My Build

Hey, my name is mike, and I'm 17. First off, I have been obsessed with bikes since the beginning of time, and I am by no means a squid. So now that that's out of the way, the XJ

It is a xj 550 seca

I picked this thing up as a toy to tinker with. I knew I would never really get anywhere with it, but it'd be interesting to learn to work on bikes and stuff. I picked up this piece of junk for $50. It was totally rusted, parts missing everywhere, bent everything. Spiders had made a nest in the pipes, the carbs were gummed, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. The bike had been exposed to the elements for some 15-20 years. Fun stuff eh?




for all you keen observers, the PO put a maxim tank on the bike, so thats why it looks out of place


up close it isn't too pretty




I stripped it so I could get access to the parts more easily


things to fix
FRONT END
-change slashed tire
-rebuild caliper/piston
-bleed system
-?replace brake lines?
-?replace fork seals?
-speedo cable
FUEL SYSTEM
-clean tank
-rebuild petcock
-rebuild carburetors
-buy throttle assy
ENGINE/tranny
-valve adjustment
-replace friction plates
-connect the shift linkage
-change chain/sprockets
RANDOM
-Find/fix all the open circuits in the harness
-but mirrors/turn signals/headlight
-speedo cable
-clutch cable
-throttle cable

aaand, I want to finish by the new year
ambitious, arent I?


More Updates later

PS. - I'm a picture whore, and I always thought it was more interesting when people posted pictures, so you'll be seeing a lot of those here. It's a lot easier to visualize and to see the problems I'm encountering so I can get a better, more precise response too. And it's not even xjbikes.com's bandwidth. Win win situation!

 

As keen observer I have to tell you that you have a 750 Seca tank that looks out of place on that 550. The front fender is a Seca but the paint says it's not original. The chain drive is no doubt a 550. So the best thing to do is give us the first 6 digits of your VIN so we know what we are dealing with. You can check and see if they match the digits on your engine. That plate will be located on the right side of the engine on top of the clutch cover. Then we will know if it is the original engine or a replacement. I also noticed that the air box was missing and you have a 4-1 header. That means you need to check your carbs to see what size jets are installed. Without the right ones it will never run well. I highly suggest you reinstall the air box.
Still a good deal at $50. Engine looks good and clean and the damage is mostly cosmetic. Finishing by New Year's day ........Na!

 

Have a little faith Blue Maxim. He could have it running by the new year. You've got to figure that he's 17 and on Christmas break from school so he's got all day everyday for the next 11 to get it running. Welcome daliumong, I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

There is a definate difference between having it running and having it on the road by the new year. Not sure about the having it finished part is really about. I dont think mine will ever be finished. All ways a work in progress. But good luck to you. Hope to see you on the road. Its nice having a toy to tinker with through out the winter. You have found a good source of info here.

 

You are so right. I forgot to factor the Christmas break into the equation. Well then......Go for it dude!

 

I guess you're right on the tank, it was definitely too large for a 550 cc bike. The front fender is original, it is the other body panels that are not. The bike was originally red, like this one.
(not my bike, just a pic of what mine was before sitting for 15 years)

so today, all I really wanted to do was clean all the crap off my bike. Engine degreaser, elbow grease, major scrubbing. I first polished the 4-1 headers. Here are the before/after comparisons. No powertools, so I basically spent the whole afternoon with pads of steel wool.. hard work for the financially depleted highschoolers yay.
(inside two are before, outside are after)
(you were right, bluemaxim, it was an aftermarket 4-1, Kerker. Here it is polished. Top=after, bottom=before)



unfortunately, I ran out of batteries before I could get a picture of the entire bike after it was degreased. It still isn't pretty forsure. THis is going to be a very long, time consuming, money eating process. Unfortunately, I don't have that much money..

