Hello to all from the frozen flats of Western NY! I have recently acquired a fair 1982 model with 16,000 miles that is in need of some love. Some of you probably saw it sell on Ebay for $152.50. A quick bit about me, I have been riding and wrenching on bikes for about 25 years now. I enjoy breathing life back into forgotten bikes. This is my first Vision and I have learned that every bike has personality traits that must be attended to. From a quick browse of the site I see these old Yammy's are no exception. A quick thought to ponder here, on a few other sites I have visited, the members have gathered up the most informational threads and placed them in one pinned thread in the tech forum. This saves every new guy asking the same questions over and over. Anyway, on to my fine gem. I haven't got to far into it yet but right off the bat I know it needs the carbs re-built and new control cables, PO put incorrect clutch cable on and throttle cable is broken. I haven't cranked it over yet, plan on doing that this weekend. I plan on pulling the covers off to check the starter clutch and test/inspect the stator. Is there anything else I should attend to while I'm in there? I tend to be very thorough and hate to take things apart twice so the more info I can get before hand the better. BTW, the dealer I got it from took it on trade and didn't do a thing to it and gave me very little info on the condition of it so everything is a mystery right now. Thanks in advance and hope to hear from you guys soon.
Welcome to the Forum. Save an oil change and do the starter clutch reattachment and starter oil seal upgrades at the same time. At 16k miles the chances are pretty good that they haven't been done. In fact an oil filled starter is probably what parked the bike in the first place. Installation of an inline fuel filter goes without saying. Eventually you'll discover that the V is a very impressive bike and really well worth the effort to get back on the road. Cheers.
I just finished reading Lucky's resource page, very well done. Every new owner should read that before doing anything else. The more I look at my bike the more I realize the PO did NOT know how to work on a bike! Here's hoping it doesn't end up being a parts bike.
Even if it becomes a parts bike, you can tell everyone it was Vandalized. LOL BDC
You have no idea how much fun I have had using Vandalized over the years. Here's a pic of one of my first vandalized projects. 1984 GPZ 750.
Before
(http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g442/Vandal171/IM000803-2.jpg)
After
(http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g442/Vandal171/0362.jpg)
Welcome to the site! :) Nice job on the 750. Looks like it had a head gasket/o-ring leak at the oil passageway? The 550's are famous for that but I didn't know the 750's suffered the same failure. :(
QuoteI plan on pulling the covers off to check the starter clutch and test/inspect the stator. Is there anything else I should attend to while I'm in there? I tend to be very thorough and hate to take things apart twice so the more info I can get before hand the better.
As QBS suggested, I'd investigate the starter too since it's easier to R&R with the stator cover off. Maybe pull it apart to check the brushes and commutator health. If there is oil inside, the seal in the starter nose has failed. This is common and the repair is well documented and an upgraded seal can be used. Some have drilled a small hole on the bottom of the nose case to alert you to a future failure.
Less problematic but worth checking is a large nut behind the flywheel as some members report this had come loose despite the lock tabs used. It drives another gear on the end of the balancer shaft if memory serves. A special deep 46mm socket is required although some have substituted 1 13/16" or resorted to the cavemanesque but effective hammer and chisel method. ;)
Yepper, it had a head gasket leak. I pulled the motor for the leak and made a few improvements along the way. After reading up I think once I determine this Vision of mine is going to run, it's getting a starter rebuild and stator right off the bat.
If you've got the left side cover off for the stator check and starter oil seal fix, good idea to change the shift shaft oil seal as well.
Apparently the grommets in the left side cover that hold the stator wires are one of the major oil leak problem areas with this bike, too.
To prevent grommet leaks , clean the whole grommet with spray carb cleaner, then slide the grommet about an inch to one side , then coat the sleeve on the wire with Yamabond # 4 ( Hondbond or 3bond are the same product) and slide the grommet back in place . Apply the bond to the groves in the grommet and install . do this as you are assembling the outer cover.
Great tip Rick. Between the grommets, the shifter seal and reusing the Cometic gasket several times iI am getting quite a bit of seepage and need to deal with it this spring. I will try your method.