What did you do to your Yamaha today?

fuel and ride

 

on the 550; put new tires back on. installed clean, shiny chain and put the tank on. FIRED her up! and went for a short drive around the yard or so because it don't have license plates yet. then discovered front rotor was hot and caliper piston is sticking. so still got some work to the yellow 550

on the 650; replaced head gasket. replaced cam chain tensioner gasket. took a solid 3 hours or so cleaning & prepping this work yesterday and came to a halt late evening, so just need to get the timing correct and then install the carb rack. hopefully be riding the orange 650 to work by this week sometime? we'll see...

 

Rebuilt the carbs!

 

Started tearing down the whipping dog and realized the entire fuse box was missing and bypassed. Since I bought both bikes from the same guy, I checked the other bike. Yup.

Oh God, Why?

 

Finally received new handlebars and RH switches from Wemoto.
(They spent almost a month waiting at a DHL terminal in Hamburg, Germany)...

Now, the experimentations can begin!

 

Two days ago: Rebuilt the master cylinder.

Today: Rode it to work

 

BWAHAhahahhaha. Hysterical.

My condolences.

 

A little different paintjob... + polished the frwrd controls and brake link and painted the pipes

 

^nice.

 

Let's see. Yesterday, dropped my #4 car and broke a float piller. :cry: Today, cried some more and tried to find a way to repair it. Tomorrow, well, I will try and JB Weld it together and pray that it will work, at least until I can get a new body in a couple months.

 

Replaced broken seat/helmet lock. Removed lock tumblers from new lock and replaced with tumbler from old broken seat/helmet lock. Now I have a functioning seat/helmet lock, and don't have to use two different keys!!!!!

 

First day on this site, and first post!

I tried to figure out why my 83 XJ900R SECA doesn't have much power. I timed it and found out it was WAAAAYYY off! Never messed with the timing before, now i have to track down the culprit. I did discover a threadbare wire on the front upper pick-up though, and have my figers crossed that it can be fixed, it sure would be a bear to find another one :roll: any suggestions on other things if this lead doesn't pan out?

 

I just finally installed another set of carbs after discovering that there was a broken float mount on my 900. I was incredibly lucky to find a whole rack of carbs to replace what I had on ebay! Now I have timing issues

 

Toaster,

Please contact me directly......use the 'pm' button at the bottom of each of your posts.

I am the registrar for the XJ900RK Seca Database for USA-delivered 900rk's. So far there's just shy of 60 that have been registered.

I'd like to get your's registered if it is one of the USA-Delivered ones.

There is no cost, no membership fee, or anything like that.

Thanks,

Dave Fox, Registrar - XJ900RK Seca Database (USA-Delivered only)
Host- Central New York Carb Clinic #6, next June 2013 (date TBA)

 

Took picture of the tank as it is with clear coat applied... HUGE difference.

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=335136.html#335136

 

Got the day off work yesterday. Went to Secretary of State. Took the cycle endorsement test and passed it! I became a legally licensed motorcycle rider in the state of Michigan. I also changed the oil and thought I charged the battery, oops!

 

Congrats Ned6x4

Tried to revive a dry dead battery. Filled with distilled and crossed fingers. Hooked up to the trickle and....will not charge :/ eh. the plates were shot. Going through the charging system now. Alternator has some oil.... Brushes good, resistance across plate @ 4.8 Ohms... Havent found the white ends to the stator yet. Still learning my way around the bike.

 

Finally got done cleaning the carbs and just got my parts from Chacal. Wow, that was fast shipping. Anyway, I just checked my clearances and found 7 were too tight. Not bad, but now just waiting on new shims. I am about to put the carbs back together. So excited. Hopefully I will be riding in the next couple weeks.

 

Great job Ned6x4!! I live on the west side of Michigan, we have some amazing riding country here! My personal favorite is M-22, it runs from Manistee all the way along the lakeshore to the tip-of-the-mitt its a beautiful, winding, hilly trip! Enjoy not looking over your shoulder

 

Yesterday - New front tire.
Today - 100+ mile ride to break it in. Also just received parts and tools from Chacal, so will be fixing various cosmetic issues, plus a new clutch switch.

The new tire fixed almost all of the head shake I was experiencing. Hopefully re-torquing the steering head assembly will fix the little bit remaining. That will probably have to wait till the weekend.

 

Buffalo and Toaster, thanks for the kudos! Today was the biggest step, though! I bought the bike in June of last year and today she was fired up for the first time. Huge thanks to all the guys on here. Especially guys like Bigfitz, Rickcomatic, Hogfiddles and the other "elder statesmen." This board has been a huge inspiration and has provided mounds of encouragement. I would have thrown in the towel without this site. The bike isn't quite road ready, but I know I can get her there with in the next month. Thanks everyone, the first Bud of today goes out to all of you! Have a happy 4th of July!

 

Hey Rick,
I work in Billerica, actually Burlington
Do yow anyone want a real project bike?


