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What did you do to your vision today?

Started by sunburnedaz, January 24, 2013, 02:09:20 AM

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Rikugun

Harry, when I read the symptoms the first thing I thought of was the speedo only because it's fairly common. That's not to say it wasn't just the cable, but let us know of any changes.  ;)

If not the cable maybe the drive unit? You mentioned a delay in symptom abatement... do you think it's possible lube eventually made it's way down and had an influence on the drive? The drive does need occasional maintenance and is often ignored.  :)

A delay might also point to the speedo as QBS indicated. I read in an old repair manual a recommendation to grease only the bottom third of the speedometer cable. They claimed the grease would be distributed upwards by the spinning cable thus lubing the entirety of the cable over time. Lubing the entire cable by hand they argued would be too much and foul the speedometer. If this has any merit perhaps some of the spray lube worked it's way up the cable and into the back of the speedo effectively lubing the troublesome squeaky bits.  ;D 

It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

supervision

 I just got rid of the unbelievable loud noise that a dry speedo bushing can make.  With the gauge upside down on the bench I took care to get oil into the small crack all the way around the bushing area, once I new I had it I used my drill motor to spin it so that the lube would make it everywhere still in the upside down position.  I too had over greased my cable and it made a mess on the front of my motor as it leaked off while riding, should have removed excess from cable. 
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treedragon

Today I fitted the Weber.

Tomorrow I road test  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D and more  ;D  ;D  ;D

This is now a VERY FAST revving bike, unlike any XZ I have ever heard, bodes very well for performance methinks.
Snap the throttle open and the revs reach for the sky instantly........ I guess it feels happy now it can breath well.

Sooooooo...... assuming the next stage goes as expected that just leaves the ported heads to go on along with the balanced crank. It is balanced to over 80% and good for 15,000 revs..... this is where the Weber just might come in handy  :o

The Weber is a 44mm unit with a choke point of 36mm (inside of carb) and running bigger jets than what Glyn was using and will likely need some fine tuning yet but on the right track we are I´m a thinking.

 
There is always a way

Rikugun

That sounds awesome and I'm jealous of that throttle response!  :D Can you at least throw me a bone and post some pics of the carb install?  :)
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

PwrManDan

Took my frame for bike # 3 to get sandblasted.

Also took some aluminum parts to the sand blaster guy who is going to use soda.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to protect the aluminum once it comes back raw?  I gave him parts that are extras and if I like the finish, I will keep them raw.  I have a feeling I am going to like it.

iain

when you get them back can you post photos of the soda blasted bits, I to would be interested in the raw look..

Iain
NZ

PwrManDan

absolutely, i'm in a line about a week long.  hope not much longer than that.

HarryTakeuchi

The XZ550D I got has pretty clean tank and fairings but the details aren't so tidy so I decided to polish the footpeg plate which was pretty badly oxidized and soiled. Plain steel wool pads from a nearby dollar store (or a 100 Yen store as they are called here) and me rubbing the plate for 15 minutes during lunch break at the office parking lot paid off pretty well.
Harry Takeuchi

HarryTakeuchi

QBS, Rikugun, supervision
Thanks for the advise. I will remove the gauge assy the next weekend and grease it the best I can.

Oh and I changed my rear tire yesterday as the one that came with the bike was so hardened like it was fossilized. Nothing fancy just a Bridgestone Battlax BT45 110/100-18. At least now it feels like a normal bike.
Harry Takeuchi

treedragon

Today I road tested  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  8)

....... not a long one mind you as weather, traffic, and time limited things somewhat BUT it was enough to be able to say this is not the bike I rode last week.

Some more mileage is required to get a handle on the final tuning of the Weber but so far I can say it's very strong throughout the lower and mid range. There is no question about overtake power under any circumstances, it is substantially better than before even though it felt a little..... heavy, possibly a little rich at this stage.

