XZ550 Lemon?

[Cdnlouie]

I want a picture from you NV of your new lovely lady.  It's the only one we have that looks like the European bikes so we might need to use that. So takes lots, it shows off a nice predator exhaust.

[Night Vision]

ummm... ok.. but I need to fire her up first. I couldn't bear to think she's all show and no go. that would sort of defeat the pupose now wouldn't it.  :-[

oh, and get my clutch pack unfrozed  >:( 

I'm shooting for Saturday or Superday

[kwells]

I could always outfit my Red bike with my newly acquired Euro plastics and tank

[Cdnlouie]

Sit on the old girl and rock her back and forth with the clutch pulled in from time to time to see if it will break loose the plates.  If you can get her to run and get the oil warm that usually helps as well.

[pullshocks]

Very cool news.  More candidates for the 15 upgrades

#9  add air fittings on '82 forks
#10YICS box test&repair
#11 voltmeter
#12 carb sync and
#13 mixture adjust
#14 new fuse block
#15 exhaust system
#16 Star silver paint?

I am hoping Tanno's R/R will see the light of day and when it does, it would be near the top of the list

[kwells]

One thing to consider when compiling a list would be that many 82 issues were addressed in the 83 design such as suspension and carburation.  Also most old bikes probably need very similar things that we have adopted as upgrades but really might be considered maintenance.

[Cdnlouie]

Kwells you are right about the 83 addressing the 82 issues, but unfortunately the Vision reputation was established with the issues of the 82 and I think it okay to use the 82 as our article focus since most fellows are struggling with the 82 issues and have provided wonderful solutions. I think we are showing how riders have coped with those issues and provided themselves with a great ride in the end.

Does that make sense?  I agree it will be hard to separate the issues to highlight, but even those that are common with other bikes will attract interest since the procedures can be applied to their bikes as well.

[Tiger]

 :) Wow, this has really snowballed!!! We now have a great chance to right a lot of perceived wrongs regarding the Yamaha XZ550 Vision...

However, If no one here minds, can we stop, step back a wee bit and take this great opportunity a bit at a time.

1 - Seeing that CanadianLou is in contact with Classic Mechanics, I for one, would like all of the info' to filter through him as our.......ROV Editor-in-Chief, (providing that first, CdnLu is O.K. with this !!!).

2 - A seperate thread, listing and agreeing upon, up-grade's that helped rid the "V" of some of its original...quirks...(Not forgetting what Yamaha did from our '82 to the '83), as well as other one's that have helped develop our ride's to what they are today.

Now, what say you all....... ;)

            8).......TIGER....... 8)

[YellowJacket!]

RE: #2
Thats a great idea tiger.  It would be even greater if it could be stickied and locked, say like a repository for the most famous of the fixes and their solutions.  The original poster would be able to unlock it and update it so it won't get filled with lots of OT (yes, I'm sometimes to blame) comments.  It would also serve as a great starting point for new members to find info without having to dig through deep searches and archives.
It'd be like a combination of Lucky's site and ROV all in one place.

David

[simcha]

Sounds a good idea to me. I am going to see Rod this weekend. I will try and get some feeling on how serious he is about this feature. The last thing we want after all this work you guys have put in is for the bike to be damned again! I am on a big push to get my standard bike up and running for the spring / summer. I want to offer him the ride so he can make his own judgment. I have most of the top 10 mods already on the bike so it should be about as good as it gets. I would love some 83 carbs just to take it to the extreme but I guess they are like hens teeth? The rest of the 82 to 83 changes do not seem that big an upgrade to me. Mainly cosmetic ( we always had the twin discs ).

My best bike currently has a freshly powder coated frame, brand new tank, panels, mudguard etc. Rebuilt and powder coated twin calipers with new pistons, seals and pads. Slotted disc rotors. Rebuilt and polished forks with new seals, progressive springs and air tops,. Fork brace and taper bearings. Standard silencers and new down pipes. Re chroming or powder coating of all other small parts. Bright zinc plating of all standard bolts, springs clips etc I have some 82 carbs to rebuild along with the Yamaha air box mod kit and the engine to sort. I will at least have to strip the heads off and do the starter clutch etc So quite some work to do there. I do need the following parts if any of you guys have them for sale or swap.

Ignition switch
Cover for the horn at the top of the forks.
Carb inlet rubbers.
Good warning light assembly thats not sun faded or cracked.
Ideally some new instruments.
Some 83 carbs!

I would like to show Rod my modded bike too if I can. This has non standard paint, MAC exhaust, aluminium foot rests, gear lever and brake pedal. It also has an FZR600 fork assembly along with twin piston calipers etc. Stainless hoses, taper bearings etc. Not much different but looks far different and sounds fantastic.!!

[joevacc]

This has non standard paint, MAC exhaust, aluminium foot rests, gear lever and brake pedal. It also has an FZR600 fork assembly along with twin piston calipers etc. Stainless hoses, taper bearings etc. Not much different but looks far different and sounds fantastic.!!

simcha, do have pictures for us?  I have another V that I may modify.  Love to see other ideas.

jv

[Night Vision]

I do need the following parts if any of you guys have them for sale or swap.

