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(im new)this is my 81 xj500 seca

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Cero, Feb 20, 2013.

  1. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    Hi im new to this forum!
    it seems like a nice community of xj bikers!

    im 24 and from Sweden been riding bikes leagally since i was
    16! and this is my 3d bike

    a 1981 XJ 500 Seca it haven't been to an M.O.T in 18 YEARS!
    it have been up and running a couple of times during the years!
    and it have been i a garage all this time so its in good shape i think

    im going to restore it so it passes the M.O.T and then im turning
    her in to a café racer!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    tomorrow im getting my new carbs and it got some rust in the petrol tank
    so i bought some acid that cleans the tank and then some liquid pastic
    that seals the tank inside, should work!

    Btw. is this the stock exhaust? it seems so short?
     
  2. moellear

    moellear Member

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    whoo hoo, another young-blood on here besides me! You've got me beat by one year..

    anyhow, I wasn't aware of an XJ500. nice! I understand its not the 'American' version since its labeled XJ500R but that's cool. and sorry I can't help with the exhaust question. although it looks a little short, I would think it appears to be stock (?) idk...
     
  3. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    thank you for the warm welcome!
    do you have any links so i can have a look at your bike? :)

    yeah its a euro version i think, its a pain to find xj500 parts here tho
    the 550 is more regular seen here to.

    maybe the 550 parts like gaskets and carbs fit the 500?
    does anybody know?
     
  4. quebecois59

    quebecois59 Well-Known Member

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    Welcome here!

    Nice find, first time I see one.
     
  5. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    Being a 4-1 I doubt the exhaust is stock, every xj from the time period that I can recall right now. And with 4-2's from the factory, and I would be Suprised If this was any different.

    Welcome!!
     
  6. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    Plus the un-used bolt on the left side passenger footpeg bracket, that's a typical place for the muffler to be mounted to.
     
  7. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Your bike will use almost all of the same parts as a 550 "Seca" and that is not the stock exhaust system.

    The original exhaust system would have been the same as the 550 Seca, 4-into-collector box-into-2, as in the pic below.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    thanks for the replies!

    and i guessed that that wasn't the stock exhaust, but it has a nice sound to it!

    nice to hear that i can buy 550 parts to, makes life alot easier
     
  9. rocs82650

    rocs82650 Well-Known Member

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    Cero,

    Welcome to the Club. Nice 500. My first time seeing one.

    Gary
     
  10. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    thx, it has 23k miles on its back and its been sitting in my parents garage for
    at least 6 years,ive started it 2 times during that period but the carbs was leaking fuel due to cracks, and it only cost 600 dollars, so i hope to be
    riding it this summer!
     
  11. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    The carbs weren't leaking fuel due to "cracks." The carbs were overflowing because your float valves are stuck.

    DO NOT run the motor until you've checked to be sure it doesn't have a crankcase full of gasoline. Unscrew the oil filler, and stick your nose in the hole and have a whiff. If it smells of gasoline, your carbs have contaminated the oil and diluted it with gas.

    You will need to attend to many things if you hope to ride it safely. We can help you with all of it; but you will need a service manual. If you can't find a factory book for your 500, find an XJ550RH book, it will pretty much cover your bike too. I doubt there's much difference except for carb needles and jetting, and of course the piston/cylinder/valve/cam(?) dimensions. Most of the service procedures will be the same, the brake calipers might be slightly different.

    The white bike pictured above was my first XJ, a veteran commuter and is being handed down to my son.

    But I love the 550Rs. Couldn't be without.

    So this is the bike I ride the most now (you wanted to see some pics:)

    [​IMG]

    We love a good 550R around here. Welcome aboard, you have a VERY nice bike there. Let's get it running right, and safe.

    Speaking for pretty much every North American Seca 550 owner, we're jealous of your color scheme.
     
  12. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Nice.

    Dave
     
  13. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    So just a question to anyone who knows - is the engine the same as a 550 just marketed as an underrated 500? It looks awfully similar other than it being painted black.
     
  14. MiGhost

    MiGhost Well-Known Member

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    Being in the transition period from the XS to the XJ. I am going to hazard a guess that yamaha did a little parts swapping with the XS/XJ 400, and the XJ 550. Using the 400 crank with the 550 pistons.

