SHE'S ALIVE!!!!!!

Well, after a long period of dinking around with my bike, I finally cranked her over for the first time today! I can't remember just who said it but, it sounded good to me, "she sounds like a four cylinder sewing machine. I'd like to send a big shout out to all those that contributed to this web site and, assisted me through my struggle. There are way too many to list by name and, the wealth of information that can be pulled up just by doing a simple search is astounding! If it would have not been for this web site, I would never attempted to try all of the things that I did.

Replaced:
Clutch
brake lines
all brake shoes
valve seals
journal bearings
rodbearings
piston rings
head gasket
base gasket
valve cover gasket
primary chain tensioner
YICS O-rings
generator oil seals
all wheel bearings
generator oil seals


Restored:
petcock re-build kit
lapped valves
front brake calipers
brake master cylinder
starter serviced & greased & new seals
starter clutch
total rebuild on carbs
gas cap new rubber
coils re-wired

I really have to say that, not only did I learn a hell of a lot but, it was really fun! To top all of that off, the YamaRapist didn't get a dime of my hard earned money. There's a certian amount of satisfaction knowing that I can do so much of this myself. I might eat some crow in a few days, as I've yet to get her on the street, (always a chance that something could still go wrong! 8O ) She might not look very pretty now but, next year she'll get a new coat of paint and some of the doo-dads that I've had my eye on. However, the engine looks pretty kickin, even if I do say so myself! Everything got either a blast from the media blaster or was shined to a chrome polish. Hope that you all enjoy the pictures. And again Thanks for all of the help that I've had along the way!!

Cheers All
Ken

 

Very impressisve that is one hell of a clean bike. I wish my bike was that clean. Good work.

 

Thanks jarreddaughtry! It took me longer to clean everything than the mechanics. I figured that as long as I was going to bring her back to life, she might as well look a bit better. Now that I've been into her most delicate bits, I gotta give her a name. I'm still working on that one & am taking suggestions :?

 

Looking real smart, Vet, good work.
What's on the headers?

 

Thanks wizard. I first media blasted them to get the rust off then, I rattle canned them with some VHT aluminum colored caliper paint. I'm not sure how long that will last but, I figured, as long as I got rid of the rust the paint should last for a bit.

 

Oh yeah, I used the same paint on the calipers, valve cover, & carb hats.

Cheers
Ken

 

You have reached the apex of Shiny, Ken. Congratulations!

I'm in the process of stripping my XJ650 down to bare frame so I can blast and repaint it, along with the engine. Now I have a reference to follow

 

Very nice job - great polishing. I like the paint on the headers, I was looking at exhaust paint the other day and wondering if I should go with the silver or black. The silver looks good.

 

Simply beautiful! Could you explain the media blaster method you used? I'd like to do that with mine (but paint it a glossy black with aluminum highlights).

That engine looks flawless!

 

Thanks all for the kind words. MadMaxim85, I used a cheap $24 sandblasterfrom harbor freight http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=37025
]
I bought a very large storage bin that was clear plastic and the lid could be locked. I cut a hole in the lid of the bin and, replaced the hole with a piece of glass, installed over the hole with duct tape. In the wide side of the bin I cut two holes and installed long rubber gloves. Between the glove holes I drilled a large hole to accept both, the hose from the blaster & air compressor. On the back side of the box there is a hole that I cut and installed a filter (just a piece of dryer sheet), just in case it built up too much pressure. I used glass beads as the media material. I also had to buy an air filter for my compressor that removed the moisture from the compressed air. The media started to get damp and wouldn't pass through the hose without difficulty.

Again thanks all
Ken

 

Very inventive. A great do it yourself sandblasting rig.

 

Hey Bill, wish that I could claim this as my own idea. I'm sure that I got the idea on line somewhere. But, it did work like a charm to get rid of the rust & sick color off the aluminum. Be aware to select your media carefully, aluminum oxide will screw with the electronics! The glass beads will clean without grinding away the metal. And make sure that your window is made out of glass. I started out with a piece of plexiglass, that was a mistake! After a couple of days of use the plastic took on a haze that made it very difficult to see through. When I replaced the plexi with real glass I coated the outside of the glass with clear packing tape to prevent any injuries incase of an accident that could break the glass. Tempered glass would be a better alternitave but, I'm too cheap!

Cheers
Ken

 

Wow, those are some shiny parts. Very, very nice work.

 

Did you pull the engine off to rattle can it or did you do it on the bike? I've heard this can be done, but it requires a lot of prep.

Any hints or tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I am in the process of shining up all my bits and pieces.

 

Oh yeah... when do we get to see the bike all put together?

 

Hey MadMaxim85, I pulled the engine to do the lower end but, the upper half, head & cylinders could be pulled while the engine is still in the bike. The only things that I rattle canned were, the valve cover, carb hats & carb end pieces, headers and the rear foot peg stands. The valve cover took a bit of prep work. There were a bunch of blemishes in the metal that needed to be filed then sanded before the paint. The YICS and lines were wet sanded buffed & shined with Flintz metal polish. I media blasted everything before I either painted or polished the metal. I only media blasted the cylinders & head, there's no paint on those parts.
Cheers
Ken

 

Well, that's one heckuva job.

Could you tell me what order and types of polishing compounds you used? I did some polishing yesterday, but still have a long way to go.

Thanks for the info.

 

Hey Max, All of the shiney aluminum bits were wet sanded from 320 down to 1500 grit. Then I took them to the buffing wheel. I used 3 types of rouge, Brown, White, then Green. You can get all the the rouges at Harbor Freight fairly cheap. Then I topped off all of that buffing with a soft rag and some Flintz applied by hand. To get off the old laquer I did it old school, all done by hand sanding. I've heard of other people using "Air plane stripper" to remove the old yellowed laquer. I'm sure that is an easier option but I didn't have any but, I did have the sand paper & time.

Happy Shining
Ken

 

UPDATE The VHT paint that I used on the header pipes does NOT work! After roaring around on her maiden voyage, the paint discolored and bubbled. I'm now going to do the header tape wrap to cover up the crappy looking pipes Oh well. at least she's back on the road. Still working out one bug. I can't get my idle to settle down. I get 1050RPM's sometimes but, mostly she wants to climb up to 3000. I've lubed my cable (smooth as a prom queen's thigh) I've adjusted the idle screw. I balanced the carbs. I've replaced the intake & exhaust boots to the carbs. Tonight I'm going to color tune her but, I doubt that is where my problem lies. I'll keep searching for the answer on the forum untill I find something that works.

Cheers all
Ken