New xz550 owner from UK

[simsport]

Hi there and Help!

I have just bought a UK spec 1982 xz550 and having read the various scare stories wonder if I have made a mistake.
I am told they are unreliable and handle poorly.

Is this true?....is there anything (not too costly) that can be done to mitigate the various problems?

I do like the look of the basic xz550, however I do not relish the thought of poor running, carb glitches, corrosion or dangerous handling!!

Thanks
Simon

[Superfly]

Unreliable?  I have put over 40k on one (that had 35k on it) but it does require upkeep. 

Fixes have been figured out for most of the problems here.
Yes the carbs are problematic.  but with the suggested maintenence and upkeep, they are fine.  and the addition of a fork brace and progressive springs help the handeling problems.

But it is a great bike, hence the reason that we are here.
Welcome to the forum.

[Paul_Jungnitsch]

I bought mine in 1987 with 7500 km and drove it until the motor broke for good last year with 83,000 km.

For me it was a very reliable machine, used almost exclusively for long trips, including crossing Canada coast to coast. The last trip was a quick one through the Rockies, http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mytravels/motorcycle1.html

As far as modifications go I went to heavier fork oil and richened up the carb mixture with a colortune, added heated grips and vest, and loaded up the bike with a tankbag and saddlebags. The only major mechanical repairs IIRC were replacing the stator twice and the fork seals once. Of course there were tires, speedo cable a couple of times, replaced the exhaust eventually and sealed up the gas tank.

Not bad. I never frequented this board as I simply never had much for problems.

That said these are twenty-five year old bikes now, that is pretty old for anything mechanical, and a lot of time for abuse from previous owners.

[louthepou]

Of course, asking Vision lovers their opinion is a bit tricky, because they are in love with their machine.

Wait, I own two...  ;)

Anyways, you will likely get a lot of replies to your post. My quick 2 cents: I've been riding a Vision since 1987. There were some bikes that were indeed better back then, but then again there were quite a few that were worse too. No bike is perfect.

On the minus side: Not the best handling (but far from dangerous -  it's quite predictable, not like, say, a Seca 750); not the best braking (the single front disk edition) (but far from dangerous); a few electrical problems (but simple to prevent or cure); one stock starter clutch rattling eventually (a bit more work, but still not too bad); rusting mufflers and gas tank. I'm pretty sure that summerizes it all.

Note that for bikes that are that old, that's either average, or better than average. Even by Japanese bike standards. Getting a Kawasaki GPZ550 would mean changing the crank, and a Honda Magna V45 would need new camshafts, just to name those two...

On the plus side:

The best Forum on the web (of course);
Great, great small V-twin motor;
No chain final drive;
Most parts can still be found somewhat easily;
The 83 version (full fairing) is really great looking, the naked 82 version puzzles guys who think they know about bikes;
If your Vision is yellow or fire-engine red, you are my friend.

OK, who's next?  ;D

Louis

[Lucky]

read all the old posts here & check my site out too, Vision Resources at www.xz550.com
lots of good stuff there too.

--Lucky

[h2olawyer]

Hi & welcome to XZ550 ownership.

The XZ550 got a bad reputation early in its history & that has been difficult to shake even after all these years.  The carbs can be made to perform very well and, while not up to truly modern standards, the bike handles very well.  I've owned my '82 since 1984 (I am the original owner).  If it was as troublesome as its reputation, I would have ditched it long ago.

With any older cycle, you will need to do some maintenance to get it back to great riding condition.  Like others have mentioned, read lots of the older posts & technical section on this site & Lucky's site has some great tips, tricks & important information.  A shop manual is also very handy.

Good luck & happy riding!

H2O

[YellowJacket!]

Simon,

Welcome to ROV and congratulations on your "new" vision.  Earlier this year, I was in the same shoes you are in.  I was given my Vision which had not been run in 10 to 12 years.  Although it was kept under a house and covered, it had quite a bit of rust and corrosion.  It was also not properly prepped before it was stored.  The first thing I did after I got the bike was to google all variants of its name and ended up here.  The guys AND gals here have been a tremendous resuorce and did a great job helping me with tips and suggestions during the several months that I took to totally restore the bike.
Right now the bike is running quite well and I am very pleased with it.  I spent close to $800.00 to clean it up and restore it, but it was my first restoration and I probably would have spent less had I known fully what I was doing.  But the bike runs and looks great now.  SInce you have an 82, parts should be easy to find here in the swap shop and on ebay. Also, places like dgy.com and dennis kirk are great sources for hard to find parts.
Chances are that many of the questions you need answered and tips you are looking for have been answered right here.  Use the sites search feature and you will find a wealth of information.  If searching doesn't yeild what you are looking for, ask.  No question is a dumb or a newbie question.
Best of luck to you with your new project!

