What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Rode her to work, checked the plugs, scratched my head, wanted to ride more, rode home.

 

I got passed by a little crotch rocket that was screaming about 13000 rpm @ 70 mph I would guess.
I just had to show him my tail light in case he didn't notice it. (no traffic around)
For some reason he didn't pass me again?

 

Installed a new brake line, the old one was hanging up (bad news).
took her for a three hour spin on some windy back roads and she purred the whole time.

 

Fine-tuned my 900 getting it ready for the ride up to Laconia, New Hampshire for Bike Week.

Hit the oval at the FedEx Terminal near me and did laps. The landscape crew thought I was just plain nuts.
I set-up a little Pit Area on one of the Truck Ramps and raced around the place hoping nobody would call the cops until I got the Plug Chop done.

Coming off the line it was a little "Feathery" and gargling for some Fuel ... so I added a bit of Richness to all four carbs and let her loose.
Everything was good at Wide Open Throttle but, she missed after closing the Flys and doing heavy engine braking.

It took me a couple of reads to figure it out. But, I finally found that the One Carb was Rich and the 2,3,4 Carbs a hair Lean.
Pit Stop.
Adjustment.
More performance riding around the joint ... overstaying my welcome.
Expecting the cops to come and escourt me out of there.

No cops.
More runs.
I have a tuned-up 900, tonight.

Steady, strong Idle at 1,000 RPM.
Un-freakin-bee-leeve-able Throttle response out of the hole.
Those Polished Bores are letting those Diaphragm Pistons open and feed Main Jet Fuel without an eye-blink of hesitation.

Let go of the Throttles and the Bike don't need brakes.
In the groove.
MoJo, Karma and Magic all happening!

Full Zoom capabilities enabled on the XJ-900.
Gotta hang-on when you crank it open.
If it only had wings ... ???

 

What's really sad, Rick, is that I was in Billerica earlier this month and didn't have time to come out for a visit.

 

Well, if you get back this way ... give me a heads-up and we'll stoke-up the grill and make sausages or something and talk bikes ... or, as one guy did one time ... crashed on the couch because he'd been riding for hours and used my place as a Pit Stop.

Whatever works.

I enjoy the company every now and then.
Folks going to Laconia this upcoming bike week are welcome to come and crash, use the shower, camp-out or whatever!

I try to keep it light around here!

 

Well, guess I have a good excuse to picuk up a tap & die set, several projects needing something now

 

I replaced my older Dunlop Qualifiers with Spitfires. I would have liked some BT-45s better, like I put on my son's XJ600, but already had the new Spitfires in the garage. After that, I checked the cam chain adjustment and took it for a spin. I'm recovering from a second back surgery and really shouldn't be back on the Maxim yet, but figured an 8 mile check up ride wouldn't hurt. It was so nice.

Rusty

 

Started re-assembly of the front end. Cleaned the insides of the fork clamps, mounted forks, wheel, front fender and front brake.

I *think* that everything is straight. Have a look at the pics marked "Reassembled" and tell me if you see anything out of whack.

650 Repair Project

I see two things that are suspicous, but I don't know if it's supposed to be like that and/or whether or not it's just an optical illusion. YOU BE THE JUDGE!

Also continued scouring eBay and my parts boxes for replacements. I have everything for the headlight except for the glass and the shell. Spare mounting bracket has one ear a little bent, but I can live with that.

 

Turn signals were flaking out. I thought I had a loose/broken wire, but it turned out that the switch just needed cleaned.
Re-routed the clutch cable a bit to accommodate the new drags and wind screen.

Rusty,
Have you run the Spitfires before? How do you like them? Do they bite in the twistys? I have a new set to put on. I wanted Diablos or Venoms but neither Pirelli or Avon sees fit to make those tires in the sizes to fit my ride!
The rip sheet on the Spitfires reads nice but I haven't tried them on anything before.

 

I decided to go ahead and paint the fuel tank and fenders on my recently purchased XJ. I'm using paint stripper to clean the old paint off. The bike was originally black but I am painting those 3 pieces yellow, leaving the frame, side covers, and wheels black.

Today, while the primer is drying on those 3 pieces I am going to drain the oil and rear gear grease. i am also going to remove the exhaust today so I can steel wool the down pipes. I am going with yellow header wrap on the down pipes and replacing the mufflers with a set of harley drag pipes.

Hopefully this setup will look pretty good when I am done.

 

Drained the gas tank, refilled and went for my first ride on it.
Just picked up the bike Friday, it's an 81 550 Seca


oh, and found the best place on the web for XJs!!

 

Put a small wind deflector screen on, now can cruise at 70mph

 

PaulT:

Where's Wilton?
Are you close to Nashua and the Mass Line?

