Great Pumpkin Progress

[h2olawyer]

Well, the Pumpkin Project continues.  This evening, I got it running & idling fantastic.  Still need to synch the carbs, though.

So Far:
Swapped forks with parts bike
Swapped wheels with parts bike
Mounted used Cheng Shins
Replaced headlight bucket
Repainted upper triple tree / risers
Swapped idiot lights with parts bike
Swapped RF turn signal with parts bike
Swapped speedo / tach with parts bike (speedo still not functioning)
Installed master cylinder, hose & caliper that were on V1 (before going dual)
Replaced clutch perch, lever & left switch pod
Cleaned & rebuilt carbs (dot dipped)
Fixed YICS
New battery
Put plastics from parts bike on pumpkin
Swapped front fender with parts bike
New hoses, tubing, etc.
Swapped valve covers - front to rear & rear to front (installed incorrectly when I got it)
Put tail box & underseat tray from parts bike on
Put rear seat latch from parts bike on
Made temporary clevis pin for seat hinge & installed
Installed radiator cover from parts bike

To do:
Steering head bearings
Exhaust replacement
Replace right case cover
Install case guards
Change oil
Change rear drive lube
Speedbleeder & rebleed brake
Check torque on all fasteners
Repair speedo (have new cable guts from NAPA)
Cosmetic restoration

Took it for a short ride in my cul-de-sac.  Runs strong!  Still needs carb synch. (4 - 5K stumble but minor)  All electrics work.  Insurance & registration this week!  Then the road tests.   ;D

H₂O

[VisionMeister]

with a name like the Great Pumpkin we must have pictures.
I take it that it's Orange. Faux KTM?

[h2olawyer]

Actually, it's more of the old Denver Bronco orange.  At least for now.

Here's a photo I posted earlier from my trip home after purchasing the bike.  Location is the top of Vail Pass.

Will take & post more photos in the next few days to show the changes.

H₂O

[h2olawyer]

Minor stuff tonight.  Lubed all cables, swapped case guards, removed MACs from donorbike & reshaped all the connections so they are round again.  Will spend some time tomorrow sanding the exhaust & prepping it for a coat of hi-temp paint.  Will also do more polishing on the right case cover.  Will be a good time to do the fuse block replacement, too.

Still undecided if I'm going to use the MACs or find a better set of OEM mufflers.  Guess it depends on how much time & $$ I want to spend.  Will likely put the MACs on for now, though.

Since we're going to have some snow on the ground for the next few days, it looks like next week will be registration & insurance - then ROAD TEST!!!

First week of May will begin the cosmetic restoration - specifically, paint frame, swingarm & bodywork.  Still undecided on what color I'll go with.  Frame & swingarm will be stock original colors but the bodywork may be Yamaha Brilliant Red, BMW Alpine White or a truly off the wall idea I had since I bought the parts bike from Professor Rex last Summer.

H₂O

[kwells]

lol....go with door number 3

[inanecathode]

Grumble grumble, garages, grumble grumble, weather.

[kwells]

winter storm warning cancelled...will be in the 50s sat

[h2olawyer]

Photos of current pumpkin project.

H₂O

[Night Vision]

I'm liking it just like that... get it on the road....ride it without worries... "restore" the silver one  ;)

[h2olawyer]

Silver one doesn't need much.  I have an 83 tank & hoping to win the 83 carbs currently on eBay.  Also have the 83 speedo / tach on hand.  Just need the right rider peg & brake pedal - then the silver one will be entirely upgraded to 83 specs.  (Except for the minor engine internals)  It runs great now & has a used but strong OEM stator installed.  Will repaint fairing when I do the 83 tank swap - hopefully sometime later this Summer.  It has only 11,900 miles on it so far & I've put all but 6 of those on it.  Could use a valve clearance check as well.

I'm not a fan of riding vehicles in "urban camoflauge" and will be painting the pumpkin project next month.  Still need to repair or swap the exhaust & figure out why two of my spare 82 speedos don't work.  One spins at the same speed as the cable, the other is jammed.  Then it will get some good road testing & go through the MSF advanced rider course.  Anything that may break if I should drop it isn't as big a problem as the silver one.  I have plenty of replacement parts for 82 stuff.  Pumpkin will be kept around until late June, when it will get listed on Craigslist.  I have a price I'll want to get & if nobody makes the right offer, I'll just keep it until next Spring & try again.

Next project may be a Turbo Seca - or if I feel a little richer, maybe an FJ1100 - 1200, a V-Max, or even a Venture.  Kind of want a bit larger bike to do some longer distance touring in the next few years.  The V-Max doesn't really fit that bill, but would sure be a fun ride.

H₂O

[ProfessorRex]

Hey I recognize some of those parts!  Remember all parts from my old vision are blessed by Elfen Magic and add at least 0.000000000023hp each.

The pumpkin is looking good!!!

