What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Installed my shiny new start button (thanks, ArizonaSteve).
Installed new Bar end mirrors.
Cursed the 10+ inches of snow we got on the second day of "Spring"

 

My brake disc has been repainted. I used Dupli-color High Heat Black and Dupli-color Engine Enamel Clear. It should stand up to the heat.
Before

After

 

re-wired my bike, relocated the ignition switch, installed a custom led tail light, new pegs.

 

punched my friend in the face after he busted my bike.

 

07, you had a productive day!

 

07,
Good one, and it was motorcycle related!!

 

RangerG, How did you do that?? How did you cover the surface of of the disc? I really want to do that to mine!!

 

teardown all the way to bear frame completed , started sandblasting last night.

also am attempting to polish and revive all aluminum and chrome

any methods known to the xj community of removing oxidation buildup and crud off the aluminum part and engine besides lots of elbow grease please pass the this on to all of us.

sos pads and mother's mag and aluminum wheel polish is working but taking a while.

hoping to make bike look close to brand new.

 

I used black electrical tape to mask off the curves and masking tape everywhere else. Just don't pull the electrial tape too hard and it will follow the curves and stay in place. Cleaned it with varsol and then rubbing alcohol, sanded with 1000 grit and sprayed away.

 

I used paint stripper. It takes the old yellowed clear off with a minimum of effort. Make sure to protect your painted surfaces. Polish with the mothers and put some wax on it. It takes some extra upkeep but it sure looks nice.

 

taz65, Lose the SOS Pads their steel...

I used the stripper on a bike a while back to remove th clear coat, worked good. Then polished it up with 800 grit where it was scuffed up bad, then a 1000 grit and finally a 2000 grit(all wet dry). Then the Mothers to buff it to a shine.

For the Oxidation removal I used cheapo Brass Brushes so I wouldn't scratch the Aluminum. Then I followed up with the wet/dry where needed. This was mostly around the fins, head and tight spots. The 2 bikes I did were really oxidized as they were sitting down by the saltwater in a barn for 8 years. Pics in my Gallery of the Honda Rebels before and after.

I'm getting ready to blast my front wheel and paint it along with the rotors. Finished the rear and It came out pretty good. (pic in the gallery)

 

Got the new handlebars on and all of the controls back in place. Had to open the headlamp to get some extra slack now that the controls are a little further away. Bought some black zip ties to clean that all up when I'm finished. Had to open the headlamp a second time, since I managed to disconnect the front brake switch.

Also managed to completely snap off the clutch switch (wires that come out of the clutch perch). Will have to replace that.

Got a new battery charger. Old one just wouldn't charge this batt. Hopefully haven't killed the batt from allowing too deep a discharge.

Replaced the clutch cable. Once batt issues are resolved and I can get the bike started again, will have to spend some time adjusting it. Needs lube, too. Real stiff (but better than the old one, which was starting to rust).

Finally got the piston out of the spare front brake caliper using compressed air. Took quite a bit of time, but finally came loose with a BANG! Inside was FILTHY. Debating whether to bother rebuilding this caliper at all, though the disassembly was still quite instructive. Piston is a little pitted in places, but probably servicable, in a pinch.

Need to find out whether I have a spare clutch switch. And at some point, I'm going to have to get down to giving the old girl a good cleaning. Function before flair, though...

Also spent a bunch of time just cleaning up my work area. Was getting to be a real dump!

 

Just looked at her wishing i could afford to get her road worthy. (SIGH)

 

Got it running again. Went to the parts tore and ordered a new clutch and springs.

 

well i fitted the throttle cable to my missis bike,as i made it up,its very responsive now, tuned the carbs up.done plugs,now try and find some forks for it,dooooh

 

Put a K&N air filter bought from ebay in the stock airbox.

 

Jump started it from wife's car, proving that I have once again killed the battery. <sigh> Did manage to get the clutch close to adjusted properly. Might still be a little loose, but I won't be able to do the good test (let the clutch out in 1st and see if it dies) until the battery is fixed.

Bike runs fairly well, though, even without the clutch switch. Got a little electrical work to do and need to get the mirrors adjusted in a sane way and a new batt in there and it's finally ready to get licensed!

Then it'll be time to cut into the brakes again. Front brakes still aren't that great, and I want the STOCK master cylinder on there with the STOCK mirrors so I can SEE behind me. (Thanks to chacal for the parts.)

 

Rode it for the first time since getting the enrichment circuit cleaned and the bike starting when cold!

 

Crimped on a new bullet end to the left front blinker "running light" lead and closed up the headlight shell again. Bike no longer looks like a cyclops and blinkers work reliably. Got my sister-in-law's husband to help me set up the mirrors. Time to get this baby insured, inspected, and licensed! Woo hoo!

Also, with chacal's help, figured out how to remove the clutch switches from their perches (I have a spare from the parts bike). Both are shot. Will have to get a new one. It'll run fine without that, though. Front brakes need an overhaul at some point as well, but the bike is safe enough to ride as it is. Can't wait to get those steel lines, though!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped me figure this bike out. Your advice has been absolutely invaluable. I could never have gotten this far, this fast without you. Hopefully, I'll have the money to do it all again with the 750 Seca!

Looking forward to a fun summer on this thing....

 

Well yesterday the roads were dry, so all I did to her was a clean-up, a little tour, and some photos: