What did you do to your Yamaha today?

I think I saw the dog food in the muffler in a video a woman did some time ago. Rodents like to "stash" things away in the strangest places. Today I was clearing out some storage in the garage re-arranging things and throwing things away to make room for bike parts storage. Well, found Deer corn from last year stashed in old hockey gloves. Several different gloves had corn in them.

On the XJ, I was removing rust specks on the pipes today.

 

Actual dog food. Not a lot, a couple of teaspoons but it still doesn't belong there. The Kerker was open enough that the critter that stored it there must have been able to get in and out easy enough to retrieve the rest.

 

My gas-tank rust removal efforts on my wrecked Midnight Maxim were effective. Vinegar method. Coated the tank with MMO to prevent flash rust. Overhaul peacock next.

 

Looks like my neutral switch is toast , ordered a new switch but won't be here till next week. Drained oil and went to remove oil filter...of course I cant find my six point 14mm socket . Went to try to remove switch ...can't get to it as the frame tube is in the way ...looks like I will have to disconnect the drive shaft and pull the motor mounts and jack up the engine few inches . Before I do this I think I'm going to pull the left side cover it just does not shift right , my yellow seca shifts like butter , this one is very difficult to shift right could be the shift lever needs adjusted, but I want to make sure it is not something else.

 

Hey! Nothing wrong with me.

 

I'm loosing my patience on 100$ , slid off shift linkage , put on the linkage from my spare engine . No better , soooo pulled off left side cover , pretty sludged up this thing has not been cared for, I don't see anything with the shift fork and it has rained all day it is very damp out so gave up for now . My new neutral switch showed up , still looks like it is going to be a real hoot to change out .

 

HCP15718 Aftermarket neutral position switch REMOVAL SOCKET. On many models, it's almost a physical impossibility to remove the neutral switch from the crankcase "well" without removing the exhaust system or removing the engine from the frame.....the left lower frame tube conspires with the exhaust system to make it unbelievably difficult to access the switch. This special "open side" socket is the proper size to squirm through those restricted spaces and make it possible to remove and re-install the position switch without going through a tremendous amount of effort. Standard 1/4" drive socket should be used with a 3" extension bar, or, it's even easier to use when attached to the HCP13516 flexible shaft driver listed below.

HCP13516 Aftermarket flexible "spring shaft" 1/4" SOCKET DRIVER TOOL, just the thing to use with the HCP15718 socket above to reach the neutral switch. Large plastic handle with 6" long flexible shaft.

 

Is part 2 stuck? With the selector mechanism off I can move the shift drum on my machine by hand. Is it jammed in gear? Can you turn the engine over using the back wheel with the plugs out?

https://images.cmsnl.com/img/partsl...-c-usa-shift-cam-fork_bigyau0790c-10_ae57.gif

 

No just does not go into gear very easy , with it on center stand and engine running, I get it to go into gears but is rough . I can't ride it as I don't have a battery in bike using a car battery and jumper cables. Tires won't hold air and NO BRAKES ! So far very little invested trying to keep it that way as I have many parts already .
If I really felt like I could pull engine and see if it looked like chain guide was breaking up , my last resort ,or put my spare engine back together and swap it in .

 

Are the clutch plates sticking?

 

I don't think so ,when in neutral the rear wheel does not turn and when dropping it into first gear no clunk , and lever feels fine.

 

No it's not the clutch then.

 

Removed the tank and filled w/ vinegar. Rust in tank looks moderate. Planning on 3-4 days to percolate. Removing all 4 turn signals, replacing all with new 2 terminal wire contacts; F&R will have parking light & turn signals.

 

1983 XJ550 Maxim

• Oil and filter
• Air filter
• Installed side covers complete with badges (found in a junk pile at estate sale)
• Reinstalled original metal blinker housings lfound on eBay (I had to replace the old pigtails and springs). Just couldn’t get used to the cheap Chinese plastic ones that were on there.
• Added pulsating red LED bulbs to the brake lights.
• Replaced aftermarket, wrong-sized rear brake switch with functional used original.
• Changed seal and o-ring on tach drive gear assembly. The old seal was basically baked in so it took some work. I finally softened the rubber parts with Simple Green for about 15 minutes, and it was quick work to remove it after that.

It was a day off work, so I made use of it on the bike.

 

Feel like i made some progress, the oil filter bolt was rounded off , used my largest bolt extactor, 1/2 inch drive ratchet and an inch and 16th socket and a two foot cheater bar and it finally broke loose, Moose Cholock must have installed the last time . Reinstalled left side cover and shift lever , adjusted it and it seems to shift easier. Today I ordered the socket from Chacal to remove the neutral switch was not cheap and will probably only use it once but will have it .

 

HOT DOG , my socket for the neutral switch showed up , thank you to Franz and Chacal wow that was fast ordered Tuesday and it showed up today . The old switch was in there tight , after I broke it loose was still in there tight , installing was not real easy , but being ever resourceful and a few things from my aircraft days got it in , turned the key and a nice green light on the cluster  . I'm over joyed . Since the bike was missing the cluster , I'm wondering if this is why bike was parked as the neutral light was not working and a couple of relays were missing.

