First Bike and First XJ

Hey Everyone!

I bought a 1994 Yamaha XJ600S about 2 weeks ago and am absolutely loving it! I had been wanting a bike for a long time and finally decided to take a MSF basic rider course just to see if I'd like it, sure enough I did!

So after searching around a lot for a mid-70's Honda CB750, I finally stumbled across the bike I now own and couldn't pass up the offer.

My initial impressions are that its quick, agile and nimble. It's also a great starter bike and needs a few fixups to make it perfect once again. The guy I bought it from said it fell over on the side stand, and bent the front brake lever, broke the mirror (both of which I have since replaced), and other than that, its in pretty pristine condition. I do however need to get bolts for the fairing, since it is only being held on by the 4 hex bolts visible on the outside of the fairing. And I have noticed that around certain rpm's it will rattle and vibrate, which I am pretty sure is just the fairing hitting the mounts.

Here is a picture of it!

 

Dress those Fairing mounts.

You can get Stainless Cap screws and Nylon Washers.
The Cap Screws look positively PIMP and the Washers will look good and Protect the fairing from chipping and cracking around the anchor points!

 

Cap Screws? I did a little looking around, and they are pretty much the same thing on there now, except whats on there are rounded top screws, and cap screws are more cylindrical.

Am I missing something, or would doing this be merely cosmetic?

I know I need to get washers for the mounts, one of the fairing holes has a little cracking around the edges already, but its not that bad.

 

If its cracked ... it's Bad!

You have to STOP the crack from spreading.

Drill a small hole at the head of the crack ... to terminate the crack.
The hole doesn't need to be too big ... but it needs to be right at the End of the crack.

The hole prevents vibration continuing the crack. Effectively, you stop the cracking process and the crack won't spread any further than the hole drilled at the head of the crack to stop it.

 

Alright, well I'll just have to take a picture of the cracking later tonight if I am able to get around to it.

 

Wow great tip Rick!
Makes complete sense but I never thought of that.

 

Rick ... that sounds like you have sheet metal (alumimum) experience in aircraft work?

 

I was just going to say that.

 

Yes.
The principle is exactly the same used on the aluminum sheet.
The hole prevents the spread.

On plastic ... after I drill the hole I tape the crack together on the top side and do a repair on the back side.

I coat both sides of the crack with Epoxy ... then, lay some screen-door aluminum screen into the Eposy and push it down all over the treated area.
When the base-coat and reinforcement cures ... I lay another spread of epoxy over the top of the area above the screen.

That ends the spread ... forever!

 

Alright, well I finally got to take some pictures of the cracking, and there are really only 4 spots where cracking has started. If it warms up in the next few days, I may take your advice and drill a hole at the end of each one to stop it. I have heard of doing that for glass before, but didn't know I could do the same for my fairing. Unless after looking at it you think I should do something else, in which case please let me know. Thanks!

 

The sharp end on a crack concentrates stresses and causes the crack to propagate. A round hole spreads the stress reducing the likelihood the crack will grow. This is true regardless of the material.

On your fairings I'd go a different route. I'd epoxy a stainless flat washer to reinforce the pocket. Then the nylon washers and stainless cap screws Rick was talking about. Look great and never crack again.

 

You can get those Button Screws at a well-stocked Hardware Store.

I thought the cracks were in the Body and not at the fastening point. You might be able to get-by just epoxying a washer over those stress cracked areas.

You might try epoxying a washer to the inside of the fastening point.
That might stop those cracks right in their tracks.

 

Hey a340driver, would that be a Cessna 340? I used to drive a 404.

Cheers,

Phil

 

Since the crack are limited to that button area; I wouldn't drill them.

I would epoxy a washer to the reverse side of that fastening point. Let the washer and the epoxy that fills those hairlines bring a halt to the spread of those stress points.