Ignition switch
Cover for the horn at the top of the forks.
Carb inlet rubbers.
Good warning light assembly thats not sun faded or cracked.
Ideally some new instruments.
Some 83 carbs!

I have simcha covered on the ignition and I'm getting cool  "ant eater" rear fender  ;D....
I know Jason appreciated Kenny's when he was following Kenny in the rain

[arfa vmax]

hi just a note of caution,if we come up with a list of serious mods that need to be carried out to make the xz a good bike are we not proving his point? i have not had my v running yet but would suggest we concentrated on things like carb and electrical maintainance etc just a thought

[Night Vision]

that's why I said we "can't find 15 things wrong with a Vision"

here's another thought though..... we should mention the parts network we have and how the ROV members swap/trade/sell parts world wide..... I have parts from:

USA
Canada
Germany
New Zealand
Japan
United Kingdom
and possibly Australia (I forget)

I've even sent parts to Sweden  :)

[simcha]

I think a lot of the upgrades are just common sense on a 25 year old bike. Most bikes no matter how they are now viewed are 25 years old do benefit from modern rubber, taper bearings etc. The cleaning of carbs and keeping electrical connectors clean etc is good practice on any bike too. Thats what really pissed me off about the article in the first place. Show me any Yamaha of that era or any other Jap bike that does not have similar issues with sticking brake calipers, rusting frames and corroding aluminum. They all did it, I was there I saw it! Its just that the classic bike mags love the Kawasaki Z1, Yam RDs and Suzuki kettles, Honda Cbs  etc and good as they are they were still suffer the same fate as the XZ. You only have to read the questions and help pages in these magazines to realize that all the bikes are suffering the same issues. By the way does this Lou Spokes guy who wrote the article exist? Or is it some play on words... Loose Spokes?

[joevacc]

There are no major problems with the carbs.  The 83's are better. so. Many manufacturers don't totally get it the first model year.  A lot of dealers had incompent mechinics who when confronted with something new we unable to , to what?  Take the time to figure it out??  I have only had to clean mine once in 25 years and that was after it sat for almost a year.  If you get any bike that sits for years on end, things will have to be addressed.  I can tell you that riding the hell out my bike has kept it going.  When I bought my bike new, the day after I bought it, I adjusted the carbs because I did not like the way it ran  (not knowing at the time that down draft carbs were unique to the V) but I never new that there were "carb problems" with the V until much later in it's life and the  rumors were out.
(Clean, well adjusted carbs are not an upgrade)

I changed my bearings after 16 years and could not believe that I rode that tank slapper for that long.
(Bearings Important)

I don't think that the 82 shock was a bad thing for the bike but 20 years is 15 years too long for any shock regardless of it's mileage.
(Shock and springs are shot now 25+ years later!)  This is not an upgrade to the original design!

The stators deserve the bad press if you ask me.  I have not read one article out of our community that talks about them though.

I have gloated for years about the handling of my bike.
What else is there?

[Lucky]

A suggestion:
play down the 15 problems,  a line or two about the needed fixes (starter clutch, starter seal, R/R connectors, etc) & use the rest of the 1450 words to really highlight what this bike is all about.  if they want to know more they can visit our sites.

This is our chance to right 25 years of bad press. use it wisely
--Lucky

[QBS]

Lucky speaks with wisdom.

[supervision]

 I think Lucky makes an excellent point, no need to paint a negative picture on the bike.  Maybe better to mention the perfect torque, out of the turns, quick steering and nimble. This bike is a good match of power and handleing.   They require a little sorting out

[Cdnlouie]

Some good feedback fellows, I will continue with some follow-up questions to the editor to see if he is going to consider our Vision project (give him a cooling off period) and then just how can we define the parameters of the "story."

We might summarize some of your thoughts:

1. Present the Vision in a positive light emphasizing strengths of the bike for rider enjoyment. The Vision has a broad application in this area as well as a strong rider support base which is the equivalent of other popular classics.
2. Address issues that often face any classic bike restoration for universal appeal.  You can never have too much of the classic mechanics.
3. Highlight innovative approaches to solve weaknesses of Vision.  It will come as no surprise that the 83 does correct the weakness in the initial 82 design.  Unfortunately, few people realize this fact.
4. Tell a great story about a great bike which any motorcyclist can enjoy.

The pictures need to assist the telling of the story and sharing a genuine motorcycle experience with the reader.  I am not sure how difficult this may be to pull something together that presents a unified viewpoint of the Vision, especially in such a short period of time.  I am not certain if anyone could do it or even collectively we could pull it off.

It is something to think about and I am certainly challenged with the idea so I will pick up some more correspondence and see if I can narrow the expectations and the idea that would be doable within this short period of time.

I like the idea of having access to some sort of online workspace if the project is going to be kicked off, that could really help.

Thanks for the terrific collaboration here (and encouraging words), will keep you posted with any new info.  Feel free to contact me offline with any ideas as well.

Cheers