Erradic Idle

[Minitor911]

They also refuse to install those parts that you guys linked me to on ebay. So I'm S*** out of luck.
Goodbye Vision.

[kwells]

they will do that on any bike if you dont buy the parts from them...They want their $85/hr shop time plus the 45% markup on parts...

find an independent bike mechanic and inquiry about you bringing the parts...he will probably welcome the idea since he'd have no way of tracking down most vision parts anyway.

[Night Vision]

They also refuse to install those parts that you guys linked me to on ebay. So I'm S*** out of luck.
Goodbye Vision.

FYI - DIY

not for nuthin... but you got a mint 4k mile Vision that needs $65.00 in parts and you're throwing in the towel? what's going to happen when your stator goes out?

these aren't space ships were working on here.

with the forum's help........ YOU CAN DO IT Bobby Boo-Shay

[Minitor911]

I'm not REALLY throwing in the towel, just a little bummed out. I just don't see where these guys get off. $865.00!!?? A guy on my Fire Dept. owns a custom chopper shop, I'm going to see if he is willing to work on it. It's just a matter of me knowing I don't have the ability to do it myself, and needing to find someone who's willing to do it.
The excuse at the shop was that they could be held liable if the non-OEM parts I buy leak, and the bike catches fire...
Does anyone have any experience with those rebuild kits?

[thekid]

Hey,man. keep your chin up. you cant be riding a (quirky) 25 year old bike and expect these things not to happen from time to time. if everyone did that, this forum wouldn't be here, and you would NEVER see a running vision in your life.
   A little work, a little patience, a little $$, and a lot of love for the bike will make everything ok.  Oh yeah, and a Haynes manual too! ;) Good Luck.

[Brian Moffet]

Does anyone have any experience with those rebuild kits?

On this forum, I think the question is more like who doesn't have experience with those kits.  I know I have just got through rebuilding my 1983 carbs with the kits, and as long as you remember which order things went out, there should be no problems.  Having said that, I did not remove my needle adjustment.  Whether that comes back to bite me, I'm not sure.  

These kits have pretty much become one of the major tools/pieces to bring a dead vision back to life.  They seem to be good quality (though oddly enough they didn't come with the main air jet I needed, I had to order those.  I wonder if whoever rebuilt my carbs way back when set them up differently.)

Brian

[h2olawyer]

I agree - if you absolutely can't do it yourself, find an independent mechanic.  There's one here in Ft. collins - excellent reputation and about 30 - 50% of dealer cost for most maintenance.  He's been working on bikes since the 60s.  Has certifications from several manufacturers to perform scheduled maintenance & he even knew what a Vision & the GTS were!  If I didn't do all my own work, he'd have my business in a heartbeat.

Sometimes, these guys are a little difficult to find.  The one in Ft. Collins does not advertise & doesn't even have a listing in the phonebook.  Says he's got more work than time already.  The way I discovered him was driving by and saw his small sign next to his driveway.  Word of mouth can often find one of these great resources as well.

Dealers are trying to sell new bikes - or at the very least, the used models they may have.  Thus, they charge tons of cash for working on older bikes, in the hopes the customer will decide the current bike is just not worth it & buy something new.  I'm amazed the dealer there even consented to work on it at any price.  More folks are willing to spend the dealer shop rates on a bike they recently paid 6 or 7 thousand dollars on.  Then, an $800 repair bill doesn't seem so bad.

Don't give up on such a great initial starting point.  Many Visions here came back from much worse condition than yours!  Plus, some of the people who did them started with very little mechanical experience.

Vision ownership can be a series of highs & lows.  Soon, however, you will have a great running, fun, reliable bike that doesn't have carbon copies everywhere you look.

H₂O

[YellowJacket!]

Lots of us have used the CSI rebuild kits (Cirrus consolidated on ebay).  The quality is excellent and they are pretty quick and reasonable with shipping.  The job is not that difficult to do, but f you feel uncomfortable doing it and can do without your carbs for  a week or so, Lucky has rebuilt many.  His fee is A LOT less than what the dealer is telling you they charge.

When dealers sell motorcycles, the margins can sometimes be slim.  They make up the difference by jacking up shop prices because they know that many of the people that buy bikes from them either have to or will come back for service.

The Vision is a great bike.  It requires a bit of TLC and some "wrenching" to keep it running but it rewards you with a wonderful ride.

Up until I got my Vision, I had never worked on a bike before...except my little dirt bike but that was 30 years ago.  I too didn't know what I was getting myself into when I got it and went through my periods of frustration as well.  So far, there has been nothing that I couldn't fix without the help of the guys..and a few gals here.  I think having the opportunity to work on your own bike helps you learn it better and helps if you get stuck somewhere and need to fix it. Just ask Mutt about his now famous "starter rock".

