Another Noob

Noob back. I posted on this bike a year or so ago when I bought this bike from my niece but then she asked for it back so I gave it back to her. She tried to ride it but ended up dropping it twice and was scared to ride. I finally got it back from her yesterday, after it sat through a hurricane and 6 months in Houston. I'm glad to have her back!

I had an XJ650 in the 90's for about a year when I was in the Army. I've ridden other bikes, mostly V-Twins but I really like the XJ's set up and it's lightness on its feet. It's quick and agile. Those big V-Twins were too lumbering for me. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble out of this old bike. I know she needs new clutch plates. That should be easy. And the old owner (an inexperienced rider who dropped her twice and left the choke on way too long) kept fouling the plugs. I'm not sure if that's a known issue or just rider error. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Tony

 

leaving choke on too long is a known problem, usually associated with blonde haired riders.
This can be rectified by relocating the blond haired rider to the pillion position. LOL.
Welcome, I see the bike has pods, discussion will accompany this for sure.

 

And yes, the tassles are gone.

 

Fouled plugs can also be due to running PODS , improper jetting might be jetted to high , another reason I'm not a fan ...PS bike looks good.

 

Not up on what PODS means. Thanks.

I will say I replaced the 165 CCA battery with a 325 CCA AGM battery and now she doesn't care what the sparks plugs looks like she fires up like a champ.

 

Pods are the air filters you have on the carbs. Normally there is an air box with filter inside. Some people take them off and refit the stock air filter and air box.

 

Your airbox has been replaced with the dreaded PODS , 4 individual air filters on the back of your cards. These bikes have CV (constant velocity ) carbs , they do not function as well when the change is made , you most times have to experiment with jet sizes , you can have popping and flat spots in the power curve . Some claim their bike runs great with PODS , but my experience with them on other bikes they look "cool" but don't work so well. Yes this my oppion .

 

You're right I do have some popping and flat spots. I'll look to replace them.

I fixed the obvious loose nuts put in fresh non-ethanol gas and the new battery, aired up the tires and she runs down the road great. She'll be a good bike. I might not even polish it, just leave it alone and ride it.

Thanks.

 

We will STILL recommend that you get rid of the pods, reinstall the correct airbox assembly, jet it properly again, clean the carbs, check/adjust the valve clearances, and you'll have even more power

 

LMAO!! Mine had tassles on it when I got it!!! LOL!!

 

Will do. But what must I Avoid when I mess with the carbs. I had a 4 carb set on a different bike that I took apart and cleaned then the bike never started again. I can build buildings, computer networks and bridges, but I'm a bit of a carb knucklehead.

 

There's no need to be afraid of anything except doing things halfway or dropping your carbs on the cement.

My XJ rack was the first carb I ever held in my hand, so when I had to work on them, I did everything I could without braking the rack apart. That was my mistake and I had to do it again.

Read through everything at least twice. Do it the way it's documented here. Take a ton of pictures as you go. Reach out on the forum when you have a question.

 

Your carbs need to go to Church.
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

Kosel's advice is solid, heed it.

You did rebuild the brake system and put new tires on when your niece had it... yes?

 

Not yet. Brakes and tires 1st. I can do that myself probably . I thought the clutch plates were needed, but they seem OK. I can do that also if needed.

I scanned the church of clean and it warns against "the sloppy and lazy." Unfortunately that is what would be carved sloppily into my headstone if I wasn't so lazy. There's a guy on ebay who will do a complete cleaning, rebuild, shine and sync on them for $400. I'll probably do that since I'm much better at spending money than being careful and clean. I have a history of buying things that work and then "fixing them" so they never run again. "know thyself" I'm 100% sure if I take those carbs apart myself the bike will never start again. If someone qualified on the forum wants to do it for less I'm open.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-CAR...ash=item1ca156db5b:g:qDEAAOSw4UtWToFS&vxp=mtr

I'm also sending the seat to http://utpr.com/ to have a driver backrest installed. They don't have a kit for this model but they'll do a custom bracket for it if they have the seat.

I'm sure people with experience on the forum might scoff, but I'm great at many things - marketing, computers, dog training, poker, writing, art, etc. Not mechanics. I can swap components but that's about it. I don't mind spending money to get it done right. My car has 300,000 miles on it because I have a great mechanic.

 

If you're not going to clean the carbs yourself, send them to hogfiddles. They WILL be done right. As much as I'm dragging my feet on both racks I have to do, I want to do them myself so I can say I did. Otherwise if I had the extra $$$ they would be on their way to hogfiddles already.

 

Carbs can be done in a day ...they are not hard just follow church of clean and a few hand tools (JIS Screw driver and a 10mm wrench or socket) , 4 separate containers to keep all parts with the carbs, 1 gallon Berrymans carb cleaner , after FULL tear down of carb (IE butterfly seals removed, mixture screws removed ) Soak the body one at a time in carb cleaner about 45 to 1 hour. Wash bodies in hot soapy water ( Dawn best) let carbs dry , if you have a compressor blow out passages . Re Assemble with new seals and gaskets . I've rebuilt many carbs these are not hard just takes a little time , don't be intimidated and ask questions along the way.

 

ALRIGHT!! I'll do it myself. I'll order the kits next week.

 

Or send to Hogfiddles... I did.

 

I might as well do it. If it doesn't work then I'll send it to someone.

I had a pretty pronounced upper engine tapping sound start up this morning when I was riding it. Turned out to just be loose (and missing) exhaust nuts. I replaced them and the noise went away.