What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Looks like Dan has been doing all the heavy lifting. All I did today was check & fill my battery then zip-tie the broken side panels back into place.

 

@Brhatweed I’m a glutton for punishment I guess. And there’s that nice 550 by you and a 900 just popped up in St. Cloud. Crap!!!

 

That XJ650RJ I picked up today is definitely a bit of a basket case - but there’s some good stuff that needed to be saved. Tank is a little crusty inside but solid. Carbs are serviceable. TCI was there, needs to be tested. At least those bits need to be saved from the scrapper.

 

Don't know what happened to the 550 that was down by the storage place, sold maybe? Spare change is a little hard to come by right now and my better half is keeping a close eye on them, I could really get into a 900 tho.

 

What did I do to my Yamaha the last couple weeks? Just rode it, maybe a total of 500 miles or so. No place in particular, just rambling around the corn fields, tying together what few curves there are in this part of IL.


Stopped to photograph this one because it had just been chip-sealed and the loose pea gravel made the corner No Fun At All.

I did a lot of thinking on these rides. It's been three years and 6000 miles since the XJ showed up in my garage, and I thought a lot about whether the bike is a keeper or whether it's time to join the ranks of CL (or FB Marketplace) optimists. On the one hand, the bike works mostly pretty well at this point--it starts easily, runs up to redline without any noticeable issues (though I can't say I have a lot of basis for comparison--a perfectly-set-up one might be a lot better for all I know), tracks straight, corners pretty well and even stops acceptably (especially by the standards of its day). Now that the pesky carb-overflow problem seems to have been fixed, I would trust it for a trip. On the other hand, it still doesn't want to idle (and I increasingly doubt I am enough of a Carb Whisperer to get it to), it shifts like a tractor despite multiple clutch adjustments, the FD leaks a bit, the seat is too low and generally terrible (though the "booster cushion" and Bead Rider make it tolerable), and the chassis still feels twitchy (though I think a bit of attention to the steering head and swingarm bearings are likely to help that).

As usual, I returned with no clear decision, which means I will not do anything irreversible. Besides, a quick check of FB Marketplace shows that I could not sell the bike for what I have already put into it.

July marks 50 years since I got my motorcycle license. How time flies! My first bike was an ill-tempered Kawasaki two-stroke triple (the 350cc one, or I might not be here today); my second, bought 49 years ago, was a KZ900. I bought that bike immediately after being sacked from my first post-college job, and spent pretty much the entire summer of 1977 riding it to both coasts. I have thought about celebrating the 50th anniversary of those trips by finding a KZ, but given that one in even remotely decent condition is close to ten grand, that idea died quickly. I suspect that if I want to re-create the feeling of being in my twenties, I'll have to do it on the Maxim. Which is not a bad bike--same inline-four, dual-cam, four-carb Universal Japanese Motorcycle as the KZ, but also equipped with tubeless wheels, shaft drive, and a frame that doesn't feel like it's made of rubber. Maybe I should paint it dark green, like my KZ was...

 

So yesterday I had new rubber mounted Bridgestone Battlax.

This is what the front looked like going in:



This is what the front looked like coming out - 12 total weights so 3 oz.



The rear is not as bad with eight weights (2 oz), but the white dot is 180 from the valve stem - and the weights closely follow. The story at cycle gear for the rear was the tire would not bead with the white dot at the valve stem where it should be, so procedure tells him to move the dot 180.

Should I accept these - all done at Cycle Gear?

 

@Rooster53 - seems quite excessive to me. If they couldn't rotate the tire to get it close without needing a ton of weight, then the tire is bad. Either way, I don't like it.

 

No that's a bad deal all around. Say all that weight comes off on the highway at 70 MPH? Things are going to get really rough. If it was me I'd take it back and say no lets first pull the tire and mark where the weights are then check the balance of the rim then remount the tire and see where the heavy spot is. When I had the rims of my 750 seca checked bare they were off exactly where the valve stems are and they were able to zero them out leaving me with a "clean slate". The new front required only an ounce at the 3 o'clock and we used a heavy sheet rubber that's used to seal coax connectors on the inside leaving nothing on the rim, the rear took two ounces at the stem and this was balanced using another nut & washer. At 100+ the bike is smooth with no worries about things flying off at speed, there are times when one *has* to crack the throttle to get away from a knucklehead and that gang of weights is a disaster waiting to happen. If they can't get it right push for a warranty because it's your butt that's on the line so don't back down.

