What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Yesterday, Did an oil change, replaced the exhaust gaskets, replaced 2 broken exhaust studs and found another stripped
Also, was offered a good deal on a set of carbs. There's an old independent bike shop I go to. Run by two older gentlemen. The mechanic used to race an '81 550 seca until a bad crash got him off bikes completely.
He bought the bike new, ran it 2-3 mo. then pulled the carbs, cleaned and dried them out, and stored them. $200 for me...not in the bike budget, but I'll find a way to pick these up.

 

drove 400 km (250 miles) in 2 days and my odometer went over 60.000 km (37.290 miles)

 

I drove a good 400 km as well yesterday. Took a nice drive from Tavi to St Catharines to visit a bud and came back home a diff way. Was a real nice day for a long drive, but wow did i have sore butt when i got home hahah.

 

Rode it to the store and purchased 1 Milky Way Midnight, 1 5th Avenue, 1 Chunky, 1 Twix.

 

This past Sunday, I did the following to my XJ700XN:

- Drained coolant and removed radiator
- Moved some of the valve shims around in prep for the 'new' ones from HAP
- Drained/refilled final drive oil
- Replaced front brake switch
- Replaced clutch interlock switch
- Disassembled T-140 plug boots
- Cut old ignition coil signal wires and attached them to my new Dyna coils, then mounted coils to butterfly bracket
- Adjusted rear brake pedal and linkage

I'm glad to be finally getting stuff done! I'd have changed the oil as well but my oil container's too full at the moment. Once the new shims come in I need to put those in, reinstall the cams and such, finish the ignition system rebuild, and put the carbs back in with new intake boots.

This weekend I'm planning to meet up with a coworker to dig into the carbs to make sure they're ok.

 

Girchy: (Others with Dyna Coils)

Could you provide a photo of how the Dyna Coils Mounted, please?

 

On the bracket but not in the engine, or in the engine, too? HAP's got some pictures on his site where he goes into the conversion:

http://www.maxim-x.com/dyna_coils.html

I can certainly take some, however. It might be a few weeks - I'm waiting for my shims from the pool, then put all that stuff back together.

 

I took, what was probably my last ride of 2008. Working and hunting will eat up all the rest of the good riding days. I managed to get a few decent pictures today. I'm happy to report that the repair of my tach drive is 100% oil tight. At home I added fuel stabilizer and ran the carbs dry. I was testing out my heated vest that I had purchased in the spring. It was even a little too hot at times today. It was about 15*C/62*F. I had wired in an on/off switch that I can use while riding so I just added heat when needed.

 

Ranger.......beautiful bike and beautiful photo.

Hope your winter is short!

 

Thanks Len. May is about the earliest it is practical to begin riding again in the spring. That's a long 7 months!

 

Started the install of a new fuel rail for the fuel injection. The original one sticks out a bit on the sides, but the new one should tuck under the tank nicely.



Also did some more work on the LED lighting conversion (custom flasher to keep self-cancel system with LED turn signals, and a mod to the computer so it won't complain about the tail lights).

http://residentialcolorado.com/SECA_750i.htm

 

Took apart instrument cluster(wouldn't say removed, as I just sort of spread it out to get inside it) replaced neutral light bulb, high beam indicator, cleaned instrument faces and lens, installed in-line fuel filter, but kind of screwed it up, think I need some more fuel line and get it in better position, treated scrap yard fuel tank with phosphoric acid to get rust out of inside, primed bottom of tank, still sanding top. Put headlight and instrument assembly back together and petcock and fuel level floaty switch thing back on tank. Uh, etc.

 

Finished installing the new fuel rail. Put the tank back on, hooked everything up, and ran the fuel pump a bit to pressurize the rail.... NO LEAKS!

Also rough-cut and base-painted the polycarbonate plastic I'm going to try to use to make new gauge faces for my instrument cluster.

If all goes well with the gauges it should be ride-able again by Friday... maybe even earlier.

 

Had a look at my new Colortune and decided that the time was right to try and get her ticking over better. I have been having issues with not idling too well and revving too high once warm.
I've been looking in the forums for days now, picking up the hints and tips from the rest of you guys. Phew! There's a lot of information in here.
I could really spend a whole day easy, 'just' looking at info on carbs and tuning.
Anyway, i checked the state of the plugs first..
Number 4 and 3 looked way too rich.

Number 1 and 2 looked ok? maybe a bit lean.