I have a complete 85 XJ700
It has good Hitachi carbs.
Bow, New Hampshire

It was a "Rat Bike" project my son (and I) started.
The engine (at one time) ran with carb cleaner sprayed down carbs.
Carbs needed overhaul, so
I took them off, cleaned them up
bought new jets, float valves, gaskets, ect about $200
Then my son joined the army
Bikes has been sitting outside for 4 or 5 years.
The Carbs are off and stored inside.
I'll sell you the the whole bike including new carb parts
for $150 That sless than the new carb parts would cost.

Here is a pix of bike from a couple years ago.





It's in sad shape, good parts bike or rat bike project.
I never rode it so don't ask silly questions.
I would rather it go to a good home than my scrap metal dealer.

I'm not going to monitor this site so
Please email me
davecolantuoni at yahoo dot com

 

Took the exhaust off cause I knew it wasn't sitting right, found half the flange nuts were loose, and the joint from header to back end was loosey goosey. Sounds and runs much better now.

Checked air filter, good and clean.
Checked left side caliper pads (uneven rotor wear on one side) pads seen fine, must have a weirdly shaped rotor from previous pads.

Oil change tomorrow.

 

Took the bike for a nice 170 mile ride in Colorado. Temperature was a little bit chilly, but it was still way better than a day at work.

 

Pulled carbs for the second time this weekend to see what I did wrong yesterday that made the bike rough to start. Discovered what might be a bad egg - a float needle rubber tip looked less like a newly sharpened pencil and more the tip at the end of the SATs.

While I had the opportunity, complete clunk test on the pistons, then put carbs back on - ran bike to find that the cold pipe was the same as the float with the funky needle tip. Just sent pm to chacal.

 

I ended up reinstalling the right hand mirror, changed the oil, replaced the clutch handle, and just sat on it lol. I'm now waiting on new tires and this bike should be good to go.

 

Woo a week with nobody doing anything to their bikes

Found that my exhaust adjustment made my pilots WAY rich, fouled plugs, need to find new source for BP7ES as crappy tire doesn't carry them anymore in Stratford. They don't carry BCP7ES either, I was far from happy...

 

Got second caliper piston out, using the "steam cannon" technique. (don't try at home, kids) Finished cleaning behind seals. One caliper was missing a seal, I think. Maybe flying piston took it somewhere. Painted brake calipers and various brake parts. While I was at it, removed master cylinder, painted that, took paint off the "Yamaha" on lid. Fixed brake light switch that I broke removing MC Found a place for my gps, mounted holder by drilling a few holes and using wire ties through them to bar and windshield mounting bar.

 

Got a smokin' deal on 10 x BPR6ES, $15 for 10, so i'm going to have to find a way to get rid of the resistive part of my plug caps :/

I'll throw a set in tonight for the ride home and see how she runs with resistive caps and plugs *fingers crossed*

 

In the middle of rebuilding my the carbs on my 82 maxim 750 - Got everything apart and in the middle of cleaning everything thoroughly. 2 carbs down 2 to go. Will be ordering some parts from Chacal tomorrow- o-rings,seals, gaskets, etc.

 

Moved away from my rotor issue and on to an oil change. PO placed filter compression spring between filter and block! Plus, the spring seat washer wasnt in there. I dont know how long it has been like this or what negative implications it may have. Had I known I needed this washer, I'd have ordered one from Len with my last order!
Headed to the hardware store to try and find a washer that'll fit.
FMB! :]

 

The washer isn't critical and you won't find one at the hardware. Just get one from Len and install it at the next oil change.

 

Thanks Fitz. I'm gonna throw in an M20 I picked up today. I plan on switching the oil and filter again after the first couple of weeks.

Drained final drive, refitted new crush washer, filled with Valvoline 80W-90 Gear. Pulled back tire off again to flip the brake cam to the proper orientation.


Tonight: Pulling off gas tank to drain/inspect/clean, clean frame, check components and cable routing under tank.
Filling new oil, fresh gas, and fitting new battery. Then gonna try to run her.
I wonder if there are any other tests or check to make while the tank is off?

 

Got my new Supertrapp muffler in the mail yesterday, and temporarily installed it to hear how it sounds. Nice.

Now I have to have the bracket welded onto the muffler in the right place, and tweak the carb adjustments to suit. Looking forward to a ride to see what the "reduced backpressure" does for performance.

 

Done: Battery installation, MC rebuilt, Stripped and cleaned rear wheel FD guard, Dewaxed then waxed tank, started it up and ran it. Idles alittle rough, only ran in prime, but I still have to replace the fuel line between the pet and filter then rtv the manis.

Moving back to the front end tonight, hopefully get these bars reinstalled, these blinker grounds resoldered, and the front wheel squared up.

 

Well it wasn't today but within the last 3 weeks I have put in a brand new clutch, new chain and sprockets and am getting ready for paint and body work.

 

I got her a new used set of saddle bags today, also in the last month it has received new used exhaust, new chain sprockets, and rebuilt forks. and soon it will be getting a paint job.

