Just bought another Seca 900RK with failed U-joint

I already owned two: a Red one that I've ridden a couple of times and that is waiting for carb parts from Len; and a Yellow one I bought for parts, complete, it was idling rough when I bought it last fall and never rode it.

The one I just bought on the phone is black, so starting from now it'll be the Black one ! I saw it on pictures only.

(Sorry I can't put it right, don't know why)

I doN't have high resolution pictures, the bike is still 2 hours away from me.

I've talked with the seller for nearly an hour. He bought this bike 4 years ago and put 12 000 km on it. It has 63 000 km on the counter now. The two main reasons why he wants to sell it: the U-joint failed one month ago and the 2nd gear slips pretty often on load.

As for the U-joint, half of the fix is already done: rear wheel, shocks, swingarm and U-joint itself were removed by the seller. Regarding the 2nd gear, he said he got used to ride the bike skipping the 2nd gear most of the time.

What the seller has done over the years:
-put new tires last year
-put new pads and grease caliper pins last year
-put a new battery this year
-had the seat recovered (black)
-changed all four float needles and seats o-rings, and bowl gaskets.

He said fork seals don't leak. Fuel tank has no rust, except for a very small area at the contact point with the front of the seat (friction). BIke has been ridden on a regular basis as a commuter until the u-joint failed one month ago. Seller said it was a pleasant and reliable ride.

What has to be done on the short term, except U-joint and 2nd gear, according to the seller:

-replace rear shocks
-replace horn

What is on my list for next spring: compression test, valve clearance measurements and brake system rebuilt., and probably fuse box.

I will post more pictures next week when I'm back here with it.

The seller also said he will also give me a second fairing and both side covers of the original paint scheme, he said white with red and blue trims...I'm a bit excited to see that !

Oh, almost forgot to mention that I paid 350 Canadian dollars for it.

I will probably need some help shortly with the U-joint reassembly.

 

good deal thoose u joints cost a lot $570.00 if you can find one. you are talking about the cross joint correct?

http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/yamaha/Y-31A-46180-00-00.html


ebay 20$
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Cros...517?forcev4exp=true&item=310344204517&vxp=mtr

 

Yep, it is the cross joint. Thanks for the link. Buying a new one isn't in my plans, since a member here told me he has a used one off of an XJ700 for me.

 

COnsidering the 2nd gear has to be fixed, I'D like to know if the cross joint has to be removed to take the engine out of the frame to split the cases and fix the gear?

 

Has to? No. Easier to not scratch the frame if the cross joint has been removed? Definitely.

 

Ok thanks k-moe, I understand that I may fix the drive train now and get back to the transmission later.

I brought the Black Seca at her winter storage today. I'll take some pictures tomorrow. It is not a beauty but she came with a few extras. She's a close cousin to the Yellow One, VINs are almost the same.

 

I never can manage to see my motorcycle when I'm riding it.

 

I brought the Black One in its winter storage yesterday. It was very rainy and windy during the trip, so I decided to tart the bike and let it run today that allow it to dry. It idled pretty steady after a few minutes. I had to adjust the idle speed up, it was way too slow (around 750 rpms). I realized the exhaust original exhaust system has several holes, most of them are small but it will not get any better. Valves are a bit noisy but not extremely noisy, so I,d bet most of them aren't tight, but they could be out of spec on the loose side.



There is something looking like and oil leak at the bottom of the LH side , I don't have a clue to what it could come from. What we see on the picture is the connection of the headers to the collector box, and the kick stand mounting bolt. Any ideas?



I havN,t had the time to perform a compression test yet but it is on my to-do list before winter.

The cross joint was totally destroyed as you can see:

 

The BLack One came with a few extras:



No major scratch, no cracks (except for the windshield), all tabs are solid.

 

Nice... I'm seriously thinking of painting one if my 900's in that color scheme when it gets restored..... I may even look for a kph speedo at that time ( even though it is a USA delivered bike)

 

A Kph speedo is fun, it allows you to ride beyond 160 easily, lol

 

Sump gasket failure.

Gary H.

 

Makes sense !

 

Or the oil sensor o-ring.

 

Yes, it could be, I'll have to wipe it as clean as possible, run the engine and look carefully where it drips from.

 

Or the shift shaft seal, the shift cover gasket..... Cylinder base gasket, tensioner gasket, etc.......You won't til you actually take good look

 

Also i think the fuel tank has rusted enough to start leaking on the right side, what is the recommended cure?

 

My plan would be to put some Seafoam in the tank, run the engine until warm, drain the fuel tank completely thru the petcock, then turn it upside down and drain it again that way, allow it to dry 24 hours and then spray fogging oil.

It would slow down the rusting process and give me some time to think about the next steps. What do you think?

 

Source a better tank or someone that can cut out, patch and tig weld the damaged area. I don't trust lining a leaking tank.

Gary H.

Edited because of picture post. That should be fixable. Find someone that can tig weld. Use the tank from your other bike to get this one dialed in.

 

If indeed it is a strong running and reliable daily ride, as the PO. Indicates, then you are way ahead of the game already.

I'm sure we can all see, though, that from the pics there is quite bit of work that needs to be done.

My feelings are ( in no particular order):

- you found a great project
- it i reliable.... Right now, buti think there is enough obvious neglect that it won't be reliable much longer unless you attend to a lot of things that just have not been done
-you attend to those things , as we. As the usual valves/carbs/brakes/tires/etc... List, in a timely manner and you will increase the reliability as well
- cosmetically it's really rough.... BUT cosmetics are just looks----- you can make it look nicer over a period of time.

- even a diamond starts out as a big ugly lump of black.

I'm going to enjoy watching this one

 

I own three Seca900s (the Red One, the Yellow One and the Black One) and two tanks out of three have this problem. What should I do to make sure the good one would stay good (prevention)?

 

-Don't ride in the rain!!!!!!! And always keep the bike indoors. Water will get in through the gas cap key slot

-Occasionally put a tube down into those two points and siphon. Any accumulation of water and dirt will be removed

-occasionally add seafoam to keep water dispersed

 

Thanks for the encouragement words. It looks pretty rough indeed, I think it has been parked outside for an extended period. It is stored inside now, and one of my concerns is the tank that could empty on the ground if the rust goes worse. I wouldn't like my bike to become a fire hazard to other vehicles in the same winter storage that are very very pricey !

 

As you know...moisture cause rust and corrosion which is the killer these tanks. Imo keeping the inside of tank clear of flashing and the outside painted and sealed is about the best we can do.

Gary H.

 

Your tank needs a permanant repair, preferably one that does not require welding (due to the location of the leak).

http://www.caswellplating.com/epoxy-gas-tank-sealer.html

 

Then pull the tank, empty it, then slosh some engine oil, 2-stroke oil, or snowmobile fogging oil around to coat the inside completely. In the meantime, start looking for a better tank

 

Is this Caswell product actually better than POR-15?

 

It is the same epoxy that is used to line commertial fuel storage tanks; tanks that can't be allowed to leak.