Adding a SECA 650 back to my collection...

Floating the decals?

XJ Bike Guys (and Gals),

Last weekend, I finally FINISHED the painting of my tank(s) to a point where I am very satisfied with them. I have the full decal set from LEN ready for installation.

This afternoon, after a light sanding of 1500 and a quick color buffing I want to get the decals on the tank. I have some experience with the HUGE decals for a Pontiac Trans Am. The ONLY way to install one of those Screaming Chicken decals on a Trans Am is to FLOAT the decal into position by soaking the hood with a mild mixture of soap and water. Once positioned, a squeegee is used to remove the water from under the decal. Set it in the sun for a couple hours and it's done. In the event there is a minor bubble or two, a pin prick will solve the issue and it will be completely unseen.

Although not nearly as large..... The SECA 650 decals (tank and rear fin) are going to be a little touchy to place properly first shot. Len's prices were great but I'd just assume not buy another set.

Has ANYONE used the float method with these decals? I'm not certain if these were designed to be used in this fashion or if there is any difference in the way these are made vs. the Screaming Chicken decal. Any input on this would be helpful especially from those that have installed these on the SECA 650.

Sincerely,
KURT

 

UPDATE:
I READ THE DIRECTIONS..... Hadn't even taken the decals out of the packaging from Len before I started asking questions here....DUH!
These decals from Chacal are high-quality 3M material and are designed for the water float method according to the instructions. I'll post when I get 'em on....
KURT

 

The horror of it all!

 

Thanks Len.

It's actually a little harder than the Screaming Chicken..... Certainly not perfect but I think I can live with it.....


The others will be a whole lot easier....

 

Looks pretty darned good to me!

 

Searched everywhere and couldn't find a pic of the rear end of a SECA 650 with the "YAMAHA" sticker. Seems these suckers must fall off all the time as I found not less than a dozen pics of these machines without the "Yamaha" rear sticker.

Solicited the help of my son (A younger man and Engineer with better eyes?) to make 100% sure I had this straight and even.... "Looks perfect Dad"! It's close anyway

 

nice job, i like the black carpet with the silver bike too

 

I think they didn't come on all of the bikes from the factory. We've seen them both ways, too. Perhaps earlier versions didn't have them and the someone in marketing panic-ed and said "gosh, we forgot to tell the world who we are" so only later models got the decal. Or vice-versa. Or something completely else.

 

First RIDE!
Today was another SECA Sunday.... Painted the front fender and FINALLY installed the repaired and re-painted tank. NO LEAKS!
Yesterday, I received another set of side covers from a seller in Canada. They will need a refinishing also. I had thought the PPG paint I had been using was a little off of the factory "Quartz Silver" but when placed next to these OEM painted side covers I can't tell any difference? (the fender, tank, and rear fin are my PPG, the side covers are OEM).


I know now why I always wanted another one of these. This little bugger is pretty darn quick, probably the first time this machine has actually been driven in 10+ years!
I couldn't do more than a couple laps around the block as this machine is not yet registered or insured. Now that she is in driveable condition, it's time to get that taken care of.



Still many items remain to complete the most important being to replace these old tires with new and re-paint the rims. I'm having a little trouble getting the carbs exactly the way they need to be and I suspect the new rings have yet to fully seat in the bores. I'll give her a nice long ride as soon as possible and then try again on the carb sync.

KURT

 

Beautiful. Are you going to install the YAMAHA emblems on the tank?

 

Absolutely!
Those OEM badges are one of those higher ticket items that'll have to wait a little bit...... New tires and repainting the rims are next on the agenda!

I'm looking for suggestions on the tires for this machine. I use Pirelli Route 66's on all my XS11's as this is a great cruiser tire with good longevity and great grip and is vastly superior to the cheaper offerings from Asia. Unfortunately, the Route 66 is not a great choice for this little screaming corner cutter. I like the Angel GT's for my big FJR but those are a little overkill for this SECA. Thoughts?

There are an awful lot of your parts on this machine that make it "BEAUTIFUL" including: SS Brake Lines, Carbs Hats and Complete Rebuild Parts, Seat Cover, Stripe Kit, etc....
THANKS LEN!


For anyone interested, this is the formulation of the PPG paint. I don't believe one can get much closer to OEM specification. This way laid on PPG high build GRAY primer. The color may (probably will) look different on a different primer color. The PPG "Shopline" is being discontinued in favor of "OMNI". It's the exact same paint but a new name some marketing guru probably dreamed up. Any PPG store can match with this label information.

 

Pirelli Sport Demons might be worth a try. Tires are subjective, but I liked 'em on my Guzzi. 66 Route my be just fine as well. V rated should give you stiffer sidewall.

 

XJ Friends,
As I prepare this machine for the Vintage Yamaha Rally (9/28 to 10/1), it seems the rims looked like total crap. The existing tires were a good bit younger than I had thought at only 8 years old but that's still too old for me to be comfortable with and a year beyond the AMA tire life recommendation (regardless of miles or APPARENT condition).

I decided to stick with my favorite Pirelli treads even though they may not be the best choice for the twisties this machine is capable of performing on. I've had good performance from the Pirelli Route 66 on the big displacement machines and feel confident these will be a better choice than some of the bargain basement offerings from Asia. Although I don't normally compromise on my parts and supplies, an ultra high dollar set of tires for a bike which will NOT be a daily driver seemed excessive (even by my excessive spending habits).


Properly taping off one of these is a royal PITA. Takes 100x longer than actually spraying the paint. But clean-up and getting the thing looking good is better if the time is taken.

Once the rims have a few days to dry, I can balance em up and give her a test drive.


Just a handful of items left to finish.. I hope to see a couple other XJ's at the rally.....

Sincerely,
KURT

 

Beautiful job

 

Is the blue on the spokes tape, or are you matching the car?

 

The blue is the tape on the shiny edge of the spokes so the stay shiny after removing the tape after having Ben painted

 

Tank Badges Received from Chacal! STOKED!!!!

SECA Guys,
Today, I received my new Yamaha tank badges from CHACAL. I can't wait to install them. BUT, once they are on...… They're there to stay.....

I have a couple pics of restored SECA's but notice some significant variation in placement. Can someone provide a photo of their SECA with it's Original Badges in place? Close up like this photo?

 

Nice firebird in the background!

 

Hogfiddles,
Thank you for taking that pic! I'm gonna make a couple pencil (Faint) marks on the tank so I get it perfect on the first shot (because there won't be a second shot).

The Trans Am has been sitting a while since Vintage Yamahas have taken over my life.... But, it's 455 will move pretty good, if I can get all the bikes out of the way



KURT

 

Niiiice!!! I'm a ford guy, but TOTALLY can appreciate others. I have a '73 Gran Torino Sport CobraJet project, and a '69 Torino GT sportroof m-code project.... in addition to the bikes-- which help fund the torino projects....