Just picked up a Vision and now here I am.

[stuntdriver]

Hello from Upper Michigan!
I just bought myself an 83 Vision on Monday. Found it on Craigslist and was located 120 miles from me. Bike had just under 6500 original miles and the styling really caught my eye. Seller already did some things to it like removed the fairing (said it was damaged) painted it blue and blacked out most of the engine. Bike has a new stator, plugs, wires, battery, oil etc... mismatched tires but they are good. After going over the bike, checking wires, lights, gauges, coolant, etc... before driving everything looked clean and was working as it should. Only thing not working was the fuel gauge, which I was told before going to look at it. Started it up and it was running pretty good, no strange noises etc... was also told it had a bit of hesitation at higher speeds like 55-60. I didn't sense this during my drive, only noticed the rear brake needed adjusting. We talked a bit more while adjusting the brake and finally agreed upon $600.

I took a huge leap of faith and drove the bike home, all 120 miles of it. Pulled away from his place and right before I got to a gas station I ran out at a light. Pushed it up a small hill, put some premium in, a little Seafoam and away I went, wife following behind. First 30 miles were sketchy, I was definitely feeling that hesitation he told me about. At 55-60 with the throttle steady it would speed up, slow down etc... occasionally slowing way down and I would have to down shift or hold in the clutch give it a rev and get going. At that 30 mile mark as I slowed down to 25 MPH coming into town the bike just died. Pulled off and tried starting it, wouldn't start... I was kind of freaking out being nearly 100 miles from home. Tried the choke and VROOM! fired right back up and drove better then ever the rest of the way home with very little hesitation at high speeds and lots of power all the way up. I was smiling the whole way home after that.

My previous bike was an 86 Fazer so I am thinking I have a thing for obscure bikes that were in production for only 2 years :) The Fazer was fun but become a money pit at 31,000 miles and things just kept going wrong with it, expensive things.

I happened upon this fine site so of course I had to register. While waiting to be accepted I was lurking around and already learned that I need to check/change the two bolts on my rear brake and that all those wires in the pouch can fit into the headlight. Everything is still mounted to the fairing bracket. I have some mirrors on order already for the handlebars, I need to figure out the best solution to mount the headlight and signals, seen some factory looking brackets on eBay but not sure how they would work. Also, I only have one disc on the front but both calipers are present, stopping the bike doesn't seem to be a problem but I am thinking I should get that fixed as well.

So any suggestions on headlight mounting and any guides on getting the wires into the headlight would be appreciated.

Here is the pic from CL of the bike.

[stuntdriver]

Here are some pics that he sent via txt before I went to look at it. I noticed the missing seat trim and baffled why he would paint a bike with that piece not present but needless to say, I already have my part. Just need to paint it to match and appears I am missing the rubber studs that it is supposed to snap on to. Any ideas where to get those?



You can see the fairing bracket pretty good in this pic, if anyone needs some mirrors I will be selling them soon :)

[tig5]

Hey man,

Welcome to our super-friendly, super-helpful, can't-ride-without-it forum.

I ended up buying a headlight unit off Ebay that came with mounting brackets and turn signals. The brackets they came with look the same as all the other ones I've seen on Ebay. The brackets have 2 positions so you can adjust to suit the diameter of the forks. The brackets connect to my headlight by screwing the indicators in place. The brackets themselves are relitively soft and can be bent if necessary. I'm quite happy with what I got. If you check what size mounting bolts your headlight will use you can probably ensure you get brackets that correspond. Enjoy your new ride!

Link to the light i bought http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-black-Side-Mount-6-25-Head-light-cafe-racer-bracket-signals-cb-kz-gs-350-/331016764717?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d1222fd2d&vxp=mtr

[stuntdriver]

Thanks for the link, I would like to keep the stock stuff and the bracket I keep seeing is this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/350859159863?ss Would this work with my bike and if so how does it mount to it?

[QBS]

Your '83 fairing bits are quite valuable.  Too bad you don't have the rest of the fairing.  It's really an excellent and functional design that is well worth repairing if damaged.  It would probably add at least 2 months to your U P riding season.  Running better with choke (really enrichner) than without indicates dirty carbs and probably plugged high speed/power carb circuitry.  Welcome to the Forum.  FYI, I have owned and ridden my '83 since '84.