    Very much like they did to create the XJ700 in 85. Which uses the 650 crank with the 750 pistons.

    Ghost
     
  15. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    cool to know! I deff learn some awesome stuff on this site. :)
     
  16. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Gee, it looks just like this one:

    [​IMG]


    The engine isn't a "downrated" 550; it was a step in the evolution of the bike from its original 398cc form toward it finally becoming a 600.

    The bike in the pic above is a 398cc XJ400E or F, (the D had rocketship pipes) an example of the original home-market XJ series. When Yamaha first started selling it in Europe, they were 400s, which quickly became the 500. Then when it came time for the North American market, along came the goofy fairing and the 528cc 550 motor. Which eventually grew into the FJ600.
     
  17. broberg

    broberg Member

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    Ser ut o vara i ett relativt bra skick :)

    Välkommen hit!

    Jag misstänker att förgasarna är lika som på min xj550, så har den stått mer än ett år så har du definitivt beläggningar av bensinen i förgasarna.
    Så min rekommendation är att du köper nya packningar och nålar till förgasarna och gör rent dom grundligt innan du sätter tillbaka dom.
    (min hoj hade stått tre år när jag köpte den och det växte något alg-liknande skräp i mina :p )
    Något som fungerade bra på att få bort bensinavlagringar är "kalkosan", avkalkningsmedel med citronsyra.
    OBS! eftersom citronsyra fräter aluminium så ska du INTE som jag låta delar stå över natten i den blandningen.. då blir allt svart :D

    Och när du ändå har förgasarna nerskruvade så kan det vara värt att se över diafragma guminnen längst upp, kolla så det inte finns några hål.


    I övrigt så förespråkas det att även kolla upp bromsar när hojen har blivit med åren, framförallt beläggen i trumbromsarna som har en tendens att falla isär med åren (även om de inte används).

    O kul att se en till XJ ska bli en cafe hoj! Vart är du belägen?

    Återigen välkommen hit, absolut bästa platsen på nätet om du får bekymmer med din XJ! :)

    Mvh. Pierre Broberg / Ã…tvidaberg
     
  18. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    yeah that's true, im going to take a look at the gas in the crank tomorrow
    and today i took off the front brakes and i will service them!

    im getting my new(used) carbs hopefully tomorrow, my mechanic threw
    the old ones away because there were cracks in 3 out of 4 carbs, i wasn't
    to happy wit that, i could have used some parts maybe

    i got some questions!

    i should take the whole motor apart and replace all gaskets?
    just to be sure its all in good condition?

    and should i replace all brake lines?

    nice XJ man! i hope to be riding my bike to work this summer!

    btw, i just bought a manual!
     
  19. Cero

    Cero New Member

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    hej kul med en svensk till här! gött då kan vi hjälpas åt lite!
    håll koll på dina PM jag dumpar nog nån rad där!

    ja de gamla förgasarna var katastof innuti!
    men de nya är på g, får se hur de serut!

    ah bra tipps med kalkosan! det får jag använda mig av!
    jag ska göra nått liknande med tanken som är rostig
    ett medel som heter kreem, vi får se hur det går!

    jag plockade av bromsarna fram idag och oljan hade skiktat sig lite
    och kolvarna satt fast så jag ska ge mig på dem i helgen!

    jag är skåne bo! utanför lund närmre bestämt, fast jag är uppvuxen i uppsala så jag snackar inte skånska hehe!
     
  20. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    [quote="Cero]i got some questions!

    i should take the whole motor apart and replace all gaskets?
    just to be sure its all in good condition?

    and should i replace all brake lines?

    nice XJ man! i hope to be riding my bike to work this summer!

    btw, i just bought a manual![/quote]

    Take the whole motor apart? No. But plan to replace any gasket you "disturb" during the recommissioning process. That will turn out to be quite a few. You're going to have most of the covers off anyway doing things like adjusting the valves, camchain, etc.

    Replace all the brake lines? YES. It's a MUST DO. Check the date codes, they were supposed to last 4 years. Read this:
    http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=41400.html

    Also, read this: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

    Thanks for the compliment. Like I said, us North American Seca 550 owners are jealous of your color scheme.
     

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