New guy. How'd I do?

Greetings all. Quick introduction. I just started riding about three months ago. Started off with a Honda XL250R. I've done 3,200 miles through New England and Canada with it. Been looking for something more street friendly and a little more power to it. I am partial to older bikes and don't really mind having to dub around on a bike this winter to have running for next spring.

Just picked this up:





Instrument panel area will need to fixing.



The neutral light is very dim. Going to see if I can swap in a brighter bulb.

PO said original plastics. I doubt it. The left ride side panel says 1982. The CL ad read 1984. I'll check the VIN out later on.

Not the biggest fan of that front fairing. It might grow on me though.

Its a PITA to find neutral. Need to rock the bike back and forth to get it in there.

The brake and clutch controls are shot. I'll swap some new ones in.

That tough part is my height. I'm 6'4" and this bike fits me. I've tried out a lot of bikes, and I didn't fit on any of them. This was under $1000. It ran. And I fit on it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy with my purchase.

Here's a 6m video of the bike:




So? How'd a do?

Thanks.

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/forums/xj4ever-supporting-vendor.23/

with many links to read on it
The Information Overload Hour

IN THE CHURCH OF CLEAN

seca? add your bike to your profile

SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a look

welcome I see the headlight on does the bike run? thats a good start.

50 k miles check your valve clearances

 

Welcome to the xj asylum. You've come to the right spot. YOU'RE not going to believe it's the same bike after the restoration process is complete.

Gary H.

 

Welcome. What's the orange switch do ?

 

Headlight switch. Says in vid he assumes left control switch isn't working.

Gary H.

 

So that's the headlight switch the guy put on. He used a wood screw into the instrument panel.

I spent about an hour in the shop tinkering. Took the fairing off. That took 30 seconds since the guy that put it on didn't even solder the blinkers. Looks much better. The plastic bit was held on with a ziptie. Removed that and properly screwed that piece securely in.

Brakes are #2 on the fix-it list. The first is getting the headlight/directional setup and the right side brake lever/reservoir replaced. Then I'll rebuild the caliper, install new rotors, and rebuild the rear brakes. I want to pull the tank off and have my wife paint something neat on it.

New directionals for the front. I'd like to redo the rear directionals and flush mount the brake light a little.

Now, how common are these bikes? I want to start doing some things to it that are going to be pulling away from the "factory OEM" status of the bike. Would that be regrettable? Or is this thing just like an old school Honda Civic and no harm in tearing this thing apart?

 

Tear away it's the Civic of 80s middleweight machines, fun but no Vincent Black Shadow I'm afraid. Wait another 30 years and it might be worth something..

 

I'm assuming that your accent puts you in the north of the U.S. and not in Canada; in which case you have a 1982 Seca 650. It was a one-year-only model in the U.S (though sold for multiple years elsewhere). The fairing is an aftemarket unit. The sidepanels are original (and quite difficult to get decent replacements of, so dont' cut yours up or throw them out)

It sure does start nicely and sounds good. The ticking is most likely a known issue with cam endplay ( and nothing to worry about at all).

Read both of the links that are in my signature. Do all of the things (including going through the electrical system as your dash lights should not be dim and the bike should be able to start in gear with the clutch pulled in).

Your brake lines are most likely original to the bike. The entire brake system was meant to be rebuilt every four years. New brake lines are in order, as well as rebuilding the calipers and master cylinder.

Ask for help when needed


Here is a pic of what your bike would have looked like when new.

 

No way. Really? Wow, so it's safe to say this thing has already been butchered up some. Even the seat is different? The # on the fork reads 9/81 so I imagine it's a 82. That's crazy though. Well, that makes much happier knowing that I can set this up without worrying about it losing its OEM status.

Been a great help. Thank you gents.

Ah. That pic you edited looks more like it now. =]

 

Your seat is the same. The first photo I selected is of a bike with a custom seat. I have since edited the post to show a stock example.

You have a bike that is mostly OEM in terms of equipment, but not at all in terms of paint or exhaust. You can rest easy if you stay away from irreversable changes (as in please don't go hacking away at the frame).

 

I gotcha on the pic. =]

Naw, I won't start digging into frame stuff. really just cosmetics. Clutch lever. Brake lever/reservoir. Front rotor. Rear drum. Front/Rear directionals. Little bit of a tune up (fluids/valve clearances). The rubber boots going from carb to motor.