I'm just over the Mass Line in Billerica, MA.

 

Hi Rick, Wilton is the next town west of Milford, right on 101.
Grew up in Nashua, still have my house down there.

 

cleaned mud or something out of my carbys jets and got the slides in the carby moving agen.thats all i did.

 

Mounted a new rear tire on the '80 XJ650 Maxim.

On the '77 XS750 gapped rings, Installed them on pistons, mounted pistons on rods, installed cylinders after honing them, installed head after lapping valves and cleaning it, installed cams /chain w/new link, verified timing, checked valve clearances.

 

rpgoerlich:

That's a fair amount of work. Sounds like you have that project well in hand.
Take the day off and take it easy. No sense rushing a big job when the weather is good and a holiday goes with it!

 

won a new brake disc for my 26 year old seca from ebay cost me $6.00 plus $10.00 shuipping!

 

Changed out my old fuse block, don't know why, I've never blown a fuse in 25 years, lol

From this:





To this:

 

Wife working, Son out, too windy to fish, lit the smoker and tossed on some ribs. I was so far along with the XS, I started looking at the Ignition. re-made all connections on all coils, scrapped the resistors in plug caps as it had Resistor plugs on it. Replaced fuse panel. Cleaned and gapped points... checked timing. Mounted carbs and yes, popped it off ! A tad loud without the pipes. Mounted the pipes and took it round the block. Gotta luv that 3 into 1 sound on a triple! Waiting on some side panel decals. Pic to follow.

Got the Maxims seat ready for a re-cover.

 

Stripped off the old headlight and turn signals BUffed on the aluminum. ordered new headlight and signals , center stand, brake caliper, and a new master cylinder. .

going to buff some more on the engine tonight.

 

I plan on welding up a removable sissy bar and luggage rack combo from 1/2" square steel tubing. But last night I bent up some 1/2" EMT conduit for a quick and dirty sissy bar and mounted it to the grab bar on my Seca. It turned out nicer than I'd expected.
I'll get a picture up later.
I still need to make a pad for the back rest but the bar by it's self doesn't look too bad. Kinda Old School.
Anyone know if the galvanized tubing will take powder coat?

 

Spent a lot of this week getting parts for both XJs on eBay. I think I have everything for the 650 except the headlight glass and a front right blinker (w/ running lights). Need to set some money aside for braided brake lines and clutch/brake switches. Dang, controls and guages are just coming apart!

 

Replaced the ATF in my forks with 10W30 motor oil. Big improvement, no more nose dive! ATF is too thin for forks!

Bent the sidestand spring tighter so it won't flop around and drag on left turns.

Cleaned under the left engine cover so next Saturday I can find the oil leak. At least I hope I can, because I had to destroy one of the bolts to get the cover off... first I stripped the allen, then I stripped it again using a Torx, then I cut a slot for a screwdriver and it still wouldn't budge even hitting the screwdriver with a 2.5lb sledge. Ended up drilling that sucker out and adding it to my collection of mangled fasteners. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time 30 years and force Yamaha to use anti-seize on every steel bolt that threads into aluminum. :evil:

 

It would be nice to go back 30 years and have Yamaha spend a few Yen more for hardened Cap Screws used to hold the Manifolds to the Cylinder Head, too.

Breaking-off Cylinder Head Exhaust Studs and Manifold Securing Cap Screws is the worst problem we face trying to keep these old bike running.

No matter how many times the warning goes out ... somebody wrecks a nice sunny day trying to remove Manifold Cap Screws or Exhaust Nuts cold welded in place.

 

Spent most of the day going through the carbs again. Lowered float level 1.5mm, polished the needles, slides, slide bores with aluminum polish and a dremel with a plastic wire wheel, de-burred the fuel jets, polished them too, polished the insides of the emulsion tubes with a paper q-tip stem, colortuned, installed brand-new plugs.

I finally got rid of the mid-range stumble that occured only when the bike was hot. Float levels seemed to be the culprit. I just got back from a 30 mile ride, and it ran absolutely perfect. Throttle response is nice and smooth all the way through the power band. I can WOT in 5th gear from 25mph, and there's no stumbling or hesitation.

Rick, you created a monster. :mrgreen:

 

Now is when you will have the most fun with your Bike. If you keep an eye on the Plugs you will be able to "Play-with" the Pilot Mixtures to give you varying results.

Run them just a little bit on the Lean side and you will get strong, fast and crisp acceleration.

Move them a couple of degrees Rich and you get smooth acceleration and a luxury feel to the Throttle Response.

You worked real hard getting to where you have your Bike. It's nice to hear the success story ... I wish there were more of them!

