. Using double sided mounting tape worked great to turn the strip of paper into a sticker and glue it inside the cover. I have a couple of extra slots where I will save spare fuses for now but will probably add a USB port to plug/charge phone and use for navigation.

 

Looks good. Imo shrink wrap the ends to prevent corrosion.

Gary H.

 

Or use a one pin connector cover. Every wire going to the fuse box is 12V. And one of them comes from the battery and doesn't have a fuse on it (the input to the main fuse). You don't want any part of that to arc with any ground (frame or anything bolted on to the frame).

 

I finally ha deome time to put some pieces together. New brake lines and crush washers. Before I install them I wanna rebuild tye brake calipers so they will have to wait a bit to go in.

 

Purty

 

Now I am also getting into the "fun" zone. I have a tub full of parts and a jar full of bolts, nuts and washers. The challenge is going to be to figure out which one goes where. At this point after taking three of them apart I think I know what goes where but no clue about bolts. I guess it is going to be an interesting trail/error process.

I have wiring harness, brake lines, carbs and exhaust ready to go back in, just need to make sure that everything is properly fastened.

 

No prob, Eco...... If you have trouble, just ask or send a pic.....I should be able to show right where it goes----

Dave f

 

Alright, today I received caliper rebuilt kits so they can get them redone and finally put things back together. I was also looking in my tub of goodies and found the ties to secure the wiring harness to the frame.

As soon as I get rid of the flu I will be working on putting pieces back together where they belong.

 

Today I felt flu-free and it is relatively warm to work outside. Thanks hogfiddles for the picture on the wiring harness routing. Neither the hayes manual or the Yamaha service manual were very helpful trying to figure out how to weave the wiring harness into the frame.

I am also waiting on a torque wrench install carbs, secure airbox and mount exhaust system. I feel like this slow moving project is getting somewhere...

 

Never fear.....it's moving faster than some of my projects------

I don't keep track of time anymore. That way it doesn't matter how long or short something takes. it gets done when it gets done. No rush, no angst.

Dave

 

We have lived in our current house for 11 years. I started repainting and putting in new flooring a month before the actual move-in. The kitchen still isn't done.

 

I would replace the engine and the transmission

 

Have you read the whole thread?

 

Iv been in 21 yrs, and I STILL have parts unfinished

 

Thanks for the words of "encouragement". It looks like this weekend is going to be a wash with rain on the forecast for the next two days. I guess it is time to clean the 550 carbs until I can slap more parts on the 650 outside.

 

Those were words of congratulations. Your projects are nearly done. Mine on the other hand.....

 

Thanks Moe, I know that I have been done quite a bit of work on the seca but looking at what I have on the driveway it does not look like much. I still have to finish with the bodywork. I only have the rear cowl and one side panel primed and ready for the paint. The front fender, tank and other side panel still need some work.

 

But you're getting stuff done..... Unlike me----

 

Ok, finally got the parts painted and graphics on.


This process has been a lot slower that expected. I did rebuilt thefront brakes just need to install and finish them up. Thecarbs were nicely done by Hogfiddles so it is a step closer to the road.

 

Finally and nice work on the graphics. Varoom, varoom!

Gary H.

 

That is a beautiful looking bike. I really enjoyed reading every post on this thread. My XJ750M is in great shape in comparison to what you started with, but I can't imagine it looking that good when I am done with it. I've learned a lot from reading about your experiences.

 

Great Euro colour scheme there............