Hey guys, newbie with trouble

Hey guys, I'm new into bikes and am trying to fix my brothers 1985 XJ750 seca for a coming home present. TO start it is really hart to start when it is cold and takes an unusually long time to warm up. I have to start it with the choke all the way open and with the throttle slightly open. After it starts it run really smoothly and doesn't make any weird noises or anything. The other thing is it's clutch is stuck in first, I got it started and ran it around the block but couldn't get it into second gear, and when i re-parked it i couldn't get it back into neutral. Any insight or information you guys could provide would be awesome thanks in advance.

 

Also, it's will occasionally pop the 20 amp fuse for no apparent reason, I have checked all the wiring for shorts and haven't found anything, when i say random I really mean it, it will run smooth then blow when you turn it off and other times it blows the fuse the second you turn the ignition key.

 

Are you sure its an 85. maybe post your vin number so the other members can confirm what bike you have.

MN

 

Ah, I lied, It's an 82'. The vin is JYA5G2000CA101045.

 

The cold start issue is mostlikely dirty carbs, I m not sure about the fuse blowing. I would look the harness over and make sure you don't have any wires that rubbed through.

MN

 

When you say "checked the wiring", are you sure you checked EVERY wire and connector? Electrical shorts can be a real PIA. It took me a week to find the short in my Seca, and I KNEW it was in the cut-off switch.

First thing I would check for the no-shifting would be the clutch adjustment. Does it shift into neutral with the bike off?

Sounds like a good carb cleaning is in order. My guess would be clogged enrichment circuit and/or pilot jets.

Just out of curiosity, did you look at the plugs after taking it around the block?

 

Wow, I just noticed how many xjs you own. awesome.

 

"enrichment circuit " Thanks Tskaz lol

Pay close attention to the enrichment passage.

Very good write up by Rickcomatic on cleaning the carbs.

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2 ... n+own.html

 

How old is the fuel? Often hard to start engines have stale fuel, cheap, easy fix to try first, drain carb bowls, tank, lines, etc. and refresh. Next step, enrichment circuit in carb bowls, easy to remove, clean and replace without doing too much else. Not sure when your bro is due but you'll need a few weeks at least to complete a full carb strip and rebuild, followed by a tune up. It's not that hard, but there's a lot to learn.

 

Your fuse problem may be that you don't have the right fuses in there. There is no 20A fuse in a stock, US model, '82 XJ750 (by the way, is it a Maxim or Seca?).

The main fuse should be 30A; headlamp, signal, and ignition should be 10A each; and tail should be 5A.

 

I could be wrong but I think my 1980 Max has a 20a fuse. Just curious is that typical for that year and model?

 

Yeah, according to my Haynes book, all 650 models had 20A main, US 750 models had 30A, UK 750 models had 20A.

 

I would replace that fuse box if it is the original style ( can't think of the proper term but they are the glass ones). I found that many of the sporadic electrical issues I was having have cleared up since I (or rather my brother) did mine.

As for not shifting gears I believe I have heard elsewhere here that that is usually the sign of a primary chain guide that is falling apart.

 

Okay, looks like i'll be cleaning the carbs for one haha, but i think my current harness is more of a hack job than anything, the headlight was replaced to a non-stock one (i dont know how long ago or any of it's specs) but there is a lot of electrical tape and the fuses are just hiding under the seat kind of randomly, i'll get some pictures up and see if that helps clarify things, I was gonna check the plugs but i dont have a big enough socket, once i get a new socket i'm going to be changing the oil and oil filter and the plugs regardless of where they are now. I brained the tank, becasue the bike sat for about 8 months. I did but sta-bil in the gas before it sat though.

 

my maxim sat for 2 years before i bought it. these guys are all spot on. now when i get a bike, i clean carbs even if it runs good. another thing you need to do, instead of posting a help me question on here, is torque the oil filter bolt to 11 ft lbs when installing, otherwise your going to be on here saying i stripped my bolt and the dealer wants 60 dollars for it. lol. good luck. get a wiring diagram, and fix those wires. i love electrical and LOVE seeing other peoples hack jobs. sounds like the guy before you was an EXPERT! you probably have 2 wires tacked off of the same fuse or something. when i put my lighter in the first time, i smartly tacked it into my main, so it worked all the time...... til i blew the fuse on the main road and lost ALL power to the bike with no tools.... lets just say, i wont do that again! good luck, let us know

 

The proper term would be "cheap junk that doesn't last 30 years" LMAO

PBJ is correct. The US 750's are the only XJ's in the 550/650/750 family that got 30A fuses. Nice catch SQL, I didn't even read the amp rating that he said the fuse was.

Urban, pics would help us out a LOT.

 

YES YES YES: no more than 11.5 ft/lbs

Also, use a Fram CH6003 filter, it comes with both of the o-rings you will need.

And in case you didn't know: the 750 uses 2.8 liters of MOTORCYCLE oil. (according to the Haynes manual)

 

I myself am going with a conversion kit from chacal this winter. Runs like 80ish bucks and NO MORE BOLTS!!!

 

Under the seat



Around the headlight (clusterfuck zone)



Oil, plugs and oil filter.

 

Oh and here is the Seca



And my little VT600C

 

I'm sure you can get the Seca looking as good as that VT

And as for the wiring....What. The. F##k.

I thought my PO was a hack, but compared to what yours did, he was a freakin' genius.

That's just....so many ways of wrong.

 

Yeah, it looks like it has random splices and cuts everywhere and it's grossly covered in electrical tape, It's probably more cost effective to buy a new harness than save the one I have.

 

That wire harness needs some serious attention. I would get a manual and see if you can sort it out.

MN

 

If my copier was working I would send you the 1s I have

 

And make sure you use a 6 point socket for this bolt.

 

I disagree on the "hack job" reaction others have had here. I dont really see anything all that unsafe there, though it may be a bit untidy.

First of all someone already ditched the crappy stock fuse box and spliced in ATC fuse holders. There is nothng at all wrong with that so long as they soldered and heat shrinked the splices and used proper gauge holders. I cant tell whats wired to what in those pictures, but worst case scenario, just clean that up with some good soldered splices.

Also, the wrap job up front doesnt appear to be serving any purpose other than keeping the huge mass of wires up front all tied together. Those wires are normally all inside the stock headlight housing ..OR...in your case they would have been in a vinyl wrap with snaps because your bike obviously came with the touring pack. You have the frame up front for the fairing, and you have the wire extensions in the tail for the rear signals. That tells me you had the full tour pack front and rear.

The yellow wires up front are really the only ones that look out of place. They may be related to the tour pack removal or for the headlight change, but I cant tell from your pictures.

I would look for a stock headlight housing and tuck the wires in it properly, or I would find a stock fairing to hide the wires behind. The best thing to do is carefully unwrap all that up front and clean and organize it the best you can. Everything is color coded and actually fairly simple to figure out.

 

I'll go over all of it with a fine toothed comb later, one problem i have been having is finding a stock headlight and front fairing that isnt ridiculously expensive, that is why i have been delaying the wiring situation up front

 

I agree. It could be neater, but it doesn't really look bad. Depending on how far back things have been cut in order to splice in the new fuses and such, though, it may make troubleshooting difficult for electrical novices. Also, the presence of the 20A fuse in a bike that shouldn't have one (unless its was originally a UK model) is a bit concerning.

Given the number of people that don't like "dated" rectangular headlights, and have replaced them, I would think there must be some used ones out there. Have you checked with Chacal yet?

 

I had previously not known about chacal or vetter, they look to have some good deals in what i am looking for. Sweet