What did you do to your Yamaha today?

I have finally gotten fresh oil and an oil filter in the bike and already it's behaving nicer towards me. I flushed it for about 10 min. with 10W40 that was free. Glad I did that as it came out almost as dark as the first batch did. Less grit in the flush out too. Next on the docket is to get some new plugs in to see if that will help me burn up all the fuel like it should.

 

WABBIT SEASON!

 

(Last weekend)
Dressed in shorts and tshirt!!!
Synced carbs using the cheap easy method(Rick)
Spent about 30 bucks total

Took her for a spin, 80 degrees F here.
Was a bit warm

YICS channel now sparkles like new.
Cant believe Yamaha sugests that does not need attn.

 

In New England ... we have these fiberglass Rods that are Orange and mark the driveways and sidewalks so you won't plow up the grass and hit the curb.

I cut me a section of that Rod and use it as my ram-rod to clean-out the YICS Passage.

I don't know why they do ... but there gets to be some serious carbon build-up in there.

I just open both ends of the YICS Chamber and Punch through some wads of Carb Cleaner soaked rag until the one I push through is as clean coming out the other end as it was when it went in.

On Bikes that have never been done ... you can send through a half-dozen or more before the passage gets cleaned right out.

I also put a right angle on the end of a small steel rod to probe the holes where the intakes open to the passage. It gets easier if you mark the rod for the depth inside the passage where the holes are.

 

Got my Progressive fork springs (with a 1.5" drop) and my Koni's for the rear (1.75" drop)! Figger I can make up the difference by cutting the spacer.

Also waiting on my "new" rear wheel. Won an auction for a Virago wheel including a near-new Dunlop tire. Not my first choice for rubber but the price was very right! Hmmm... Come to think of it, it might not be same circumference as the original. Looks like I'll have to do some math! *sigh*

So between the suspension and the wheel I should have a few hours of toil over the long winter months. Want to rebuild the brakes and maybe look into braided lines while the bikie's laid up, but we'll see... Some coils sure would be nice too.

 

I installed the Petcock Leak Insurance Valve. I'll get a pic up when I learn how to do it. All my space is used-up on here for pictures.

 

Stored it for the winter.

Unfortunately, in my eagerness to get as much air out of the gas tank as possible, overfilled it. Half an hour later I discovered a nice big puddle behind the fuel cap.

I did kind of want to repaint it anyway...

 

Just finished checking my swingarm to see how the range of motion felt, and for side-to-side play.

Motion was smooth. There was NO side play. None. Everything felt fine. Guess who isn't pulling his swingarm today?

 

Went out on a redline trip today.
Near 40 miles or so, sure getting dark early these days

Trying to test a theory regarding seafoam!

Results!-<Inconclusive>

PS also came back w/ a bug collection you would not believe.
Wish I had a camera!
10 miles in and I had to stop to clear mask!
I could not see my gauges, much less the road.

Did I mention it was DARK this evening!
Go figure

 

Took the old girl (the bike) out for about half an hour, a quick ride to clear the cobwebs for both of us. RH brake sticking a little looks like a rebuild is in order.

I should mention to you northerners how warm it's getting!!

 

Searched for some new latches for the hard bags on the ex. cop XJ, no luck finding a match as yet.

I did find out that I can get new bags, complete with latches for about $300 each ex Japan. Ouch!

 

I'll bite. What theory are you testing?

 

Yea ... I bet you OZ-ites are starting to splash-on the old sun-block about now.

It's your turn.
Enjoy it.

 

Kind of a joke, but I NEED reasons to go and ride the newly tuned up bike.
(All of my partner "riders" have recently become weekenders due to the new evening hours )

Darkness comes around 6, get off work around 5.
So 1 hour of riding MAYBE!

Took the bike through its paces with 6oz of Seafoam in a half tank.

Red line through all gears.

Not a "perfect" experiment, but the focus is on main jet transition cleaning.
Keep in mind I NEEDED a reason to go riding(Other responsibilities are always present)
Ultimately if redline hugging might work them clean better/faster.

