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XJ550 Owners in LA?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Joshua Olkowski, Feb 16, 2019.

  1. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    this is some kind of sick joke isn't it
     
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  2. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    It may be a psy-op.........
     
  3. a100man

    a100man Well-Known Member

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    Hmm.. OP does appear to be having an awful lot of problems with his machine..

    Years ago (60s/70s) my father would tell me an apocryphal story about two blokes only known as 'The Brooks Brothers' in Bedfordshire. They ran a Rover car and spent most weekends pulling it apart to see why it was running so well.
     
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  4. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

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  5. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    I think they are curable I'm just a novice at fixing bikes. The problem I'm having is trying to learn about something complex through the advice of strangers on a forum. Doesn't help that some people want to turn this into a joke. I dropped a couple grand into a bike that doesn't run and it sucks. Should've just bought a brand new bike. Oh well.
     
  6. Jetfixer

    Jetfixer Well-Known Member

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    Calm down grass hopper , many of us are PROFESSIONAL mechanics here , we have skills on multiple bikes/cars/aircraft , sometimes what we advise might be technical and difficult to decipher. As to your valves first and foremost did you do the reading with a METRIC feeler gauge ? ( NOT a combination SAE/METRIC )
    and did you get chart out of the manual , when you changed shims it is possible your readings were off and possible this is why valves appear "tight" a "clappy engine is a happy engine " on the XJ .
     
  7. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

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    Joshua,

    As I said before, all responses here are meant with no disrespect.......

    Sometimes members here like to rib one another.....it is all in fun.........we all have been on both ends of it at one time or anothcer........there is no disrespect

    These bikes can be expensive to bring to a great running condition.......you can't expect to buy a XJ bike for next to nothing and get it great working condition without putting $$$ dollars into it.........

    Bought mine in '82 for 3k and I put another 3k into it after yrs of neglect.....

    Stick with it because when these bikes are dialed in......they will put a smile on your face.....

    Not sure of your financial situation....but I was just suggesting that I have a great running machine for sale ........and it is only a 2 hr drive away from you
     
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  8. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    valves in the XJ motor get tighter. maybe when you did the shims you were just on the edge of being out of spec with the new shims. got any numbers from the job?

    measure the shim clearance then change the shims again let us know what measurements you have plus what shims you have in the motor. you should keep a notebook on your bike.
     
    Jetfixer likes this.
  9. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Sorry, but I'm a first time rider who thought it would be fun to buy a vintage bike. I've spent more time fixing this bike then riding it. It's very frustrating and now I have a $500 parts bike in my backyard that I've sunk 5k into. So pardon me if I'm just a tad bit sensitive.

    In any case upon further inspection I believe I have bent the cam shafts. It turns out three of the outside cam holders and one of the inner cam holders had come loose since my uncle and I took apart the engine two months ago. You'd think that would make more distance between the lobes and the shims so I only have reason to believe that they have bent. Why did they bend? Well this is my only guess: I had to replace the 2 inner cam cap holders that hold the cams down. I found on ebay a whole engine head with the cam holders that could have possibly been off a Maxim. I've heard that there are some differences between the cams of a Maxim and a Seca and the cam holders might be different too. I don't know. You tell me. When my uncle was installing the new cam holders he mentioned that they didn't quite match up but we went ahead and put them on anyway. This might've thrown off the whole cam and the couple of rides I rode it may have eventually knocked it out of wack. Am I in the ballpark here? When I checked the bolts of the cam holders about 11 of the bolts were completely loose and could not be screwed back in. Almost like they were just ripped out. So, here are my questions:
    Are the cams to the Seca different then the Maxim and do the cam holders reflect that too?
    Can I put the head of a Maxim on a Seca engine and still be okay?
    How do I check if the cams are actually bent?

    Having said that. I have not given up on this bike but I think it's time to get another one. I love the Seca550 and I stumbled upon another one. I'd like to know if what he's asking is worth the investment. It's the 82 Seca 550. Very clean. Paint is still nice and it had been sitting since '94. Has just under 27,000 miles on it. There are some mods. He cut out the airbox and put pods on the carbs so the airbox is no more. He also changed the original exhaust to a Mac 4 into 1 but still has the original exhaust. Also changed the handlebars. Tires are brand new and the owner says it runs great. He's asking for $1600. Any thoughts?

    sorry for all the negative energy but I guess I'm happy for the education even though we'll all be riding electric bikes in the next 20 years or so.
     