 

Finally have it standing on its own two feet again. Working on a pile of small parts and front brakes. Next up will be cleaning up the motor.

 

Replaced the throttle shaft seals that I had previously replaced. I sourced them before finding this site and our beloved sponsor. Alleged to be for an XJ 650. When I took them out today they were nice and soft and loose around the throttle shafts. Not like hula-hoop loose but "hey look at these britches since I lost 10 pounds" loose. Maybe for a Mikuni carbs with a slightly larger diameter shaft? I hooked up a cheapo set of gauges and the sync was pretty close, but I'm not going to fool with it until I have a proper carb sync tool. Also need to adjust the idle mixture and fine tune, but otherwise it's pretty rock steady at ~950rpm.

Installed a set of Progressive 412 shocks which are a huge improvement over the ragged out OEM units that came off. Picked up the seat from the upholstery shop and it looks very nice. Weather will be nice tomorrow so I'll have a chance to put a few dozen miles on it and snap a photo.

 

Made more progress today , reinstalled rear turn signals , the front brakes were totally inop. Was surprised master cylinder still had fluid and did not look too bad . Refilled master cylinder and broke open the bleeder screws and actually got pressure on front brakes , the rear brake was totally out of adjustment so fixed that , reinstalled the headlight bucket and horns . The rear broke switch is stuck on so still need to fix that . Making a list this will need tires, front brake pads, rear brake shoes , battery and most important a TITLE . So far most parts I already had , the only item a new neutral switch and switch removal tool, and a used instrument cluster so not a bunch besides my initial 100$ purchase price .

 

The adage two steps forward one back was me today . I replaced the rear brake switch and repainted the mirrors and installed. Went to move the bike and front brakes are locked . When I bleed the brakes my huntch the pistons are not releasing . So looks like I will have to pull calipers , but that will need to wait.

 

That sucks. I'm no metallurgist, but it seems like this caliper aluminum in particular corrodes when you breathe on it wrong. I have some r6 calipers that feels like they could be converted if I squint just right while holding them next to the forks. One of those "someday" projects.

 

This bike supposedly has been sitting for 10 years , or it was stolen . The old guy I got from claimed it was dropped off at his buddies shop and they never came to get it. He wanted iwhen I asked for at gone so they put on FB market place for 100$ . He was scetchy when I asked for a bill of sale.

 

Clean and lube the ignition. I swore I had already done this and when I pulled it out of the parts box I was surprised what a shitty job I'd done. Then realized that was the ignition of a bike or two ago. At least they're all basically the same and a familiar process.

 

Rebuilt both calipers, the seals were hard and had to use my grease gun to push pistons out, messy but efective . I also found the slide was stiff , it all freed up and reinstalled. Was getting quite cold out so bleeding will have to wait. If I do keep this eventually would replace orginal rubber hoses , for now they will have to do . I also reused the brake pads they were still in spec and don't look bad . I did order a battery waiting on it to show up , so so far have put a little over 100$ into it .

 

Paint on the fuel tank got damaged and I decided that Ford grabber blue looked a lot better in my head than in reality. So cleaned up the sore spots and repainted something called Lexington Green which is still kind of funky but not nearly as ostentatious.

And, hopefully, drove a stake through the heart of any and all potential remaining vacuum leaks by removing and reinstalling the intake boots with Permatex Motoseal gasket maker. One thing I've learned through this, using propane to find vacuum leaks does not work versus small, directed spritzes of carb cleaner.

 

Ha, I used a compressor and thankfully it was pointing in a safe direction when the piston came out like a musket ball. I'd say .380 Auto loud. Shoulda stuffed a rag in there first...

 

Made a new set of motor mount bushings from polyurethane. They turned out better than I was thinking they might since I don't own a lathe.

 

I finally got to do a test ride on my bike. The front brake caliper needs a rebuild put in it so I really didn't have front brakes. I still need a speedometer cable so I don't exactly know how I was going. The clutch & gears worked great. Really happy to get to ride the bike after having it for a year.

 

Nope I have a big aircompressor cranked it up to 130 psi and pistons would not budge. So grease did the trick.

 

First ride ever on my 750 (now 900) Seca. 100m around the yard, over 10cm fresh snow on the ground and in my shoes but that still counts.

https://youtube.com/shorts/-kicwiEnq_I?feature=share

 

Today removed handle bars and popped fork caps , drained the forks took chance and refilled forks , waiting to see if seals leak , if they do will have to pull forks and replace . Not real warm out so tried to fill master cylinder with the fill by the cap neck , no Bueno gave up for now .

 

Checked compression, when I got the machine #1 tested at 60psi - less than half the other three cylinders. After the usual sticky ring treatment, setting valve clearance and riding a few hundred miles it tested 150psi, 147psi, 150psi, 152psi today. The plugs had some ash so the valve guides or seals are probably leaking a bit.

Reinstalled the carbs, got it running and confirmed there are zero vacuum leaks anywhere on the engine side of the plungers. According to my questionable set of vacuum gauges the sync is pretty dialed in but pretty sure the mixture needs tuning. I think at this point I'm ready to bite the bullet and buy a Colortune plug and either rent or buy a Carbtune and put a bow on it.

