The Wild and Woolly Adventures of a Bike Repair Noob

I haven't, although I've never met a hefe I didn't like

Are they good? Of course they're good! It's SN!

 

Wow! That's dedication! I barely trust myself to work on a bike in the daytime let alone under mag beam, lol! Have you thought about making some kind of make-shift shelter for it? I thought about constructing some PVC frame with tarps and lighting; but as you can see, I just found a solution!

 

This is my previous (and first) bike I traded for my XJ. She was a great bike and had quite a bit of "oomph" for a little 125cc. I do miss her forgiving suspension and nimble maneuverability.

"May your knobbies always be filled with mud dear friend...I shall always remember you fondly...Except that time you launched me head-long through that barbed-wire fence! What the F*#% were you thinking?!?!...Anyhow, happy trails love...Happy trails..."

 

GOOD GOD! Looking at the picture right now and reminiscing about my old bike just made me realize how absolutely MASSIVE my XJ's engine is compared to it!!!

 

Yea but now (or soon) you will be able to hit the freeway and not feel like a potato chip in a blender!

Concerning your makeshift garage..well I must say you are dedicated and I submit that XJ has found a friend. There are living animals I wouldn't let in my house, of course i would never leave my XJ outside EVER! But I am lucky to finally have a garage-word of warning as soon as you get one you will begin to fill it with projects. Trust me it happens.

If your anything like me when your working, your going to need a bigger tarp or something else to protect your flooring.

My 200cc enduro (dual sport these days) was great fun! It was pretty fast to 65mph but after that it took a while to hit it's top end of 80mph. Of course on it I could launch twenty feet in the air, wheelie all day long, and have the bike land on me and get up and ride home. Probably shouldn't have tried that triple jump

With a bigger bike and with proper tires, proper suspension, and proper technique-my 550 is imminently safer on public roads, and I can whip it around no problem, the brakes are better, torque way better, being seen (better), being heard (better), being respected (depends but usually better). All bikes are fun in their own way though.

 

Ahhh...If only my little 125 was bigger, I could have terrified myself on the super slab...I had to always stay on the highways and byways since she rarely ever saw 65 mph (and that was only during fortunate times when the air was cool, the wind was at my back and the road declining).

I imagine my entire place will be draped in tarps by the time I'm done with her :lol:

I am awaiting true freedom to travel ANYWHERE I want to go on two wheels. I felt like I lived on an island with my old bike; reduced to stop & go traffic and skulking across back-country roads.

As far as respect, I'm not sure if I was ever truly taken seriously; but I always got waves from most every passing motorcyclist; cruiser and sport alike. That's what I like about bikes (at least from my inexperienced point of view). Whether you're looked upon as a brother or that weird distant cousin, everyone on a motorcycle is part of the family in some form or another.

 

Alright. So I spent this evening working on music and I'm ready to pull the valve covers! I'm going to consult bigfitz's tutorial one last time before I start cranking hexes! Pictures and a full report to follow!


If you'd like, you can check out my music at the following link:

Ejpt's Music Page

 

Alrighty. So I pulled my valve covers and the ignition cover. Here is the pictorial odyssey of the event!



Behold! The valve cover! (Looks foreboding doesn't it?!)




Before I can remove it we'll have to get through that octopus of spark plug wires. They were conveniently numbered 1-4. Easy as pie and I can be thankful it's not a 12 cylinder.

I was feeling rather festive and decided to lasso those unruly wires together with Christmas ribbon complete with a bow of good cheer and curled ends for added jolliness.



Upon closer inspection of this black cover of mystery, all that was separating me from victory was a few measly hex bolts...pffft! Mere child's play when I have the power of the "Lefty Loosey" mantra on my side! I unscrewed them a little at a time in a star pattern to prevent any undue stress on the gasket.




The inner bolts were removed and came out with ease. I arranged them on my workbench so that I could put them back in the exact holes from whence they came. After unscrewing the outer bolts completely, they were still held fast to the cover my some great unexplained force!




The valve cover came off with ease (the gasket is brand new as was recently installed by the PO).




One snug fitting bit is worth two easy-outs.




I removed these bolts a little at a time as well (in a star pattern to prevent any possible stresses). The ignition cover gasket has some superficial cracks around the bolt holes. Thankfully, it won't affect the water-tightness of it.




