Pardon the Newbie Smell/Love the Forum

[Back_in_the_Saddle]

Hi all. After a 20 year hiatus from bikes, i've reentered with a bike older than my first(that was an RZ350). Yesterday I picked up an 82 Vision with 28k. Been sitting for 5 years in storage. I have spent 4 hours now reading this forum and Lucky's site. Thank you all, and Lucky, for the amazing resources.I look forward to more great reading. The bike doesn't start currently. I anticipate draining and refilling, replacing hoses, the stator fix, and a carb cleaning. I need to find some rear pegs which I'm sure is easily done. The one thing that makes me nervous, is the small rip on the seat. Its about 2" long, and I'm sure will grow with my behind sitting on it. Suggestions for a fix are appreciated. Help!OH! should I be able to lift the seat simply by releasing the single lever on the left side? Or is there another lever. Thanks again, I look forward to having my Vision corrected and getting back in the saddle.

P.S. Lucky if you are out there, I appreciate the chance to see the on line manuals.

[QBS]

Your seat tear is the least of your concerns.  At 28K miles, if it hasn't already been done, your starter clutch is without a doubt very ready for reattachment.  That is prbably the reason it was parked.  Before I even tried to start this bike I would pull off the stator cover and investigate the starter clutch and the visual condition of the stator.  Be prepared to repair them both.  Welcome back to the fold.  You chose a really fun bike to play with.  Cheers.

[h2olawyer]

Howdy, Saddle!

If you mean to open the seat, there's both the keylock and a small lever rearward of that.  To remove the seat entirely, there are two hinge pins on the opposite side from the keylock.  Pins remove easily - just a couple spring pins & the hinge pins pull right out.  Like QBS said - the seat rip is no big deal.  You can get a good looking cover from JC Whitney for about $45.  Look around on the net for travelcade seat covers.  I put one on mine last summer (thanks again Rick_G)& it both looks & performs excellent.

[rick_nowak]

seats available on eBay all the time.  $20 or so plus shipping.  Discover why it was parked in the first place.  Fix.  on your way!

[Dave T.]

Turn the key and push back the SINGLE lever while turning the key.

As far as seat covers go, you can remove the seat, pull all the staples and buy a good staple gun. Maybe you already have one. Then go to a fabrics store, like Joanns, maybe your wife will get it for you...  ;) and buy the vinyl of your liking. I bought some flat black. Get a square yard or two. All you have to do is keep it fairly tight and go all the way around into the plastic. This is what I did and it works great. Cost $7 for the fabric and $9 for the staple gun.

[Back_in_the_Saddle]

Thanks for the quick replies. That fabric store option sounds like a chance to customize. Maybe tiger stripped, just kidding. In the middle of an awesome saturday, bike is apart, and I am sweating and smell like gas. I LOVE IT! Carb looks good, even shiny. Air filter fell apart, goin to pick up another. Got some oil, drain pan, radiator flush. Gonna pop the fuel filter and get that as well. At some point, the stator. Glad to be back and smellin like fuel!

[nvdranger]

Welcome.  This is a great group of guys (and gals) that know what their talkin about.  There are several of us "newbies" (including me) to this bike, so dont get fed up and get rid of it.  If you haven't done the coolant flush yet, make sure to put a big peice of carboard or something under it.  Found out the hard way, I hate those stupid plugs on the cylinders.

Ken

[QBS]

Do a search on this Forum for replacement air filters.  Yama filters are too expensive and unnessessary.  It is easily possible to convert a $5.00 auto filter to a V application.  RobTex was the originator of the concept.  Cheers.

[kiawrench]

tiger stripes???? on a vision???????    
   maybe some fuzy dice too?  
  really,, you can cover your seat at home for change found under cushions, the cover is bst bought from a marine or auto trim shop,,, less than 10.00  per yard of ANY color or design .  
   pull old cover and every staple in the rim,,, the put new cover face down on a table or other suitable surface, ,start staples at the nose of seat,put in 6 or 8 acroos th enose, then pull as tight as you can,,, staple 8 or ten in rear of seat . then is just a matter of pulling hard, stapling fast to do the sides.

    unless you custom cut the seat foam, add or subtract from the rear of the seat,, then it gets complicated .

[h2olawyer]

I think zebra stripes might look better. ?Or try some of that fashionable dairy cow print. :D

The stapling is the most difficult part.  I needed four hands to do it right, but managed to get it done, wrinkle free, with just two & a lot of the right words!

[GA_Wolf]

I did the car filter conversion...works just fine...used hi temp rtv red to glue the filter to base...also check the foam seal on the bottom..my had started to granulate...stripped it all off and made a level bead in the channel it was in let it set up and it works fine!