the wifes xmas present

I bought my darling wife a motorcycle for Christmas.


in the beginning by bmonkey36, on Flickr


in the beginning 3 by bmonkey36, on Flickr


in the beginning 2 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

FU

 

Very Cool! And it took you 2 days to post this event because it took that long to build up the strength to crawl to the computer because of how completely and effusively she said "thank You"? Congrats to both of you

 

That's awsome, I don't know her interest level but be careful not to expect her to go on as many or as long of rides; you don't want her to get discurraged. My wife has a XJ650 and enjoys riding but only for a half hour at a time. Me, I could ride all day and ride again the next day.

 

Nice

 

SCHWEET!

 

Very nice

 

thanks guys. today we got the first of what will be many bundles of joy to grace our mailbox.


bundle of joy by bmonkey36, on Flickr

and it appears that the bike has two left pegs...


left peg by bmonkey36, on Flickr

FU

 

Sweet, where'd ya get those brake shoes?

 

the bay of e of course...

FU

 

well that only took about 10 minutes...


carbs out by bmonkey36, on Flickr

the inside of the carbs looks amazingly clean...


amzingly clean by bmonkey36, on Flickr

this was the dirtiest bowl...


dirty bowl by bmonkey36, on Flickr

and the black stuff just wiped out.

FU

 

I just discovered that I have a custom cold start cable clamp. can anyone recognize the source?


cable clamp by bmonkey36, on Flickr

FU

 

looks like I found the root of the fuel overflow issues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWF6Vvg8 ... e=youtu.be

FU

 

It's always fun going through a newly acquired bike to sort out all the butchering and crap that previous owners did (or didn't do) to them.

BTW, the cable clamp is the screw on connector for the top of a spark plug.
I'd say you need a new cable.

Tony

 

we have a winner! yes that is not the first time I have seen one of those converted into a cable clamp. I used to repair Volkswagen beetles for a living. the heater cables were a common place to find them.

FU

 

TIP*** You can move the airbox rearward quite a bit to make carb installation even easier.

The top mounting screws are in slotted brackets up by the rear of the tank, those are obvious.

There is a third screw located under the tool tray. Remove the tool tray screw, lift the tray up, and then you can remove the upper rear airbox mounting screw.

Here's a tore apart Mikuni: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=31061.html

 

Im jealous. Fiance only rides on the maxim x very seldomly and wont touch the vmax. I guess just gives me alone time.

 

something I have noticed about theses mikuni carbs is the float pivot pin binds in the float pivot. this can cause all kinds of problems since the pins are an interference fit in the carb bodies.

FU

 

That's one of the things you need to be aware of and correct when rebuilding Mikunis. It means either the pin itself is ever so slightly bent; or the wrapped-metal bracket on the float needs its bore cleaned or maybe some gentle tweakage.

 

would have been a lot easier to get her a nice new toaster

 

you know it!

FU

 

:?: :?:

 

I am so glad this bike found a home .i have been watching this bike on craigslist for some time thinking of buying if for my wife but she did not like it . Nice job he almost gave up on selling it i think by the way he kept changing the add to make offer . congrats on the new bike !!

 

I am so glad this bike found a home .i have been watching this bike on craigslist for some time thinking of buying if for my wife but she did not like it . Nice job he almost gave up on selling it i think by the way he kept changing the add to make offer . congrats on the new bike !!

 

actually It just occurred to me, we don't own a toaster.

FU

 

you know, the ad is still up. I am guessing he doesn't get much response and doesn't know how to delete it.

FU

 

I chucked them up in a drill and hit them with some 220 grit. they work much better now.

FU

 

Next time use Scotchbrite or 800-grit.

The Fitz doesn't use sandpaper in carbs, period. (No need.)

 

it is what was closest at hand at the time. it was fine enough to suffice and course enough to make short work of it.