David

[jasonm.]

handling is never an issue on my '83 or my previous '82. Had both over 100mph and were stable and predictable. Tires like Avon Super Venoms help handling. If the gas tank and exhaust are in good shape(not rusted)...you have little future expenses to worry about. The gas tanks do rust at the low spots front and rear. This is where water collects because these areas are lower than the petcock. The exhaust rusts out because yamaha never put drain holes in for the moisture to get out after it cools down. My low mileage '82 I immediately drilled the drains @ 6 o'clock on the seam 1.5"(4cm) from the end of the muffler and down by the collector with a 1/16" bit. The current owner of my '82 will not have to worry about internal rust. There are carb issues and electrical bugs. But they are all simple to solve or prevent...enough said.

[simsport]

Hi everybody
Thanks for all the info
I'm not sure how much riding the bike will get as I have a lot of time spent on a race car these days, however I bought her to restore as much as to ride. I will aim to get her looking great as a standard bike and keep her to ride on the few sunny days we have here!
As I find problems I will check out this forum....certainly looks to be one of the best on the web.

Thanks again
Simon

[Glyn]

Hi Simsport

I'm an ex pom, living in New Zealand. Had loads of bikes, big,small,twins 3's,4's etc etc. This bike is a real living canvass since you can just keep improving it all the time. Strip off the tank and see a fine copy of the early pantah frame. Cept stronger and with a shaft!
Very, very few middleweights are built like this. There is the porky VX800
and similar but non with such a nice motor.

They can be made to handle really well. I think mine does. I've stuck a Triumph (aahhh!) T600 shock on the back (easy mod), fitted a Weber IDF downdraft carb (now loads of jet choices and no cleaning problems), progressive fork springs etc.  Avon roadrunners work really well, esp in the wet. Of course you need'nt do all of this. I was pretty pleased with it std, but I just like changing stuff.

The guys on the site are great. Very knowledgeable and good engineers. Lucky's web site is a mine of information.

You'll get a lot of "they were rubbish mate", comments from bike dealers and bikers. At least I do. There's nothing like riding a rare and unusual bike that is actually pretty quickl too.  It just looks so retro, not like a plastic sqeezy dog chew like the new stuff.

I'm a fan. Welcome to Vision ownership.

Regards

Glyn

[Coil Coyle]

Glyn,
? ? ? ? Is that the same as PoHME? Prisoners of Her Majesty Elizabeth? ::)

? ? ? ? I'm a SoHIRT.? Sons of Heathen Irish Railroad Trash!? ;)

Welcome Simsport, do not worry about the Vision's reliability. This website will keep you company while you repair your bike, again and again and...Keep your eyes open for a parts bike, everybody needs one. My parts bike came with it own parts bike!
;D? ? coil

[Jimmy C.]

I definitely agree with a parts bike. I also agree with a second running vehicle. I extremely agree with a two-car garage. Did I already mention ANOTHER vehicle that RUNS?


I think that the "dangerous handling" myth, is that the travel of the handlebars and front end is VERY broad. At low speeds, it is possible to do a very tight U-turn when the handlebars are turned lock-to-lock.
Some people drop them.
I can do a figure eight comfortably in a 7-11 parking lot.

The bike did fall on me once. While push-starting it, I tried to jump on the bike at a running pace. snagged my foot on the side of the seat and fell.
The bike turned 90 degrees, and plopped comfortably on me.
The Vision is sharp and ruthless when you're messing around with the steering.

P.S. : you can scrape pegs with it. only if you've got narrow feet on the shift-side.

[Glyn]

Hey Coil - I thought it was POM - prisioner of mother England.

Yes - same place. Hence the very Pommie surname, Pickering.

Mind you I left there as soon as I could, 14 years in Jhb 8 in NZ and I still don't want to go back!

I've never dropped my Vision, and have never experienced any handling probs. That tripple T top nut often slackens off allowing the head bearings to do the same. Just keep an eye on it (not literally).

I've got 2 spares bikes. Can be picked up pretty cheap, since most people (apart from us lot), can't be bothered to fix broken bikes.
I've taken bits of both of mine. Try to get the dual slotted discs.
With rebuilt calipers it's not a bad stopper for it's age.

All the best and welcome again.