 

Those little rubber boots, along with the plastic cover on the right side are some of the most expensive parts on the bike!

 

Balls. I have the plastic side. I took it off before I took the pic. I'd like to do something a little more..unique. Perhaps with some 20 gauge or something. These gears are turning!

 

Nice find... I'm driving the same bike, very bullet proof if you keep up the regular maintenance, that goes for all xj's but especially the 650....
Btw I really liked that half fairing , where are you located , and would you be interested in selling it cheap?

 

You have upgraded rear shocks ( great upgrade) . Clutch lever should be easy to find and you likely should use the stock front signals... Depending on dot standards in your area... In my province they must be 15" apart...
Alan

 

Question from your video: what does Seca stand for?
Long answer: Seca is spanish for dry. It's in homage to Laguna Seca (Dry Lake), a race track in Monterey, California, home to one of the most amazing corners in racing: the Corkscrew. Search it on youtube, and watch some bikes going down the 'screw. It's awesome!
Short answer: It's to show that SECA IS THE FAST ONE!!

 

Ah. Thanks for that answer! Now, this is going to sound really stupid, but what do I tell people when they ask me what type of bike is it? XJ? XJ650? Seca (say-ka)?

 

You have a 1982 Yamaha XJ650RJ Non-Turbo Seca. (Pronounced "See-kuh"..... At least around this area)

You can shorten the name as you see fit.... Like "I gots a '82 650r', etc---

Welcome aboard! You got a pretty rare bike ( for the USA) there. Yeah, don't chop it up. Some parts arentceasyvto find-- the original headlight assembly will get pricey for the big 8" headlight, uncut rear fenders are not too plentiful, not are original exhaust components--- and they are pretty much 650rj-specific. Dash components are available, were not used on other Xj's, but were on some of the 920 viragos. I also have some extra parts for my 650rj, so don't be afraid to contact me. I also have lots of other parts, too....'
Dave Fox
Host-central New York carb clinic
Registrar-xj900rk (USA)database

 

Lol, depends on your location. You said New England? I live in New England, and people here seem to call it a "Seekah" (gross).

I call mine an xj (but then, it's a Maxim), but nobody knows what that is anymore...

 

Yessah, I'm from New England. I come from a world of built 4x4s and when people say XJ I think Jeep Cherokee. haha

I do want to tear into it a little bit. I'll fab something up for front directionals. Not the biggest fan of how the rear directionals look. I would like to recess the brake light a bit.

Is there any way to make this bike not sound like a ricer? I was hoping more for a "glug glug glug" sound instead of the "braaaap brappppp" that it is now.

The big three things I need are front and rear brake rebuilds. Intake manifold. Brake Lever/Clutch Lever assemblies. I'll be happy if I don't have to spend more than $1,000 on it this winter. Last year's project was a ~$10,000 mess.

 

Come on now - do tell ..

 

4x4's mang. Dem' a'int cheap.

 

Nope... It's a UJM. Can't hide it, learn to love it. But the 'xj whine/whistle' is unique and distinctive

Then go get a Harley or some other bigger V-twin instead.....

 

Haha, naw. Its fine. When I first looked at it I expected the glug glug. He fired it up and was all like, huh. Just wasn't what I was expecting. Curious what a cut down thrush pipe would sound like on it.

 

It's louder, that's all

 

The guys might kill me for encouraging this, but if you end the pipes with some lightly matted baffles, you get a louder, but also throaty-er sound.


Rejetting may likely be required when making mods like this. Enter at your own risk.

 

It IS a ricer!

 

Haha, ok ok. I gotcha. Just curious if there was any way to alter the sound to a more duller tone is all.

 

So I may or may not have made an oopsie. Went home for lunch and hopped on the bike. Fired it up. Did two loops around the neighborhood on it. This thing freakin' rips! I know it's a dumb move and I shouldn't even consider it, but man it'd badass to register it/inspect it and ride it for the next month. But it needs a bunch of work and I'm away for two weeks next month.

 

Don't worry, we can scare you straight. When you get home again, go look at the rubber brake lines on the front. There should be a little white date stamped on it. It should look like "4/81" or whatever your date is, something like that. That's the month and the year it was manufactured. These lines were rated to last FOUR YEARS. FOUR. Not THIRTYFOUR. Not eight and a half times the warranty. When's the last time you trusted your life to something that was expired by a factor that high?

