XJ600/FJ600 51J Project Advice

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm inclined to buy a small inverter welder (I've never welded nor have I any knowledge on the subject) but it seems likely that I'm going to have to do other small bits of fabrication on this project. I was considering having my mechanic (nice guy) take a stab at it given he'd be better equipped than me but I can't go doing that every time I had encounter a stripped head on a bolt (both impractical and costly in the long run).

No harm learning how to do very basic welding I suppose!

*The bolts were fitted with loctite so I'm fortunate that 5 out of 6 worked. I know it's fairly normal to use loctite but jeez the stuff is a pain!

 

Not on those bolts it isn't. Are the retaining tabs missing? Each pair of bolts has a thin plate behind them with tabs that are bent up to keep the bolts from backing out. If those are MIA I suggest getting replacements so you don't have to deal with locktite again in that location.

If it is just the locktite holding them in all you need to do is get the heat on them to soften it. The high strength stuff softens up at 400ºF.

 

there are'nt any retaining plates on the 600, they are round button head alen bolts on the discs.
https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/parts/4064707/xj600-3km1-1989-999-a/front-brake-caliper

 

Oh. Well then I'm wrong, again

 

NO! don't get a 'stick' welder. Spend the money on a second hand MIG like a Clarke ProMIG 90, much more verstaile. Use 'pub gas' (C02) to keep the costs down.

NO harm at all - but you WILL need an auto darkening shield too.

 

Further to that, gasless mig welding is the cheapest way to get started, but gasless mig wire is so variable it's no surprise that many try it, see the crap results and give up. The key to successful gasless migging is good quality wire.
When it comes to using gas with mig, CO2, as mentioned is the the cheapest gas to use and you get good results with it. However, in Ireland it's not ususally quite so easy to get hold of pub CO2, so I use fire extinguisher refills and have them refilled by a bloke in Wicklow - he likely covers Dublin, too.
"Proper" mig gas is nice to have, but the setup costs here are eye-watering. I get pretty good results with CO2 and bear in mind that for years that's all that was used in industry.

 

Sign up for am introductory welding class if you can.
Alternatively, this is a great channel with a professional instructor: UCM0kHJXSHR1k1wtLuliKmHg

Learn How to Flux Core Weld: FCAW Basics | MIG Monday

GAS SHIELDED FLUX CORE WELDING FOR BEGINNERS Weld.com Weld.com Verified • 121K views 1 year ago

 

Stick welding is nice, but it has some limitations. From my own experience I can tell you that it is much easier to learn some basic welding using MIG welder. Stick or MMA welding is good for "heavier" stuff, and getting it to tack weld things in a bike projects requires some skill. It will take you some time before you learn how to ignite and maintain the spark etc.... While with MIG you can just watch a YT clip with basic instructions how to set up your welder and you are good to go do some tacking.

For beginners - I would recommend do some tack welding of all the stuff around your bike and have a pro finish it up. You don't want your frame to play a trick on you while you are trying to impress a lady

 

..wise words.

 

If I'm honest welding is a skill I'd rather not to have to try and develop - I hope not to have to do much so any level of investment is probably excessive.

If we're talking about a large investment for me to weld a nut to a stuck bolt or possibly to fab a relocated battery box at some stage then it's probably more cost effective to work around these issues using other fixes and where welding is required - to get someone who knows what they're doing to do it for me.

I'm going to try one or two alternative approaches on the stuck bolt this evening and see if I have any luck.

 

Here in the US of A, I use a mix of gases, 75% argon and 25% it's fairly cheap, and MIG is easy to learn.
Cheers, 50gary

 

@50gary meant 75% argon, 25%co2. Or is it the other way 'round? Damnit, I should know this...

 

Hi folks, just wanted to say the project isn't dead but it has been halted for a bit. I was thrown a bit by what to do with stuck bolts - given that I don't want to invest heavily in tools that I might never need again. On top of that life has been a bit hectic - work has involved a few late evenings lately and I'm interviewing for something else in the near future. I also don't have the good fortune to have a network of friends nearby who might have the tools or expertise to help me out. So, I spoke to my mechanic and he has said he'll take care of removing the stuck bolts for me but I need to arrange to get the parts to him (problems of only owning a motorcycle).

I went back to the bike today and just took to cleaning some parts - I have the sprocket cover off and you wouldn't believe the amount of crud on the swingarm and in behind the cover. I won't claim that it's spotless now but it's a lot easier to see what I'm working with. Once I get the rear wheel back with a new tyre on it I'll try to prop the bike's frame so I can work on the front end. Once I get the wheels rebuilt I'll look at a more substantial tear down. I mainly want to focus on getting specific jobs done first before moving on - I know I'll have to take most of it apart again when I go to paint it.

Also, curious about a post I read on here a long time ago re swapping our the upper triple tree clamp yoke - I read something saying the radian 600 is a direct swap but would enable bar swaps (https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj600-51j-riser.28167/). Just wondering if anyone knows more?

I guess having started the project I'm realising I may have bitten off a bit more than I can chew. I thought the bike' condition was fairly good - and in fairness I still believe it is - but I think I overestimated my ability to learn on this project. I really should have gotten something like a little 125, or a dirtbike to mess around with before tackling something this big. My savings are in a fairly healthy condition so part of me is thinking of farming out some jobs subject to price.

 

hi , Ciar'an,
glad to hear from you again.
iv'e had these raisers bolted on to the original yokes for a few years now on my "standard" xj600 without any problems ,or drilling . they bolt straight on top of the serrations, with a thick stainless steel "penny" washer between them. i put some chrome 4" rise handlebars on, this was much better for me, as i only have short arms

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universa...42919de17e9e8dd10ed2|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2334524

 

Stuck bolts don't require special tools (usually).
Soak with a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone.
Leave for a few days.
Use a breaker bar or a cheater on your wrench.

No need to farm out work (hopefully). We'll help you learn.

 

Short arms and long pockets? The Yorkshire way isn't it..

Don't get me wrong - no-one is more fiscally prudent than I.

 

Yes, you van change the upper triple clamp for a radian one, we did so and no problem at all.

 

Billy Connolly said copper wire was invented by two Scotsmen fighting over a penny . Now that is frugal lol.

 

Argon +25% CO2 in the US is what I call dirt cheap I have three bottles total, all are 125 cubic feet each. Two are pure argon for TIG and third is the Argon CO2 mix. the CO2 help the arc to "burn in a bit more effectively than pure Argon. For home welding these will last a long time.
My MIG welder is a Miller 212 (the blue ones) and new price was $1300.00 it will last a normal lifetime. 225 amps low end of professional. Used it's easy to find Miller or Lincoln (the Red ones) for $500/$600 on craigslist, some are virtually new.
Some guys will buy them for a job and resell them. I would rather buy a good used Miller or Lincoln than an off brand new, (brands in the UK will no doubt be different) I seen several so low priced that I've. nearly bought them to resell at a profit, shop around. It's only costly if you don't use it. I mention this just to give an idea of the costs of getting into welding. I've never heard of "pub" CO2 but then again I've never been to Ireland?
Cheers, 50gary

 

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