1. Hello Guest. You have limited privileges and you can't "SEARCH" the forums. Please "Log In" or "Sign Up" for additional functionality. Click HERE to proceed.

XJ900N Project

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by Mayhem351, Jul 27, 2019.

  1. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    365EC9D2-00FD-424C-8684-303F1CB5D709.jpeg 303CE0C5-E066-4FDB-BF93-414B14A0AF73.jpeg 174034CF-BEF9-4624-8DD9-0193F5DF151D.jpeg I recently was gifted a XJ900 in pieces as my first project bike. My dad has 3 of this model in the same colour as above, one 85 N already on the road, one faired in bits, and this 86 model N. I asked for this one because I love a good naked bike and the sound of the Yamaha 4 cylinder. Always have since I first heard the 1988 FZR1000 (hopefully my next project).

    I have read quite a bit on these forums over the weeks, everything from failed injection to Cafe racers, some are inspiring. But where do you stop? So for this one, I'm keeping most of it original with the exception of a few colours and the exhaust. It previously had a 4-1 on it coming out the left side. But I have two sets of downpipes and the original collector, so I'm going to put it back to a 4-2 but because I love a good yoshi pipe I'm putting twin tri-ovals on with a change to slip on instead of a bolt on.

    The few colour changes are just too the callipers and using a satin black powder for the frame, headlight shroud and intruments. Keeping the original tank, front guard, and side /tail colours.

    Current stage, frame is stripped ready for the powder coat. I'm going this way because of where I live and the effort needed to get rid of all surface rust may as well give it a good finish. Also looks like the side stand welds broke at some point and now it has a huge lump of weld to grind back.
    The swingarm is looking worse for wear, and I'll need to do bearings all round. It's ready for blasting too.
    All plastics are intact with the exception of the instrument cluster being broken, needed a donor to graft from.
    indicators... Well I aren't a huge fan, but they suite the bike.
    The engine I'm waiting on. My dad lives about 2000km away and has a more complete shed for rebuilding motors. So the rest of the bike should be ready by the time he's finished with it. My aim is within 6 months.
     
  2. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    F603B9AC-B084-436C-BDAE-3D43DA571F9B.jpeg 3C30AE83-4A0C-4DF2-B29E-59035ACCB020.jpeg D611E8AA-FC0A-4609-BC0A-821F422B6CD6.jpeg 7BFE0AC3-B0D7-4DB2-9216-6A1C30B79D93.jpeg Slow progress, brake callipers have mainly been rebuilt and powder coated. Frame and swingarm are in the shop now waiting to be powder coated. I've changed my plans a little and opted to restore it as original and went through several tests trying to find the closest blacks to the original for the frame and brackets. The swingarm original colour is a match for prismatics BMW silver with a clear over it. I used a soda blaster on one of the crank covers to tidy it up, but found it was just too messy and little result. So I'll go back to fine glass beads before I polish them.

    I've uploaded a couple pieces that have been coated, though the satin finish on some still needs a clear to help reduce scratching. F603B9AC-B084-436C-BDAE-3D43DA571F9B.jpeg 3C30AE83-4A0C-4DF2-B29E-59035ACCB020.jpeg D611E8AA-FC0A-4609-BC0A-821F422B6CD6.jpeg 7BFE0AC3-B0D7-4DB2-9216-6A1C30B79D93.jpeg
    F603B9AC-B084-436C-BDAE-3D43DA571F9B.jpeg 3C30AE83-4A0C-4DF2-B29E-59035ACCB020.jpeg D611E8AA-FC0A-4609-BC0A-821F422B6CD6.jpeg
     
  3. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,278
    Likes Received:
    748
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Wisconsin, Tomah
    Someone is doing a fine job of restoring, very nice looking. You oven bake them or have a light or heat element? I used to power coat my sport bike when I had s spare oven. I might have to get back into that. Your works looks good. Looks like a oven as that is a oven rack in the pic above.
     
    Mayhem351 likes this.
  4. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    07207665-FBFF-4C68-8CC7-5FD898B53BD0.jpeg 07207665-FBFF-4C68-8CC7-5FD898B53BD0.jpeg
    Painstaking, but worth it. This is just a small oven. Had the frame and swingarm done by a professional powdercoater.. Unfortunately they are not as pedantic and sandblasted machined surfaces and now I can't read the frame number either. But it looks nice 2751FA55-9066-423F-AEE6-B712E9F7E511.jpeg 07207665-FBFF-4C68-8CC7-5FD898B53BD0.jpeg
     
  5. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,278
    Likes Received:
    748
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Wisconsin, Tomah
    Can't read the frame number...hmmm now does that mean you will keep the bike forever or find a way to get that back on there if you ever want to sell her? I would be concerned about that. Besides that it looks great!
     