The bit that REALLY interested me was a short stint at the end where I was tooling along at a bit over 150k (95mph) in through traffic on the motorway when there was a bigger space ahead and so I whipped the throttle open and it just laaaaauuunched........ note changed, it got real smooth my grin got ear to ear and I promptly run out of gap real quick. At a rough estimate I would say it will easily pull past 200k (125mph) on this setup so I would say fueling at the top end might be pretty close to right, will have to test of course, maybe first thing tomorrow morning  ;D  ;D  ;D

So the talk now is towards finding a set of rings and maybe some stronger valve springs so we can build up another engine with the balanced crank and ported heads............. just imagine 15,000 redline  8)


will organize some photos

 
There is always a way

Rikugun

Thanks for the update treedragon, that really does sound amazing! Now I'm thinking a GoPro ride along video posted to YouTube might be in order...(hint, hint)  ;D

Harry, nice job with minimal expense and a bit of elbow grease! Speaking of nice little details....I noticed in your pics the rear brake pedal is much nicer looking than the North American models. Ours are clunky welded up steel affairs - many with failing chrome plating.  :(  The one on yours almost looks like cast or forged aluminum?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

Rick G

When my speedo head started squaling, I drilled a 1/16 hole in the side of the cable mount about 1/4 inch above the knurled nut on the top of the cable . I used a tube of  synthetic brake lube to inject grease into the hole . I did this with out removing the instrument cluster. A bit of tape over the hole sealed it up.
Rick G
Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there in lurks the skid demon
'82.5 Yamaha XZ550 RJ  Vision,
'90 Suzuki VX800, 1990 Suzuki DR350.
'74  XL350   Honda , 77 XL350 Honda, 78 XL350 Honda, '82 XT 200 Yamaha, '67 Yamaha YG1TK, 80cc trail bike

HarryTakeuchi

Rikugun

I didin't notice about the pedal. They are aluminum cast, I think.

I looked at some parts in Japanese auctions and think our 400s have the same steel brake pedals you have.

The 550s were substantially more expensive than the 400s (if memory serves me correctly the list price for the 400D was about JPY570,000 and 550D was about JPY620,000) which is a bit of a difference for a pair of larger pistons and cylinders. So Yamaha slapped on some nice details to justify the price difference, I suppose. Other "luxuries" include a fuel meter on the 550D meter cluster, which the 400D does not have.

Harry Takeuchi

Rikugun

QuoteI didin't notice about the pedal. They are aluminum cast, I think.
hmmmm, I wonder if they are interchangeable with my US '83 setup??? Wonder how much shipping would be.......  :D
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

The Prophet of Doom

If you look closely you will see both sets of footpegs are nicer also

Rikugun

Quote from: roro on April 10, 2013, 08:41:56 AM
If you look closely you will see both sets of footpegs are nicer also
Yup - but that I expected, the brake pedal was a bit of a surprise. Do the NZ imports also have that brake pedal?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

The Prophet of Doom

The the naked 400 imports have the standard pedal and footpegs.
I happen to have a 400D (full fairing) model which is uncommon here.  It had the nice footpegs, but the brake pedal I didn't notice.  I'll have to rummage through my parts bins

pinholenz

Same, my 550 16R Australasian model has the steel and chrome footbrake. Not as pretty as Harry's by a long chalk.
Only one '82.5  eXtreme Zen 550

HarryTakeuchi

#98
Rikugun
The postage really depends on the weights but an international small packet (i.e. under 2kg =  4.4lb) for 2kg is about USD20 from Tokyo to NJ.

Only 1 set of pedals I see on Yahoo Auction (eBay pulled out years ago from Japan due to the overwhelming dominance of Yahoo Auction so it is basically the only viable auction site in Japan). About USD 46 each. I think the transmission pedals are also aluminum for the 25R XZ550D.

http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=xz550+%E3%83%9A%E3%83%80%E3%83%AB&auccat=26308&aq=-1&oq=&ei=UTF-8&tab_ex=commerce&slider=0

Harry Takeuchi

pinholenz

#99
Today I made up my own Carb cleaner after doing some research as to what should be in it . Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), Acetone and Toluene (No such things as Berrymans here). I went to a local paint manufacturer and brought 5 litres of  spray gunwash to which I added a litre of Methylene Chloride brought from the same place. Soaked the carbs for 20 mins, blew out and reassembled. Seemed to work well. Excellent solvent for varnishes and deposits. (Use gloves, eye protection and a mask, in an open ventilated area with no naked flames)

Carbs now back on bike and seem happy. Off throttle stumble greatly reduced and revving freely. Good pull. (thanks Jim and Cvincer) Still not 100% but I am yet to do a through re-check for YICS leaks and  to re-synch the carbs.
Only one '82.5  eXtreme Zen 550