  10. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Thanks for responding although I'm not to keen on being called grasshopper. To answer your question I did all the measurements correctly there was no error in that part of the equation. I used a metric feeler gauge and yes I referred to the manual.
     
  11. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    I only like the Secas so if that's what you have let me know. I stumbled across another one though and I might grab it. Look at my new post.
     
  12. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

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    Joshua,

    On that bike you are looking at.........

    Be careful.......sitting since '94 but runs great.......pods equal problems on these bikes.....I would hate for you to go down the same road again.......I am sorry for your experience so far......tough learning experience for you to go from a $500 parts purchase bike and have sunk $5k into it.....ouch...I feel your pain......

    but if you are not stuck on Seca's have a look below:

    here is my ad.....It is a Maxim....not a Seca........worth looking at .........

    https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mcy/d/1982-yamaha-xj750j-maxim/6823737119.html
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2019
  13. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Thanks for your sympathy. I actually meant it it turned into a $500 parts bike. I originally bought it for $1200. Thanks for your telling me about your bike but I'm not a big fan of the Maxim.
     
  14. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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  15. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Turns out my cams aren't bent, they're just teeter tottering back and forth as I turn them because the cam holders are loose hence the tight specs on the valves. I just happen to have another head to the engine and I would like to use it because it still has all the header studs. My studs keep falling out. Would it be unwise to replace the head of the engine with the head from another 55o engine?
     
  16. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    My sincere advice is to find another hobby. You don't have the skills to be in the "old motorcycle restoration" field and you're going to end up dumping tons of time and money trying to acquire those skills working on a high-complexity, high-precision engine (and related systems) such as these bikes are. Take a local college course or technical skills course in small engine maintenance and repair. Or buy an old lawnmower and try bringing it back to life.

    You're "doing things" before you have the slightest idea what you're doing, and then you start these long, convoluted threads asking the same questions over-and-over again, and won't:

    a) listen to the people who are experts on these subjects
    b) take their advice and stop, look, and LISTEN before crossing any particular set of tracks.......

    And then you always offer up the excuse that you don't have enough money to do things the correct way. Well, how's your way working out? With the amount of time and effort and truly professional help that you've been offered, and refused, and then offered again, you should be somewhat grateful that people are still offering to assist, at all. You're going to question Polock about whether he is correct about electrical systems? Really? You're going to doubt Jetfixer about things mechanical? REALLY?? You think he uses that name as a joke?

    You're not too keen on being called grasshopper, is that it? Trust me, there's a lot of other words that people might be using, but by and large we're a pretty polite group around here. Stop acting like a spoiled brat who demands that others give him the answers that he wants to hear or otherwise he's going to huff, and puff, and blow your house down. People who are accomplished at tasks and have skills developed over a lifetime of effort, LEARNING from mistakes, LISTENING to others, and putting their money where their mouth is don't take too kindly to young bulls charging around and whipping their horns about and then blaming the shop owners for having aisles too narrow.

    I think the very first thing that you may wish to study is the concept of modesty, respect for others, and the ability to reflect HONESTY about yourself. Your hubris will be your downfall, not just on this bike, not just on the next one and any that follow, but in almost every field and aspect of life.

    Unless you aspire to be a politician. Then spouting off nonsense about things you know nothing about and blaming others for problems that you cause and throwing your weight around like a 40-year-old brat is a perfect trade for those otherwise unskilled and incapable of handling the realities of life.

    Sorry to be so harsh, but you've had this coming for a while.......
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2019
  17. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

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    If you ever get out of the parts business, you should be a writer.....I enjoyed the read above.....

    Very well said.....and spot on......
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2019
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  18. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Thanks. I kind of needed that.
     
  19. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

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    Joshua,

    Buy a brand new bike.....your best option.....it will run great from day 1
     
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  20. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

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    Okay tiger, relax. We're just talking motorcycles here.
     

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