Instrument Cluster Restoration questions

Hi all, I am currently restoring my XJ750RL, this bike is fairly rare in Australia as my research indicates that only about 200 RL's made it here. Because of this I am attempting to restore it as close to original as possible.

Now the question; my instrument cluster dials are faded with the black coming off. Also the needles have most of the red/orange paint missing. I have looked around but there are no instrument clusters for this bike that are any better at the moment. I have seen on-line some companies that sell guage decals that stick over the top of your old dials and make them look like new. This is great but I can not find any company on-line that does dials for the XJ750. Any ideas on companies that do provide the decals or any ideas on how to restore the dial faces would be appreciated. I have read the threads on painting the dial needles so will refurbish the needles that way.

Thank you for any replies.

 

Don't know if they exist but you could try looking for XJ900 gauge decals as the 750RL is basically a 750 engine in a 900 everything else.

 

Hi Bushy, Thanks, I did try searching under XJ900 also but some parts for the XJ900 are getting scarce. Most stuff available now is for the XJ900 Diversion which is different. The search goes on....

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-XJ...es-BLACK-Speedo-Dial-Clock-Tach-/331439221677
They look right to me but you've got a better comparison than I have

 

Thanks again Bushy, my ebay search skills are obviously rubbish, I did not find those, they look perfect. Thanks once again for your help

 

Any company that makes decals can make decals to suit your gauges if you
want to go that route. Call them up and see what they need to be able to do the job.

 

Be warned that if you need to remove the speedo/tacho needles to replace the dials. If the needle pulls off with the shaft that goes into the mechanism it's nigh on impossible to get it back and working correctly.

 

You can also glean a lot of parts from fj600 clusters, as well as the xj900rk

Dave Fox

 

Thanks for the advice and help one and all. I have ordered the full set of dial plates from the place Bushy found. Also I have managed to carefully remove the needles while leaving the shafts in place and working. Thanks once again for the advice it really helps.

 

or paint them your self
http://www.hipoparts.com/fluorescent-speedo-gauge-needle-restoration-paint/

 

Philip, how are the lenses? My XJ900 cluster dials don't look too bad but the lenses are full of small cracks. Do you plan to replace them too?

 

Hi Quebecois59, my dial lenses are clear as a bell so I wont be doing anything to them except a gentle clean. This is fortunate as they appear to be glued firmly in place. I imagine you would need to get another instrument cluster with good lenses and swap the top housing over.

 

Actually, Rick-o-matic suggested to drill the lenses in the center and then sand them all to the rim with a Dremmel except for a lip to glue new lenses in place. I'M pretty sure I have the website address to order lenses.

It sounds like a good plan but I have other projects for the moment.

 

It is timesavers.com, they have all sizes of flat and convex glasses. If you search with the word "lense" you won't get many results, but with "glass" there are plenty. JUst saying for those who could be in need.