[stuntdriver]

Had your 83' all those years, that is impressive!
I wish he still had the fairing, I would have liked the option but he said it was a total loss. But I will ride it until the snow hits the ground :)
The choke was only that one time, it has been running well since but I am sure the carbs will need to be gone through. 30 years and only 6500 miles it must have been doing a lot of sitting around. Right now I just want to see if I can get the headlight etc... mounted to the bike better before it gets to cold, so looking for the best solution for that so I can get it on the way ASAP.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[tig5]

That bracket in the link you posted looks like the stock one I pulled off my bike. I'm relaying on memory here, but I'm pretty sure the rubber boots you can see stab into the bottom of the speedo unit. My speedo unit is gone also so I'm kinda guessing. Anyway, the headlight will bolt on to the 2 small brackets you can see. The thin piece of wire on the other end helps hold your cables in the right place.

If you had it in your hand I think you'd be able to figure it out. That looks like the right part and if you have the headlight unit still in tact you'll probably only need a couple of bolts to get it together. Good luck!

[Rikugun]

.....I'm relaying on memory here, but I'm pretty sure the rubber boots you can see stab into the bottom of the speedo unit.....

Ouch. that would hurt!  :D  :D  There are corresponding holes on the underside of the upper triple clamp those rubber tipped lugs fit into. The other end of the bracket attaches to the lower triple and as Tig5 said, the headlight and turn signals attach to the sheet metal "ears". The wire hoop is a guide for the main wire harness elements that come up from under the lower triple. As I recall the horn and brake line fitting attach to the bracket as well.

[pullshocks]

I would get your front brake squared away before doing any more riding.

[stuntdriver]

I would get your front brake squared away before doing any more riding.

Agreed and thank you for the concern! I'm not doing any riding right now except for the ride to get it home. Right now I am trying to get it all back together. I found some rotors and the hardware needed to get it back on. then I will have to go over the caliper as I am sure it needs attention.

[stuntdriver]

Tig5 & Rikugun,
Thanks for the info. I was just looking over the schematics on Bikebandits.com and for an 82 under the OEM steering section I have found this bracket and it appears to mount as you stated. under 83 it is not shown, but the horn mount is and it is the same shape and mounted just like an 82. I am guessing it should mount up just fine to my existing horn bracket as long as I have the holes in the instrument panel "fingers crossed" I have the original headlight and turn signals so I think this would be the best solution for me.

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/1983-yamaha-vision-xz550rk-steering/o/m80761sch216432

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/1982-yamaha-vision-xz550rj-steering/o/m147091sch605563

[YellowJacket!]

Welcome aboard!

David

[stuntdriver]

Welcome aboard!

David

Thanks David!
I think I am going to like it here. So far everyone is great!

Don

[stuntdriver]

Just noticed that my bike is leaking oil now. It didn't do that at all on the ride home but now after a few weeks it does :(

[YellowJacket!]

WHere is the oil leaking from?  Most are easy fixes...

David

[jefferson]

I am betting the wires coming out of the stator cover.

[stuntdriver]

Haven't looked to closely, but the stator was recently replaced by the guy I bought it from. So that is surely a possibility.

[Kenny]

 Welcome to the R.O.V.
    I was through your area this summer on our Red n White 83,we live in Trenton ON about two hours east of Toronto on the 401. When I'm heading out to B.C. on the Vision , I go up through Sault St Marie then on to #28 -141-2. Through Duluth, Grand Forks, and sometimes head north at Minot to Moose Jaw. To get to our Cabin in British Columbia (near Revelstoke) it is a 4 to 5 day ride on the Vision.
    I hope you enjoy your new mount, I would go for the Fairing if you can find the bits.
   Cheers Ken S. :D

[munkyfistfight]

Congrats on getting into the Vision!
I'm working on my third right now.

Your blue V looks like mine when I got it...before I painted it.



I'm actually looking to get rid of my fairing. Let me know if you're interested. It's still that blue color.

[fret not]

You would do well to list in in the SWAP SHOP section.