 

Tank soup!

 

I smell electrolysis..........

 

And lots of it

 

It smells like.... teen spirit.

 

I picked up a Craigslist deal today - 650 Maxim tank and right side cover

 

I continued the 750 engined 650RJ with Shoei GF2 fairing rehab. Last evening was finding the kill switch was no longer working. Now to figure out why.

 

Early last week I took my XJ for a ride. Stopped for ice cream, stopped at the local dealer to look at the new Chinese-made Ural sidecar outfit. Didn't have time to take it for a demo ride. I'm not in the market anymore (not with two patched up shoulders), but I'd kinda like to take the thing for a ride just for old time's sake (I put about 100,000 miles on a Harley with sidecar back in the '90s; it was my daughter's fourth birthday present and she went everywhere in it). And, of course, I continued trying to figure out whether to keep this bike or not--I question whether I really have the temperament for a "vintage" bike, and I spend a lot of time cussing at those fussy little carbs, but feeling like I'm still in my mid-twenties (rather than my early seventies) is priceless...

Anyway, Friday morning I was beating myself up by going through the ads on FB Marketplace and seeing how little people were asking for XJ650s, when I stumbled upon this:



A gen-u-wine Rifle "Sport" fairing, from the people who designed the Yamaha streamliner that Charlie Perithian rode to a whopping 400 miles per... gallon in 1982. I had one of these things on my Sportster back in the day, and was amazed at what a good job it did. Plus... it's more or less period-authentic to the XJ! I think it looks pretty good from the side as well:



Haven't had a chance to try it on the road yet (heat index has been up around 105º the last couple days; the only reason I was able to do the fairing installation is that I have air conditioning in the garage), but I think it should be a good improvement over the little Puig flyscreen I had on the bike before. And when I go up to Wisconsin for the Crud Run in October, I bet I'll be happy I have it.



Think I'm going to have to rotate my phone/GPS holder just a bit to clear the windshield. I also about half-expect to have to trim the shield by an inch or so, bu town't know till I take it for a ride. I still have to wire up the lights. Turns out the fairing has dual filament sockets, so I get both turn signals and running lights. Sweet!

 

Oh, that is a nice find! I think you are really going to like it. All that time and effort and thought you have put into getting that bike set up as you like it, if you get rid of it you will be sorry. Then you will just have to start over. Remember about having what you want vs wanting what you have......

 

Yeah, I read that book (How to Want What You Have) about twenty-five years ago, and when I am in my right mind I pay attention to what it has to say.

The more I think about it, the more I come to believe the real question is not whether to keep the XJ, but what to do about the other two bikes in the garage, because the reasons I had for owning them seem to have evaporated. The Harley was the two-up long-trip touring bike, which the wife and I have ridden to New Mexico, Canada, Maine, the Gulf Coast, and Seattle... but now she says she's done with the two-up epic rides, and this year we took our vacation (around Lake Michigan) in the car. The Himalayan was the off-road adventure bike, and I rode its predecessor (the earlier air-cooled 411 Himalayan) on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Moab five years ago (revisiting a once-in-a-lifetime trip taken forty years earlier), but at the age of 72, with no particular interest in riding dirt for the sake of riding dirt, I have little justification for a tall, bulky, and awkward (I have to climb onto the thing as if getting on a horse) "adventure" bike. What I probably need is a "standard" bike with some touring accessories, something that could haul two people on day trips (and possibly be trailered behind the car when we travel further from home), and could support me for a long solo trip.

Y'know, something like the XJ.

 

@ScottFree, see there, you talked yourself right into needing to keep it! Well done.
And it is easier to move around than the Harley and prettier than the Himmy. Anything else I can help you justify?

