82 Carb question

[NevadaDVX]

Hello all, I am new to the forum.   I found a very clean 82 Vision, but the seller says the bike will not start because of carb problems.  Are these carbs hard to work on?  Are parts readly available?  This will dictate if I buy the bike or not. Thanks for any advice!

[Tiger]

Hello all, I am new to the forum.   I found a very clean 82 Vision, but the seller says the bike will not start because of carb problems.  Are these carbs hard to work on?  Are parts readily available?  This will dictate if I buy the bike or not. Thanks for any advice!

:) Hi and welcome to your new and extended family, who are all here to help you get the very best from these great rides.

The carbs on these need to be cleaned shiny bright!!!...if you have reasonable wrenching ability and a manual you should be able to do them...however, there are members who will do them for you. RickG springs to mind.

Should you need carb kits, here they are...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/YAMAHA-XZ550-XZ550RJ-VISION-KEYSTER-CARB-KIT-1982_W0QQitemZ380091324761QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotorcycles_Parts_Accessories?hash=item380091324761&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A64%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

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

[NevadaDVX]

Tiger, thanks for the response and the link.  Yipes, those are pricey carb kits!  Hopefully this bike wont need them, but at least they are available if it does.  That was my biggest worry because of the age of the bike.  I have messed with Mikunis a bit. I just happen to have a set of '91 36mm GSXR carbs on my Suzuki Samurai.  8)
I imagine these are somewhat similar in design and shouldn't be too tough to rebuild.  Wish me luck, I am going to look at the bike this weekend. 

[xswheels]

Well if you have mounted gixxer carbs to your Samurai, I assume you're pretty good with carbs, but Vision carbs are nothing like those. The carbs on a Vision are more similar to automotive type downdraft carbs. When you look at the bike this weekend take a close look at the gas tank. They are prone to rusting at the low points, and good replacements are now hard to find. 

[NevadaDVX]

When I can make it out to see the bike, I will take a flashlight and look inside the tank.  Thanks for the reply.

[Tiger]

 :) In a lot of cases, you won't need to buy the carb kits...just strip, dip and blow them through...but they must be squeaky clean.

You won't see a lot using a flashlight and peering into the gas tank...you'll understand why when you remove the gas cap!!! However, it will give you an indication that the tank has or hasn't been lined with Por-15/Kreem/Caswell, etc.

Take a look at the four low points on the gas tank, on the outside and underside...is the paint bubbled/rusted or even repaired at these points?? If the gas tank has sufficient gas in and there is a leak... ::) However, in general, its not the end of the road. A repair or at worst a tank replacement will be needed and therefore should be reflected in the selling/buying price... ;)

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