(im new)this is my 81 xj500 seca

X2 on the safety measures futz brought up, as well as the getting the valves in spec.

As for gaskets, I used ultra black rtv sealant in the
Clutch cover on my maxim when
I replaced the friction discs and springs, and I bet it would work for pretty much any other cover that needs a gasket, minus the valve cover. Also you need new "donuts" for the valve cover as well, as they are why actually provide the sealing pressure on the cover.


Cool to see the transition from the 400-500-550, legit.

 

And also will comment on the nice color- the 83 550's are my personal
Favorite of all paint schemes, but that's also becaus e
I have a thing for black bikes, lol. But the white releases here in the us for the 81's was okayish, but the bright non metallic bland red color used on the 82's is just meh.

 

FUTZ?

I may be old, but seriously?

Personally, I have to agree as to the black scheme; maybe since I have one. The same scheme, in different variations, was used on the 750 Seca and the RD350LC here in the States.




The paint scheme on the '81 was a direct carryover from the 2-stroke RD400 "Daytona Special" that North American emissions laws killed; so Yamaha gave us the 550 Seca and painted it similarly.




I guess what I'm really jealous of is that they got CHOICES in Europe and we didn't:



Now THIS one would be sooo damn cool to get one's hands on, the VERY FIRST XJ, the XJ400D check them pipes baby!!!



Call me an old fart and you're gonna get a history lesson!

Apologies to the OP for horribly hijacking his thread with XJ enthusiasm.

 

cool! thanks for the show and tell! i really like the black
RD350

 

Just want to add - that the "550" is really just a 528, and your "500" might be just under 499 CC to hit a displacement break, for legal reasons, and there would basically be no other changes, as to gaskets, electronics, and other specs. These bikes were a development of an earlier 400.

 

i got my new carbs, this is how they looked


needs a good clean but its not that dirty compared with my old ones!
and the carbs interior pieces are really nice and they move as they should!



and i bought some new oil because the old one smelled a little like petrol.

is T4 15-40 MINIRAL motorcycle oil ok to ride with?

its cheap, just wanted a cheap oil
because if it fills with gas again its wasted money.

so as u understand now the crank was probably filled with a little gas,
the thickness in the oil was still good. but the gas has been in there for
2 years,

is the crank and clutch still ok you think or should i take the
motor apart?

 

I wouldn't take the engine apart unless you find there's an issue after you have PROPERLY cleaned the carbs as per "the church of clean" and they pass the clunk test. Then drained the oil and replaced with 20w 50 MOTORCYCLE specific oil, non sythetic. Castrol 4t works great, a decent price, and is widely available.

That mineral oil sounds sketch IMHO.

Don't forget to change the filter as well - the Fram ch6003 comes with all the o-rings that you need.

 

The oil you have bought will work just fine, Biltemas?

But yes, make shure the carbs are clean-clean and that the floats are set at a correct level and open/closes without problems befor putting them back on the bike.

about the engine, don't tare it appart until you actually need to, the gas in the oil has probably leaked in to it while it stood still and haven't made any damage since the engine hasn't been running with bad oil.

 

The gas got into the oil because the carbs and possibly the vacuum-operated fuel tap were malfunctioning.

DO NOT "take the motor apart." You will at some point need to rebuild the clutch; that is normal it's old too.

Take the above advice, get the carbs properly serviced and adjusted, your valves in spec, and change your oil.

 

Look for a commercial diesel oil - non synthetic if you can't find a motorcycle specific oil.

 

yepp its biltemas oil! how do i know that the floats are att the correct level?

 

Then your fine, I think there was a debate that Biltemas oil was infact statoils oil rebranded.

There is, as I said in the PM I just sent you, a great guide @ xj4ever.com
But if anything is unclear I'm more then willing to help you!

 

How many cc are the XJ500, did they just round down the 528cc instead of up like for the XJ550?

Front of the engine in the middle at the base of the barrel it should be cast in for the size

 

the engine is 492cc, just checked it in my regestation papers

 

Then I'm wondering (and asking) are the jets different ??

All, including the air jets - - this could be important to someone.

 

its a good question me and chacal, are looking in to it now, i just got the
complete manual of all parts and part numbers from Yamaha Sweden, so we are going to check with the american 550 part numbers and see what parts that are different!

 

i just realized that i don't have the stock exhaust and i don't have the carbs that was with my motor and exhaust anymore(got a new carb),

so do i need bigger jets? its a 4 - 1 system

im thinking of getting a K&N oval filters (they look so good)
and then its recommended to use dynojet stage 3 jets
has anyone tried the oval filters ?

 

Since you have the stock airbox (not POD filters) the typical advise is to increase by 2 your current jet size.

But if your carbs are wrong for your bike already - you must let your sparkplug color be your guide