 

It is actually easier to move around than the Himalayan, which, despite being 70 pounds lighter, is awkward and top-heavy and has the world's worst center stand (and of course the limited space in the garage means the bike has to be parked on the center stand). The Yamaha is much, much easier to move around the driveway or garage.

I finished wiring up the fairing lights yesterday. I binned the pair of 3-pin Molex pigtails that came with the fairing (and which can only be hooked up if you have tiny hands on universal joints) and instead installed a standard 4-pin flat trailer connector behind the tachometer. This morning, before the Midwestern steam heat turned on, I took the bike for a 20-or-so-mile ride. The fairing works quite nicely. I can ride with the visor up on my open-face helmet and see over the windshield. You can tell this is '80s tech as the shield lacks the "flip" that's common on new windshields. I might buy one of the little clip-on or stick-on things to provide a bit of a flip and move the air up a tiny bit higher.

I am still feeling a bit of wiggliness when leaned over in a corner. I should say I take corners faster on this bike than I do on either the Himalayan or the Harley, but when it's leaned over it feels like it's hunting for its line. I checked tire pressures and they are OK. Haven't gotten around to snugging the steering head bearings a tiny bit and/or checking the swingarm pivot bearings. I probably should. I also suspect my choice of front tire: I am running a Dunlop Trailmax Mission "50/50 street/dirt" tire up there, and after a few thousand miles it's worn kinda chunky. Next time around I will go with something more street oriented.

 

Fit longer rear shocks and dropped the front 6 mm. There's a better stance

 

Yesterday morning, before Mother Nature turned on the steam heat, I took the Maxim for a 75-or-so-mile ride.


Riding with a Purpose!

I was happy with the fairing's performance. Had the bike up over 75 mph without any issues, and the air pocket is definitely bigger and more comfortable at that speed than with the little flyscreen I had previously run.

I had to stop for a few minutes at a construction zone, and the flag guy (who looked to be at most 21 years old) asked if I was blipping the throttle to keep the engine from overheating. I explained how it's an old bike, it doesn't want to idle, so I'm just keeping it from stalling out. He then said he thought it's a really nice-looking bike, which I could not disagree with. Then the zone cleared and I was on my way.

I am looking for words to describe the handling and stability issue. The best I can come up with is "twitchy." I can take my hands off the bars at 65 mph and the bike will track straight and true without the slightest hint of weave or wobble for several seconds (I don't have a throttle lock, so it slows down to about 50 while I'm doing that). But, if I am going a steady 60 or so with my hands on the bars, and shift my butt a little, the bike gives a definite "wiggle" that settles down in a fraction of a second but is a little scary until it does. And when I am leaned over in a corner, it seems to hunt for its line. Just a little, like that vague feeling we used to get on grooved pavement in the days of "rib" front tires. For the time being, I am assuming it's happening because the head bearings and/or swingarm bearings need to be tightened. I hope to get those tasks done later this month, before I set off for the Crud Run and the Driftless at the beginning of October. If I still have the "hunting" behavior in corners, I may try replacing that Dunlop Mission front with a more street oriented tire.

Another thing that I suspect is a "you just have to live with it" item: this bike really cooks my left calf. The engine doesn't seem any hotter on the left side, but I think the alternator sitting behind cylinders 1 and 2 pushes hot air out further and into my leg. It can get pretty unpleasant at times, though it's much reduced if I just make sure to splay my knee out a couple inches further. I really wish the bike had a wider gas tank--not just for longer range between fills, but also to keep my leg further from the engine!

 

How's the swingarm bearings? My SECA got a little twitchy when the preload came out and it didn't want to track curves very well. That front might also be a bit much for a street bike.

 

That Rifle fairing does look slick on your bike. Just the right size. Well done Sir.

 

I'd love to get on that one! Very nice indeed.

 

Thanks. It even has rear brakes and rear drive now so that ride has a fair better chance of happening.

 

I'm always a sucker for classic Yamaha be it bikes, audio or a concert grand piano.