Anyway, i have adjusted the relevant settings and she is idling much better now. I need to take it out for a ride to see what the acceleration is like etc.
I'll let you know how i get on.
But really wanted to say that i only attempted to do this stuff to my bike after reading so much valuable information on this excellent site.
Thanks to all the contibutors that make it such a valuable resource of information.

 

Chaps,
Apologies, i just realised that the i tried to put some pics of my plugs in the last post (linked to my gallery) but that obviously didn't work. Guess i need to look up why. I also have some video of my Colortune (Need to know how to upload that one, or do i have to host it somewhere offine?
Cheer
Nick

 

I finished the paint on my yamaha sport fairing now I just need to reassemble and install. That install part looks tricky I think I may need an extra hand to help hold things.

 

TORE ENGINE DOWN AND BEGAN REUBUILDING!!

 

I thought about my bike today didn,t do a thing to it all summer.Wonder if this topic will hit 100 pages?

 

well i can certainlety help. I hate my mufflers, want them to look nice so i took off the back caps, sanded down, repainted with black paint, heat resistant, and painted the bolts chrome looks pretty good imo, i have rust on the bottom of my mufflers, think about sanding that part down and painting it with that black paint.. will slow the rusting and u cant see it.

 

bought an LED light kit... half way installed and kinda workin on a how-to, any of you guys interested?

 

Lazy day. Just bled the brakes which was so much messier than I had planned. On the 750 seca's the cylinder is located in just about the worst place you can imagine on the bike. I had to remove the headlight bucket and it was still a nightmare. There was a 10 foot circle around my bike of brake fluid that I had tracked around lol. It's all good though. My brakes are not a concern now. Onto the next problem.....tomorrow.

 

Was a very busy weekend for my bike. I swapped out the 750, as I was having problems with 2nd gear not being there, for a 750 from a Seca. I am going to try a 4-1 exhaust, and see if I can get it to sit low enough for my saddle bags. If not, the 4-2 will be going back on.

Still need to bolt in the oil filter, fill 'er up with oil, and bolt up the drive shaft to the motor. Hopefully the weather is nice this week.

 

Today, I pulled apart the front end of the 750. Then I was able to get everything else off for the engine removal. I just need to rest a short while before I attempt to lug that motor out of the frame by myself. Basically the only things left on the frame is the wiring harness and swing arm (motor's just resting in there)

 

painted the bodywork of Maxim #2 after WORKS cleaning the inside of the tank and sealing it with REDKOTE...will make a link with pics

 

This....... :?

 

Cleaned up the rear hangers (that i bought from Fleabay). Sprayed them with matt exhaust high-temp paint (that's all i could find) Then i found some black gloss (Duplicolor) in the back of my cupboard. So, i sprayed it over the top of the matt...WOW...came out great (i'll try and post pics).
Also, cleaned the speedo cable (after noticing that it was going haywire). It was a bit gummed up at the bottom so i poured 3-in-1 down there until it came out the bottom (Yes, i read the "WD40 is evil" thread). Haven't tested it yet.
Last thing i did today was fabbed up a rear seat pad (out of some ply-wood and an old mud-guard from a suzuki motocrosser (long gone).
I've cut some 6" deep foam and glued it to the plywood (with carpet spray adhesive). Let's see how it turns out. ...Just remembered i need to get some vinyl to cover the seat pad.....off to fleabay again i guess.
(It's not gonna live permenantly on the bike, i'm gonna install it and leave it on for a few weeks).
The wife wants to go on the back...fortunately she loves bikes .

 

Started her up just to hear her run for a little bit. Didn't even take it off the center stand. *lol*
Covered her up before the cold front with rain arrived. That's it, I'm content for today.

 

Today:

I rebuilt both front forks.

The left fork was spitting oil out through the dust seal. Thus was extremely needed.

I have to mention one thing tho.....

I have torn apart many fork assemblies in the past. And the xj650 is by far the most difficult I've encountered. I'm not a huge fan of the upper plunger seal/circlip combination. Without the right tools (ie clamp and press), it makes the 650's fork rebuild a chore. I much prefer the 750's forks.

