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More power out of an 81 seca 550?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by 81seca550, Mar 30, 2010.

  1. 81seca550

    81seca550 Member

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    IS there any way to get more power out of my 81 Seca? i have a 4-1 exhaust system but from what i have read its just sound and no go.

    Is the like any cams or anything else i could do to get more power out of her?

    I know about gearing it. i gonna go down 1 tooth in the front when i order my sprockets and chain from chacal
     
  2. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    the basic answer is --- NO

    there are RARE yoshimura cams, that cost i dont know how how much... I dont know what would be harder, finding the cash or finding the cams

    then there's cr carbs... those cost about 1200 and you have to go to a japanese site for them

    as far as boring it ... i dont know if they make oversized rings or pistons anymore.....

    the bike will get you to 60 + mph fast enough to kill youself... and your bike runs fine.. I'd be happy with that, especially since you're riding dirty....

    just buy a different bike
     
  3. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    ok found the thread i was looking at...
    http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7 ... t+550.html


    do you really want to do all that work?

    the only other option is an xj600 engine, carbs, ignition, etc..... i=but i recall you telling me you wanted to keep this bike stock....

    but an xj600 will pretty much drop in
     
  4. dinoracer

    dinoracer Member

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    You can always bolt in a fj or Fz 600 motor, then bore it out to 652 cc's and spend lots of dollars doing headwork and stuff, balance the bottom end and still have a bike that will only have maybe 70 HP. You will probably wind up spending about 1500 bucks doing it. Still plenty of fun to do the mid 11's in the quarter mile but a newer bike would be cheaper in the longrun.

    Sean
     
  5. 81seca550

    81seca550 Member

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    No i found another 81 550 for 350 bucks i wanted to turn it into a WERA racer and or vintage racer. just didnt know if i could make more power out of it or not.
     
  6. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    oh nice... but not without spending money, honey... and i would imagine with the rules for racing... you cant do the fz fj 600 motor....

    I would like to see someone race a 550... I think it would be cool

    the best thing to do would to make it lose ALOT of weight, and run some kind of exhaust cuz the stock exhaust is really heavy..

    also, Rick has mentioned this before... some of the diehard xj er's SWEAR that soldering together all the connections makes the bike run better... so if you go with a simplified wiring system who knows..
     
  7. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    this bike?
    http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/1667861251.html

    also... I've always wanted to make a sand drag or just a plain old dirt bike from these..

    some quick searches reveal that the dr 650's and such weign in around 350 and the seca 550 weighs 530... I think you could shed some good pounds... especially by finding a dirtbike front end to donate to the seca... though you would probably need to change the springs...

    here I go rambling
     
  8. 81seca550

    81seca550 Member

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    Ya shooter that the one its actualy an 82 lol im so used to saying 81. But i am decreasing 1 tooth in the front of my 81. I want more snappyness lol.
     
  9. Kickaha

    Kickaha Active Member Premium Member

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    I will be racing one very shortly in our Pre82 class

    At present it is fairly stock with the exception of being bored 1.5mm over for stock XJ600 pistons and a 18 inch front wheel for better tyre options

    This one is my test bike while another bike and engine are prepared

    The easiest and cheapest way to make a bike go faster is to learn to ride it harder
     
  10. 81seca550

    81seca550 Member

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    Kick let me know how that goes. Im really considering buying this for my road race bike. My buddy who is getting me in to raod racin races Yamaha RDs.
     
  11. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  12. wera90ex

    wera90ex Member

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    You'll have fun racing WERA. http://www.wera.com/rulebook/?x=1098
     
  13. xjdaver

    xjdaver Member

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    Were the GPz's of the same era faster? It's always been my impression.
     
  14. pjb03

    pjb03 Member

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    Yes, and the aftermarket was a lot bigger back then for the GPz550.

    Out ofthe box the Kawasaki was half a second quicker and 5 MPH faster than the Seca in the quarter mile. It would take some internal mods along with a pipe and jet kit for a Seca to keep up with a stock GPz550.

    The Yamaha's main advantage is it's light weight. I like the Kawasaki's front brakes better. I love when the Seca hit's the powerband at 6k rpm. The Seca will drag it's pegs easier. The GPz gets about 5 MPG better than the Seca.

    Out of all my bikes, the only ones I would never get rid of are my Seca 550's and my GPz550's. They both are reliable almost indestructable, get great mileage, are fun to ride, and always attract people who remember them. I love them both.

    They were both released in 81. The Kawasaki got all the glory.

    How do I know some of these things? Here's my 81's the 3 in back are stock, 2 of them have been sitting since the mid 90's. The one up front is a Seca killer. :wink:

    [​IMG]
     
  15. xjdaver

    xjdaver Member

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    pjb03: Thanks for the info. Nice stable of bikes. Can I come visit? kidding.

    I've always liked the look of the stock GPz 550s better than the Seca 550. Had the muscle bike look right out of the crate. And anyone that likes the look of the 550 Seca faring likely thinks that clown paintings are art.

    Looking through eBay and Craigslist over the years I'd guess that most GPz's were thouroughly thrashed while a Seca has a better chance of not being abused. Just a hunch.
     
  16. Kickaha

    Kickaha Active Member Premium Member

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    I sold my RD350LC that I was racing to go with the XJ550, it should be on the track within the next two weeks
     

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