82 Vision sitting 20 yrs! help

[rocco33]

I have come into possesion of an 82 Vision that has been sitting (not properly stored) for 20 yrs.  I would appreciate any advice for the proper steps to take in trying to get this bike running. Thanks

[h2olawyer]

rocco33 -

Congratulations on your recent acquisition!

The first thing(s) you need are the Haynes and/or Yamaha factory shop manuals.  Read as many of the past posts in this forum (including the archives) as time allows.  Also, thoroughly examine Lucky's fine website //www.xz550.com.

A partial list of the things you will probably need to do are:
clean carbs, new fork seals, POR fuel tank, clean all electrical connections, replace all fluids, new tires and starter nose seal replacement.  You may need to replace the stator, reg/rectifier, & starter clutch bolts but probably won't find out about those until you have it running.

This is quite a project but well worth the time, effort and money.  The folks on this forum are very happy to help and answer any questions you have.  

Good luck with your Vision.  It is a great bike that was way ahead of its time in the early 80s.  Well worth putting the time and effort into.

H2O

[Superfly]

Congratulations, and welcome.  Hopefully you have a good set of tools, and are a little mechanically inclined!  I would start with the carbs, clean the crap out of them (literally!!), get a battery, and then work on the ignition system (checking for spark, etc) after that, 2 of the 3 things you will need to crank an engine will be taken care of.

1. gas
2. spark
3. compression

Having re-built 2 engines, the compression does not seem to be too big of a problem in these bikes (don't get me started on the connection rod bearings...)

[Riche]

When mine was purchased it had been sitting about 15 years. The first thing I did was to remove the plugs, add a little oil to the cylinders and turn the engine by hand to besure there were no problems like hung valves. After that what H2O said is the way to go. Unfortunitly fo rme my discovery of this forum wasn't until months later.

[hfarley]

Riche, could you explain how to turn the engine by hand? I am bringing home a bike tonight and figure this might be a good step for me to try as well. Thanks!
-Heather

[supervision]

  pull it up in about 3rd or 4th gear and pull the rear wheel , the higher the gear the easier it turns

[EH]

That will work with the bike on the centerstand. Another way is put the transmission in neutral, remove the rectangular plate in the center of the left side engine cover, fit a socket on the now exposed bolt head and turn counter-clockwise.

[Lucky]

Heather, your getting another bike? (for Mr Heather?)  well, tell us the story! we won't mind if it's not as Vision, we're not prejudice...

[Riche]

Heather

At the point of purchase it was put on the center stand, in gear and gentley moved. Only to see if taking a chance on this non running machine. After pushing it home the cover EH describes (as best my memory is) was removed to allow movement witha wrench. Roughly an hour after it was home it fired up, dog food shot from the mufflers and I smiled. Two more times with the carbs apart it ran pretty good. Note here to anyone doing this: soak the carbs or send them to someone who will. It will save you a lot of time. With no manual at the time and no knowlege of part avaiablity I was very leary scraping stuck gaskets or soaking the carb bodies. All that was used was gumout spray and compressed air. It worked but took more time and effort than soaking. Oh and in the spring, bike was purchased in fall, the carbs came apart again along with flushing the tank + adding a filter. All my efforts have been worth it. This bike is a pleasure to ride.

[ozian]

Good on you Rocco
Make sure you check Leathers site as well as the others in Vision Tech       Ian  

[rocco33]

Thanks to all for your replies...First off let me say that I have basic mechanical skills so you will know where I'm at...Now for a little background on the bike...I pulled the fuel tank which has no rust and when I opened the petcock fuel ran out...Next I pulled the air cleaner which looks 75%...cleaned it with compressed air....next the plugs, which looked a little oil soaked...top of carbs looked very clean if that's of any note...bike is cleaning up wonderfully with just some minor rust on the underside of mufflers...wiring and hoses look excellent (there wasn't even any corrosion on battery connections)....that's where the situation is at present..... Question 1...  what's a good price to pay for a battery?...Question 2...what is the best thing to spray down the cylinder chambers?...Question 3...is oil filters readily available or am I looking for a cross referenced number? Question 4...The bolt that holds the ignition switch in place is missing...I was wondering if someone could help me size it?...finally I am very grateful to all who replied and I will try to keep you all posted on my progress... I hope that's not too many questions....Rocco

[h2olawyer]

Rocco -

Batteries can be found from about $25 to $50.  Wal-Mart (if you can stand to shop there) is at the lower end of prices.  You ought to get a Battery Tender Jr. or other battery minder.  They keep the battery charged, automatically cycling as the voltage in the battery drops.  Using one of these will keep even low cost batteries working for a long time.