Yea, I'm still not sure what my goals are for this bike. I know I will never be really done with it, but then again, as a highschooler, I don't know how much money I'm willing to pour into it. Maybe after I get it running i'll sell it. Maybe after I get it road worthy I'll sell it. Maybe when I go to college I'll sell it. Or maybe i'll just keep it. It all depends

 

Anyone remember those high school years.....where anything is possible!

And dreams of accomplishment are more attainable than they are now?

Good Luck to you daliumong!
Give er your best shot, we're all with ya on this

 

I think that 750 tank has some nice possibilities with a set of low rise bars.

 

soo I managed to track down a clutch cable, and nabbed it for $5. After installing it, I noticed that there was absolutely no resistance when grabbing the clutch except from the spring itself

by spring i mean the spring out of the clutch cover pictured above.

and here is a picture of my mangled clutch controls

I went to the yamaha dealer and asked around. One of the guys told me that it was a simple fix, that all i needed to do was tip the bike on its side (since I changed the oil) open up the clutch cover, and reattatch some linkage. The thing is, I'm not seeing anything of the sort in my repair manual, and i'm skeptical that I'd finish this type of work by the end of today, leaving my open transmission overnight...

thoughts?


ps
from the same place I nabbed the clutch cable, I also got a red seca 550 tank. Whoppee, 30 bucks.. whatever, i got the cable for 5... it evens out, sort of

I took the gas cap from my 750 tank and screwed it on the red tank. Now I have to deal with the rust issues, the lack of a petcock... and other fun stuff


pss after a day of this much work, I am damn tired, probably wont touch the bike very much for the next couple days. It is grueling work cleaning the bike

 

You may never wind up with a bike worth thousands, but what you WILL end up with is a pristine example of a nice riding bike, and you will be an expert on repairing them! I say, go for it. Damn the torpedos!
Twenty years from now, you could be the next XJ Guru!

 

Wow! Headers cleaned up very nicely. Gives me great hope for mine.

Nice project, oh to have the time I had when I was 17 again! Of course now I have all the tools. I need a 17 yo to use them............

If it were me though, I'd bag the cosmetics for now and get her fired up. No point on polishing and all the other details (and $$) if you have an aluminum case full of random parts rather than an engine.

 

Dalimong, your efforts are bearing fruit! It is most enjoyable to see a young person (such as yourself) take such keen interest in a subject near and dear to most everyone here. Keep at it, I'm interested in seen the finished product, wheither it is on time or not! Be sure to get in touch with some of our other bay area 550 folks, they have skills and knowledge to spare. Might even show up to help you turn a wrench. Best of luck to you!

 

Tomorrow I'm going to change the front tire and try to see what is wrong with the front caliper. It's really annoying hauling the bike around on a slashed tire and dragging brakes. Hopefully all that will be needed is a tire change and a bleed of the brake system+a little cleaning. In the worst case, i might have to rebuild the entire caliper /w new pistons and seals and everything


-still waiting to hear someone's opinion on the tranny issues.

 

You should be able to lay the bike over and leave it without detriment to the internals provided you cover it back up with the cover or a plastic bag. Go for it!

 

first off, I took off the wheel today to change the tire.
It took me a while, it was my first time and I was always afraid I would bend the rim.

here is the bike w/o a front wheel


front wheel /w tire on


tire off

 

I'm having some trouble with the brake calipers. I tore them down, and I found that there was no dust seal or piston seal, so I was a bit concerned. Also, the piston compressed when I got the caliper off the rotor, so now I cant get it back on. Is there any way I can push the piston back?

I'll get pictures later so everyone can see what I'm talking about. Until then, any opnions would be great.

 

A regular auto brake compresser will work. If you don't have one then many have used a c-clamp to do it.

 

Here is the tool I am refering to.

 

Looks like your heading down the right track. Keep going, just don't hurry anything. That is precisely when things go south in a hurry. Don't forget to spend some time with the family, it is Christmas after all!

 

For the time being, the electric system is totally dead, but all I want at this point is power running to the coils. I guess i'll have to hotwire the starter circuit. Its all good though, as long as it is running.

