What did you do to your Yamaha today?

'81 XJ650 now has '76 XS750 bars.

What do yall think?

 

They look good to me, could do with turning back a fraction perhaps? I removed the maxim bars from mine - crazy way to hold on to a bike. I fitted a seca master cylinder - not ideal because it gives a hard lever. Keeping an eye open for a more suitable diameter one. I guess I could replace the forks for seca ones and double up on discs, or is it possible to double up on maxim brakes?

 

May 13, 2020


hopefully be able to play with bikes later this afternoon when the snow melts—-

 

Hopefully I can check out your stock first hand if the Carb Clinic still happens.

 

Where the hell in NY are you, here in chenango County its like 60 degrees out.

 

you need a different mastercylinder

 

Rode it around all day today without an issue, why do you say that?

 

your MC is pointed down not a good angle for it.

 

Bike was on kickstand, its not that bad when it's straight up and down. However, I see your point, how would I know if this causes an issue? All I can guess is prematurely being low on brake fluid, but I keep it topped off.

 

If you’re talking this afternoon, yeah it was warmer , but this morning it’s wasnt!!

I’m straight up the road from 1/2 hr. 28 degrees when I got up. Yeah, 53 by mid-afternoon....but that was half a day later

 

I've met a few people on and off this forum that are in upstate NY. Wonder why there are so many vintage yamaga loves here. Could just be a selective coincidence.

 

brakes stop working

 

Because there ARE only a few people in upstate NY—-

 

population doubles with the carb clinic

 

@XJ550H is correct here - you really need a different m/c. And then a clutch lever, so your mirrors are where you want them to be.

 

Mirror is fine where it is, wouldn't the only issue be premature low brake fluid? As long as I check it as often as I do, I can't see the brakes just magically stop working.

 

For the first time in a long time I was able to do a little work on ScratchX. I was able to install most of the Xhaust.

went from this:


To this:

 

Finally got the main crank seal out and installed the new. That was a pain in the butt.

The new one had to install twice, as it had a "pucker" at 5 o'clock. Like instead of being square all around, just that part recessed in an extra 1/8 inch. And the old one looked original and had the same condition and why I thought it was leaking in the first place.

Took it out again, back in and even all around, and hopefully the little bit of sealant I used will keep it from spinning / leaking. I don't think I marked up the casing much but it looked a little beat already.

 

For those who didn’t already know, ScratchX is an xj700X that I’ve been slowly building from scratch. Hence, the name. It’s been so long since I worked on it, I had forgotten what I call it! Lol. Anyway, it started as a bare frame. I mean BARE. It’s a factory replacement frame, so it didn’t even have a number. See??—-BARE. I only add parts to it when I get a part that is either new, near new, or in really darn good condition. Yes, the brake pedal pinch bolt will get swapped out. That is there only to retain the pedal for now. I expect to put the rest of the Xhaust on tomorrow, and I have a NOS set of engine guards to put on.

 

My bike came with painted covers all around. I've replaced the crank covers, but the others were badly needed and I bought a couple from Joe Elif (hope I got that spelling right). The sprocket cover was already in great shape. I got after a few scratches and polished the entire thing again. I think that came out great!

The clutch cover was a bit rougher, but I took it on. Many features on that cover which make it a time sink. Looked good in the basement last night, but in the sunlight, not quite as nice. Still, maybe it's good enough for a survivor bike!?