New to bikes

Hey! So I'm from the Great White North and just picked myself up an XJ550 with a couple problems. My brother and I decided to work on that and his Honda CX500 together. Definitely needs some work but what fun would a running, driving bike be right?

 

lol. I'm also from Canada and picked up the same bike!
So far it seems easy to learn from just take your time and ask a ton of questions.
Some major maintenance to consider is your rear brakes need to be checked for delamination,
front brake lines and master cylinder most likely need to be redone if they havent already,
and before you sink any money into the bike do a valve clearance check and compression test.
Make sure you dont put money into it for nothing!

Good luck and remember to ask questions if you need help or are unsure!

-EM

 

Hahaha actually I just did the compression test. Between 110 to 120 on each cylinder. Haven't done a valve clearance test yet. Chasing spark at the moment hahaha

 

Welcome, Dog! Lot's of Canuckle-heads here. Lots of great advice and info.
Read this:
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-information-overload-hour.27544/
It'll BLOW YOUR MIND!!
Be patient, and remember, it's a 30 year old bike. You can't fix 30 yrs of neglect and abuse overnight!
Brake lines have manufacture dates printed on them... are yours more than 5 years old? More than 10? How about 30? 'Cuz they're supposed to last 4 years. Tires are an obviously important thing to check too. Rear brake shoes are known to delaminate, so you may wanna open up the rear end and check them out. The glass fuses under the seat are a tricky area too. Many opt to replace the whole fuse block with newer blade style system. It would be a good idea to find a Yamaha Owner's Manual for your bike, and supplement it with the Haynes or Clymer book too! The more you learn, the easier it'll be.
Peace out, brussel sprout!

 

hahaha my main focus for now is to just get the bloody thing to start! Hopefully by the end of the week.

 

I would do your valve clearances first. Once they're good along with compression test you can branch off!
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/airhead-valve-adjustment-with-pics.14827/
And if you don't have the tool you can use the "zip tie" method
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/airhead-valve-adjustment-part-2-the-tool-vs-ziptie-w-pics.29209/

If you need any help once you have your clearances or need any parts, Chacal has close to everything you need!
-EM

 

Yes. Valve clearances come first. They are hardly ever done by owners, and if they are very far out the bike won't want to start and will show low compression.

 

Updates! I did my valve clearance checks and they were fine! I got the bike running as well as most of the electrical issues sorted out. I do have a couple small pinhole leaks that I'm trying to fix before I start hitting the road with it. Don't think dripping fuel all over an air cooled engine will do me any favors at all. Hopefully more updates to come when I have more to share!