The whole magic of being Tuned-up is how she Idles and comes-off Idle and accelerates. Once you have it so you can Throttle-up and get down to the nest light with anybody else ... you get high props for a job well done.

Nice work.
I forget ... how long did you work on this???

 

Ha! I've been playing with these carbs ever since I got the bike last year. It came with a 4-1 Mac exhaust, Dynojet kit and a K&N air filter. I've tried 3 sizes of pilot jets, 4 sizes of mains... It's been a game of chasing dead spots and stumbles all through the throttle range.

Needless to say, I know a LOT more about how these carbs work now. Pretty much 95% thanks to this site and about 5% to a couple of other sites that explain general CV carb theory.

BTW the idle is very smooth, no loping or hunting. Idle comes up maybe 150RPM from normal after a long highway run. I colortuned a tad on the rich side, so it comes down nice and smooth, but doesn't hang either. No popping on deceleration. I'll wait a couple of days and read the plugs.

 

stereo:

It sounds to me like you are IN!
Good feeling to have the bike running so well ... isn't it?

For those stumbles and dead spots ...
Run the bike up to 3,000 rpm's
Listen carefully to the exhaust note.

If you hear it "Pop, pop, poppity-poppin'" ... add a little tiny bit of Richness to a Cylinder and see if it goes away.
Return the Screw to where you started if nothing happens.

You should find you can tune that out by adding a little Mixture to the Hole that needs it ...
(More than one might.)

 

I went to a bike graveyard and bought a headlamp bucket and bezel. The PO laid it down just before heading to the ER so I have been spending my time straightening things out and riding of course.

Earlier in the day, I went to a bike shop and picked up some Castrol 20w/50 oil. When I got home, I left the keys in the ignition, in the on position of course. When I came out to take my daughter to soccer, the danged bike wouldn't start. So, I took the key out and let it sit for a couple of hours. And, the durned bike had recovered enough to spin the starter for a few seconds.

I took pity on the battery and after adding water (See Rick, we do listen) I put it on a charger and took the kids to see the new Indiana Jones movie.

Got home and battery was fully charged and it spun right over and started without any choke. (Not sure if that is good or bad)

Now, I am trying to decide if I should change the oil before I go for a ride tomorrow with PainterD and MN Maxim or do it after.

 

I took my "new" 85' XJ700 maxim on a 200 mile group ride with a local club. We road from the Minneapolis area over to Wisconsin and followed the Mississippi river down for a while and then crossed back to the Minnesota side and followed the river back up.

This bike makes long trips, enjoyable.

 

250 mile mile ride with the wife and a buddy on his 2002 Sportster Custom. (over night trip to Pittsburgh to fight with the waterfront traffic)
I'm hitting 3rd gear before he shifts to second. But at 85 mph I can twist her tail and leave him searching for 6th gear!
Great ride good times and cold beer!

 

I pulled the carbs this morning and then my son and I started the long process of cleaning them. It seems that they may not have ever been cleaned before! LOL! Having some issues getting 2 of the hinge pins out and at least one float needle is stuck, ARGH! Hopefully after sitting in cleaner tonight it will come out. Being this is my first time, a good day!

 

Hit the Hardware Store.
Buy a Hardwood Hammer Handle.
Cut a section to fit between the Float Pillar Posts (tightly)
Drill a hole in the end of the Handle.

Use the Handle with the hole drilled into it to absorb impact and lessen the chance you will break a Hinge Pillar Post.
Line everything up so that using a NAIL ... grinded down to be a suitable drift ... you can apply Impact to the HINGE PIN without the HINGE PILLARS moving with the IMPACT!

See sketch:

 

Pulled the tank off, popped out the fiberglass and bondo patch. Found a sad state. Rust everywhere under the "fix" from previous owner. I started to clean the rust out but found two holes and decided it was a lost cause. Now looking for fuel tank in better shape.

Weoxstan

 

Today... Nothing. Yesterday: New rear brake pads, replaced Speedo drive on front wheel (still not reading accurate, have to replace speedo) and tightened triple clamp to get rid of a slight play in steering.

 

Went home at lunch and pulled the plugs. They are closer. Counting left to right while sitting on the bike (I think this is "backwards" to the manual??):One is slightly lean looking, almost perfect. Two is a bit leaner than that. Three is very lean and four is about the same as two. Pulled the seat and tank off, tweaked all four mixture screws varying degress based on the plugs and took it for about a 10 or 15 minute ride. Seems to run pretty good, but still needs tweaking. I shut her down and put her in the barn. I'll read the plugs again and continue tweaking.