[zore]

Noticing you want a little bit larger bike.   Have you looked at an older triumph sprint st?  It's got that wonderfull I3 and doesn't really weigh that much more than the vision.  I had one for 2 years and put 42,000 miles on it.  Had it not been for this silly need to have a real sport bike, I'd have easily bought another one.  Probably the best all around bike I've ever owned.

[h2olawyer]

The pumpkin is now insured.  Am going to get the plates Friday.  Then I can road test it!  Will be synchronizing the carbs tonight and maybe futzing with the speedo a bit more.  Seems to read slow by quite a bit, but can't really test that until I can get out & do 30+ MPH.  It was frozen solid so I sprayed it liberally with WD-40 and things started to turn.  Dried it all off and greased some of the moving parts.  Stuffed some grease up into the cable interface as well.  May just need some time getting spun at this point.

Should be fun riding a naked Vision again.  It has no chance of displacing my Silver one as a favorite but will be a nice change at times.  Will also be great for taking the advanced MSF course.  Can drop it without worrying about breaking fairing or any other parts I don't have a replacement for.  I'm hoping the Elf Magic in the parts can also help me to learn to ride the turns a little faster.   ;D

I'm not at all sure what I'll get when I sell it either later this Summer or next Spring.  It may be a motorcycle or it could be a sports car or even a tractor.  Whatever it is, it will be a fun restoration project.  The Triumph Sprint sounds like a possibility, but more likely a TR-3 (like my dad had in the early 60s) or a Spitfire if I go British.

H₂O

[h2olawyer]

Great Pumpkin Rides Again!

Took a 10 mile shakedown ride this afternoon, after getting the title changed & registration / plates for it.  Insured it yesterday.

The ride was uneventful - thankfully.   ;D  A couple discoveries - it needs the steering bearings either serviced / tightened or replaced.  Felt like a little headshake when riding one handed & in bumpy corners.  Will try maintenance on them Saturday.  If that proves unsuccessful, I'll order a set of tapered rollers.  It also has more power down low than my Silver bike.  Don't need to feather the clutch nearly as much.  Upper RPMs seem very similar.  Hope the rebuilt 83 carbs give the silver one a bit more oomph!

Speedo does read a bit low.  Not sure how much, but in 40 MPH speed zones (where traffic generally goes 45), it was registering between 30 & 35 MPH.  Need to make notes on the Silver bike so I know what RPMS are at various speeds.  That speedo is really accurate.

Now I understand what Lucky meant when he felt the difference between the full faired version & a (mostly) naked one.  Pumpkin has no fairing of any kind so it's quite a change from the full fairing.  Lots more wind - but less rumble.  Also seemed easier to get leaned over without the additional "bulk" of the fairing.  Got it onto the chicken strips I never made it to when the tires were on the silver V.  At least an additional 1/3 inch over, front & rear.  Now, only about 1/4 inch of untouched tread remains on the tires.  With the steering tightened up, I should be able to eliminate the strips entirely.   8)

Ride On!

H₂O

[Tiger]

8) Well done h...another one brought back to life... 8) Congratulation's 8) 8) 8)

                            8).......TIGER....... 8)

[h2olawyer]

I didn't have that problem - but I haven't clicked on it again.  Running IE7 with full Norton protections.  Also running very selective cookie settings.

I finally got the other exhaust seal.  I'm installing the refurbished MACs this evening.  Also using some muffler & exhaust paste that says to allow overnight to completely dry before starting it.  The MAC system fits pretty loose at all joints & will not likely seal well with just the clamps.  There's also a small hole right at the joint between the rear Y pipe & the MAC pipe.  This stuff is supposed to seal things like that well.

After I get the exhaust installed, I have to check into the steering bearings.  Just feels real loose when riding - not like my Silver V did after spending so much time under the stress of tie-downs.  That caused a detent @ center.  No such detent on Pumpkin.  May get by with maintaining the ball bearings for now so I can use the $$ for a POR kit for the 83 fuel system project.

H₂O

[inanecathode]

DON'T CLICK THAT LINK!!!
It'll hijack your browser (IE7 anyway)

Why?
Does it really?

[kwells]

I removed the link...didnt hijack mine but I am using firefox

[Tiger]

.......I have to check into the steering bearings.  H₂O

h...These are the guys I use for head bearing's;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-XZ550-1982-1983-Steering-Stem-Bearings-Kit_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35591QQihZ001QQitemZ110111470569QQrdZ1

...and fork seal's,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-XZ550-R-Vision-XZ-550-1982-1983-Fork-Seals_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35592QQihZ001QQitemZ110111459518QQrdZ1

...and wheel bearing's,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-XZ550-1982-to-1986-Front-Wheel-Bearings-Kit_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35601QQihZ001QQitemZ110111454544QQrdZ1

etc. They are good to deal with... 8)

                        8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Lucky]

I have an extra seal those guys don't supply if you need it.

--Lucky