What are the next steps??

So i finally got my seca started. Not only that, i can ride her around. However, I can tell that there are many things still wrong with her. What would be the next steps that should be taken?
It would be great if somebody pointed out the most important things that should be done so that the bike doesn't break!.

 

Going is no good without being able to stop. Go through the brakes next, check everything. Pads, shoes, lines and linkage, look at them all. Rebuild and bleed the brakes.
While the brakes are apart look at the wheel bearings, steering head beadings, swingarm bearings, check and lube all moving joints.
Lights next, fix them all. Headlight, brake light, turn signals all ned to work.
Thats just the basics, but the important stuff.

 

Welll... Here's a basic list:

The best place to start is to get a set of manuals. I say "set" because the aftermarket book (Clymer for the 550s) has a lot of gaps that are covered by the factory book, but the factory book is sparse on details that are covered by the Clymer.

While you're waiting for the manuals to arrive, read the first six or so linked articles in here under "Cool Hand Luke:" http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

Best practice is to go through the "maintenance" section in the manual, procedure by procedure, skipping none and leaving nothing out. Along the way you will discover what needs to be cleaned, renewed, refurbished or outright replaced. If you DO ALL of it, the bike can and will be quite reliable afterward. My '83 550 has now rolled 6400+ miles on the odo since I put it back on the road, with nothing more than regular oil changes and a couple of chain adjustments.

You can use this as a checklist; many of these things you've probably already done, or are simple inspections. Others are more complex maintenance procedures, which is why you need a manual.

- check tires, condition, and date codes. Tubeless tires over about 6 years old should be replaced regardless of tread life remaining.

- inspect wheel rims for damage or excessive runout.

- check front brake pads.

- inspect disc brake calipers for damage, wear (thickness), or excessive warpage/runout.

- VISUALLY check rear brake shoes for wear/delamination; adjust rear brake pedal linkage. This is very important. Delamination is common, the only way to detect it is to SEE it. http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html

- replace rubber brake hoses (check the mfg date stamped in them).

- unless known to be otherwise, plan on rebuilding the brake master cylinder and caliper(s).

- check and adjust if needed, operation of front and rear brake light switches.

- check and lubricate/replace wheel bearings.

- inspect/lube/adjust/replace final drive chain and sprockets. Keep an eye on the chain. If it "bleeds red" when being lubed and won't hold adjustment, it's rusted internally and will need to be replaced. Always replace both sprockets with the chain.

- check and clean/replace the air filter element.

- change all fluids: fork oil, engine oil, and brake fluid.

- check and repair any engine or drivetrain/suspension fluid leaks.

NOTE: almost any original oil seal or engine case gasket will need to be replaced when its cover is removed for the first time.

- check and adjust/lubricate/replace steering head bearings.

- check and adjust/lubricate/control cables and speedometer and tachometer (if applicable) drive cables..

- check and adjust/replace rear shock absorbers.

- electrical system inspection, replace fusebox and most probably alternator brushes.

- check battery condition; replenish fluid (distilled water only!).

- clean the battery terminals.

- check all lights for proper operation and brightness (headlight, tail/brake light, turn signals, dash illumination).

- check horns for proper operation and loudness.

- check stator resistance.

- check rotor resistance.

- check battery.

- check coil primary, secondary, plug caps resistance.

- check and adjust camchain tensioner.

- check and adjust valve clearances; record your findings.

- check engine cylinder compression; record your findings.

- drain carbs, check for foreign matter in bowls, install in-line fuel filter.

- check function/operation of fuel petcock; correct any leaks and/or rebuild the petcock if indicated.

After all that (and having corrected anything that needed attention along the way,)

You'll have a safe, reliable ride.

 

Youve got alot of work ahead of ya im sure. I know i do.



This is what my bike looked like about a week ago.


I cleaned up the carbs and adjusted the chain and that was about it. Enough to get it run and go. Then i discovered a few problems. Like the stopping power was enough, but borderline scary, gas in the oil ETC.
So i parked it and started taking it apart to inspect and get EVERYTHING fixed.


*sigh* heres what it looks like at the moment





Somehow its been the most depressing, exciting, and frightening thing ive done in a while taking this thing apart. but its actually going pretty smoothly.



Like i said, youll probably have alot of work to do. So DIG IN!
Or as my buddy refered to it with the bike "Shit yer pants and dive in!"

 

When you're all done, it can look like this:



(After everything on the list and then some.)

 

Keep plugging.
May the Gods look-down upon you favorably.
May it be a joy and a labor of love.
Pretty soon you'll run-out of stuff to do, ...
Then, you just pimp!

 

Thats my plan for the winter. Pull the engine and clean, paint, and shine everything back up.

 

Since Rick brought up "going a bit overboard" this is the bike I'm currently riding:



(The white one's closer to stock.)

 

RickCo- What are you using to do the letters? I can't quite tell.
Fitz- I love it! I need to get mine all shined up and clean. Any tips or tricks?

 

Nail Polish.
From the SALE rack.

An old cotton T-shirt saves a whole lot of time.
Fill-in the letters.
Wrap your index finger tightly with T-shirt.
Moisten the fabric with Carb Cleaner.
Wipe the excess off the cover.

Change to clean T-shirt after every wipe.
It takes several coats.
Eventually, it gets "Level" and looks nice.

Then, you Buff ... and it looks great.

 

That's pretty epic. Any other tips/tricks for cleaning engine bits, etc.? Also, I totally didn't mean to hijack this thread!

 

Do a forum search on "polishing aluminum."

I used most of the techniques here, on a valve cover: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=22125.html

 

Ah! Thanks, Fitz!