82 Maxim 650, Engine cleaning questions

OK, so I recently purchased a 1982 yamaha maxim 650. Love the bike! Im currently repainting the gas tank, so i thought while I have the tank off i might as well do some cleaning. The engine has alot of stains all over, I was wondering what the easiest way to make it shine was?
Do i have to take the entire engine off?
Or is there a simple way to clean it while leaving it on the bike?
Im no expert in bikes, just a new hobby im picking up, so the easier the better!!

 

Spray the engine down with a good foaming engine cleaner, then rinse it. You may want to do this a couple times to try and loosen the grime that has accumulated. Note: this will not get it all off, just the easy stuff. Also note: DO NOT USE PRESSURIZED WATER TO DO THIS! Then, remove as many "things" attached to the engine that you can, like exhaust and carburetor bank (which you need to remove anyway). Given that there are sooooo many title grooves and fins it is impossible to thoroughly clean the engine with theses things in the way. Go to a local Harbor Frieght and buy one of their small engine brush kits, it's like 12-15 small brushes, brass and steel, and with the help of a good degreaser and some water in a spray bottle start scrubbing. This will take a while. Once all that is done, get an aluminum polish and some microfiber cloths and start buffing. I use a Dremel with Q-tips stuck in the smaller collet to get deep into the fins for this step.
Good luck.

 

When i remove the carburetor bank and exhaust will that throw the carbs off?

 

No!

 

If the carbs haven't been thoroughly cleaned or rebuilt, then they are ALREADY thrown off. If you've already been riding the bike, you may THINK it has a lot of power......but when you get the shim clearances back in spec AND the carbs dialed in right-----you'll find out how much power you've been missing and didn't even know it. You'll what to make sure that you do a thorough brake job first. It's great to get these bike running the best they can, BUT it's more important to make sure that they can STOP the best they can.

Welcome aboard

Dave F

 

On the topic of engine cleaning. I have the engine apart to where i can see the top of the pistons...is there a way to clean the carbon off of them with out fully taking it apart and taken them out, and the bottom of the cylinder head the (valves?)

 

Rotate the engine so the piston you wish to clean is as high as it can be in the bore, then flatten the end of a short piece of copper pipe and use it as a scraper, while keeping a shop vacuum running right next to the cylinder you are working in.