 

Yesterday i finished up the rear seat (pad). The vinyl arrived and i couldn't wait to get started. It looks really good (if i do say so myself). One thing tho i forgot to use adhesive before i stapled it. I also had to remove the first set of staples on one side because i hadn't stretched it enough. It's worth noting that the vinyl can really be stretched quite a lot.
The more you stretch it the better it fits. It's also waterproof.
So in the last week i have,
- Installed the newly restored rear pegs.
- Built and installed the rear seat pad.
- Re-tuned the carbs (still working on that)
- Got together a toolkit for the bike that i'm happy with (in my tool roll)
I will post pictures when i get around to taking the pics.

 

NEW TIRES FRT AND REAR

COMPLETE CARB REBUILD @ YAHAMA SHOP

SOME SEAFOAM FOR THE GAS TANK THIS WINTER

OIL CHANGE

NEW BRAKE PADS (HI PREFORANCE) TYPE

ORDERING STAINLESS CABLE SET FOR BRAKELINES FROM C

NEW CLUTCH LEVER AND CABLE

MOTORCYLE COVER

SENDING SEAT & backrest OUT TO HAVE HAND STITCHED REAL LEATHER RECOVER ( natural tan leather) (to replace the 23 year old original black whatever it was)

NEW CLUTCH THIS WINTER SOMETIME

REPAINT TANK, FENDERS, SIDES, AT PAINT SHOP THIS WINTER, COLOR
UNDETERMINED YET...

 

bought an adapter that hopefully will work for my sportster mufflers

 

I will post pictures when i get around to taking the pics.

Well, here are some pics..
The rear hanger(s) that i cleaned and sprayed black. (probably only on the bike until i get around to sorting out the forward controls)



The rear seat pad i made from spares in my cellar and vinyl covering bought from fleabay.




And a view from the other side of the rear seat pad (and my sissy bar that i had made up)


Cheers
Nick

 

8am this morning I walked outside, wiped the frost off the seat, put the key in the ignition and hit the start button.

After a few seconds of the starter motor turning and the engine not starting I turned the ignition off, reached down and unplugged the jumper I use to make the headlight work. I then picked the bike up off the side stand and walked the bike to the top of a hill. After a running start I jumped on the bike, turned on the ignition, put it in 1st and popped the clutch.f

After trying this a few times down the hill I parked it, walked home and caught the bus to school/work.


12 noon:
Walked back to the bike, put the key in the ignition, turned it on, put the bike in neutral and hit the start button. Bike fired right up. Backed out of the parking space and rode it up the hill and home. Let her idle for awhile and went out and turned her off.


Yesterday was much the same, except the morning started with me taking her off the charger.

 

You'd be better off selecting Second Gear when you Push Start and Pop the Clutch.
First Gear is going to make the Bike really slow-down, fast under Engine Braking.
If if don't catch and run ... it's do-it-again!

Second will give you less Braking and a few more RPM's.
You stand a better chance in Second.

 

Its a good thing my wife loves me...
Tonight the bike gets to sleep inside the apartment (right through the front door, into the entry way). (I had thought of it, but she suggested it first!) If she (the bike) starts fine in the morning then I know it is cold related (and not some weird flooding issue or something...) and maybe this weekend I'll see if I can find some intake boot leaks. It could also be the battery getting very cold.

I tried it in first because I thought maybe my problem was thick oil, my theory was that in 1st the back wheel would have more torque to spin the engine, thus 'powering' through the thick oil. I guess a faster spinning engine would turn the alternator faster, getting a better spark.

The odd thing is that it doesn't even seem to be firing, but that's hard to check when push starting.

 

1. Two new tires
2. new battery
3. seafoam in gas tank /
4, added 1 gal hi octane gas for winter
5. had carbs overhauled by yahama shop last week, runs awesome
6. found great stuff that makes light lens's look like brand new
7. drained oil overnight, flushed crankcase with gas, drained overnight,
fill crankcase with diesel fuel, let set for 4 hours, drained, added
best synthetic motorcycle oil and new ceramic racing filter .... engine
and crankcase are CLEAN ! CLUTCH WORKS LIKE NEW AGIAN. ENGINE RUNS VERY SMOOTH.
8. replaced original maxim brake pads with new Hi Preformance racing
brake pads
9. put new boots on carb to air cleaner ( old ones cracked ) / added new air cleaner
10. Found some stuff at autozone that makes OLD LIGHT LENS'S LOOK LIKE BRAND NEW. repolished all red and amber lens's
12. replaced all lightbulbs
13. Had fork seals replaced today ( just so dont have to do it agian someday )
14. had drive shaft lube changed

pretty much done with the pre winter maint and fix up so that all that is left for spring is lots of alum polishing / engine paint

will send the fenders and gas tank, side covers to paint shop this winter for redo, deep blood red

want a windshield , gotta decide which one.