All I need now are:

Brake caliper rebuild
carburetor rebuild
de-rust tank
rebuild petcock (hopefully I wont need this)------about this. If I don't actually replace the petcock, what is the worst thing that can happen? A leak? Flooded carbs? Hard starting?




I THINK I CAN FINISH THIS BY THE NEW YEAR, I AM STOKED

 

after tearing off the carbs, it looks as if the carb holders aren't in very good shape. THey've got cracks and are fairly stiff. Being on a budget, replacing them is completely out of the picture. I remember reading about wrapping them with the inner tire of a bicycle..

so im guessing I just wrap them, then secure them with clamps, and i'm good to go?

 

Yes, that will work. You can forego the inner tube and seal the outside of the intakes with Permatex "Ultra Black". You only need to replace the petcock if it is leaking. To check just switch the petcock to ON or RES and see if it leaks fuel. Fuel should only flow with it set on PRI. Main problem with a leaking petcock is fuel getting into the oil. Not a good thing. Congratulations on your progress!

 

Tonight, christmas eve for all of you who celebrate it, I was working on putting the brakes back. I reassembled the front, and was about to fill it with fluid, but then I decided I would wait until I got some teflon tape for the bleeder threads to be 100% sure I wouldn't have to do this again



so in the meantime, I decided to work on the rear. The PO said something about disconnecting some brake bar on the rear, I didn't understand until today, when I was messing with the rear drum.

And there was when I hit a wall.

here is that brake rod he was talking about. I had the repair manual out, but it didn't show the whole rod, and I am totally new to this stuff, so i thought it was supposed to be bent, but...

when I tried to put it on the bike, I realized that the bend was not a good thing... Now i'm pretty much frozen until I can get my hands on a rear drum brake rod

 

Straighten the old rod. That's not a precision part, it's just there to keep the drum from spinning when the brakes are applied.

I wouldn't worry about teflon tape for the bleeder either. The tapered base of the bleeder seals against the opening in the caliper, no pressure on the threads. Clean the threads and reinstall. Maybe some anti-sieze but I wouldn't bother with that either.

 

I totally agree, just lay it on your nice concrete floor and bash it with an appropriately sized hammer until it's straight enough for your liking. Maybe a quick coat of Krylon gloss black and your back in business :mrgreen:

 

If you're feeling especially frisky, throw it in the bench vise, heat it and knock it straight. You probably don't **NEED** to heat it, but playing with fire is soooooo much fun... I bought one of those butane torches with the auto ignitor on it, and use it any chance I get. Lighting the fireplace with it is a favorite.

 

finished bleeding the front, hooked up the rear drum. I actually tried banging the rod straight, but I guess I'm pretty weak or something b/c it never budged. I ended up just rotating the drum a little to make the rod fit.

All i need to get this going now is the carburetor/petcock, then I can fire it up and take it for a spin around the block, hopefully


btw, my front brake is dragging pretty badly. I know some drag is normal, but it gets hard to move the bike around the garage b/c the drag is so bad.

 

That torch of yours Kevin is also good for lighting coleman stoves and campfires, I always take mine camping so I dont have to have matches.

I even use it for sweating copper pipes every couple of years too.

That front brake dragging like that is not normal... you should check the return port in the mastercylinder reservoir.
Could also be that the disc pad pins are goooed up but more likely the rtn port is plugged.

 

if the return port were clogged, would that require dissasembling the master cylinder and rebleeding the entire system?

Cleaning the carbs today, hope I can get it fired up today. I just got a shipment of fresh plugs, battery, battery charger, fuel filter, and uni pods. I charged the battery, only to find that my ebay battery charger decided to crap out on me... whatever, it was 5 bucks shipped anyways

 

Sometimes you can use a piece of wire like off of a wire brush and try poking it into the return hole to open it up.

You only need to open the top of the mastercylinder to get access to the port.

 

ahh cool thx, i'll try that

 

I read some horror stories on here about serious crashes caused by dirty master cylinders before I got my bike home. I cleaned the master cylinder before I ever put it on the road.