The paint on the tank came out pretty nice. The local auto paint store mixed up the base coat in an aerosol can along with a 2K aerosol clear coat that's supposed to be fuel resistant, at least to the degree a factory base coat/clear coat would be. The petcock needs to be rebuilt anyway so I'm going to let it cure for a week before sanding and polishing.

 

Worked on the XJ today, finally did work on the gas tank, rattle can black with a few coats of clear. Finished the vinegar clean out a week ago. Replaced the fender with a pretty nice chrome one from Ebay.

 

More progress, I had ordered a new sealed battery, finally showed up after going to multiple states . Installed it and cranks over great, beats using a car battery and jumper cables . Still will make up a battery jumper for the BATTERY light on the Atari. Still need to bleed front brakes after the caliper rebuild . So tired of this weather so want to drag out my other Seca and ride . Keeps snowing and is cold , when is spring supposed to get here ?

 

On today's episode of "How much labor can I spend to save a couple nickels?"

 

Timing chain tensioner gaskets?

 

Gaskets between the head and the carb boot/rubber thingy.

 

That sure makes sense when there are four!

 

I'm with you on that! Indiana weather is trying my patience also.

 

i can assure you that Finnish weather isn't any better, this weeks forecast had every weather sign there is, temps from -14C to +5C, rain, snow, fog, storm wind, you name it

 

Northern Indiana weather is bad , looking at forecast a couple of 40's for high and of course rain, snow mix .

 

I am lucky then it is not too bad in Scotland.

 

It was 37 here yesterday (Indianapolis area). I couldn't help myself and went for a ride. It wasn't that too cold but I was riding in a subdivision so nothing very fast.

 

We're spoiled down in Texas. I only ride when it's above 68°.

 

I used to live in Houston, way to hot most of the time and no one knows how to drive . I was going to Louisiana was doing 80 and about got ran over by a corvette, Ferrari, Maserati, and two Lamborghini's all doing at least 130 .

 

Went to the BMV today; Forked over $161 for registration/plates. First real ride on the ol '81 $300 XJ project. Placed insurance on it also. Rode around my town almost 10 miles! The loner I rode the more noticeable carburetion issues surfaced. Rough idle, leaving a stoplight required higher than normal rev's, upper rpm was congested. I had been partially through the carbs when I first picked up the bike, along with frozen f&r brakes, fuse box issues, and so on. Anyway I let her cool down after the ride, pulled the new ngk's, #1,2,4 coal black. #3 clean. Placed new plugs in, fired it up, shot carb. spray all around the intake boots and carbs. #3 instantly revved from the spray. I pulled the carbs, inspected the boots and gaskets, WOW I failed. The china gaskets were not sealing completely. Bought the gasket material and made 4 to match the oe shape off an old boot. Pulled the bowls, just WOW, I blew it guys! Main 122 and pilot 43 from a china carb kit.. I cleaned up all the old jets and reinstalled. Tomorrow the carbs. go back on. This is the first of 2 xj650's I bought recently. I am learning so much.

 

I have rebuilt 2 carbs now, I like the xj4ever bowl gasket and throttle shaft seals but not his float needle and needle valve with the flat (not 1/2 bowl) filters. I used some of the parts from an amazon kit that has paper gaskets and not rubber ones and like the float needles better.
I used none of the carb kit brass. Either jet size was not appropriate or the threading was rough (emulsion tube) so I just cleaned up the original brass. One carb had larger jets and purchased original factory size jets from xj4ever.
If you clean up the original parts, not much reason to use carb kit parts from the cheap carb kits.
This xj650 I got was a great learning experience too. I went on short 5-10 mile test runs to sort things out till I was happy.
Good luck

 

Last night used a Colortune plug and rented Carbtune Pro/YICS tool to get the carbs dialed in.

Today, sanded and polished the paint on the fuel tank. It came out real nice. The only real downside to the 2K aerosol clear coat is it's an aerosol can so it doesn't feed properly when spraying at an odd angle. Like when you're spraying the top of a fuel tank that's sitting on a sawhorse. So there were a few specks and spittle spots that came out once it was sanded. In hindsight I should have hung the tank vertically, but after 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 grit wet sanding and buffing with some Meguire's ultimate compound it looks far better than what you might expect out of a $100 paint job done in a garage.

 

To get a real good finish out of rattle cans , boil a pan of hot water let cool for 15 to 20 mintes . Put the can of paint in water for a few minutes, take it out shake it up several times , put it back in water for few more minutes. Remove from water shake it up and spray in even coats . The heat increases pressure in can and thins paint . JUST BE CAREFUL , you don't want the can to explode .

 

Roger that, I did the hot water immersion trick with the base and clear. The clear has a smaller aerosol compartment you puncture from bottom to release hardener so I'm not sure how it feeds. It takes three coats - one light, then a medium coat, then a heavy coat to finish. I started on the top of the tank on the last coat but even with half a can left it was sputtering a bit at a ~45° angle. Probably why most spray guns feed from the top.