Does anyone know of a thread with pics of 750 seca caliper

I am getting ready to rebuild my calipers and am wondering if there is a thread with pics (I searched but didn't find anything). I like pics. Like the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. A picture, to me, is the next best thing to someone standing over my shoulder telling me what to do.

 

I think yours are the same as on the 550s; I have some pics at home, I'll post you up a couple.

(One of my longer-term "works in progress" is an article on "understanding the Yamaha holding-block caliper" which is nowhere complete but I do have some pics ready.)

There's NOTHING to them however; as soon as you take one apart you'll see that. The most important thing is getting the two channels that the caliper seals sit in clean, clean, CLEAN before installing the seals.

SOUNDS easy until you get to it. I've done three or four of them so far; no difficulty, just a complete PIA getting the seal channels clean without digging gouging scratching or otherwise damaging them.

I'll put up a couple of representative pics when I get home this evening.

 

Thanks Fitz! Actually, this will work out very nice because I am also picking up a 550 this weekend and it will probably need the brakes done too since it has been sitting for a half dozen years.

How did you end up getting the seal grooves (channels) cleaned out? I have a lathe. What if I rip a piece of emery real thin so that it just fits in the groove?

Speaking of the 550, I am about 5' 11 3/4" and 178lbs. Do you think I will fit on the 550 or am I too big?

 

I use a flat piece of aluminium ground like a one tooth key, the soft ally' won't do any damage.

 

the flame from a propane torch turns that amber goo into powder that comes right off, the flame just has to touch it not even enough to get the caliper warm
then i use a toothpick to get right into the corners of the grove then a tiny ball of 0000 steel wool on the toothpick to finish

 

I use... wait for it...


Shish-kebab skewers (and a small brass wire brush in my Dremel.)

But mostly the skewers. See Wiz, it's not just you.

You can slice the skewers to reconfigure and sharpen the ends, and they don't dull as quickly as toothpicks. Polock is right about the torch to free the crud up, just be really careful.

If you have trouble getting the piston out, plug the banjo bolt hole with a regular bolt and attach a grease gun to the (open) brake bleeder. Pump the caliper full of grease and the piston will be forced slowly, safely (and messily) out.

Just got home, have to see if the 'Bucket is in a playful mood tonight.

Re: fitting the 550. I'm 6'5"+ and right at 200lb, and I fit the 550 Seca just fine (as long as it has lower bars.) It's actually roomier than my Norton, seat-to-peg wise. If you're asking about a 550 Maxim, I dunno. I sure as heck couldn't ride one, my knees would hit my elbows.

 

These might help:





Now I remember why I never did the article. I screwed up most of the pics, let me know if there's anything else I might have a (blurry) pic of.

 

Thanks guys!
Wiz, aluminum ground like a tooth - nice - I'll keep that in mind.

Polock, propane to turn into goo - sounds like another nice idea.

Fitz, bbq skewers and a dremel - with these ideas I can hardly go wrong.
Fitz, thanks for th epics. It sure is nice to know what I am going to be looking at when I take the calipers apart.

I just got home with the 550 - I guess I forgot to mention that it's a Seca. It looks pretty rough but everything is there. It even has the toolkit! The only thing I am the least bit concerned over is that one of the PO's welded some kind of shorty pipes with glass packs to the ends of the headers. Oh well...not the worst problem. I will try to post up some pics later.

Thanks again for all the help gentlemen!

 

Well then, I can tell you a 550 SECA can be made plenty comfortable for somebody well over 6' and 200lb.
Lower bars are the key, to stretch out a bit; and if you up-foam the seat, well...



COMFY. All-day comfy. (Solo.)

 

Wow! Very nice. Did you do a full restoration on that bike? It looks like a frame up resto. What about the shocks? Did you paint over the chrome? And those fork cover thingy's. Those look like the old British bikes. And where did you find that rear luggage rack? Did you make it? What about the front fairing? It looks like you took yours off. Man, you did a nice job. My hat's off to you. That thing looks too nice to ride. I would be afraid to get it dirty. How many miles do you have on it? Thanks for posting.

 

Nearly frame-up resto; everything off except the motor itself, and everything came off the ouside of the motor.

Shocks are new Progressive 12-series, and they come in black as an option, Yamaha had black shocks on the '83s to begin with. I powder-coated the rear brake backing plate though, and the carb hats.

Fork boots are a Kawasaki part number (thanks to Wiz) that happen to fit 550 Secas exactly.

Luggage rack is a GSM SportRack, a "period" accessory from back in the day; I found it on eBay.

Yamaha had dropped the front fairing for the '83 model year, so that bike never had one. I also took the one off my '81, I like the bikes better "naked." The original XJ-bike (started as the XJ400, then XJ500 before becoming the XJ550R) didn't have the fairing, it was an add-on for the "Seca" 550. I never thought it really fit the lines of the bike, and I didn't like what it does to the handling.

