Will this 85 yamaha xj700 be a good starter bike

Ok I got the opportunity to get a really good deal on this bike but it has some issues. I want to know if it's just stuff I can fix myself or will I have to spend too much to get her running good. The first issue is that it's hard to start (it takes long to turn on and when it does it dies instantly). Then when it does turn on and stay on it idles really high. Once it's warmed up it runs good until you press the brake then it idles high again. It's also leaking from the brake cylinder but he has a new assembly that comes with the bike. The fork seals are also leaking but he has new seals which will be included. The frame also has some rust on a few spots but it doesn't look like cancer. Will I be able to fix a these issues myself or will it take an expert to work on it? Any input will be greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

Yes

 

You can fix these problem with the help of this forum and a manual.

 

Eventually. After you get all that stuff fixed.

 

Thanks guys, I'm going for it then. I'll post pics of the bike here tonight.

 

Thanks guys, I'm going for it then. I'll post pics of the bike here tonight. What would be the first steps in fixing the idle issue? I'm assuming it's carb related.

 

Pull the whole carb rack off and do a THOROUGH cleaning and rebuild..... Read and digest the " in the church of CLEAN" forum. Set everything to factory settings.
Check intake boots and vacuum caps for possible leaks.

Rebuild the petcock

Clean the tank, put a fuel filter in the line

Change oil and filter

Inspect Service all your brakes , tires, etc....

You want to make sure that before you GO safely, you need to be able to STOP safely.

once you have it running, then you sync/colortune/etc.....

Now you're getting to a good safe point to start building you bike and be able to ride as you go along

 

First thing : check and adjust the intake and exhaust valves clearance. It is the very first item of the maintenance chapter in teh service manual. You should get one for your bike, though, you will need it.

 

Where can I get one? Do they sell carb rebuild kits?

 

Actually, this is not a rebuilt kit, you will probably need a new valve cover gasket, new rubber pressure washers for that cover, metric feeler guages to measure your clearance, maybe spare shims (hogfidlles runs the shim pool) and other stuff that you could get thru Len Chacal, our beloved parts supplier! I don't know if he has the manual you need, though.

Go back to the main FOrum menu you will find him at the very top: XJ4 ever- supporting vendor. He doesn't simply sells parts he gives plenty of infos and tips to install them yourself.

 

I've never worked on bikes before, is all this easy to mess up? Or is it pretty much fool proof?

 

There is always a possibility to make a mess (I did it recently with my carbs) but if you work slowly and methodically, taking pictures and stopping and asking questions when you're not sure, you could do it. You will need some room and a few basic tools, though.

I successfully checked my valves myself last spring, if I can do it, most people can...

Guys here are very helpful.

 

They're far from fool proof. But if you know one end of a wrench from the other and have some basic mechanical aptitude you can do this.

Depending upon what you already have, you may need to purchase some tools. As above, you need a clean, dry and well-lit work area for best results.

Also be aware that the basic budget for a proper recommissioning of a bike of this age will run about $600 ~$800, as long as you do the work. And that price doesn't include cosmetics like paint, just necessary parts, supplies and tools to pull it off and have it be safe and reliable when you're done.

Again, as already mentioned, you'll need to track down a service manual. Then, along with the assistance from this site, you'll become a pretty decent motorcycle mechanic in the process.

The more we know about your basic skill set, the better we can help. Do you have metric tools, maybe a torque wrench or two, or are you starting from scratch? Automotive experience?

 

I got a service and technical manual on Ebay for $10.95. It's a pdf file copy and is 250 pages in all. I've found it to be very good.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-XJ70...nuals_Literature&hash=item35db6957c1&vxp=mtrd.

 

....AND, if you DO screw something up, we're here to help you straighten it back out. SURE, we'll probably poke a little fun, but we've all done stuff that someone else got to poke us a bit on.......that's part of the fun here-- a silly mistake, a little laugh, and we fix it and go on.

With us here, you're in good hands no matter what-------

dave f

 

Thanks for all the input guy's. I got the bike home this afternoon but I had to work the bike is not in that bad of shape actually. It's not being hard to start anymore but if I turn the choke off it dies.

 

Classic sign of clogged/dirty carbs. Indication is it is running on the enriching circuit only. Time to pull the carbs and learn how to clean them

 

Anyone have a link to a video showing how to change fork seals? I found some on YouTube but I'm not sure if it would be the same since they weren't working on my model bike.

 

Get a service manual. There is so much bad/wrong info on the internet it actually IS funny. Some of the mechanical chicanery I've seen posted is so totally horrible it is truly laughable. Get a bigger hammer there, Tex... hey, we didn't need those threads, that'll clean up with a file. Philistines.

Get a service manual and we will assist. Forks are not difficult, but they vary widely even between different model XJs.

