What did you do to your Yamaha today?

dude - your link is bad. I am absolutly possotive this is correct:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/7/dec3langleygp6.jpg


Steve

 

On Saturday I squeezed a new light bulb for my spedo into the insturment area without having the housing all the way off. It all went back together okay, but I wouldn't do it that way again.

 

Yesterday I drained the tank, ran the carbs dry (was hard to get her started in the below freezing temps, but she did go. Put her in the shed, now I can start the mods and such.... good thing, snow started before I left for home from work today... messy.... very messy.....

 

Bent the mounts for the right-side reflector (on the steering neck) back into place and got the reflectors mounted. Found out that the top bolt is WAY longer than the bottom bolt, so only two of the four allen-capped stainless screws I got for them will work. Back to Ace for another pair of M4s...

Found out that the teeny M4s I got for the carb hats fit perfectly. Will get all of those replace as time permits. Don't want to strip out the old ones, which are pretty rusty. Again, got allen-capped stainless.

Got the M3s for the flashers ordered. Had to order a box of 100, but I don't feel bad spending money at a local place. They're black bolts with allen thumb screw caps. You're all welcome to the 88 or so of them that I don't need.

Got an M8 x 1.25 tap and reamed out the two forward mounts for the sissy bar. Also discovered what probably damaged the left-side one. When you apply proper torque to a bolt that's too short, you pull threads out. I think there is enough thread left to properly hold the good bolts. Too bad the M8 stainless bolts I just bought were based on the one that was too short. Back to Ace with the longer one...

Ordered a zillion parts from chacal.

Wondered once again whether there is an inexpensive way to get this crappy sprayed-on black paint off of the bike.

Made a note to get that high-grit sandpaper ordered. (Turns out it wasn't actually ordered last week like I thought.) Ought to be able to make this thing shiny! Also made a note to get some tampons for cleaning the engine. I read somewhere that they're great for getting between the fins (and they're MADE to absorb stuff). Even if it doesn't work, it'll be worth the look on the cashier's face.

 

Paint Stripper:

2 Good Options ...

1. Spray-on type. Brand Name "AirPlane" ... foaming and clinging.

2. DuPont Pro Stripper. AutoBody Supply Store. STRONG stuff with need for ventilation and Heavy Rubber Glove and Eye Protection. Brush-on.

The Pro Stripper takes-off Paint -- In a hurry. The paint bubbles-up and wipes-off if it don't fall-off.

I used a combination of both these products to Strip the Black Paint off a Midnight Maxin the guy "Touched-up" with Rattle-can Black from 5 feet away.

There was overspray on everything and there was nothing to do about it but strip it off.

I went through about 6 Cans of Airplane and 2 Pints of DuPont and 20 Rolls of Paper towels and a Billion Q-Tips.
(I was buying Q-Tips by the 1,000)

I got all that Black of it and you can too!

 

Won't those remove all the paint, including the factory red underneath? If so, I'll need to wait until I can line up a place to re-paint it after I strip it...

 

It should strip everything down to the metal...

 

that is the one thing I want to do to my x's engine. some nit wit spray bombed it with a decent paint, but did it again from 5' away like ricks. I wonder if I need to or want to strip it. Of course if I have the entire thing apart this spring to paint the frame and whatnot, might as well right?

 

I finally got the new die hard battery in the bike after getting it charged up. It was real windy out so I tried to do it quickly. Everything went as well as it should, and then I thought of adding some carb cleaner since I had a full tank to dilute it with. I then had to run around to find some old rags from the house to NOT let it work on the paint as the wind blew around half of it down the right side of the tank. Just seemed like a note of interest after folks talking about intending to strip the paint off.

 

Managed to Break something else again, last week it was a nicked fork, this week I sheard off the middle sump drain plug aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggg

The money Pit Lives on

 

Why are people still fooling around with the Middle Gear Drain Plug.

It's NOT a maintenance item.
It's a repair item.

You only drain the Middle Gear cavity before splitting the cases.
It prevents making a mess.

Although ... it's NOT a Big mess!
I'd rather deal with sopping-up a third of a cup of oil than making more trouble than the Devil can hand out when he's in a bad mood!

 

I think the middle gear drain plug removal instructions should include a reference to the appropriate size drill bit and bolt remover.

Speaking of fasteners, replaced all of the teeny M4 bolts on top of the carbs. It looks like some should have been 10mm rather than 8mm, though I think they have enough bite that they'll be all right. Also got the correct bolts to re-mount the sissy bar. Cleaned a bunch more grime off. Probably won't get much more done until Thursday when some of the stranger replacement fasteners get here.

 

Visited her in the shed and added fuel conditioner. Fired her up and let her go for 10 minutes, wishing I could wish away the snow. **Sigh** Four more months......four more months.

Or whenever the spring rain washes away the salt for good.

 

As I recall when removing the carb hats, all the fasteners that held down cable stays and what not were a bit longer than those that held down just the hats.

I hear ya, man. I've got the same problem.

 

Daaaammm 40 pages long, Is this the record for the longest thread? I dont think this thread has been burried since I joined. It keeps poppin up.

What I did to my yamaha today: Covered it with a new tarp. Last night we had such a bad wind storm that my tarp disapeared, No where to be found for miles. NONE of my neighbors seen it. Maybe in the ocean somewhere by now. Who knows. The new one is tied down to the bike.

 

Hey! I think I saw it in my front yard! :wink:

 

Ahh haa. I knew it went North.

 

That's how I got a set of plastic porch chairs and a table. Literally a windfall!

Got the 10mm M4 bolts for the carbs. Extra 8mm bolts will go to the "spare" set of carbs (read: "practice carbs"). Got some more metric taps for cleaning out rust and/or paint from various bolt holes. I'm going to need to invest in some more pipe cleaners, too... Wiped down the bike a bit more. Even without the seat and tank, it's starting to look like a bike worth riding!

 

this weekend I am replacing the head pipes with better ones and putting those pipes I remove onto another bike...man I love the exhaust on those x's! NOT!

 

I put gas stabilizer in mine and drained the carbs. Oh and I removed the battery and put it on the trickle charger for the winter.