As part of the "restification" I installed a 150mph speedometer in place of the original 85mph joke. I left it at '0' miles, since all the work I had done basically "zeroed" the bike (which came to me with 7100 miles on it.)

Odo now reads 3216 (since finished) so the bike actually has about 10,300 miles on it. Virtually everything is new, so it rides and runs like a brand new bike.

Sargent's Cycle http://www.sargentcycle.com/custserv.htm did the seat for me, they had done such a fantastic job on my '81 I had them do this one too.

Other details you can't see or might not have noticed: Lots of blacked-out hardware; stainless steel brake lines; black nickel handlebar, headlight and ears; modern Yamaha FJ/FZ pattern turn signals; small, LOUD, round black horns from Acumen of England; Progressive Suspension fork springs; Avon tires; EBC full-floating rotor; blacked out rear hub and black rear sprocket; two-tone black (semi and gloss) valve cover with polished highlights, not "ground back" to silver as original; Candlepower SuperBlu H4 halogen headlight conversion with headlight modulator; Napoleon black bar-end mirrors; analog clock.

Plus all sorts of mechanical things, seals, gaskets, valve shims, brake pads and linings, caliper rebuilt, clutch, cables, etc.

Here's a link to my Photobucket if you want to check out my other (more stock) '81 550 Seca plus some "in progress" pics of the black bike; looking closely you'll see the mirrors kept changing until I finally got some I like. http://s437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/bigfitz52/

I love riding it; it travels very well. It also cleans up pretty easily; I've gotten caught in the rain about a half dozen times in the last couple seasons with it and it's no problem getting it shiny again.

I guess you can tell I really like the 550 Secas.

 

Very timely thread! I just pulled the old girl out of storage and found the caliper has been leaking.. I bought her new in '81. Currently has 16,900 miles on it.

Once I remove the caliper, drain it and remove the pads do I need to remove the pin assembly that looks to take the mounting bracket off as well?

I imagine I'll have to use the grease gun idea to remove the piston, as mine seems to be stuck..

Last question.. The rebuild kit from my Yamaha dealer is close to 50 bucks .... more like 80 with a new piston..
I see kits elsewhere (bikebarn etc..) for more like 25 bucks. Have any of you had issues with using non-OE seal kits?

Here's a couple photos... the spiders have had a heyday

 

Whoooo haaaaa... Very nice

 

MarkJ, we have a resident parts vendor who can supply the proper parts for far less than Yamaha will charge you.

Check the XJ4Ever logo/link in the upper right corner of the site banner, look in the forums under "XJ4Ever, Supporting Vendor" and/or PM member chacal.

Be sure to pull the rear brake down and check the shoes for delamination, no matter how nicely it was stored: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html and looky what I found when I took the black bike apart, as did whole lot of other folks.

Plan on rebuilding the front brakes if everything is still original, and upgrade to stainless steel lines while you're at it. (Highly recommended.) The caliper will start hanging up if you don't, trust me.

Oh, and replace the tach drive oil seals. They tend to fail soon after putting the bike back in service (both of mine did, and the bikes were at least 12K apart, mileage-wise.) It's not in the manual: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=19538.html

Since you've already seen my black bike, here's my white one, I like 'em better without the fairing:

 

Sorry, I missed your question about the "sliding pin."

Yes, it needs to be pulled out and cleaned/lubed; check the little rubber boots (XJ4Ever carries them, your Yamaha dealer will laugh at you) and if you have to beat it with a hammer to get it out, replace it.

You'll need to separate the caliper from the holding block, and clean/lube the shim plates anyway so yes, it all has to come apart.

 

Excellent. That is what I figured anyway.. I did tap on the sliding pin lightly, and it did not seem to want to move.. one of the two rubber boots inside look to be toasted..

I'll definitely check out the vendor here for the parts.

BTW.. this bike has never been restored. I purchased it new in 81. Other than the normal services , chain/sprockets etc.. all I changed was the bars (first week of ownership), barnett clutch, ferodo pads (thank goodness I've still got one more new set). The only thing I no longer have is the original wheel chain lock. I've got the original (rust free) header and cans in a box.
Thanks again for the info!
M

 

Re: Does anyone know of a thread with pics of 750 seca calip

OOH, ooh, sell me your original #2 head pipe!

No, just kidding.

I'm the original owner of my '74 Norton Commando, which I still have. The white bike I rescued from a putz PO who treated it horribly and had no clue. I had to put a stock exhaust system back on it, and then I went through it front to back. It's my DR/commuter.

My '83 Seca (the black one) was a pure project; low mileage but tipover damage, and you can see how it turned out.

Let me know if you need anything.