Probably dumb questions (3) but I am going to ask anyway

ok folks....these may sound dumb but I am being very cautious in regard to my first bike so please bear with me.

1) When washing your bike, is it ok to actually hose down the motor? I am concerned about water with the plugs and such.

2) There is a lot of rust on my carb caps so I am thinking about buying new carburetors (used since Yamaha evidently does not make them anymore). Is there anything I need to know before buying them other than being sure that they are from same series and motor size? Will the carb from a Seca work on a maxim?

3) This is the one I am really embarrassed about. Should I be able to turn the throttle even with the motorcycle off or is it locked in place when the bike isn't running?

4) I need to get out the oil drain plug so I can drain the oil but it is stuck, any tips on how to get it out without damaging the oil pan or should I just muscle it out? I am concerned about damaging the pan, guessing it is aluminum so I haven't torqued it terribly hard.

Thanks in advance for answering these questions =). I am probably

 

avengingllama,

No dumb questions here! Everyone is willing to help!

You can wash the whole bike w/soap when the engine is cold. Plug the exhaust and only use a light spray. Wipe it off and start the bike to burn-off any standing water.

The chrome caps- it might be easier to have them re-chromed as all of these bikes have issues with rust.

The throttle is operating vacuum carbs, so you will not flood the engine like a car. It's good to check the operation of all components before you ride anyway.

As for the drain plug, it should have been torqued by your PO, and it should be tight, BUT- if it was stripped at that time the DAMAGE is already done. If needed I have seen the oil pans for sale on ebay!

Hope this helps!

 

1) That's okay, you can ride in rain, so you can spray down. Avoid getting water under the seat.

2) considering sanding them 1200 grit and clearcoating? Much cheaper, but if you decide to get rid of them I will take them off your hands. I won't even charge you. On a 750 you can use either seca or maxim carbs. If you use a 650 carb, you will have to swap needles.

3) throttle should move freely. your fuel petcock is controls the fuel so it only flows with the engine turning over, so no worries.

4) Impact wrench?

Hope that helps.

Don't worry many of us here started with these bikes (me included). You have to start somewhere. Just get a shop manual!

Stephen.

 

you said 3 thats 4
1 don't get carried away
2 they all rusted, ask on the swap board, think paint
3 turn it all you want
4 six point socket, for sure, i think theres a phillips screw in the center of the bolt settle for that

 

For the carbs: make sure you try a good chrome polish first, many times that is all you need.

 

I let all the bowl caps and such soak in gasoline and then dipped the carbs in and scrubbed them with a toothbrush to get the rust off.. came off pretty easy.. then I cleaned them thoroughly with carb cleaner and compressed air... by that time i was ready to get the bowl caps out and scrub them with the toothbrush taking all the rust off... no need to buy new carburetors... they are like 150 used on ebay... save ur $$ ..
Upgrade your fuse box
Make sure there is no rust inside the gas tank
install a $3 fuel inline filter

 

3. Polishing with WD-40 and a wire brush will usually get the rust off and shine them up unless they are badly pitted.

 

i got a 2nd set of carbs for my 550 maxim when i started to bring it back to life last year. the center caps are plain steel (not chromed) and i took all 4 (2 from both sets) and sandblasted them. then i hit them with the primer that fills small pores etc and then sprayed them with the 'metallic chrome' krylon although they dont LOOK like chrome...

the chromed caps i did the same as everyone else. some WD-40 or some rust penetrant and 0000 steel wool or 2000 grit sandpaper used SPARINGLY will clean most rust off them...

i believe the drainplug in the BOTTOM of the engine i.e. oil pan is NOT to be removed for general maintenance. it is only for draining when youre going to split the cases. RickCoMatic said that there is only a small small amount of oil in there anyway. you do NOT want to strip that hole...

d

 

Anyone ever thought about getting a batch of old carb hats chromed? I understand that the cost is the same for 1 or more because the process is done in batches. I'd like to get three sets done but if it costs $100 for 1 or 30, why not do 30? Any takers and anyone know where to get this done?
Oh, sorry, I'm thread-jacking you AvengingIlama. As for post-wash processes, I'd use a compressor or a vacuum cleaner to blow extra water off of the bike, then fire it up. Dried water leaves mineral rings so you want to remove as much as you can before evaporating it off. Another thing, after drying hit the joints and so on with WD-40 (a water displacer). This will clear water out of cables and pivot points, keeping everything working smoothly.

 

The Oil Drain Plug is on the front of the Engine ... up, between the two center pipes on the Exhaust Collector.

It's a 19mm Hex Head with a Cross-Head Screw Top right in the center of the Plug. That is the ONLY Drain Plug you need to take-out to do an Oil Change.
The Middle Gear Drain Plug stays-in all the time. Trying to remove it might break it and set you back a lot of time and money.

There are no dumb questions in here.
There are dumb things to do before you ask, though ... so, ask the Forum before you do anything that might cause a problem.

Welcome to the XJBikes Forum.
Now, lets get that Bike tuned-up for the riding season!

 

I'm not sure the oil drain plug will have the cross head screw in it. I think those hit in 83. The earlier models required the tech to change the plug to put the oil temp sensor in.

 

Thanks for the responses guys! Wd-40 and other tips from you guys will probably save me a lot of money

@polock- my gf always tells me that I am cute but not very bright :wink:

Also, what would cause the throttle to not turn? I tried to turn it but it seems like there is a lock that prevents it from moving

 

A broken cable.
The little wires un-wind and jam-up inside the Cable Sheath.

Try undoing it from the Throttle Grip end and spraying some lube in it.

If its a broken strand ... replace it.

 

Sounds like it's a good thing my Chilton manual showed up today....lol