Did I mention its still abnormally warm here. Thought I would be posting on this thread.................painted bike, or changed front for seals, or checked alternator brushes, or replaced crappy mufflers, or replaced front tire, or fixed my non working speedo, or anything else.

I guess I should not complain, a cold front is slowly moving in...BURR

 

Continued with the ongoing saga: In Search of Working Blinkers! (UK title: "In Search of Working Flashers", which means something completely different on this side of the pond).

So thanks to Haynes, I have pretty much determined that both of the flasher relays I have are bad. Won an auction on eBay for a used one for only $10! We'll see if it's any better. More on that in a second.

Thanks to some gracious XJBikes.com members, I have all of the rest of the pieces I need to get four working blinkers mounted and wired. A couple of bolts and bulbs need to be replaced, but they should all be functional.

So back to my original problem. All of the mounting brackets I have received, though functional, are bent. HOWEVER, the same guy who was selling relays on eBay was also selling a pair of rear blinkers that look pretty raw, but the brackets on them are straight! As a "thank you" for essentially selling me the relays so cheap, I went ahead and paid his "buy it now" price for the rear blinker set.

SO... with any luck, I should soon have four working blinkers attached, WITH straight brackets! Woo hoo!

 

Redline running will only rush fuel through the Main jets and flush-out the Fuel Bowls.

To get that stuff to where it needs to be ... do "Hole-shots" with deceleration throttle closings.

That will spread the cleaner throughout the passages and give the Pilot Jet Passages a chance to have the cleaner drawn through them a little moroe than at full throttle.

You probably got the combustion chambers cleaned-up a little bit which will help the Idle it there were and carbon deposits causing hot-spots which can ignite the intake mixture before the spark plug actually fires ... smoothing out the Idle a good deal.

Sounds like somebody wishes he could turn back the clock and have a few days of Daylight Savings Time and a warmer outside climate happening for doing the final tweaking-in of a big tuning job.

Those day are down in OZ at the moment!

 

Temps are not a huge prob, light is!
I guess the tweaks will be limited to when I get a Colortune.
Centerstand tweaking.
Idle is "as steady as the atomic clock"
Gonna try to tune her in a hair lean for the cooler temps
Riding season 364 days a year, Olny about one snow day.
Most of the members would Laugh at my snow days

 

If you are deliberately tuning LEAN you need to MONITOR what's going on VERY FREQUENTLY!!!

Plug Reads.
Magnifying Glass.
Look CLOSELY at the Ceramic surrounding the electrode.

Clean will probably be happening.
But, look for erosion and hairline ... (Tiny hairline) ... fractures.

If you detect erosion or hairline fractures.
You are too Lean and in the "Danger Zone" ... add some gas!

 

I tried to convert an old universal cell phone charger (3,6,9,12V at 1A with different connectors) to work as a trickle charger.

Its hard to tell if its working or not, but I guess I'll just wait to see the next time the bike won't start up, then hook it up and see if it'll start after a while.

Was also waiting on a new horn and some fairing bolts, but the sun has gone down behind the mountains and my driveway no longer has direct sunlight. And seeing as how it was a warm 45 degrees today, no sun will drop it down rather quick. Oh well, I'll just get to do more work on it this weekend when my break starts!

 

While Rick et al at that particular latitude and higher are contemplating dusting off the snowblowers, getting ready to shovel the snow off the drive, and fire up furnaces and fireplaces, we here in Oz have the prospect of a string of 26degC days ahead (it's OK, you can thank me later for reminding you) - I can feel a long Sunday ride coming up.

What I did to my XJ900 yesterday was...fight off a big hairy Huntsman spider. Not sure what it is about my XJ but I reckon at some stage every Spring over the last 3 years I have had a Huntsman crawl up from underneath the instrument panel and go for a constitutional across my speedo/tacho and handlebars. Once while I was riding down the highway at 60mph/100kmh!!!