If you had seen mine, you would never even think about riding an older bike you hadn't cleaned the MC and lines on.

 

What I havent mentioned this whole time was that I actually got this bike over the summer. I've been working on it for a good 6 months now, but i really didn't start any of the grunt work until this winter. I had been studying the repair manual, checking clearances on the engine, rebuilding the wiring harness (yea, i was that poor), soldering like a madman, examining the bike, accumulating parts.

when I tried to start it about 4 days ago now, I somehow fried the starter motor. That was pretty much the final straw. I tore down the starter to find the commutator and the brushes were prettymuch at the end of their lives.

After a couple days of contemplation, I decided yesterday that going on with the bike just dind't make sense. For 6 months, I had been working hard /w the bare wires of the harness across my dining table, opening and rewrapping nearly every wire. My parents had told me that my priorities were all out of wack, because even though I had been pulling straight A's, I slept less than 4 hours per school day.

I don't want you guys to get the sense that I'm giving up. I'm just saying that I've reached the end of where I am financially capable and the limit of how many hours I can physically devote to the bike.

It's been a good run, here are some pics of what It could potentially have looked like

 

Well I wouldn't give up dude. I would heed the folks advice and adjust my priorities. Turn it into a weekend project. Just a little bit every weekend and let us know what parts you need and some of us may have a good used part that will save you some $. I felt overwhelmed on restoring my 750K. So I stopped for a week and made a list of things to do. Put them in order and started back, concentrating on one thing at a time. That gave me small victories without the bleak outlook that comes from seeing 5 things not finished. It was ok that they were not finished, they weren't supposed to be ....YET!

 

I'd say dont give up!!!

There is a life lesson here...
(My kid says I preach too much)

Maybe persistance and sticktoitivness might pay off, when your riding that finished bike and telling everyone else how you did it yourself.... well youll never know how it feels....... unless you finish it.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

We got faith in you!!!

You can eat that elephant, if you take one bite at a time

Now go do it, and dont let us down

 

Thought I might share a bit about my 550 story.. See if it gives you any incentive to continue...

So early last year I had m Volty that needed a tidyup, but because it was my only transport at the time I couldn't take it off the road to do the work it needed. Then one day while checking out the local auction site I came across a cheap 2004 GN250 so I bought it, tidied it up and took the Volty off the road...

What does this have to do with an XJ550 I hear you say... Well after I had stripped down the Volty, my mate who had been looking for a bike turned up on my doorstep with an XJ550 in need of front brake, front fork work, which he couldn't do himself.

He got the bike fairly cheap and it was road legal but nose dived and wouldn't release the front brakes. Still had original paint and a couple of other bits needed attention but it went and was rideable.

So the Volty got pushed to one side and in came this beast.... I took the tank and seat off it and immeadiately called my mate back and asked him if he could take this piece of .... back where he got it from, to which he said no. I asked this because once I had the tank and seat off I realised that this bike needed stripped, cleaned, repaired and some bits replaced, which was a lot more work than I had agreed to.

Because this was for a good friend I took the job on and proceeded to clean, clean, and do some more cleaning. I stripped pretty much everything but the motor off the bike and hit the frame with a wire brush and started painting. Gave the tank, sidecovers and tail cowl to a mate who did a really good cheap job in black on them for me. I replaced an engine bolt, footpeg, hand grips, stickers, rear shocks & tank badges, painted most of the frame, kitted out the master and slaves on the front brakes, got the bike shop to do the forks and threw it all back together.

By the time I had it finished I was completely fed up with it, just wanted it out of my garage so I could get back to work on my Volty. It took quite a while to find some of the parts and even once the shop had done the forks there was still a bit of dive in them (probably could have not had them done). So all in all I had just spent 4 months of my spare time fixing someone elses bike.