If you haven't already done so, get a copy of the Haynes Manual.  Its an indespensible tool...You'll need it.  Better yet, get in touch with Lucky about his CD (I think he has DVD's now too).  Its PACKED full of info to help you with your bike and it's nominal fee is money well spent on your bike.

Hang in there!

David

[Minitor911]

Alright, thanks fellas. I'll buy the bebuild kit/s and see where I get from there.

[inanecathode]

Honestly sounds like they're severely pressuring you into expensive situations with no regard to your wallet/sanity/health. That "Oh well... if its not oem, it'll leak and catch on fire!" was a spiel I've been told to use on people before when i worked sales.

[YellowJacket!]

Yeah, its like that with everything we love.  My dog had an ear infection....a bad one...his ear really stunk.  Anyway I took him to the vet and 2 nitro's and 4 aspirin (all for me) later after hearing that my bill was $500.00, I left with him.  He's on 3 weeks of antibiotics which cost $150.00, ear drops...another $50.00.
Yup, people make a killing off of the things we love.
Funny thing is, the antibiotics are the exact same thing us humans take.  Ceftin 250mg and 500mg.  Looks like next time, its a trip to the human doctors office (where my wife works) to hit them up for some free samples.

David

[The Prophet of Doom]

I thought I had fixed my missing cylinder problem by putting spitfire in the tank, but it was a sad delusion.  Today I lost a cylinder briefly while on a hard lean and very narrowly avoided putting Doris straight into a power pole at 120km/h.  She's not going anywhere without some serious TLC.

The local bike shop won't touch her - they only like the young pretty ones so it's time for me to start wenching, and I'm a virgin.  I guess I had to get deflowered some time.  I'm going to rebuild the carbs and replace spark plugs and see how it goes.  My DVD should arrive from Lucky any day now, but I have a couple of Qs

1.  I have an XZ400.  How do I tell which model rebuild kit I need?

2.  What special tools do I need for the carbs other than 2 x rebuild kits (ebay) and new hoses?  Do I need vacuum gauges (http://www.carbtune.com/carbdtls.html) or a colortune kit or can this be done without?

3.  Where can I get disk pads? Should I get the disks skimmed? they are a little rusty, but not too bad

4.  Is there anything else I should do while I am at it?

[Minitor911]

Here's a question: Do I want to buy the 2 carb rebuild kits for 65.00, or would it be easier to buy an entirely new set of "CLEAN" carbs??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-Vision-carburators-good-condition-and-clean_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35597QQihZ009QQitemZ190009627150QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

[Night Vision]

M...911

those 10-20 barn year old carbs will need "rebuilding" also...

when I say "rebuild" .... think of it more as a thorough disassembly /tear down and cleaning... and putting it back together with new parts.

I've rebuilt two sets of carbs (with no previous carb experience) and got away with only a "good cleaning" on my brother's carbs.. truth be told... he needs to "rebuild" his... we had a hard time waking her up this spring..

you could probably take them apart... clean as best you can... and skip the carb kits..... but you'll regret not doing a complete job.

jmho

[YellowJacket!]

Just because the seller says they are clean doesn't mean they are CLEAN.  Clean is relative.  I can take a brush and clean the outside of my spare carbs and make it look brand new when the inside (which is what is so important) looks like a melted bag of gummy worms.
While buying a set of clean carbs is tempting...and I was tempted (thanks for the link :o  ) cleaning the carbs you have is important.  Now, the question is, are your carbs in good shape?

David

[Minitor911]

Ok, thanks. I think it will be cheaper and easier in the long run, just to clean and rebuild the ones I have. I starting putting e-mails into some custom chopper shops around here (Literaly a few blocks away), to see if they would be willing to do the work.

[Minitor911]

The place I got the estimate from did have the decency to take the carbs apart and look them over before giving me my close to $900 estimate. The carbs are fine, just dirty and need new seals.

[Lucky]

Minitor, can you change the oil in a lawnmower or car? if so, you can fix ANYTHING on this bike.  we have had several people here who have never touched a bike in there lives go on to have a fine running machine for very little outlay.

there was only one member who would absolutly screw up everything he touched, used to frustrate me to no end...he'd strip every bolt, couldn't solder, wouldn't buy basic tools, etc, god he was horrible...

but YOU CAN FIX THIS BIKE. Never give up, we are here to help, & when your done, your going to come ride the Dragon & eat burgers with me & Dave!

--Lucky

[Lucky]

BTW, Heather is near you, she's pregnant, but i'm sure she'd be happy to show you how to repair the carbs & starter clutch.   ;D :D

[Minitor911]

Hahaha, thankyou Lucky. You give me hope! We'll see, I just ordered the rebuild kits. And yes, I change the oil on my car, and coincidently changed the oil on the bike when I got it.