    Mayhem351 likes this.
  6. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,261
    Likes Received:
    1,126
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Waterloo Ontario Canada
    If by chance you took a picture of the VIN sticker before it was removed, I believe BDesigns.ca will reproduce a new one for you.
     
    Mayhem351 likes this.
  7. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    Thanks for the heads up.
    I've taken a wire brush on the Dremel to the frame number and I'll use some crushed glass to get the rest of the power out of it after I tape off with some Gorilla tape.
    I did save the vin plate, but here they have to check the plate with the frame number and engine number for rego.

    I'm still coating the brackets when I get time, this is obviously the headlight bracket. The final gear housing has to be coated as well, but for all the seals I'm looking at about $500+.
    headlight bracket powder.jpg headlight bracket w-flash.jpg headlight bracket.jpg

    Decided not to re-coat the wheels after the whole experience with the pro powder coaters, the frame itself has just turned into more work than it should have been. I'll just strip the clear off the wheels, clean them up and polish the aluminium, and then put a ceramic gloss clear over the top to protect it.

    The engine cases, cylinder head etc have been vapor blasted, seat honed etc, new rings, chains and oiler to go in, bottom end is fine. This model was all polished aluminium (including the rocker cover), very little black on it, with one part painted silver. So it's being restored back to its original colours and about to get a coat of Cerakote Aluminium on the polished parts, and a coat of Cerakote Clear 160 Gloss on the silver to protect it.

    The biggest pain so far is getting the right wire to rebuild the looms. All information I could find on the fuses and manual etc showed a 30amp + 3 x 10 amps. This bike, perhaps because of the large round headlight, uses a 20 amp. I wasn't sure so I double, triple, and quadruple checked with manuals, other bike owners, Yamaha themselves... 20 amp. So I have to ensure the wire I use in different spots can take the amps. So I have wasted a total of about $400 on wire so far with 3/4 of it usable. But now I need to go back and get some 12 AWG and 14AWG in different trace combinations to suit the 20 amp headlight. At a cost of $60 per 10 foot length to import the GXL and TXL wire I'm using, it's getting expensive.

    Anyhow... it's over budget (as all good projects are) and over time (was planning on 3 months), but it's getting there.

    In case anyone is wondering, the powders I'm using are from Prismatic Powder, they have about 6500 colours, their parent company also do Cerakote as well. If you're going to buy, make sure you get decent amounts as the base shipping is expensive, but it's cheaper as you get more. Being in Australia is a pain sometimes. This headlight bracket has 3 coats, the Epoxy Primer, Card Black, and Clear Vision to help protect it from weathering. Coated with Eastwood dual voltage gun.

    Not a bike but this one below is an example of the power work, using vinyl stencils, a few home made templates, and a bit of practice.
    example1.jpg
     
  8. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    I'll be keeping this one forever I think anyway, but I've fixed the number, just a shame to ruin that perfect black finish.
     
  9. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    3,646
    Likes Received:
    1,037
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Scotland UK.
    Powder coating looks great looking forward to seeing the bike finished.
     
  10. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,261
    Likes Received:
    1,126
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Waterloo Ontario Canada
    A used wiring harness from another Yamaha is an easy way obtain all the different colours and stripes they use.
     
    Mayhem351 and Franz like this.
  11. Mayhem351

    Mayhem351 New Member

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Australia
    Finally got the final drive housing finished, weather here in summer horrible, turns the blast cabinet into an expensive water pistol.
    I chose not to put primer over the Yamaha text, as it would have bloated the coating once the silver went on and made it unreadable (like the frame number), so I taped it off first and just gave it a silver and clear later. FinalDriveP1.jpg FinalDriveP2.jpg

    You can see above the 'Y' already wasn't so great, so it took carefully blast with fine beads just on the Yamaha, and crushed glass for the rest of the casing.

    Powder coated in the home oven using Epoxy Primer, BMW Silver, and Clear Vision from Prismatic.

    There were a couple spots that could have been better (photo was also taken after dust had settled on it), but considering the amount of oil that came out I think it worked out ok.

    Now to finish rebuilding it and the suspension.

    FinalDrive1.jpg
    FinalDrive2.jpg .
    FinalDrive3.jpg
     
    Timbox and Franz like this.
  12. 50gary

    50gary Active Member

    Messages:
    343
    Likes Received:
    128
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Saginaw, Mi. USA
    On a couple of bikes I had to make new head tubes so I just used numbered punches to hand stamp the VIN.
    Cheers, 50gary
     
    Mayhem351 likes this.

Share This Page