THAT SQUEEKY YAHAMA MOUSE HORN HAS TO GO !!!!
ORDERED DUAL HI DECIBLE HORN SET FROM SUPPLIER TODAY


MAN..THIS MOTORCYCLE IS CUTTING INTO MY JEEP GOODIES FUND.. LOL

 

Fitted some new handgrips to the 900F. The old ones were original (after nearly 128,000km) and were worn completely smooth! The new ones have very deeply marked texture and make it a lot easier to grip without stirring up my arthritis.
I will say that I don't expect these new ones to last very long though. They seem quite shoddy compared to the originals. But still, at 63, I'm no longer planning 24 years ahead!

 

I reinstalled, flushed, and refilled the cooling system.

Next up to finish cleaning, assembling, and installing the carbs.

 

Not a thing all summer, except a new front tire and a rain suit. Been so crazy with career changes, kids to college, all I do is sleep, work and ride. Maybe I'll work on it in the winter cold. NOT! Oh well, maybe she'll get cleaned by the spring at least.

Zero degrees C this morning (32F) and she started right up. Going for Dec 8 to put her away. Think I'll make it?

 

chop frame, chop fender, got tank back from shop, new pods, and lots of flat black painting...really starting to come together.

 

started stripping the old paint off the frame, that aircraft remover is wicked stuff. got most of the paint off with that and a garden hose. put another coat of brush on stripper going to let it sit overnight and wash it off again, then smear some more on and take it to the car wash so's i can get some pressure to blast the rest off, then this week i plan on painting it.
gots a lot of new parts on order so i cant wait to see if i cant get the thing back together.

 

I bent up the sheet metal to fit the bottom of my tank.I'm going to weld it up today. My first attempt at using a mig welder. I bought a 3 1/2" speedo last night, cheap. This week I get the rings and put the engine together.
I'm thinking about building a single carb intake, anyone try this?

 

Use Low Heat and make your welds SHORT. Gas Tank Sheet Metal is easily overheated and "Burned Through"

Do a small area in one spot.
Move away from that area and weld another.
Take frequent breaks to let the whole project cool down.
Fine Tune the Wire Feed Sped to be able to keep you moving without overheating an area and making the bead too thin.

 

I made a lovely bunch of grapes on the bottom of my tank. Ground them off,
turned on the gas on the mig welder and redid my welds. It doesn't look bad.
I'm going to seal the tank to fill all the pin holes. The engine is next, rings and assembly, then the carbs.

 

Use an AutoBody "Pick Hammer" and Tap-down the welds.
Grind the whole area surrounding your welds nice and clean.
Lead Load over the welds.

Here's a nice Video of Lead Loading used to repair a damaged section of an old XKE-Jaguar

http://www.sovereigncoachworks.com/page ... 2-pop.html

 

Do you think aluma-weld would work? It's epoxy based aluminum, heat and chemical resistant. It;s like JB weld.

 

New fork oil seals , New front tire, Resurfaced Brake rotor. not bad took about an hour and a half.

things left to do :

Just got me some yellow LED lights with resistors and a donor gauge set Replacing lights bulbs in guage set with LEDs Adding leds to Existing turn signal housings for running lights, Replace guage faces with new WHITE / Red faces. New Clutch Plates, New air filter, New Chain oring, Keep looking for right side upper sidecover (still making one out of fiberglass), #0000 Steel wool and clearcoat For engine case covers and forks ( back to Orginal state) , Lower rear 2". Get side stand Welded. Find and replace flasher cancelling unit. Oil And Oil fliter change, Then I might be ready to paint this baby .

 

I'm going to the bike wreckers today and search for spoked wheels for my 550. I'm bringing my frame and swingarm so I can try lots of combos.
I'll post the results.

 

I've been trying to remove the stuck carb float bowl screws :evil:
Here is a picture of what not to do....


I also made myself a tyre changing station


And a bead breaker out of my weights bench Just drilled a hole in a piece of 4x2 and used the leg lift on the end of the bench for breaking the tyre bead.

Once i got the tyre off the wheel look what i found inside. Suffice to say it's not going back in.

Well i still have work to do......

 

A pregnant inner tube. You should be able to run tubeless tires on the 650.