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Dead Dirty Vision

Started by Brian Moffet, July 05, 2006, 10:27:48 AM

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Brian Moffet

The story continues:  (http://ridersofvision.net/forum/xzindex.php?topic=4302.0)

Yesterday (July, 4th) I was finally able to find time to start on the Vision.  The link above tells how I got to here, and since then the bike has been sitting in the garage, a victim of too little time.  However, school is out, which means that it's fairly quiet at work, and I'm no longer doing some of the extra-curricular  activities I normally do.

I started at the easy stuff, the seat came off, the side plastic along the seat rails, the lowers on the fairing, side panels covering the battery and the TCI.  Then the tank came off.  I noticed some of the fluid lines were getting a little worn, and they're on my list of things to replace.  Pulled the top of the carb box off.  The air-cleaner needs to be taken care of, but other than that, it looks good in there.  Everything is moving like it's supposed to in the carbs (as near as I can tell from looking down them).

Went to pull the front spark plug, and found out that the person who had last did work on it had put the spark plug cap on rotated 180 degrees.  It took me 30 minutes to get that thing off.  I did get it off without breaking anything, and pulled the front spark plug. It has a nice tan coloring.

I started going around the air-box to take it off, and noticed a hose was off.  It was right around where the vacuum line connects to the flapper system (remember this is an 83).  Could it be that simple?  Pulled down the manual.  Nope, that's just the air line from the valve cover.  It was not connected to the air-box, and when I looked at where it connects to the valve cover it had shattered there as well.  It is original and needs to be replaced.

I didn't have any more time to work on the bike so I put the air-cleaner back on, lightly screwed the spark plugs back in, and turned out the lights.  I don't have any answers yet, but I've started that first step of cleaning the bike up.

I'll be starting a web page about this with pictures some time soon.  Another place to get lost at on the information super-highway.

Brian

h2olawyer

Brian -

Looking forward to seeing the progress on your V.  Hopefully, soon you will have to change your identity again!   ;D

H2O
If you have an accident on a motorcycle, it's always your fault. Tough call, but it has to be that way. You're in the right, and dead -on a bike. The principle is not to have any accident. If you're involved in an an accident, it's because you did not anticipate. Then, by default, you failed.

Brian Moffet

Hopefully, though right now I mostly have a feeling of dread that I am not going to be able to figure out what happened, or when I do it will be unrecoverable.  We'll see.

Brian

Superfly

Nah, we have resurrected problems bigger than this.  Keep at it!
A bad marrage is like dirty carbs... It just makes everything else suck.

haunter

could be a coil dying....
82 with fairing, rejetted, 83 turbo seca fork and brakes coming whenver I acquire the rest of the parts, and she stops breaking long enough to be in the garage for an upgrade instead of a repair.

Brian Moffet

#5
I've started a web page on the rebuild, http://members.cruzio.com/~moffetb/vision/ which will probably change format sometime in the near future.  Right now it's raw HTML. I'll probably put it into some other form blog maybe?  Nah, that would be too hip and up to date for my 43 year old mind.  ::)

Brian

Brian Moffet

#6
Wel, I ended up spending a few hours today removing the fairing, the mounting brackets, the front fender, the fork brace.  I had to remove the fairing brackets to remove the frame tube on the right side so I can get to parts to replace.  I'm going to try and do some work on it every weekend, even if I'm busy.  I'm going to have to clean and repair some rust spots, I've noticed one under the battery box that is probably the worse, and it looks like large surface rust.  Most of the frame looks pretty good.

If anyone needs photographs of anything that is on a stock 83 Vision, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Brian



Brian Moffet

went at the engine today with a scrub brush and Max Simple Green (or something like that).  It's no longer dirty, but I still need to polish it up (clear coat is flaking.)  Gives me a better idea of things that might need replacing.  I've also determined that at least I need to change the radiator fluid, possibly flush the thing. 

