What did you do to your Yamaha today?

hi all
got the tank resto kit in the post yesterday
marine cleaned the tank,first time i'd ever done this to a bike, was expecting a load of muck to come out, but was surprisedat how much there was? flushed out the marine clean,treated the rust with the metal ready, still impressed, then spent four hours force drying the tank (electric paint stripper) then treated with the por15 tank sealer,was it worth it,yeah I'm happy

 

After an exhilarating ride down a new, twisty road I found, I came back and changed the oil. Since my tools were out and, while riding, I noticed the front shocks seemed to be out of oil, I decided to tear them apart and replace the fork seals. Didn't quite finish them before the sun went down. Maybe today. Anyway, keep an eye out for an upcoming How-To on fork seal replacement.

 

Continuing where I left off yesterday, I finished the front fork seals. What a difference! She rides like a Cadillac now.

Not content with this accomplishment, I finished setting the floats on the Missus' carbs and installed them. Boy, I had forgotten what fun it was reinstalling carbs on one of these bikes! I also drained and changed the oil and filter because her bike flooded--like drained the entire gas tank into the engine--the last time I tried to ride it. It took three coffee cans to drain it. After everything was hooked up, I turned the key on, flipped on the kill switch, and press the starter button.... Crank, Crank, Vrrrroooommmmm!!! Success! I actually couldn't believe how easily it started. I then hooked the carb sticks to her and synched her in.

After that, I went for a quick ride into town to meet the wife at the grocery store to show her what I had accomplished. She was more than pleased. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm going to hit it with this new colortune plug I've been itchen' to use. I noticed the No. 4 cylinder took a while to warm up. I think that one definitely needs some tuning.

I'm so happy!!! It's great when things come together. 8)

 

This'll be a combination of what I did yesterday and today.

Yesterday I tackled the last electrical problems i had on my bike. The fuel gauge sending unit was missing it's cable, and the lovely battery warning light.

First one was really easy, got some new ends, made up alittle patch cable, and walalalah, i have gas gauge!

The battery warning light was alot simpler than anything i've read. People worry about the computer not being able to handle 12v. The sensor should read 12v if your battery's in good condition anyways!

I've also read where someone spliced it into the rear brake light. That'll work, but you have to splice it.

I just added a jumper to my 'acc' fuse, and the White w/Red strpe 'battery' wire. All works!

So with having no more flashing warning lights (which i was able to turn off anyways with the button)....


I took her for a ride.. temps were suppose to be in the mid 40's, i think they topped 53f.. Rode for about 75 miles. I did notice some clattering in the top of the engine, valves most likely. Something i'll look into in the future.

Other than that, bike's now I'd say back to "original" condition. Being that it still needs the new paint (need warm weather) and the turbo's been modified.

But to everyone who says the Seca Turbo's a horrible bike, It may be compared to newer bikes or even 'bikes of the time'. But for my first bike, it's an effen blast and I wouldn't have wanted anything else.

 

Finally got some time to dink with the old girl again. Took apart the left-side control cluster and cleaned the corrosion, dust, and spiders (not kidding) out of there. Had to sand off the contacts for the horn and the posts on the blinker switch. Blinker switch is also a replacement from a spare unit. First one was badly bent.

The insides of that cluster weren't as scary as I was lead to believe. Lots of small parts, to be sure, but they all only fit one way, and if one is reasonably organized when taking it apart - and doesn't force things - it's not too bad.

Also found out why the left blinker didn't work as well as the right. There are two fins that the switch touches when the switch is moved. The one on the right (which corresponds with moving the switch to the LEFT) was bent outward enough to make contact tenuous at best. Bent it back in and it touches all the time.

Naturally, when I got it all back together, the blinkers are back to turning on once and then not blinking. My suspicion, though, is that the fact that because the battery wasn't fully charged AND the entire bike was cold AND I didn't actually start the bike, that between the cold and the lack of Amps the relay doesn't want to click over. It's supposed to be a lot warmer this week and the batt is on the charger. Will find out soon enough, and will hopefully be able to finally put this blinker nonsense to rest!

Oh, and set about ordering a bunch of arts from chacal. Time to get rid of this no-idea-where-it-came-from-but-not-from-an-xj650 front brake master cylinder and handlebars. I like my shiny stock mirrors and I'd like to put them to sit where they show me what's behind me!

 

You are most likely correct. I had the same problem with the battery was low. You should be good after a full charge on the battery. Let the bike run a while and work on getting the battery topped off via the alternator. You should be all set.