Maybe it's 'cos I park it under a tree at my place sometimes and the spiders drop down for a visit and stay on the XJ.I have a range of sprays but all they seem to do is create even larger critters the following season...honestly, it was THIS BIG!

 

Dang, Boy!

I just Google Images a Huntsman Spider.
Them critters is BIG.
Do they pose a hazard other than being so frightening looking?

 

Rick,

The Hunstman Spider is an inhabitant of dark places in garages and other dark places in the home. Just when you least expect it one will raise his hairy legs and scamper across your car bonnet, windscreen (had that happen once fortunately on the outside), up a wall in the garage or across your petrol tank (yikes), instrument cluster or fairing.

Strangely enough they are not hazardous in that they don't carry any poison. But from my perspective they can give you a heart attack when one pops up out of nowhere when you least expect it and crawl across your bike while riding. Must be breeding season in Spring because that's when I've come across them.

So my routine is from now, wash, wax, clean...Raid in all the nooks and crannies. I'm either going to wipe all traces of them out on my XJ or create a new supersized breed which will keep cockroaches company after a nuclear fallout.

 

Well, what sort of critter likes to EAT those spiders?

 

Nothing smaller than a bird, if they dare. Those Huntsman have everyone bluffed.

As for us (male) humans...I hunt them with a glass jar and then release them into the wild (read...neighbour's yard).

 

Did a valve job, only had to switch out 4 but I couldnt get ahold of 275's today, have to go back in once I get ahold of them. Synch'd the carbs, set the mixture, re synch'd the carbs, drove to school. I didnt realize just how much better it would run... It does however have a ticking noise coming from the top of motor... Hopefully it is one of those good sounds. I had to change one of the shims a full 3 sizes, had to put the first one in just so I could find out what size it needed! Thanks for all the info, tips, and mechanical know how everyone!

 

Hey Jack, sounds like you're cookin' with gas now! If you need any shims, just remember that I keep all sizes in stock......and can ship in a hurry!

 

It's scary finding a shim so close you can get a feeler gauge in there to determine what shim you need to replace it with ... huh?

Make a Cheat-Sheet if you haven't already ... so you know what one you have in there, next time.

Makes not having to pull the shim and reading the number on the back ... saves a little time doing the job ... nest time!

 

Congratulation Red on scaring the entire northern hemisphere away from OZ! I guess you have to live with huntsmen to understand them. I've a 4 year old niece who will pick one up and put it outside.
I'm pretty sure their only known predator is old ladies who swallow them after eating a fly!

 

Well, after being tricked by local NBC to watch all the news last night to see if I would be fighting sn@w in Philly, and learning that it's still just north of me, I had the distinct pleasure of having to jump the bike in a slight drizzle first thing this morning. I think I will be looking into getting a new battery to have with my turkey this week.

I also have been searching out the different car-part stores here around me for spark-plugs. I am planning on putting on NGK DR8EIX 6681 if I can find anyone who sells them, but so far, autozone and strauss right near me don't carry them and CAN'T ORDER THEM either. It's maddening as I can understand not carrying what you aren't going to sell on a regular basis, but to make it so the people in the store can't order it is beyond me.

 

Hey Time, I carry them in-stock!:

Sparks Plugs and Related:


sp2) Genuine NGK Spark Plugs, available in either their standard or high-performance Iridium IX styles. NOTE: NGK plugs that begin with the letter "B" are 14mm plugs. Plugs that begin with the letter "D" are 12mm plugs.


HCP1296 NGK Standard Spark Plug, D8EA, correct for all XJ550 and 1985 XJ700-X models. Each.
$ 2.50

HCP1296SET4 NGK Standard Spark Plug, D8EA, correct for all XJ550 and 1985 XJ700-X models, set of 4.
$ 9.00


HCP1297 NGK Iridium Spark Plug, DR8EIX, correct for all XJ550 and all XJ700-X models. Each.
$ 7.95

HCP1297SET4 NGK Iridium Spark Plug, DR8EIX, correct for all XJ550 and all XJ700-X models, set of 4.
$ 30.00


You may want to check your plug boots also and replace if needed:

pc2) Genuine NGK Plug Caps ("Boots)", available in a variety of styles and configurations. All plug caps include weatherproof rubber end boots. NOTE: NGK plugs that begin with the letter "B" are 14mm plugs and are used in all XJ650/700 non-X models/750/900/1100 models. Plugs that begin with the letter "D" are 12mm plugs and are used in all XJ550 and XJ700-X models only.

