New owner questions

Always had and have old Goldwings. Picked up 82 xj650 SECA, carbs were plugged, cleaned easily. Starts right up idles okay, needs a Sync. Took it for a trial run after 5 years absence, ran okay, seems like tach and speedo are off. Good torque at 3-4k, dropped off after that. Should be higher on this bike shouldn't it? Cranked it up in third gear and blew a bunch of smoke. Came home and parked it and have a huge puddle of oil and a 2 mile line on the black top where it was dripping. The oil is fine now, so I'm assuming it was way overfilled and tossed it into the air box on the high revs.

Questions on 82: Do the chains need to be adjusted or are they self-adjusting? Common for tach and speedo to be off? Tires are stock size. How difficult to adjust valves? Sounds like shims are expensive, and I need a small tool. 13k on the bike and it's probably never been touched.

Also, it has a pretty pronounced whine from the front end. Any hints?

Any response is appreciated in advance.

 

Need to do a lot more than just clean the carbs and run it.

Front brakes (4 year life on originals)
Rear shoes (they can delaminate)
Valves (easy, not too expensive, needs to be done every 5K miles)
Oil and filter (to get rid of the gas in the crankcase)
Air filter (Same reason)
Plugs (again, if a needle stuck and filled the crankcase with fuel, gotta do it)
Tires (replace anything over 6 years old)
Fusebox (the ends on the glass fuses break off the box - big headache if they do)
Inline fuel filter (probably lots of rust in the tank, especially if at sat empty)
Possible petcock rebuild (another possible reason for fuel in crankcase)
Final drive lube changed


The 650R's power is from about 5500 to redline (and beyond)
It should complain running at anything below 3,000 rpm, above 7 grand it absolutely will FLY
When properly tuned, these things really will haul b@lls

 

-the bike starts making serious HP at 6K RPM so you still have issues.

-the crankcase was likely "overfilled" by fuel from the carbs pouring into the sump; check the oil for a smell of gasoline to confirm. This would be caused by a FLOAT issue; either levels or one (or more) stuck.

Float LEVEL adjustment is critical and needs to be done "wet" this is covered many times on here the site.

-You have a "manual" cam chain tensioner. If you need the procedure, just say so.

-valve adjustment how to: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html
and Part Deux: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29209.html

-the whining sound is most likely to be the speedo cable, tach cable, or either of the instruments themselves. I've had a tach go screaming so loud it was getting the attention of people mowing their lawns as I rode past.

Yamaha mechanical instruments: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15303.html Unfortunately, on the 650 Seca you will need to perform some surgery to access the actual "guts."

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll change the oil Monday. It didn't smell of gas, but my sniffer isn't very good any more. I'll get the tool for the valve shim adjust. Is it best to go through and measure each one and then buy the shims as needed. That could take time. The other item is the fuel meter screw. It is under what looks like a casting mark? Plugs looked good from the way it was set. I could also use a description or site to see how to tighten adjust cam chain tensioner. At this point I'm pretty sure my 77 Gwing would take it and from what I've read this should be faster.

 

Thanks for the links to the valve adjust, Fitz. Looks doable. Nice write-up.

 

Cam chain tensioner:

1: Remove the ignition cover.







**NOTE** these pics are from a 550; your lock bolt/nut is more vertically oriented. Procedure the same.


The idle mixture screws may still be capped; there were little brass plugs pressed in to cover those from the factory; they need to be carefully drilled through and popped out in order to remove the pilot screws to properly service the carbs.

You're eventually going to have to fully "service" the carbs; how frustrated you want to get beforehand is up to you.

Then we need to talk brakes. The original brake lines were supposed to last 4 years, caliper and master cylinder seals, 2 years. Are yours original? Wanna bet your life on it?

Check the rear shoes first; an unexpected delamination can drop you on your butt: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html DO THIS BEFORE YOU RIDE THE BIKE ANY MORE. They need to be visually inspected.

The bike has tubeless tires. Check the date codes; anything more than 6 years old is too old.

 

How far did you go on cleaning the carbs? full teardown + rebuild? I've cleaned plenty of carbs, but I never really "cleaned" carbs until I got my XJ.

Also, if you got fuel in the crankcase, I'd put money on a drippy cock AND a stuck float or 4....

 

i will check the advice given. As to full rebuild, I just pulled and cleaned the obvious jets. I needed to know if this bike would run and whether it was worth additional money thrown at it. I couldn't get the float drain screw to budge to do the wet float test. Any tricks to doing that? I will do the cam chain, change oil and filter, check brakes, esp back brake, Monday. Valves look like they will be a pita with the shims. I would like to ride it some and get it running decent. The plan was just to flip it for a little cash to divert to some other projects, but this has my interest peaked a little. I need to find a shop service manual. Thanks again for the advice.

 

If you are removing the rack from the bike take the bike remove the float bowls. The spray the drain screws inside the bowl and out side the bowl. Then use a small butane torch and heat the bowls around the screw. You will have to repeat this procedure a few times but they will come out.
The aluminum heats and expands faster then the screws lessening them off. Remember to spray with Kroil after each attempt to remove. Also the Kroil is flammable.
I use a butane fueled soldering iron with a torch attachment for this because I can heat a smaller area then with a propane torch. And there is less likelihood of me doing any damage to the bowls.

 

When I went thru my 900 carbs I had clean them several times before I figured you have to poke & prod every small crack & crevice of these carbs. But once right. Hold on. Bikes are a blast to ride.

 

valve shims are EASY - look up the zip tie method

 

remove the bowls....if you cant shift the screws, use a #2 easy-out with care and then replace the screws with s.s. hex drain bolts from Len [chacal] XJ4ever. Valve shims are not a pita - not doing them is.....also heed Fitz's advice about the brakes......

Dave

 

Drained the oil, all five quarts!! Isn't that what they hold? I left at least two quarts along the highway on my initial ride. Anyways the clatter is better and I adjusted the cam chain per above, thanks. I will ride it a bit more and then probably bite the bullet for carb kits and valve shim. There is no cheap way around that is there?? As for the performance as is: pretty good snap up to about 5k, not much after that. Does this one have a mechanical advance, and if do I guess I better free that up. Maybe later in the week I'll pull the wheel and check the rear brake pads. I still have a high pitched whine from the right side of the motor. It does it all the time, not just moving. Could it be a starter chain not unlocking? Thanks again for any and all advice.

 

WAyyy too much oil......betcha had a bit of gas in it too. Did is seem on the thin/'watery' side of consistency?

Whine.....if you've never had an xj before, you may be simply hearing the inherent whine to these engines. If its literally a 'screaming/screeching whine', that's different. The engine whine is a high pitch sould that will go up and down in pitch with the engine speed.

WE LOVE that sound.....you can tell when an xj is coming. Fun at the carb clinics as people come in, and other bikes go by. Everyone watches bikes go by, but when an xj approaches even before coming into view, everyone says...."hey, an xj's coming.........."

Gotta love it!

Dave F