 

New oil and filter today. Checked the extended forecast, and the warm days are going to be rainy. grrrrrrr

 

I installed new round bar end mirrors, rerouted the throttle cable (it was catching on right turns and reving the motor) I also installed most of my Stainless Steel allen head screws and adjusted the timing chain. Wet weather is on the way so i am reinstalling the snowmobile control covers and pulling my raingear out of the garage cabinet. Lateer this week, i will be getting my YZF750 rearsets and i can plan a way to install them. cruzerjd

 

Jump started the bike from my wife's car. The Saturn Ion has the battery in the trunk, so it's easy to get at. I'm missing the right side cover, so the 650's battery is easy to get at. I spent some money on moto-sized jumper cables, because this has happened before.

Bike started right up, though from the smell of things, I need to run a tank or two of gas through her. Blinkers functioned normally while the bike was revved up enough. Didn't have time to run her for long enough to really top off the batt, though. Lights would still dim significantly at idle when I got back.

Now just waiting for that final batch of parts from chacal and she'll be street legal and road ready!

The blinker switch is still pretty stiff when turning them off. What sort of lube, if any, is recommended on either the switch pivot point or the slider that controls the blinkers? I can always turn them off by pushing it halfway in the other direction, but that's annoying.

Also, had a look in the gas tank. Rust galore. Will have to tackle that at some point. Bike still runs okay, though, and have at least six other minor projects ahead of that one...

 

Sometimes a stiff blinker switch is caused by the lever arm being bent slightly (upwards) and contacting the top of the slot in the control switch housing, creating a friction resistance. Try that first, it's a 3-second solution if that is the problem. Otherwise, take the switch apart and get ready to spend about 1-2 hours cleaning and lubing the switch, and be forewarned: MAKE DIAGRAMS/TAKE PICTURES DURING DIS-ASSEMBLY because there is no diagram of the internals, lots of little screws (and they're almost all different, although very similar to each other), note EXACTLY how the cables are routed etc., what is the orientation of the wiring hold-down clamps, etc. There is almost nothing "intuitive" about how all the little fiddly bits go back together properly if you just try to wing it........

Pay special attention to the wire color orientation on the 3-wire turn-signal contact plate, as it can physically be installed 180-degrees wrong....and then your left and right blinkers will be reversed (easy enough to remedy, but it's another 30-45 minutes to take the switch apart just to flip the contact plate upside down and re-install).

While you're in there, you'll want to burnish all of the electrical contacts, and use a smidge----just a little tiny smidge----of waterproof grease on the sliding or moving parts (including the spring-loaded detent balls on the turn signal canceller, the sliding turn signal housing, and the headlight switch lever arm).

BTW, recall that once the turn signal switch returns to center, that you are supposed to push straight in on it to release the contacts......many people forget to do this and it leads to problems.

 

Oh, I almost forgot!

Rhys, your parts will go out to you tomorrow, but I'm a bit concerned, because you said that it's "the final batch of parts from chacal" and that makes me so sad........

Did I fail to mention that I have both new and good used tanks for 650's? And that a 750 Maxim tank not only fits nicely, holds more fuel, but really looks K-A hairy and studly on a 650?

 

Today, I started the work on my spare fuel tank. Started out by pulling out what I could of some of the dents. What I couldn't pull out, I covered by a thin layer of body filler. Right now I'm in the process of sanding everything down to see just where I stand on the build up/dent repairs. Unfortunately, I had run out of proper grit sand paper. So, I'll continue my efforts tomorrow. So much already accomplished, yet so much is still ahead of me.

 

Well, I've already had it completely apart and back together at least twice with no troubles. It seemed pretty intuitive to me, but then again, I've spent half my life rooting around in the innards of computers...

I've already cleaned everything out and made it all shiny again. I'll have to check the precise orientation of the button and arm, but I think that its a combination of poor design, a lack of lube on the pivot bolt, and a lack of lube on the slider. I'll have to get it apart again.

Yeah, I noticed that when I took it apart the first time and made sure to check that the CORRECT lights came on afterward. Fortunately, my assembly is rather old, so the wires have developed "shape memory", so if I don't go bending them around, they'll retain their shape and go back in the same way they came out.

Any particular sort of grease you prefer? I have a few different lubes handy, but I don't think any of them are particularly water-resistant.

The "half-back" method works as well, since it returns the slider to its original position (center), though it requires a sort of practiced precision that is really annoying. Relying on the self-cancelling unit and leaving the circuit energized does indeed sound like a bad idea.

BTW, I mentioned "poor design" above. I say that because the pivot bolt, from what I could tell, is only secured at the bottom, where it screws into the housing. It isn't attached to anything or held in place at the top. So when you push on the button, unless the washers above and below the arm are well-lubed, you're basically bending the bolt backward (toward the slider), all the while *increasing* the amount of resistance, since now the washers are at an angle and "grabbing" the arm itself. (I'm counting the spacer below the arm as a "washer".)