That's just the front brakes. In the rear, you have brake shoes that are known to delaminate and come loose. "Oh, ok, so I won't have rear brakes. That's fine, I hardly use them." Wrong. You'll have FULL brakes on. The shoes come loose and get wedged in place, causing the rear wheel to lock up completely. You don't want that to happen on the highway. Have you ever ridden in loose gravel before and had the rear wheel slip out a touch? Imagine that at highway speed when you least expect it.

Scared yet?

It's good to be excited and in love with motorcycles. It's lethal to skip out on critical maintenance.

 

Not quite. I've driven six miles on main roads using a log as a wheel/ski to get to a friend's place to do some quick repairs. I ripped out a fuel line and had a friend sit on the hood with a Gatorade bottle full of fuel squirting into the motor to get me back onto the main trail. Fun times I tell yea. Fun times.

But yea, I'm going to hold off. There are a bunch of things that need to be done. Not worth the money up front for the registration and inspection. The risk isn't worth it either. Winter project. Just need to keep telling myself that. I should just rip out the intake manifold so I don't get tempted. haha

 

Whoa. Dibs on not being that friend!

 

Scaring thing was it was working until I flopped it when I got to the bottom of the embankment. He had removed himself from the hood at that point though.

 

You don't have a hood in front of you when you're on an Xj. You only have two wheels to BEGIN with, on an Xj....

 

this is what you need

 

Seca = Say Ka. All the spanish speaking kids say so.

http://forvo.com/word/laguna_seca/

 

And oh soooo sexy.

The temptation is strong. As long as it's ridable....every time you fire it, yeah, good luck with that one. I suggest you remove the rear tire and don't put it back on until it's road worthy because that first "little spin that shouldn't hurt anything" becomes addictive real quick. Don't ask any of us other members how we know that.

Gary H.

 

I ain't spanish

 

omg!
I was laughing so hard I was crying!
I NEED one of those for my 4 cylinder manual transmission, bone stock, Jeep TJ!

 

I'm actually tempted to get one for autocrossing. You'd be surprised how hard it is to hear the engine in a Civic against the tire squeal of not just your car, but the others on the track as well.

 

Funny thing happened, checked out my local barter section of craiglist. Saw a 1982 Seca with an aftermarket fairing and 4-1 exhaust. Its my bike. Texting the kid now. He traded a shadow and a truck for it. Sold it to the kid I bought it from. This thing has has three owners in a month. Should name it Paris or something.

 

So, after a little figuring out, I think the VIN is

JYA5V2009CA001645

The Y and A are a bit torn up. It looked like a W, but Y A I guess makes sense.


And this is where it was born:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.723...qDPznKh7iidUVAcBtw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

Tinkered for about an hour last night. Brakes were pretty seized up. Upon taking them apart, the caliper slides were seized. Used a c-clamp and a 7/8 socket to removed them completely. Lubed them up with lithium grease, moved the piston back and forth a handful of times, and bam. I has brakes. The pads are brand new too. They don't even have directionality on them from the rotors. The brake line looked fine, and even the top side looks new. The banjo bolt on the top side is really new. The bottom side is old. Can't find the dates in the lines. The 17 year old in me is saying run it. Though, I must be aging because I'll replace them; maybe not with SS lines, but new lines.

I'm leaving next weekend for two weeks, so I'm not planning on digging too deep into this just yet.

I'm not going to go hand over fist on a total rebuild with this. It's a rather old bike with 50,000 miles. I figure get it running right, replace things like the rear brakes and do a serious clean/tune/synch on the carbs, and new intake manifold then just run it as is. Its a great bike that fits me well, but its not the bike. It will last me a year or two and I should have little issue to selling it for close to what I have in it.

 

You seem to have the same plan as me. Repair and ride it until I find the XJ900 I've been waiting for. Or the CBX. Or the naked Goldwing. Something tells me I'll still keep the 750rj though ... she she's my first! Gotta start the collection somewhere.

 

Good man. You shouldn't take mechanical advice from minors anyway.

 

At least it sounds like you have your head on straight

 

Heh, I hope you never meet my wife.

 

50,000 miles is barely broken in. Care for it and she'll give you four-times that and then some.