Okay, before we get going, let's review a little bit about the original Yamaha COILS, PLUG WIRES, PLUG CAPS, and PLUGS used on these bikes.

Factory Yamaha COILS want to "see" a total load resistance on the secondary side (the "going-to-the- plugs" side) of around 20-30K ohms (ohms being a measure of electrical resistance). Electrical resistance depends on a number of factors: wire size, type of material, length of material, ambient temperature, etc. etc. In any case, all factory XJ coils and wires combined---BUT WITHOUT THE CAPS OR PLUGS ATTACHED---are specified to have a resistance of around 11K ohms, +/- 20%, at 68-degrees Fahrenheit. This means anywhere from 8.8K ohms to 13.2K ohms is acceptable. As a side note---and for future reference if you need it---the load resistance on the primary side of the coil (the "main-wiring-harness-connector-leads" side) should be 2.5 ohms +/- 10% at 68-degrees F, meaning a usable range of 2.25 to 2.75 ohms. BY THE WAY, in order to help diagnosing engine performance problems that seem to be "plug-related", always measure the resistance of your coils, both primary and secondary sides, before you start replacing parts. 20+ year old coils can and do fail regularly. If you need to replace your coils, and decide to buy used, original coils "sight unseen", always make sure that the seller checks them for you before you buy them! And also note: most analog ("swinging needle") ohm meters require that the needle be "zeroed" manually before you check ohms each and every time!

Factory coils can also suffer from tiny hairline cracks in their outer plastic housings, leading to electrical shorts which might only show up when the coils get hot, or when the ambient air has quite a bit of moisture (humidity) in it. Running your bike at night, with the tank off, in a VERY dark area will allow you to visually see if there are any tiny blue sparks occuring around the coils or lead wires, in which case the coils are in need of replacement.

Plug WIRES on factory coils are non-replacable, at least not without quite a bit of surgery (which I'm not going to even attempt to cover here). Suffice it to say that if your coils measure out of specs for resistance (as described above), they're junk and should be replaced, either with another factory coil or a pair of the various aftermarket coils that are on the market (Dyna and Accel coils work, but are a challenge to mount correctly in these tight XJ frames). We do offer an NGK plug wire in-line splicer (HCP2789 listed further below) that will allow you to cut off and remove a bad factory wire and replace it with a length of aftermarket plug wire. Aftermarket 7mm copper core plug wire is a good choice to use when replacing factory coil wires, as copper wire (in the lengths that are used on bikes) basically offer an amount of electrical resistance equal to zero.

Spark plug wire CAPS---or "boots"---are the hard plastic insulators that go on top of the spark plug threaded stud, and accept the plug wire from the coil on their other end via a simple "twist-on" method---yes, the plug wire end of the cap has a metal screw that bites into a "screws" onto the end of the plug wire, penetrating the plug wires' inner metal core and making a mechanical connection. Plug wire caps originally were either 5K ohm resistance (on the two center cylinders, #2 and #3, which use the 2-1/2" tall, 90-degree-angled Tokai Denso caps) or 10K ohm resistance (on the two outer cylinders, #1 and #4, which use the short, 1-1/2" tall 90-degree-angled NGK caps---although many of the original outer cylinder caps are not marked NGK anywhere on them). Plug caps have differing resistance ratings due to the use of a tiny interior resistor, and the resistance of each cap can and should be checked with an ohm meter on a periodic basis. Caps that are +/- 10% resistance from specified should be considered bad, and should be replaced. A variety of different size and shape plug caps are listed below, and although neither the original Tokai Denso caps nor the original 10K caps are available, NGK 5K caps come in a variety of original size configuartions and can be safely used to replace broken, missing, damaged, or out-of-spec original caps. They accept up to 7mm spark plug wires easily.

