Just bought an 81 XJ550 Seca

Bike sounds great. I'd be hesitant with the clubman bars, I tried to mount them on my seca and it would have required me to get a shorter brake line, as well as clutch and throttle cable. Superbike bars mounted up a lot easier and were far more comfortable. That's just my opinion though.

 

A cold battery has something to do with it.....

Out-of-sync carbs has something to do with it...

Deep cold will greatly exaggerate things---

 

Good to know. Thanks man! I'll have to do some more reading. I'm already planning on new brakelines and clutch cable, so I'm okay with changing them. I'm used to drag bars and really loved the feel of them on my last bike, but they did hit the tank.

Mike Martens' 900 has clip-ons, right? I really love that look and figured clubmans would be an easy way to come close in the bars.

To Google Image!

 

No problem! Clubman's are definitely possible I just found then way to low with the stock foot pegs. If I can get my hands on some clips ons I think those would be ideal

 

Hey dudes,

Some good news: I just took my first real ride on the bike. 142 miles over the Cascade Mountains. So happy to have the bike at my house where I can get back to working on it. It rode without a problem the whole way over. I mean excellent.

Some bad news: Just went to start it up to get gas and it ran rough. Would die under throttle. Checked the oil and it looked pretty low (about 1/3 of the window filled). Gas is about 1/8 tank left. Added some oil (full window) and seemed like it caused the compression to be too high as the bike started having difficulty turning over. I swear I heard some rattling noise coming from the crankshaft area when the bike started up. I know nothing about engines, but just googled the name of the part of the engine the noise seems to be coming from.

Letting it breath awhile before trying again. Any ideas? Maybe I'm just low on gas, or the gas left is bad. Shouldn't be, as I cleaned the tank not long ago and have only used seemingly good gas. Anyway, glad to be back at it. Have missed being on here!


-Ian

 

when you add oil only add 1 or 2 ounces at a time I have a 2 oz measuring cup I use there are 2 lines in the site glass keep the oil close to the high line.
you are ok on the oil as long as you see an air bubble in the glass. you do use the center stand to check the oil correct? I check my oil on the concrete pads at the gas station, good level spot
1/8 tank of gas is real low. close to running on prime setting

 

Just drained some oil. I manage to pop the clutch and ride it to get gas. Running super bad. Won't accelerate properly. Bogged down. Had to push it a few blocks then managed to pop the clutch again to get it home. Then my brand new back tire went flat. Made it home as it started raining. Wow.

 

Battery is also dead and I don't have a charger. Will buy one tomorrow. Yes to center stand and level ground.

 

dead battery check the connections fluid level add distilled water only
this link has how to test the charging condition of the battery and alt.
The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

 

just looking back at the beginning of this thread that piston is in backwards

 

Yep, it was. Haha. Thanks for telling me that now.

 

Here's a video: (Just to clarify, I am holding down the ignition button constantly, not tapping it. It is hooked up to a Harbor Freight jump starter.)

 

I thought I would check the valve clearance and when I went to turn the fly wheel, it was completely loose. I tightened up the hex head bolt in the center, but am wondering if I need to align the valves at TDC or something? Hope the engine is okay...

 

There is a small locating pin. Remove the center bolt and the timing plate. Look for the pin.

 

Okay. I'm looking in the service manual about Cam chain Adjustment and Ignition Timing. Do I need to set these things now?

Edit: Thanks Lostboy. Found the locating pin. Tightened it back up. Is it safe to start it up?

 

Thank heavens! That was it. She running like a champ again. About ready to start thinking about fixing up the tank and getting some new pipes.

I hate that the PO chopped off the stock pipes. Really interested in a 4 into 1 set.

Can I just replace the pipes and use the stock header pipes?