1986 XJ700 -- DONE!

So I took on this project for a family member who unwittingly paid a tad too much for a decrepit rust bucket. The huge blessing on the acquisition was 20K miles and no engine mods (as well as shiny cylinder walls..!)
When I got the bike, he just wanted me to get it running, which i did, but in searching for new fuel line, I came across this forum. (I'm not a big forum user, but those that focus on the older machines tend to be decent resources).
Slowly, the "get-it-running" plan turned into a 2 year rebuild (it was sidelined for most of that time due to other mech projects- but the pandemic kept me home this past winter, and the pressure was on).
My biggest win was finding a "new in the bag" yamaha fuel tank. Although the bike was maroon colored, the tank was dark blue-- not a big deal -- the rest was painted to match the new tank.
From there, patience and persistence led me to 2 new mufflers, new coils and new seats. None of this was cheap, but the result is much more enjoyable. I completely rebuilt the carbs , sparing no part if available (they all were!)
Of course, most of my parts were sourced from XJ4Ever-- which has invaluable fitment info and historic info on his site. I think he is a treasure for us wrenchers. The fact that he contributes here is a further selfless support to the readers.
I will be posting up photos when the weather improves here (she's too nice to run in the rain...!). I have posted up a series of videos on the rebuild on my you tube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/kiki231000

 

Great project, congrats with the result!

 

I tend to not click on anything youtube, so I will patiently wait for the pics, but please hurry with the restoration porn.....lol