Oil filters are readily available.  I prefer to go with Yamaha but Fram, EMGO, K&N and others make them.  Be aware that the Fram might not fit correctly so I would recommend staying away from them.  Also, if you go to Yamaha to get your filter, get a new O-ring for the cover at the same time.

As for what to spray in the cylinders & the bolt size, I'll have to let others handle those questions.

Sounds like you are making good progress on your V.  Keep it up & have fun learning about it.  You'll really enjoy it when the time comes to get it on the road again!

H2O

[supervision]

    those bolts are 6mm  about 1 inch or so long. takes 2   lock tight, their prone to loosening. Dave   Marvel mystry oil in the cly.

[QBS]

Just to reinforce the battery recommdation:  Get the cheapest battery you can find.  That will probably be Walmart.  Get a Battery Tender Jr.  This the specific name of a specific product.  Cost: $19.00-$30.00 depending on vender.  After acidizing the new battery place it on an automatic decreasing amperage battery charger for 24 hours.  Then disconnect the battery from the charger and refill battery with distilled water to proper level as nessessry.  Install battery in bike.  Install Battery Tender Jr. wiring harness on bike.  Plug BTJ into 120 V outlet.  Connect BTJ to BTJ wiring harness on bike.

Leave the BTJ connected to the bike all the time the bike is not on the road.  A BTJ can safely be left connected to a battery for literaly years at a time with no harm done to either to itself or the battery it's connected to.  The battery will not be boiled dry or overcharged.  But,.....it will be hot and ready to whenever needed.

Using a BTJ as described above can extend the life of even the cheapest battery to at least 3 years and possibly 5 years.  The only maintenance required is to check the battery fluid level every 2 months if the bike is riden quite often, especially in hot weather.  Otherwise, check it every six months.

This a sure fire way to lower your operating costs and increase the reliability of your V.  Cheers.

[Lucky]

a note on the lock switch bolts, get them in hex head, those suckers are a pain to get to, using a hex will make your life a whole lot easier.  personally i'd coat them with never-seize, not locktite....

--Lucky

[hfarley]

Thanks for the info everyone! Now I know how to check this out.

Lucky: No the bike is not for Mr. Heather, LOL! He doesn't want to ride. I sent you an email about the bike and will post about it at a later date here on the forum. But yes, it is another Vision. I have been bitten by the bug, sort-of. :D

Good luck Rocco and lert us know how it is comning along!
-Heather and her Twins (the 2 visions LOL!)

[redxz550inoz]

look out heather. Once bitten...
I've been slowly accumulating spares for a number of years now - up to 3 bikes and a motor. Haven't managed to get a breeding pair yet tho  8)

[rocco33]

well i got a battery from wal-mart (H20lawyer) for $32.00 and threw it in and.....nothin...i noticed the fuses had some light green corrosion on them and sanded the ends with fine sandpaper and .....sure enough! everything but the brake light....after fooling around with the brake light switch for a while i got it to work....so everything is good in that dept....next i pulled the plugs and squirted some mystery oil in the chambers and hand turned in 4th gear as (instructed by riche and supervision)......yep!....she turns free....my work as an over the road truck driver at this point pulled me off the project but I'm off to a good start....in the meantime i will get the battery tender (QBS) and the hex head 6mm's (supervision and lucky) and new plugs and drain oil and change filter when i get a chance...it looks llike this is going to go as far as the carbs...(i don't think i want to mess with them, so i probably will remove them and take them to a shop to get done)....i was wondering what to flush the fuel tank with and if there is anything i can do to the carbs while they're still bolted on to see if it would start....if i should get it running then i will proceed to flush the cooling system and refill.....thanks to all and i will keep you posted.

[ProfessorRex]

A shop is going to CHARGE YOU BIGTIME to clean a 23yr old set of carbs off an obscure bike.  I know there's at least one or two people on this board that will clean and rebuild them for a modest fee.

Honestly though, it's not as hard as it looks.  I had never touched a set of carbs prior to the vision, and I was able to fix mine with no problems.  Start with a clean table, take your time, take digital pictures it you have a digi cam, and don't be afraid to stop and post on the board for help, many of us can walk you through the entire process in our heads (I've done mine twice already)

-Rex

[QBS]

Don't even think about touching the carbs without a Haynes manual.  Regarding what to run through them to get the bike running:  If they were not in unknown condition, and considered to be only a little gummed up, I would consider going to the trouble of messing with carb cleaner.  However, in your situation, I would unquestionably send them to Rick Greville here on the forum.  Years of experiance, fairness and honesty are much too valuable a resource to not be used.  It will save you time and frustration.

Be carefull,  after riding your new V for a while you may find that your Connie isn't as much fun as it used to be.  Cheers.