Spark PLUGS on all XJ-series bike were factory NGK models. Although many other brands of plus can be safely cross-referenced to the originals, NGK plugs offer both a value and performance that is quite satisfactory, in both original design configurations or high-performance "Iridium" design plugs. All non-resistor plugs have a resistance equal to zero ohms, while all resistor plugs.....those with an "R" in their part number.....have a resistance rating of 5K ohms. NOTE: all original and replacement plug caps are designed to be used on plugs that have their screw-on insulator stud cap removed, and used with the threaded stud exposed. And the NGK plug caps are specific to either the 12mm plugs (all XJ550's and all XJ700-X models) or the 14mm plugs (all XJ650, XJ700 non-X, 750, 900, and 1100 models).

In conclusion: you can safely use replacement NGK plug caps with a 5K resistance rating with either resistor or non-resistor type spark plugs. If replacing spark plug wires on either original coils, or when using aftermarket coils, it is recommended that you use copper core, non-resistance spark plug wire. Doing the above will give you the total 5-10K plug/cap resistance values that coils need to "see" to perform properly. And finally, always check, with an ohm meter, your coils primary and secondary resistance, and your plug cap resistance, before you start "throwing money" at engine performance problems that seem to be electrically-related!


For 12mm spark plugs: all XJ550 and XJ700-X models:

NOTE: XJ700-X models used "tall" plug caps on all 4 cylinders, while XJ550 models used "short" or "medium" caps on the outer (#1 and #4) cylinders and the "tall" caps on the inner (#2 and #3) cylinders.


XJ550 Outer (#1 & #4) Cylinders:


HCP1316 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, short 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top. Great replacement for the stock plug caps on the outer (#1 and #4) cylinders. Slightly taller than original caps (1.5" tall for these replacements versus 1.3" tall for the originals). Each.
$ 4.00

HCP1316SET2 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, short 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 2.
$ 7.75

HCP1316SET4 NGK Plug Cap, 5Kohms, short 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 4.
$ 14.00



HCP1676 NGK Plug Cap, non-resistive (0 ohms), 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top. Can be used as a replacement for the outer cylinders (#1 and #4) for those applications that require the use of a zero-ohm cap (for example, using a high-resistance plug wire along with resistor plugs). Almost the same height as originals. Each.
$ 2.50

HCP1676SET2 NGK Plug Cap, non-resistive (0 ohms), 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 2.
$ 4.50

HCP1676SET4 NGK Plug Cap, non-resistive (0 ohms), 90-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 4.
$ 7.00



HCP1322 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, medium 120-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top. Suitable replacement for the stock plug caps on the outer (#1 and #4) cylinders. Slightly taller than original caps (2.5" tall for these replacements versus 1.3" tall for the originals), and the 120-degree angled plug wire end offers some additional clearance as compared to the stock 90-degree right-angled caps. Each.
$ 4.00

HCP1322SET2 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, medium 120-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 2.
$ 7.75

HCP1322SET4 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, medium 120-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 4.
$ 15.00



XJ550 Inner (#2 & #3) Cylinders and XJ700-X all cylinders:

HCP1312 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, straight, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top. Recommended as a suitable replacement for all four XJ700-X plug caps, as the straight-up design helps keep the plug wires off the valve covers, unlike the angled-tip configuration of the original style caps. Can be used on XJ550 inner cylinders (#2 and #3) as replacements, especially when using aftermarket plug wires and coils. Approx. 3" tall vs. the 2.5" tall originals. Each.
$ 4.00

HCP1312SET2 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, straight, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 2.
$ 7.75

HCP1312SET4 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, straight, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 4.
$ 15.00


HCP1318 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms, tall 102-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top. Similar in design to all four XJ700-X original plug caps, with the bent-up plug wire tip design. Recommended for the XJ550 inner cylinders (#2 and #3) as replacements for the non-available tall 90-degree tip caps. Approx. 3.25" tall vs. the 2.5" tall originals. Each.
$ 4.00

HCP1318SET2 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms , tall 102-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 2.
$ 7.75

HCP1318SET4 NGK Plug Cap, 5K ohms , tall 102-degree angled boot, for 12mm "D" plugs with a threaded stud on top, set of 4.
$ 15.00



All the above and more at:

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... t=135.html

 

chacal...did you get a website yet? dayumn! I want to be able to search by bike model and find all your parts listed.