 

I just cleaned the carbs last night and fixed the petcock seal leak. The bike is still having idle issues. It either revs to high up to 6k and stays there or it idles too low that it dies. When the choke is on it idles too high as well. Anyone know what my next step should be?

 

More details on what you did to the carbs would be helpful.

Did you break the rack apart to clean?
If not, what did you remove and how did you go about cleaning them?
Were you conscious of damaging any of the rubber components that remained in the carb?
Did you wet set the float levels?
Did you bench sync the carbs after cleaning?

 

I didn't take the carbs off the rack. I opened each carb, front and back and removed the jets, floaters,needle , rubber diaphragm. I then boiled everything in water/lemon mix. I did not boil the rubber parts just sprayed wd40 and wiped clean. I then sprayed everything with wd40 and wiped clean. I let everything air dry then reassembled. One thing Im not sure on is the two almost identical jets in each carb. One has a bigger hole than the other and goes on with a washer. I put the one with the small hole on top without the washer. Also the needles did not move up and down very smoothly, would that be part of my idle problem?

 

Yes, you skipped over a lot of important steps. The throttle shaft seals are leaking, allowing air into the intake tract screwing up your fuel mixture. The only way to replace them is to pull each carb off the rack. Prior to pulling the throttle plates and shafts and replacing the seals, MAKE SURE YOU MARK THE TOP AND FACE OF EACH THROTTLE PLATE! Seriously, they can fit upside down and backwards but they won't close correctly, so do this or you will be pulling them back out and test fitting in every position until you get it right. Then review the location of each jet vs the service manual to ensure you get them back in the right places, normally you would have photographed everything prior to disassembly but you already moved things around so that ship has sailed. Then once everything is clean, you need to polish your slides and throats so that the slides "clunk" when dropped into the carb bodies. They need to be super duper smooth. Then reassemble using a flat surface to properly align everything, then bench sync, then set float heights, then put them back on the bike. There's other stuff to do with the bike to tune it properly, but we'll get to that later.

 

First of all, keep WD40 out of the carburetors. That isn't what it's for, and you can actually add to the gunk with it. WD stands for water displacement, it was invented to keep missiles dry. It's great at displacing water, but it's not a cleaner. When it dries, it leaves a film. Enough of that will make sludge. Use carb cleaner. The absolute cheapest spray carb cleaner works fine, brake cleaner works in a pinch. I also like Chemtool B12 for soaking small parts.

A manual will tell what goes where. In a pinch, you can try the parts diagram, like the ones on this site: http://www.yamahapartshouse.com

Jets have numbers on them. Look at the diagram, numbers tell you what does where.

That is definitely a problem.

If they don't move smoothly they are not clean. Did you pull the emulsion tubes that the needles go into?

 

Yes I pulled the needles off the tubes. I didn't clean them because of the plastic end that screws into the tube. I thought it might get damaged. I'm going to pull the carbs out and clean them. Also when I put the carbs back on the bike I might have not pushed them far enough into the rubber intakes. Its a b get them on.

 

I just pulledy carbs out. I think I found the problem. The butterflies are all set different! Some close more than others . I'm gonna have a bad time

 

Plenty of information, you can start by reviewing these:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

http://www.xj4ever.com/hitachi%20throttle%20shaft%20seals.pdf

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-clean-the-enrichment-circuit-well.8918/

http://www.xj4ever.com/setting%20fuel%20levels.pdf

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-bench-synch-your-carbs.6366/

I think most of the members agree, it is best to break the rack and do the throttle shaft seals. Otherwise, shortcuts will lead to multiple pulls of the carbs and just more frustration.

Once the carbs are rebuilt, then on to adjusting valves before attempting to tune the carbs. If all goes well, then move towards the safety items mentioned earlier.

Edit: forgot to add Chacal is the best place to get the right parts for these older bikes. Great service and a wealth of knowledge on these bikes - contact him at info@xj4ever.com for parts.

 

It's not rocket science it's xj majic. Many members have come here thinking they knew how to bring back a old bike. Many have learned, as I, they weren't even close. Getting a old bike to run for a short while isn't in the ball park with properly re-commissioning a old bike to look, run and act like new. Imo do what is necessary to properly re-commission your bike so you can enjoy it for as long as you choose to own it.

Gary H.

 

I said "go into", not "attached to". The thing that the needle clips into with the plastic bit is not a tube. It's a slide, or a piston. The tube is what the main jet screws into. It's also called a nozzle. #26 in this picture: http://www.yamahapartshouse.com/oemparts/a/yam/500426a9f8700209bc788697/carburetor The needle slides into this.

 

My spark plugs in my XJ700 gets flooded after carb clean Any suggestion?
Thank you

 

Word of advice bro, dont take shortcuts, you will NEVER get it to run that way

 

Except for the mislabeled air jets.


Rick's image has them labeled correctly.

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-secret-life-of-carburetors.14751/