Carb rebuild?

Hi - I'm new to the site, and have a 1984 XJ550 Seca - in boxes. The previous owner has promised to email me a picture of it pre-box state, which I'll post when I receive it.

It was a project I 'inherited' from a buddy who lost interest after stripping it and starting to prep the tank. The bits are exceptionally scruffy but I'm reliably informed it ran well before being stripped.

I am therefore going to rebuild everything except the engine, which will just be cleaned and 'refinished'.

The carbs are really scruffy and so I have decided to completely strip, clean and rebuild the entire carb assemblies. Clymer advises otherwise. Does anyone have any experience going through this process, and what problems or pitfalls should I be aware of when doing it.

My previous bike was an XS750 triple, and I stripped and rebuilt the carb assemblies on that without any problems I couldn't deal with - and the bike ran fine after that - so I'm not an entire 'virgin'...

Cheers

 

Welcome and howdy Fez! You should check out the Rick's guide to rebuilding carbs in our FAQ section. Should be just what you need in addition to the XJCD. Between the two, a complete and successful build is assured. If you've pulled off a XS carb overhaul, this should be no different. Don't lose heart about everything in boxes. Think of it as someone spent the time to take it apart for you to rebuild, saving you countless hours!

 

The absolute best course of action, I should say, would be to secure for one's self, the Official Workshop Manual for Yamaha XJ550RK.

Rather nice chaps, Yamaha Publications people.
Your best interests in-mind.
Along with their annual profit figures of-course.
Provide the most comprehensive reference for "Spanner-spinning blokes" intent upon restoring one of their fine motorbikes to tip-top shape.

Still in print.
Worth their weight sterling.
Which is about what it will cost you in Pounds Sterling ... I should say!

44-Pounds-5 or 6

http://www.yamahapubs.com/html/itemsear ... el=XJ550RK

 

Thanks for the welcomes and the pointers, guys. The faq is helpful and I'm made a start on cleaning the carbs up. I don't have lots of time to devote to it, but little by little it'll get done.
I'll be getting one of those manuals too..

cheers

 

Finally received the pics from the PO, so posting one as promised:



not the prettiest of examples, but lots of promise - and it's already stripped!

The Neta exhaust is quite badly decayed at the collector, but might yet be salvageable. The rest appears to be quite solid if poorly finished. The tank is part-prepped, with the tank badge mounts filled (though they still need some minor filling and smoothing). The engine has been painted with regular matt black paint, though quite a lot has been removed by PO. Unfortunately a couple of barrel fins have been broken and I'm disinclined to strip the engine right away, so they will have to receive attention at a later date.