 

Wow! I will be reading that when I have time at home. Thanks for all that information. I hope you didn't type all that by hand though.

Jon

 

PghXJ-----in time. Right now you've just got to "read all about it" on the thread, sorry, working 18 hours a day doing the research and trying to make sure that things and products are:

a) available
b) correct (this is what takes an incredible amount of time)
c) in-stock

I'll be adding a large amount of parts to the list between Thanksgiving and New Years, I think I've got about another thousand or so available!

Jon---only had to type it once, then it's all just cut-and-paste! Thankfully!!

 

killed my stock dual horns, and relocated the high tone horn to in front of the motor. Looks much leaner now, without the chrome mickeymouse ears poking out.

Started looking for a different gauge cluster.

 

Bought a bunch of used relays and other various electrical junk from eBay. The diode block may be good, but I think all the relays are bad. My quest for working flashers continues...

Along the same vein, I now have several of the rear flasher stays, but all appear to be bent. Are they supposed to be that way, or should they be flat along the long axis of the bike?

Put another way, if you were to take the rear flashers apart and look at the little bracket that holds the flasher to the frame, does it have only *bends* in it, or does it have a slight *twist* in it (which would then adjust the flasher's position *forward* or *backward* relative to the bike when mounted)?

Had the bike shop examine both of the front wheels I have and the rotors. In their tech's words, "I'd ride on those wheels." So the wheels are fine, the rotors are fine. Now I need to reassemble the front wheel and pay close attention to the schematic to make sure I'm not missing any spacers and that they are in there in the right order. I could swear that the rotor is out of position in that slot in the front fork by something teeny like 1/32 of an inch... just enough to make it so that there is almost zero clearance between the rotor and the outside edge of the slot.

Alos need to accumulate some money so I can get some more parts from chacal. The term "project bike" becomes more appropriate every day.

 

I'm overhaulin, and have to pull the alternator rotor, so as suggested by the Haynes manual, "obtain the Yamaha Tool....." So I head to the local Yamy dealer, who fires back at me ...WE DON'T RENT TOOLS, AND WE DON"T WORK ON BIKES OLDER THAN 1997! ... Doesn't that just make you want to fix up these old bikes in spite of dealers like that!

 

Call Customer Service - 1-800-962-7926 ... and blow the whistle on that guy!

Yamaha hates it when a Dealer tells a Customer to "Take a hike"

 

a340----I carry that tool, in stock:

HCP1404 Aftermarket alternator Rotor Removal Tool, this is the correct tool to use to remove the rotor without damaging the rotor or the retainer threads.
$ 12.00

 

rick, dude! that WAS a MIDNIGHT !!!
good job fixing it up rather than see it destroyed.

 

Chacal .. send me the goods, also want a fuse box and attachments.
Thanks

 

Got front wheels of both bikes back from the bike shop. Apparently, both wheels are true and both rotors are true within less than 1mm of deflection. "I'd ride on 'em," is what the tech said.

I don't know how I got the front wheel off with the caliper on there, but I went ahead and took it off to make the whole spedometer gearbox thing easier. Cleaned the right spacer and the axle and re-greased them with lithium grease. Re-assembled front wheel (never took apart anything inside of the oil seals) and put in a new cotter pin.