Other than that, things are moving forward.  I can see how to pull the valve covers off to check clearances (possibly a problem).  I haven't looked inside the float bowls yet, I pulled the airbox today after I washed the engine.  Still, both fuel filters look really clean.  We'll see. Next weekend will probably be the exhaust, and maybe the front forks.

Brian

Brian Moffet

woo hoo, got my TCI from Ebay.   Looks really clean too.

Brian

d0n

good luck with the bike! Gotta love it!

Brian Moffet

#10
On Sunday, I put on latex gloves because I was going to pull the front forks.  It took 1/2 hour to pull the forks, drain them of oil, and tie off the brakes.  I discovered that the dust boot on the brake (part fiche 12/21) had melted!  It was a sticky gooey mess.  One more thing to add to the list.  I also discovered that there is a fair amount of surface rust on the lower triple clamp, I'm considering pulling those to repaint them.

Anyway, after 1/2 hour in my garage, I pulled the gloves off and sent sweat flying everywhere.  It was just collecting in the gloves, and only because it wasn't fresh water my hands weren't all pruney.


The gooey blob at the in the lower right used to be rubber, not anymore...

Brian


Lucky

Brian has a way with 'gross'!!! lol
1982/3 XZ550 Touring Vison, Gold on Black

Brian Moffet

#12
Well, it's getting a bit scary now.  I pulled off the exhaust (need to fix some parts on it, one front tube will not separate from the back), the front brakes, the rear wheel and brake.  The rear brake still looks good, I may decide to keep it because it's fairly easy to replace later.  I noticed when I drained the brake fluid that it looked like very thin old oil, probably not a good thing!

There are enough pieces off the bike now that I get a niggling fear in the back of my head that I won't remember to put something on.  However, I have all the pieces in known locations, so if I miss something, I'll know it.  And I have yet to break any bolts, nor strip any threads.

Any ideas on how to pull out the exhaust gaskets from the heads? (these are the ones that are between the heads and the down-pipes.)

Brian


Walt_M.

That could have been my bike 3 years ago! The only things I've done to it since I got it back together was the wally world battery last year and the starter I changed out last month. Hang in there.
Whale oil beef hooked!

MotorPlow

I used an dental pick with a 45o angle and supplemented with a flat head screwdriver.

jasonm.

I would have got the thing running properly. THEN done the detailing. The only 4000rpm problem could be as simple as an bad spark plug wire or spark plug cap.> just arcing to the frame or corroded.  WHen you get it running  some how...always check with a timing light on each wire. A timing light will NOT fire unless there is spark at the spark plug. Wires and caps do go bad. ALWAYS start with the simplest or cheapest possible cause of the problem. Just hope it's not the TCI.
looks aren't important, if she lets you play by your rules

Brian Moffet

Yup. and I made a conscious decision not to do that.

Brian

Brian Moffet

#17
Today I decided to do something productive rather than destructive.  I polished the front fork upper tubes.  I was not able to get them spotless, as there is pitting on the upper portion. However, I compressed them and the pitting is only on the part that stays out of the lowers.  So, they shouldn't cause a problem with the seals after I rebuild them.  I decided to also pull the full instrument cluster off and take care of that as a seperate item.

Soon, it will all start going back together.  I'll remember to replace the bolts for the rear brake bracing  ;D


glennw

They look like new parts Brian.. nice work...!
Didn't you do this to an Airplane once??
GlennW
Half Mad Max

Brian Moffet

Well, next time you see it, you can still see where the tubes are pitted.  No, I didn't do this to an airplane, the plane I bought was rebuilt before I bought it.  Needs a paint job, but that's about it.

Turns out this seems to be my year for vehicle repair.  I was rear-ended in my RX-7 a couple of weeks back. The insurance company determined it was 80/20 (20 % my fault).  I had planned on painting the car later (I want to keep it another decade, it's an 87) but the damage wouldn't survive the winter.  So, looks like I'll be getting it repainted this year.  But I did find a set of storage compartments for it for 35.00 (including shipping!)

Ah well,

Brian