82 Project (82 to 83 Carbs)

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

Hello all, new to the forum and new to motorcycles - but not automobiles.

I purchased a 1982 Yamaha Vision as well as a "parts bike" 1983 Yamaha Vision.  Both bikes were in non-running form when purchased, the parts bike has some "custom" fork work done with parts from who-knows-what.  At this moment in time, all Yamaha Vision parts have been stripped from the frame and store neatly in my garage in order to support the 1982 project.  Unless someone DESPERATELY wants the frame, it is going to scrap ASAP.  All other parts will be kept or sold - I welcome all inquiries regarding sales of parts but please bear with me, I don't have motorcycle terminology down quite yet.

The 1982.
Carbs are off, I believe I have identified the original carbs as "late year" carbs as they do in fact have a stop screw AND the airbox has a vacuum actuated flapper.  If I recall, both of these are indications of "late year".  The carbs were removed due to rideability issues and cleans with a sonic cleaner - the 83 carbs were cleaned simultaneously however rideability of the 83 carbs is unknown.  From my reading, the 83 carbs are "better" due to some issues that were resolved in the year change.  The 82 carbs are supposedly missing some "sealing washers" and have had past jetting issues.

What will it take / is it worth it to attempt to swap the 83 carbs on?  I have heard rumors of needing a certain "plate" from the 83 bike - I assume I have this since I have stripped the 83 down to the frame.

Carbs are the primary issue - tuning will be next.  Furthermore, the gas tank (which is in great shape) needs to be cleaned, sterilized, and sealed.  It needs a battery, wiring for the headlight, new front turn signals, and replacement controls.  I am a wiring "guy" so that part doesn't scare me in the least, nor does the gas tank or the battery however the carb tuning and swap as well as the controls may pose issues.

My goal for this bike is to get it running and ride it!  I have enough projects that sit and collect dust.  I won't hold back because I want to restore it to original 1982 condition, i have no problem sourcing parts from other bikes, automobiles, whatever.  This bike will be cheap, and it will run and drive - maybe not perfectly - but that's the goal.  I welcome any and all support, pictures will be attached in mass.

- Mike

A bit more to my introduction...
I am a recent graduate with a bachelors degree in Automotive Engineering Technologies, working full time in Mankato, MN for a company that produces large generators.  I am working towards my Masters Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technologies.  I have many other projects including:

1974 International Scout II (Fun driver, my first vehicle)
1984 Chevy K30 (Tow / Haul / Rescue Vehicle)
1992 Ford Ranger (Work-in-Progress, Pre-Runner)
2006 Subaru Impreza WRX (Daily Driver)

I like long walks on the beach, gazing at the stars, and wine with dinner  :P  I love all things electricity and have no fear of rebuilding whole wiring harness (as I have done for two of the projects above).  I have never ridden a motorcycle before (other than one time on a motorcycle dyno for a class) and expect to do horrible awful things to this bike while learning.  For those that say "Oh no!  Don't ruin this piece of history!"  Bugger off.  It's a bike, I am going to ride it because that is what it is meant for.  No, I will not THRASH or purposely mistreat this piece of machinery, but my goal is to ENJOY riding this bike.  By the way, I mentioned that I live in Minnesota - I will be working on this bike throughout winter with a goal to have it in shape by next spring.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

What I believe to be the "late model" 82 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 1.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

What I believe to be the "late model" 82 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 2.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

What I believe to be the 83 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 1.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

What I believe to be the 83 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 2.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

The 82 as she currently sits.  Previous owner did the "round headlight conversion".  I like the look so it is staying.  I won't be keeping the... front... uh... body stuff.. fairing (not seen in the picture below)  It's in great shape if anyone wants it.  He also removed the turn signals which is fine by me, they scream of the 80s - I will be replacing them (and the rears) with something LED and slim.

Also, the orange is going away.  I am seeing this bike as flat black... everything.  Maybe even throw in some truck bed liner on areas that see constant rubbing but we'll see how it goes.  That big dumb gauge cluster has to go away, I haven't come up with a plan, as getting the bike running is the first priority.  Anyone have any suggestions for ditching the stock cluster - or maybe hiding it a bit better?

[Rikugun]

Welcome to the site! With no riding or bike experience you're learning curve will be a bit steeper than some but achievable. I'd recommend riding courses and lots of reading on the subject. It sounds like your attitude is genuine and I don't think anyone is going to fault you for learning and making mistakes along the way.    :D


Just out of curiosity, do you recall what bike was on the dyno and what the HP was?
Here's a pic of a family "woods" Scout we had back in the 80's - it had half a V8 under the hood.....

  Oh, and my vote is to use the '82 carbs.   ;)

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

Welcome to the site! With no riding or bike experience you're learning curve will be a bit steeper than some but achievable. I'd recommend riding courses and lots of reading on the subject. It sounds like your attitude is genuine and I don't think anyone is going to fault you for learning and making mistakes along the way.    :D


Just out of curiosity, do you recall what bike was on the dyno and what the HP was?
Here's a pic of a family "woods" Scout we had back in the 80's - it had half a V8 under the hood.....

  Oh, and my vote is to use the '82 carbs.   ;)

Good lookin' Scout there.  I have no fear of the learning curve - I am anxious and excited to learn!  Neither of these bikes were on the dyno, it was an ethanol powered prototype bike developed by Minnesota State University, Mankato.  No clue on the horsepower - I was too busy trying to figure out how the bike worked.