 

In stock!:


HCP127-6G OEM original steel Gas Tank, factory gloss black color, fits all XJ650 Maxim and Midnight Maxim models. NOTE: the gloss black finish on this tank is correct for 1980 XJ650 Maxim and 1981 XJ650 Midnigh Maxim models only. All other years of XJ650 Maxims that used a "black" paint color actually used a gloss black with a very subtle metallic "star" flake coloration inserted.

Bare tank does not include the front trim, gas cap, petcock, or any mounting hardware or bushings, but those items are available separately if needed.

Also, due to the size of this item, the "over $100" freight discounts do not apply to this product.
$ 299.00

 

Tapped out the ragged 6mm bolt hole in the lower triple clamp that holds the headlight bracket in place. Not much else to do yet...

 

I broke the float hinge posts on the #2 carb!

 

This past weekend:
Replaced (bent/leaky) forks with some I found on Craig's list (perfect condition) but I haven't rode it yet.

Tonight:
Replaced front turn signals after breaking the wires off the originals (see above). Of course I bought the wrong wattage so now I have to go get an electronic flasher relay to get them to blink. No big deal though.

 

Started in on 750 #3, cleaned carbs (lower end) Reinstalled and sync'd COOL is actually runs good. Then moved on to 750 #1. Sync'd carbs and they were so far off I don't know how it ran. It now Runs Great!!!!. Then moved on to the 1100, Carbs already cleaned and just came back from 150 mile trip (ran ok but idle quality crappy) This one also had the plugs still installed over the pilot screws. Sync'd tis set of carbs. It run's way better and the throttle response is ---Whoa Look Out---. So I got three bikes runnin good and I had a chance to play with my new carb sync tool. The 650 is next.
This weekend I was out with a couple of Minnesota members. PainterD explained to me about carb syncing. I have never done that before and it was very easy. Thanks to a little encouragement I was able to take on this task. I wasn't sure how and actually a little scared to try it. So it worked out and I feel alot better about how these bikes run. Good Luck and thanks for a great forum.

 

Forgot to post the other day....
Relocated the reat signals to secondary holes on the inner fender, closer to the rear.... (believe these are the holes used on the Seca) .... Happier with the look now.....

Took her for a couple of short runs yesterday...need to get a long one in, she just want's to go...

Waiting on extra cash and Mikes XS to get the 41" steel braid in for the brakes (still "out of stock") ...

 

Well, it started with doing a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. I wanted to replace my instrument indicator light bulbs as my turn indicator light was burnt out. No big deal, bought the replacements, undid the speedo mount bolts, replaced the bulbs.. no problem.

As I mounted the speedo back onto the headlight frame & installed those ridiculously slim bolts, my mind flashed back to several threads where people say they are prone to breakage. Just then, the bolt that hadn't even begun to snug went "Click" and turned a little too freely in my hands.

Arrgh, ok. I'll put the other one in, drive it to work later in the week and set it up in a proper drill press to get it out. Second bolt goes in, much easier than the first... easy, easy.... "snap". You have got to be kidding me... Insert profanity of your choice here because I am sure I used them all.

So now I am out of commision until I get some time at home to try to go at the bolts, both down inside the headlight mount frame, with an extractor.

 

Finally got back to the bike this weekend. Replaced both fork seals up front. Went pretty smoothly due to all the research I've done reviewing all the threads on this topic. Thanks again to all who have shared their experience.
Tonight I plan to clean and re-grease the speedo gear and reinstall the tire. Then it is on to try and fire it up after about a year of sitting. I just want to get a couple of seconds of idle out of her before I go back into the carbs to re-clean everything. I really want to get out for a ride this weekend so the fiance will not see me much, unless she hangs out in the garage with me. I'll update progress.

 

last night I replaced my leaky old petcock with a brand new one.
Replaced the drain tube for the airfilterbox which i used to "close" the old petcock saving me lots of fuel...

Bike is running half better now.... soon i need to look at the first carb... somehow its flooding the cilinder... while all other carb appear to run a little lean, the first is black and dripping

 

Had the bike for 2 weeks now. Got the carbs adjusted so it is running great, now I just have to find the original turn signal assembly as the right front signal does not match the other three and turns on but does not blink. I also have to figure out a way to get the left dog bone (handle bar) off without stripping the bolts or caps.

 

Finally put on a new master cylinder and a new caliper. only 2 things left then I ride


Head light lens and front fork mount turnsignals

 

Last night we got the project XJ1100 fired up for the first time, after a thorough carb cleaning/rebuild, new plugs, new carb boots. It caught on second crank. after 2 years of sitting :mrgreen:

That bikes sounds friggin awesome. It's hard to imagine a small car motor on two wheels.

now it's time for new fork tubes, brake rebuild, new seat cover, new rubber, some cosmetic fixes...