New guy with a 1981 xj550 seca

Hey guys my name is Brian, just picked up this 550. Was not running when I got it so I took off the carbs and went thru them put in some fresh gas and she fired right up. Now to do some cosmetic stuff. Got some plans for it I'll try and keep this thread updated.

 

Where'd you pick that up from I think I saw that on CL. I'm from plymouth, ma

Ps that's a nice lookin bike!

 

Got it from Orange MA. Was on CL for awhile so you probably did.

 

Hmm Don't know what forks you got there but they're not 550 seca. Double discs, anti-dive and a leading axle ? Some bigger capacity maxim model maybe..

 

I think those are 750 Seca forks.

 

Hmmm that is good info

 

They are 750 Seca forks.

Circa 77, You have more to do than just take care of cosmetics. Those brake lines are original. They were meant to be replaced and the brake system rebuilt every four years.

Valve clearances need to be checked (most likely they have never been done).
The rear brake shoes need to be inspected for delamination.
Wheel bearings need to be inspected for wear, and regreased if in useable condition (same goes for the head bearings and swingarm bearings); othewise replace them
What do the date codes tell you about the age of the tires?

You have a 34 year-old motorcycle that has forks from another machine. While it is possible that the previous owner kept up on maintenance, it is far more likely that he did not.
Everything on a used motorcycle should be considered suspect until proven that it is not.

 

Ilso. I'd like some pics of your fork setup. I'm particularly interested in the upper fork legs at the top triple clamp. From memory the 750 forks are longer than those of the 550, and I'm wondering how the air collars were dealt with.

 

Nice looking cuts on the fender ... yoi cut it yourself? Any pictures of the process? My fender might get that treatment, and I'd like to see how / where you cut it. Thanx

 

Thanks I did do it myself, that's the only picture I have tho. With the fender on I marked it up then cut it. Took a awhile to get the curve just right for me. And I'll try to get some better pics from the top of the triple trees.

 

Here's a pic I took when I took the gauges off

 

It doesn't exactly show what I was looking for, but the fork tubes are set above the top clamp. That means that the air collars are not in place. Hopefully the PO filled the air passages in the fork tubes with epoxy, or they could spurt oil under hard braking and will not have any air spring at all (even non-air forks use the air in the fork as part of the spring equation; it's just not adjustable).

 

Got some time to work on the bike a little. After some research I guess I do have a 750 seca front end. Are they air? I don't see any air nipple. How do I open the top? First pic is the top of the fork. Then some pics with the clip ons and new top triple tree

 

The first new pic you put up shows what I think is a dab of epoxy in the air passage, so you no-longer have air shocks.
The fork cap is removed by pressing down on it and using a Pointy Thing™ to remove the wire circlip from the inside of the fork.
Full teardown here: http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/doing-the-750-secas-forks-rebuild-now-a-how-to.18730/

and here: http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/anti-dive-fork-explosion.41895/

If you want to revert to having air-adjustable forks you could do so by getting a pair of air collars and new o-rings, along with suitably sized locking shaft collars (see photo below) to hold the air collar in place. You will also have to clean out any epoxy from the air passage.

 

Thank you for for the detailed replies. Got some good info from you. Now if I wanted to lower the front end could I get a different spring?

 

Lowering a fork is not as simple as just getting a shorter spring. You're already as low in the front as the frame geometry and engine allow without also lowering the rear. Even then you'll find that the fender will hit the oil cooler under braking if you go lower.

 

Oil cooler too. Interesting.........

 

So I ran into a problem, after putting the clip ons and new top triple tree on the bike it won't start. I get nothing at all. I checked the fuses, and looked for any loose connections. The battery is dead but I had it hooked up to a booster. The bike was running before I did that. Any tips? Could the switch be bad?

 

Ok I think I fixed it. Looked like the ignition plug wasn't firmly going in. Meaning 2 of the 3 plug things inside the plug were not sliding in to make a connection. So when it's on the trickle charger I can hear something. So getting a new battery and it should fire up again. Here is a pic with the loop on

 

You have to get a cotter pin in the axle nut .

 

+1

 

How did you even see that?

 

I'm really good at finding Waldo!

 

Thanks lostboy, was funny I had just noticed that it was missing about an hour before I posted those pics.
But on to bigger problems, so I got a brand new battery filled it with the acid let it sit, charged it for 5hrs let it sit again for an hour. Checked the volts and it was reading 12.8. That's good, so I put it in and tried to start it. I hit the start button and it made a clunk noise from the starter. Then nothing at all at the button. So I did the jump the solenoid with the screwdriver thing and it started right up.
Shut it off and then it started fine with the start button. So what do you guys think the starter is bad? Or the starter gear is messed up? What should I do? Thanks

 

oil cooler is it a US bike?

 

Most likely is. Lots of owners have fitted oil coolers. Given that some P.O. put Seca 750 forks on the bike, I'm sure that the oil cooler was an add-on as well.

 

Nice find

 

Not much progress. But I did pick up another Japanese bike! Now I can have two different styles.

 

Can't wait to get out for a spin

 

sweet exhaust on the Honda! Frig, I need one of those CB4s... great looking bike! How much that one cost you? Is it a 550, or a 550F as the side panel implies? Thats the Fast one!

 

It's a 550f, picked it up for $1500 it's completely stock. Runs great! From what I read that exhaust is pretty pricey these days.

 

My first attempt at fabbing up a seat pan

 

Made some more progress , got the bike running real good. Still need to get some K&N filters those pods are junk. Got my tail light mounted. Need to make another seat pan and cover it.

 

dude looks awsome
maybe a seat though?

 

Oh ya definitely putting a seat on. Got some padding and I'm just trying to decide on a color.