Aside: I think the space between the outer surface of the rotor and the left fork is greater now. Either I don't have the spindle nut tight enough or the PO had it torqued down WAY too tight. I don't have a torque wrench that will do 77ft-lb, but I got it "good and tight" with a 1/2" drive wrench and put a brand new cotter in it, so I think it'll hold. (Though a second look at the torque specs has reminded me that I need to go tighten the pinch bolt. Whoops!)

Anyway, removing the caliper reminded me about how the front brake hasn't been working well. I took the pivot bolt out and took it apart to find quite a bit of corrosion between it and the pivot sleeve. Cleaned all that with brake cleaner and greased both the bolt and the outside of the pivot sleeve with lithium grease and reassembled it. Again, used the "good and tight" method and tested that the caliper rotates (floats) properly on the pivot. Installed brake pads (worn).

So I'll probably need to replace that bolt sometime soon, but given how smoothly the thing pivots, I think that the problems with the front brakes are either simply the worn pads or the caliper needs to be completely disassembled and rebuilt (piston could be sticking).

To do: Check that all bolts are tightened to spec. Attach battery tender. Attach all blinkers and re-test best-looking flasher relay. Send a coupla hundred bucks to chacal for various parts (including front brake pads). Probably disassemble spedometer and see what's worn out. (Can't break it if it already doesn't work, right?)

As usual, many thanks to all here for their advice.

 

Clutch removed, I was surprised at how much water came out with the case oil (water not gas). I had a good look at it as most of it spilled out on the floor!

 

Rhys...don't know/can't remember what problem you were having with the front brakes, but lube up that pivot bolt (that the caliper pivots around) really well...the pivot bolt, the pivot tube (outside and inside the tube), the washer at the top, etc.....as I've always found them to be dry and a source of brake dragging and squealing. I use a mix of hi-temp grease and some graphite powder (after burnishing the bolt shaft smooth) to make sure that puppy can rotate super-freely at a moment's notice.....

And don't forget that there's an o-ring at the very top of that pivot tube (under the top washer)!

 

rhys:

Looks like to have a handle on it.
Chuck the Pivot Bolt into a High-speed drill and "Shine" a new surface on it with 600, 800 and 1000 grit Finishing Papers. Make it a "Friction Free" spindle.

Lithium Grease isn't a good choice for repelling moisture.
Stop at a Bicycle Store and get some synthetic waterproof grease.
That stuff stays greasy, repels moisture and won't "Cake-up" or dry-out.

 

If I may make a recommendation for brake grease:



I've used and sold this product for years and swear by it. It works really well.

 

Found some of that high-grit sandpaper on fleabay in acceptable quantities (3M wants to sell you 4000 sheets at a time). Should get those ordered soon.

As for the grease, I'll stop by O'Reilly and get something better sometime next week. The bike isn't going anywhere soon anyway. Was mounting the rear blinkers, which meant removing the stock handle that passes for a sissy bar. In re-mounting it, something horrible happened to the left front mount on the frame which now eats bolt threads. I'll probably have to tap it out.

If I have this thing in decent running condition by April, it'll be a miracle at this rate...

 

It all comes together fast. One step at a time. Don't be in a rush if its really off-season for you.

 

Pulled out the clutch. Suprised that the center nut that holds the clutch in place, was only finger tight ... shop manual says tighten to 52ft. lbs. Well it was nice not to have to shop around for a 30mm socket (yet). There was a lot of what I thought initially was rust ... but when I wiped it off (the roller bearings)it was grease ... anyone ever used a rust colored grease?

 

I'm trying yo convince the wife to get me a new dremel or rotary tool of some sort so I can start fabbing the mounts and so I can cut the new fender to make it fit.... She's not budging though oh well I guess some closet time is all she needs. HAHAHA Juuuust kidding! Someone in the VA area needs to have their wife or S.O. go shopping wit mine so can sneak out and buy all of this stuff!.

 

While mounting new tires I snapped the small swingarm bolt. fixed it by locking on with Vice Grips and wiggling w/lots of Blaster. Made headlight work by unplugging-re-plug as many electrical connections I could. Rode about 12 miles and totally plugged the petcock with rust. Walked.