Are valves frequently out of adjustment?

Fyi even if the po took bike to Yamaha dealer regularly it diesnt mean they fixed stuff right either.

If you have a working vehicle besides the bike there us no super rush other than wanting to ride.

You seem semi eager to learn but are rushing to throw you money at the mechanic.

If you didn't pre pay for lines don't worry about it. No guarantee he measured right especially some of the angled fittings.

Once I have enough cash I'm doing the lines, mc rebuild and rotor rebuild all at once by myself. I've never toched brakes before but I'm confident I can do it. (Its not really that hard - neither are the valves).

 

Hey TwigMonster, I'm glad you are stickin' around! As for the brakes and your local mechanic, that's a little more of a generic repair than a wierd XJ-specific thing. If he's a competent motorcycle mechanic, he's going to be able to do it. It's the valves/carbs that are a real concern and require very specialized work and you need to be very sure they are getting done correctly.
I only know what (little) I do from reading a lot of posts from these other guys who have been there and done that WAAAAYYYY more than me. They have some expert caliber advice and they are glad to give it, so I soak it up and am doing more and more.

 

The previous owner had the valves adjusted at 3000. But not since. He didn't say when that was. It had 7700 miles when I bought it and he only put a few miles on it in the last 10 years. So it's been a while.

Not going to take it to the mechanic. I'll get a shop manual, re-read the posts on valve adjust and carb rebuild. If I run into a mechanic who seems to know what he's doing than I'll get the brakes done.

That's the plan. I've read all the posts on adjusting valves and cleaning adjusting carbs. It does seem daunting.

Thanks to all for the help.

 

Hang in there Twig,

I'm in a similar position to you.....forced to learn about the intricacies of these machines.
My bike was fairly neglected & I've been through the carbies & finally tackling the valves (I find the electrical wire method works for me in the removal of the valve shims).
Chacal has been a great help with the procurement of parts & knowledge.
I have shims, gaskets, petcock kit & colourtune on its way to my side of the globe!
If I hadn't come across this site, I would be forced to pay somebody else (who doesn't know what they are doing) to do a mediocre job on my bike. This would not only cost me my hard earn'd, but also a nice feeling of self worth (pats himself on the back).

Tim