[Rick G]

You should talk to Yellow jacket , he has installed a space age instrument cluster.
You have identified the cabs correctly.  The forks are OEM  (stock)

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

You should talk to Yellow jacket , he has installed a space age instrument cluster.
You have identified the cabs correctly.  The forks are OEM  (stock)

Thanks for the suggestion and the confirmation.  Which forks did you mean?  The forks on the stripped bike (83), as far as I know, are not stock - however the forks on the bike with the orange fender (82) are stock.

Anyone have any insight regarding swapping the 83 carbs onto the 82?

[QBS]

FYI, the V fairing is one of the best factory sport touring fairings ever sold.  Second only to the BMW 100rs.  Riding behind a fairing is a completley different experiance from riding the same bike "naked"(the bike, not you).  Much less stressful and comfortable, unless one enjoys hanging on for deal life while facing a 70 mph wind.  1100 mile, 17 hour days are doable on a stock '83, I've done it.  I would never have cosidered it on a stock '82.

Get the Haynes manual.  Take one (two is better) rider courses.  Subcribe to Cycle World Magazine and (I'm really serious) find and read any and everything their Tech Guru, Kevin Cameron has ever written.   He is the best.

You have chosen an excellent bike to begin on.  It has enough power to keep you interested for many years.  My '83 was aquired in '84.  I speak from 56 years and 300k+ miles experiance on motorcycles.  heers.

[Big_Yellow_Tank]

FYI, the V fairing is one of the best factory sport touring fairings ever sold.  Second only to the BMW 100rs.  Riding behind a fairing is a completley different experiance from riding the same bike "naked"(the bike, not you).  Much less stressful and comfortable, unless one enjoys hanging on for deal life while facing a 70 mph wind.  1100 mile, 17 hour days are doable on a stock '83, I've done it.  I would never have cosidered it on a stock '82.

I am looking for something for my daily commute (4-5 miles total per day).  If i am going to drive across the country, I'll take my Subaru.  I do appreciate the opinion though.

Get the Haynes manual.  Take one (two is better) rider courses.  Subcribe to Cycle World Magazine and (I'm really serious) find and read any and everything their Tech Guru, Kevin Cameron has ever written.   He is the best.

I have the Haynes manual, seems to be decent.

You have chosen an excellent bike to begin on.  It has enough power to keep you interested for many years.  My '83 was aquired in '84.  I speak from 56 years and 300k+ miles experiance on motorcycles.  heers.

[Rick G]

 The forks and front wheel on the parts bike are not from a Vision. Off hand I don't recognise them.

[fret not]

Looks like mid 70s Suzuki wheel.

[Rick G]

I would use the '82 carbs. Repair parts for the '83's are generally  non existant. The '82's are just fine . Yamaha was beating a dead horse, when it changed the design.
I rebuild vision carbs , in fact I have a set of '83's  here now . I usually won't touch  them,I  have zero parts for them. The rear carb has a frozen  pilot jet, I'm experimenting with drilling most of the jet out and re-threading the body. The owner has agreed to the experiment , but in the end he may need to use his '82's.

[Jimustanguitar]

Vision forks all have an offset axle to change the "trail" geometry of the bike. Look at the knuckle at the bottom of the fork tubes and you'll see the difference. '83 forks have dual discs too.

I've not seen (or looked for) an all inclusive list of the '82 '83 differences, but in addition to the forks you should find that the bar height is different as well as the pegs and some of the rear controls (I think the brake lever at least). The rear shock is different between the years too, like most things, the 83 is superior.

I like the round headlight conversion too, I'd keep it. I'm going to do that to mine this winter. I'd like to do the '83 pegs, forks, shock and brakes conversion too, but we'll see how much time and money I have. I'm also trying to fix up my house and sell it, so bike work might not be the priority.

If you're used to a standard transmission, you'll be fine learning to ride. Spend a week just cruising the neighborhood (lots of starting and stopping) and it will start to feel natural. Try to brake 60/40, be careful if there's any chance of sand or gravel, and don't psych yourself out about counter steering, and you'll be fine. Motorcycling is a man/machine union that feels really natural and is quite rewarding. Riding courses are highly recommended. I've not taken one myself (other than the license test) but I'd like to if I have more time someday.

Welcome to the group!

[Jimustanguitar]

It's also well worth your time to adjust all of the controls for your body. The clutch, brakes, shifter, shock, and handlebars are all adjustable. Do that while you're out cruising the neighborhood, it takes lots of little tweaks to get things just right.

[Rick G]

For  me the  adjustability of the bars is a joke. Its too high,too low and this ain't no good either!   This was one of the  neat quirks on this bike that sucked. The bars are too narrow as well. I modified a crown using bar mounts/risers from an old honda mini trail  and  1/2 inch aluminum stock. Now I can use what ever bars suit me.I made three differant versions of this , two went to Yellow jacket and one of those may have ended up with Lucky.I have the materials for one more , but the cost of welding is substantial , to finish it,

[Tiger]

What I believe to be the "late model" 82 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 1.

Hi and welcome to the ROV... 8)

Vision's hate sitting around and love to be ridden hard...so go at her!!!

Picture one & two are '83 carbs... ;)

Well cleaned and sync'd '82 carbs work just fine on a Vision. However, make sure you put an in-line gas filter between the carbs and the petcock to save you having 'junk in the carbs' problems in the future. Sell the '83 carbs to someone who needs parts...or a headache ;D :D :D

Be aware: The Vision full fairing is worth decent money...as are most Vision parts. Do not be to quick at selling/giving parts away before your fully up and running!!!

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

[Tiger]

What I believe to be the 83 carbs (please correct me if I am wrong).

Picture 1.

Picture one and two are '82 carbs, not '83... ;)

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