NEW GUYS: Wanna fix this bike or fight with it forever?

Seriously?

About to tear your hair out or drag it to the junk yard?

Or would you like to FIX IT so you can RIDE IT?

Are you willing to get serious about this?

Then follow this very simple advice; IT WORKS. I've DONE IT and more than once.

-Get a service manual. Haynes (650/750) or Clymer (550) OK, factory better; best is both.

-Open it to the "maintenance" section.

-PERFORM ABSOLUTELY EVERY MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE, IN ORDER, LEAVING NOTHING OUT, SKIPPING OVER NOTHING. IN ORDER. EVERY ONE.

-Along the way, clean, inspect, repair, refurbish or replace any questionable or unserviceable part you encounter. You will need to replace any dried out cracked mashed or otherwise hopeless o-ring or seal you find, as well as any 30-year old gasket you disturb for the first time.

-Understand that you WILL spend around $600 ~ $800 in the process, regardless of what the bike cost.

DO THESE THINGS EXACTLY AS LISTED and you will have a fully reliable and fun bike to ride, as long as you keep up on the scheduled maintenance.

Or fight with the bloody thing forever; quite honestly I'm getting tired of typing the same things over and over.

Get a book, and fix it right or you will fail. Continuously until you either give up or go big. "Tinkering" won't get you there nor will shortcuts. Just ain't no in-between. Sorry.

 

And this why I have decided to never chase my tail. It may take me a long time to get my seca back on the road but everything will be taken care of. Do it once and right.

 

Doing what Fitz recommends will actually save you money in the long run. Shipping costs on one big order are much less than the shipping costs on several little ones, or many trips to the parts store.

 

Yep.... that sums it up. Pretty much if its a wear item inspect or replace too

 

Two things I forgot to mention:

-First and foremost, there are gaps in the manuals, and questions will arise. That's why we're here; this site is a great supplement to the service manual, but not a substitute for one.

-The first maintenance item in any of the books is valve clearance adjustment.

 

In other words, RTFM! 8O

 

Just like any decent professional would

 

And your tutorial blew that hayne's tutorial away! Thanks for that, made the job so stupid simple! Now if you could come by and wet set these carbs.....

 

He is exactly right! If you do it right the first time and keep up with the maintenance on these bikes, they will give you miles and miles of enjoyment. Just do it!! You will be glad you did.

 

Amen!

 

Along with your service manual you should also invest in the proper tools. A set of JIS screwdrivers and metric feeler gauges will save you time and agrivation. A valve adjustment is much easier when you can measure properly.

 

mlew is right. Gotta have the right tools to do the work!

 

As a first witness to Fitz's advice, I wholeheartedly agree with his advice. Asking for advice you might sometimes get the answer you don't want, but nobody here has anything to gain or lose by giving bad advice. Might not be what you wanted to hear, but it is what it is. A cheap 30 year old motorcycle needs to be considered a dangerous or even a deadly ride until you have all safety and maintenance issues taken care of, and never, never believe the previous owner about how "good" they took care of the bike.

 

In my opinion, JIS screwdrivers are not necessary... but then I've replaced nearly every fastener on my bike. (just my 2 cents anyway)

 

Fitz is getting old, he's a lot nicer about it than he should be. ^_^ IMHO, if you want a bike you can jump on and ride now, buy newer bikes. You can't trust previous owners, you can't trust a repair shop. You do the work and you have a bike that's the envy of anyone with a clue. You don't want to do the work and just want to ride, sell it to someone else. It's not hard work, but it's exacting, and all the info you need is in the manual and these boards.

Cheap + Bike - the time and effort it takes to make sure it's safe = not dead.

 

Just wait till you have some stubborn screws you'll wish you had them. They are required on butterfly shaft screws unless you want to drill them out.

The right tool for the job saves time and will keep the fowl language to a minimum.

 

bigfitz is correct ...... get the bike and proceed with all maintenance. I thought I could citcumvent some items 'cause I know the owner. However, I didn't know the previous owner, and the owner before that. Seemed to be okay out of the box, then 'stuff' started happening. Previous owners / mechanics just buttoned her up and let her out the door.

Now I'm fixing that stuff. Coulda done it over the winter, didn't, and now the bad stuff is materializing ...... result ...... bike in garage in pieces and I'm not riding. My fault, thought I was lucky, but notl.

 

hi guys. im new to your forum and would like to introduse my self. Im a fitter and turner as well as a electrician. i have two xj 650 turbo secas in my garage . I have finished my last project. A 400 gsxr suzuki last month and want to start with the first of the xj,s. first off all where can i get hold of a good workshop manual? I believe in doing things right the first time so thats were i will start as is recomended in this post.

 

I don't have JIS tools, and have taken apart many carbs right down to individual pieces. Never had trouble (yet) with butterfly screws. Sure JIS would make it easier, but I"m going to agree with Miliken here.... you don't HAVE to have them. (though someday I probably will, but that will be when they are available up here, and and I can actually go buy some. Til then.............)

Dave F

 

Kroil + heat + screw extractors + new screws = never had a problem + don't have to worry about rusted out 30 year old screws.

Though, I agree with Dave too... I'll probably pick some up sometime because i have a serious tool buying disorder. But If I'm not worried about REUSING a screw, who cares HOW it comes out?

 

PS... I knew someone was gonna give me some crap on that statement I made.... but I thought it was gonna be coming from Fitz, Rick, or Len