 

After a considering painting my bike a different color for a long time. I finally decided to leave her the original black with red metal flake. Instead I decided to add some red highlight in a few places...

 

Wow, people must be mostly riding and not "doing stuff" lol

Resync'd my carbs today with my crap homemade sync sticks, runs much better. Will do a better job when I borrow the merc sync tool from my manager at work.

Funny how just the vibs from a year of riding will make it go so far out of adjustment.

Going for a nice long ride tonight to see a friend I haven't seen in a while.

 

Now that the Honda is all put back together and running, turned attention back to the Yamahas. Ordering brakes parts for the 750 and found the airbox lid. Need to get the airbox boots for my 750 and the "guest" 750 put back in so tuning can begin. Did valve shim replacements on my 650 and 750 a couple of weeks ago.

650 starts and idles a little better, but still has some issues. Once it's warm, it idles okay for a moment, but then slowly dies. There's also a clicking noise that sounds like it's coming from the right side. (I'll start a separate thread with a link to the video I took from my phone.) It varies with RPM and I don't hear it when the bike is cold.

It's worth noting that I haven't synced the carbs since the valve adjustment, there's a 4-into-1 exhaust on it (that had a very loose flange on #4), pod air filters, and #120 main fuel jets. (I already ordered #114s to put in there, but haven't installed them yet.)

So the bike is kind of a basket case. But with this clicking sound, I wanted to make sure it isn't something that means taking the enging apart before I waste a bunch of time on other stuff or ride it and end up doing permanent damage to the bike.

Went over my 650 and 750 in general, though, and found most things in good working order. May have them in safe riding condition before too long.

 

Looks like today may be the last day to ride for me. Get some gas, ride, going to try Sta-Bil this year instead of seafoam, fill her, take the cluster off and put her to bed.

Sometimes I really wish I lived in Florida!

 

I have mine all ready to put to sleep. Stabil in the gas ran it thru the engine and fogged it also. Order a few more carb parts from chacal then rebuild spare carb set.

 

I fabricated a supertrapp muffler on! sounds AMAZING

 

Drove the xj1100 back home an hour today to her resting place for the winter.
40* driving for an hour gets a bit chilly on the knees & hands, even when bundled up!

Sea-foam was in the tank for the drive today. Other things for the winter are to fix the speedo, check the valve clearances, and most likely clean the carbs.

 

Hey All,

Last week I was working out in the yard and pulled "Solid" out the garage. Once I finished what I was doing I went to take her for a spin. The weather had cooled quite a bit. Finally she started, but it seemed she was having a more difficult time than usual. I didn't ride her for two days while I raked leaves . Yesterday, it was cool also. I went to take her for a spin and she did the same thing; fired but seemed to have difficulty during the process. I came to the "clubhouse", read a couple threads, went back out and swapped her plugs from the resistant BPR's to non-resistant BP's. She fired right up, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't because she was already warm. Went out this chilly morning, and with a completely cold engine, turned the key, hit the switch...She fired. What I learned...having resistant caps and plugs won't hurt the firing, one or the other is better, either keep resistant caps and non-resistant plugs or non-resistant caps and resistant plugs. Enjoy.

Gary

 

I am now in the process of stripping my frame and other steel parts of old paint and rust. I have never seen a more complex work of engineering as this frame. So far all the welds are top notch.

 

Yesterday I bought it and welded on mounting tabs for a Virago tank, then hauled it home in the truck.

Today I rolled it off the truck and took some photos. http://imgur.com/a/TpjBz

 

Ran out of gas/gas in the crankcase (left the petcock on Prime). Walked my bike back home for 1.5 miles in full gear: socks, boots, long johns, thick jeans, full face helmet, thick work shirt, flannel and insulated motorcycle jacket. "Luckily" my house happens to be the only one up a nice sloping grade. Not one person stopped to see if I needed help or if I was okay. Including motorcyclists that zoomed by. Moral of the story: don't break down on a bike in South Jersey 'cause no one gives a shit. I can't tell you how many people in cages or on bikes that my friends and I have stopped to help and yet kharma doesn't always return the favor. Oh well, time to change the oil!

 

I'm still trying to get the frame blasted, first off the compressor I bought, while adequate for the job can't quite keep up. I'm using 80 grit Silica sand at 150 psi. As of yesterday the frame is 95% stripped. I have also started stripping the gas tank, and I have stripped most of the small steel parts.
Hi Matt, sorry to hear about your experience, Las Vegas IS just like that as well. Here is a tip for you: when you've finished riding for the day, take a screw driver and use the handle to tap the float bowls, this vibration should un-stick any floats that aren't behaving.

 

Changed out Needle valves from rubber tip to Metal ( purchased from Chacal ) reset float levels, checked fluid level in Battery and put perm trickle charge leads on, pulled rear fender for repaint as a buddy came and sat on on it with unfinished seat pan and 5 inch springs and compressed it right on top of rear fender putting a HUGE gouge in the paint and metal.