I'll have to take another look at the inside of the TOP of the switch housing, though. The only practical solution I can see - other than a purely electronic switch mechanism - is for there to be a protrusion from the top of the housing that traps the head of the bolt and prevents it from bending backward. That would be some fairly precise casting, though, probably too precise for this kind of application.

So... Time to find some grease. Quite frankly, I'm just glad the thing WORKS again! Plus, with the replacement arm from the spare unit, it works a lot better than before, stiff as it is.

 

Hahaha! Poor choice of words. "Final" in this context means "finally on the road." I am, by NO means, finished doing business with you, or even finished with improvements to this bike. Too much stuff on it that's still non-stock, non-shiny, non-want-other-people-to-see-me-on-it. Runs great. Looks like $#!@*^.

Interesting that you should mention the 750, since I have one with a shiny red tank... on the outside. I'll have to see about the inside. If the inside is clean, I'll try swapping them out. This will work out well, since last I heard you had red side covers for the 650 as well.

And don't worry. Even if the 750 tank I have is good (doubtful) at some point the 650 will be in good enough shape that I'll turn my attention to the 750... which is going to need a tank! And then there's the "organ donor" 650, which has no tank at all. I still wonder if it can be resurrected. I'll have to crack it open at some point and have a look in the cylinders...

One project at a time, though.

 

Grease: How about just regular ol' dielectric grease?



Should work fine in the application.

 

Yes, dielectric will work, I just use a waterproof marine grease....and again, just a small amount, the grease will attract dust like a magnet.

I've never felt like the pivot screw wasn't sturdy enough to prevent deflection, as the arm actually rides/pivots on that protruding "collar" on the big washer. You'd have to have it in a death grip to bend it, I think.

Also, the 750 Seca tank, although it will fit a 650 Maxim, doesn't look "right" on a 650.....I think due to the large scalloped areas not matching up with the 650 Max side covers. It just looks goofy, sort of "unfinished" or cobbled-together. I like the design and style of the tank itself, it just doesn't look right on a Maxim, that's my 2-centavos.

The 750 Max tank, of course, since it duplicates the design/shape of a 650 Max tank, looks right at home, and makes the bike owner look and feel like he has a MUCH larger, uh, ummm, "tank". I like to think of it as the "true" natural male enhancer.

But maybe that's just me.........

 

Dielectric grease I have. I'll give that a shot. There are two ball bearings, the slider, and the collar on the pivot bolt that *at least* need to be lubed. The electronics are all clean, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings to get it apart and get the housing a little cleaner.

Tanks: "Natural male enhancement," eh? I like it. I don't know how I feel about a "rebuilt petcock" though. Ol' Rick says to just get a new one. !!!

Good point about the Seca vs. Maxim, though. I may just wind up having to buy three tanks. Given the expense of THAT, I'll probably start with one, for the running 650, then see if I can't recondition the existing pair. If not, they'll get replaced.

I'm just glad I have some wood blocks in just the right configuration to keep the weight of the tank off of the petcock while it's on the floor. I have spilled enough crud in my garage. I don't need a big pool of gasoline ju-u-u-ust yet.

 

Petcocks----they can be sucessfully rebuilt with the aftermarket kits, there's just a couple of steps that you have to follow besides just slapping the replacement pieces in. But actually, the BEST way is to buy an already rebuilt unit from me, or send me yours and I'll have it rebuilt properly.

The new replacement petcocks for the XJ550/650/750 models work just fine, but they don't look like the originals, and so if you want keep that great original Yamaha feeling to your bike, you'll have to fix that original one.

Also, don't forget to grease up the "V" shaped part of the white slider switch where the two pegs come off the pivot arm contact and push against that switch......

 

Petcocks----they can be sucessfully rebuilt with the aftermarket kits, there's just a couple of steps that you have to follow besides just slapping the replacement pieces in. But actually, the BEST way is to buy an already rebuilt unit from me, or send me yours and I'll have it rebuilt properly.

The new replacement petcocks for the XJ550/650/750 models work just fine, but they don't look like the originals, and so if you want keep that great original Yamaha feeling to your bike, you'll have to fix that original one.

Also, don't forget to grease up the "V" shaped part of the white slider switch where the two pegs come off the pivot arm contact and push against that switch......

 

Petcocks----they can be sucessfully rebuilt with the aftermarket kits, there's just a couple of steps that you have to follow besides just slapping the replacement pieces in. But actually, the BEST way is to buy an already rebuilt unit from me, or send me yours and I'll have it rebuilt properly.

The new replacement petcocks for the XJ550/650/750 models work just fine, but they don't look like the originals, and so if you want keep that great original Yamaha feeling to your bike, you'll have to fix that original one.

Also, don't forget to grease up the "V" shaped part of the white slider switch where the two pegs come off the pivot arm contact and push against that switch......