Once completed I felt a huge amount of relief and that first ride was wicked. I was stoked at how good she came up and how well it went (engine knock included), but because it was not my bike I had to give it back.... My mate was over the moon, but the bike was too big and not really suitable for him, so he left it at my place and I sold it on the local auction site, kept the money and gave him the GN once the Volty was back on the road.

This was my introduction to XJ's... Now I have 5 of them in my driveway and garage lol

I know how you are feeling right now... My advise would be, take a break, get a little cash together, then get back in to it. If you have to, try and get another complete wiring loom.

In my opinion there is nothing more satisfying than finishing a project and looking back at how much work it took and being proud of what you have achieved. You are doing an amazing job and have come too far to quit now... Hang in there, you will be blown away at how good it makes you feel when you get it running and take her for a ride.

Thread hijack over... 8)

 

Oh and I will post my before and after pics in a few hours so you can see the beast

 

As promised... Here are the before...





And these are a couple of the after...





I have more photos if anyone is interested in them

 

Daliumong,

I have to agree with BlueMaxim, you can't give up. This is how people learn. When I was in high school I was just like you. I spent every minute I wasn't in school working on my cars. That is how I learned to weld, wire, powdercoat and lastly, become a custom painter with my own shop now. You need to take your parents advice and rearrange your time, but don't give up on the bike. There is nothing more satisfying than to stand back at the end and look at something you built with your own hands. Something you brought back to life.

And as for time, as a senior in Electrical Engineering finishing up my degree, job hunting and working part time for two firms, I reassure you that these older guys are absolutely right! You won't have time like this forever! I didn't think it could happen to me, but it does! So carpe diem so to speak.

And as for your electrical problems. As I said, I have another semester of class before I take my FE exam and go to work, and I am working on a custom harness and wireless electronics set up for my bike, but I would be glad to help you if I can with your electrical stuff.

Anyway, before I get completely off topic... DON'T GIVE UP!

 

I agree with the guys. Don't give up....just throttle back.
If the electrical is kicking your butt, check this out; ebay item # 250069042091.

 

well, I haven't sold it yet, and i'll keep on doing what I can until I do... IF I do. Completing this bike would be more of a pride thing than anything now. I'm going to slow it down, hoping that the reduction in speed will somehow find me more time/money to work on the bike


This is my idea of a battery charger... hehe

That would be a 17 volt 1 amp transformer hooked up to 14 diodes, good stuff.

 

Good on you for sticking at it... I'm sure you will get there

Nice battery charger :lol:

 

If my alternator and battery are dead, will the bike still start up if I bump start it? Since my starter is burned out, I've been trying to start this bike via bump start for a good couple days now.

still nobody biting on the ads on craigslist, I guess I'll have to just finish the bike somehow. I got spark, and I got fuel, but it's still not running, so Im guessing there is something to do with timing.

can somebody please explain how I would do this? My manual has one page of this section ripped and the other is greasy. When I read it, the whole thing about peeking through so and so hole to find the timing marks kind of confused me.

 

Won't start if both the battery and alternator are bad. Sorry. I would lend a hand if I was headed in your direction anytime soon. I can rebuild wiring harnesses for the cost of parts if you care to send it to me with a schematic of your bike. As for testing your bike, I would suggest (trust me, it is money well spent) you get a new copy of the manual you have. Nick or BlueMax might come through for you with one or two pages but it sounds like a few dollars invested will help in both the immediate and future efforts. I can't tell you anything useful I'm afraid, I don't speak 550. I'd like to rectify that in time (PBR, you are my experiment toward this end, hope we nail it).
I'll also chime in that you should keep pressing on the bike but you do need to listen to your folks. Your priority right now should be taking care of yourself and keeping up in school. Do not worry about what you can't fix right now, you will find ways to accomplish the tasks as time goes on. God willing I'll be able to swing by this spring and get you ironed out if your still stuck.
I hope you have gotten a hold of SF_550, he has some working knowledge on 550's and he is local to you. There are a few members in the bay area, you should look at our member list and contact them.
Best of luck to you buddy, don't worry, your not alone in this.