FU

 

you should really get a toaster, they take PB&J to a whole new level

 

With bananas

 

i am finally getting something done on this bike. I have the carbs reinstalled and the new (used) head pipes installed. too bad the new battery turned out to be junk. so I put the battery from my 750 in it upside down and backwards just to try it. after a bit of cranking, it fired up and ran fairly well. obviously it needs some fine tuning, but I am happy with how it runs.



FU

 

Nice to see it up and running.

 

so the to do list has diminished to only a few "must do" items.

1) rebuild the brake master cylinder and replace the brake lines
2) sync and color tune the carbs
3) make the horns work

so far I have completed the carb rebuild, adjusted the valves, new intake rubbers, replaced the clutch, the rear brakes, new tires, new oil and filter, new air filter, new battery, replaced the head pipes, new shift lever rubber, new clutch cable. new choke cable, new chain and sprockets, new wheel bearings.

other things I have planned;

1) install headlight and brake light modulators
2) do the led turn signal mod
3) remove all the red and make it all black and possibly do some vinyl wrap graphics
4) replace the fuse box
5) rebuild the front forks
6) install all balls roller bearings in the head ( there is a detent feeling in the steering . very slight but there. it can only be felt when the front wheel is off the ground)
7) install new tachometer drive gear seal ( it doesn't leak bad but it does leak)

fortunately the electrical system is solid and completely functional. so it is not an immediate issue.

FU

 

I got to ride it around a bit today and discovered it has a bit of a wobble around 35-40ish mph, it goes away at freeway speeds and above (tee hee), I am wondering if anyone here has any insight into the wobble. it is very slight, almost unnoticeable. when I had the front wheel off, I noticed that the head bearings have a detent warn into the races. could that be it? it too is very slight, I could only feel it with the front wheel removed. both of the wheels have new wheel bearings and were balanced on a new spin balancer.

FU

 

It is time to replace those steering bearings.

 

I ordered a set last night.

FU

 

well I haven't installed the new head bearings yet, (I have a spare triple tree I want to powder coat first) but I just put a new set of bar end mirrors on. now I can see something other than my arms in the mirrors.




FU

 

finally had to replace the fuse box with the one I bought from len...



I also installed an "air blade" mostly for looks...



FU

 

my oil temp guage arrived today!



FU

 

I have been getting little bits done here and there. like replacing the side cover grommets before I lose a cover on the road.



I also reinforced the grommet seating areas on the side covers with fiberglass.



I am also refinishing the new/used replacement tail piece. the original was broken in several places. pics of it to come once it's painted. I also discovered some heavy rust on one of the seat hinges, so they are getting refinished as well.

FU

 

Sorry to side-track the thread here, but what is that purple leopard print cruiser next to your moto sikkle? Is that paint? It looks like fabric wrapped around the frame tubes and fenders! Yeah, I'm a sucker for anything on two wheels.

 

that's "kitty bike" it was my wife's playa bike for burning man. it is wrapped in fabric. I will get a pic of it up later for your viewing pleasure.

FU

 

as promised, here is the pic of kitty bike. if there is anyone in the seattle area that needs a playa bike, this one can be had for the low low price of "come get it".



FU

 

Any one know how to get that fabric onto my motorbike? Matti likes! lol

 

spray adhesive.

FU

 

Cyclenoob, I love the oil temp guage. I know that they make them for my CB750, but did not know they were made for our XJ's. Where did you pick yours up if I may ask?

 

I was curious about the oil temp gauge also. I didn't think you could install one in the oil filler on the XJ as the clutch was in the way, and you could not submerge the sensor in oil, which seems it would not give an accurate reading. So, how long is the sensor on that particular gauge? Do you think it will be accurate?

 

I got it on the bay of "e" of course.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321643468128?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

FU

 

Looks like it's only in Celsius, but I'd totally learn metric to have that little accessory lol.

 

the one I bought is the one linked above, and it was in fahrenheit.

FU