So there you have it folks. Tomorrow, I must journey far and wide in search of the elusive feeler gauge. Perhaps I'll cross paths with a hemostat too and come back to the garage to gap and pull those shimmys!

 

Start with your local NAPA store. They probably have a K-D Tools display, and may have the K-D 2274 metric feeler in stock.

The bolts are being held in the cover by the "donuts" on them. Pull one out and examine it closely. The bolt itself has a stop collar to prevent overtightening. The rubber/metal composite "donuts" are what actually press the cover down against the head/gasket. When the 'donuts' become compressed and baked hard, they don't push the cover down like they should, and even a NEW gasket will leak.

(Something to keep in mind.)

 

I see now. Thanks bigfitz...I'll definitely be pulling those donuts off this morning with my coffee. I imagine chacal will carry these if I need new ones?

 

It's probably not a matter of "if." Compare yours to the pic.

You have to destroy them to remove them. Once you replace your gasket once and use new donuts, the whole assembly can be removed/replaced many times over. POs often replace the gasket, but ignore the donuts and wonder why it leaks. That's when stripped bolt holes happen.

And of course Len has them.

 

The donuts seemed OK...Not brand spankin' new; but seemed passable...I will be ordering new donuts soon along with a jet kit. First though, I need to get my hands on some shims.

Question:

On this video, a guy stuck a zip tie down into the combustion chamber to catch the tip of the valve stem. In essence, negating the need for a shim tool.

How safe is this procedure? Last thing I want to do have to rip the motor apart to extract a piece of plastic.

 

Ejpt, I don't know if you read the second of Fitz's posts for the valve adjustment and it covered both methods.

Here's the link.

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2 ... ethod.html

Hope that helps.

 

That process is covered here: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29209.html a hunk of #12 solid copper insulted house wire works quite well and is in no danger of losing its "tip" or getting lost in the combustion chamber.

 

ahh, ok, I missed that part I guess...I opted for a heavy-duty zip tie, doubled-over and taped...

Clearances noted...now just trying to get the shims out...Kind of a bear so far...Consulting fitz's tutorial again.

 

Just go slow and follow fitz's tutorial to the letter. You can do it.

 

I'm glad I checked as this has been a valuable learning experience.

The shims are all to spec except for the number 2 cylinder.
The exhaust valve clearance is 0.15mm with the feeler gauge fitting in nice and snug.
The book says I should throw in a 245 whereas it currently has a 250 (which is fine for a 0.16mm gap but not 0.15mm.

Thoughts or comments on this?


Anyhow, here are some pics of my little soiree.



Can you feel me?





My chosen weapons for this battle.





"Rata-tat-tat" as I bowed to the Eastern sun and drove those magnetic demons back to the North Pole.





The zip trick seemed dubious at first; but in the end, it worked out great!





"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"...and covered in oil too!





Here is the data I collected:


All intake shims are 275

All exhaust shims are 250



#1 Cylinder:

Intake: 0.13mm (0.005") - Feeler gauge fit tight

Exhaust: 0.18mm (0.007") - Feeler gauge fit tight


#2 Cylinder:

Intake: 0.15mm (0.006") - Feeler gauge fit neither tight or loose

Exhaust: 0.15mm (0.006") - Feeler gauge fit tight


#3 Cylinder:

Intake: 0.10mm (0.004") - Feeler gauge fit loose

Exhaust: 0.18mm (0.007") - Feeler gauge fit tight


#4 Cylinder:

Intake: 0.13mm (0.005") - Feeler gauge fit tight

Exhaust: 0.20mm (0.008") - Feeler gauge fit tight

 

#2 exhaust does need a one-size smaller shim;

and #3 intake just might (.010mm is not in spec.; .015mm would be.) so it's a case of HOW loose or tight your "American" gauge was at .004".

If you end up leaving #3 intake as is, then keep an eye on it for next time.

 

You're right fitz. #3 is NOT in spec. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Yes, I'll have to replace both.

 

Well, I've been a bit busy with doing some maintenance things on my car and although exciting, not worthy of blogging about.

Great news however! I just placed a shim order with Len and I'll have pictures up as soon as I get to installing them!

Anyhow, happy holidays everyone!