Another new owner---with ?????

[Oldbikefool]

Hi to all, I bought an 82 last nite that probably is starting out like a lot of yours did so have a few questions. The bike has sat outside for a year or two but aside from a little rust doesn't seem too bad off. It only has 4400 miles on it,so I figured it was worth the $300 he wanted. He said it won't run below 3000-3500 rpm and after charging up the battery and adding a little gas she started fairly easily, and after warming up he was right,revving around the 3000+ mark. Took it for a short ride and the temp gauge just kept on climbing to the red so I figure the idle and temp will be my first places to start. I own a True Value Hardware store and keep about 10 old bikes there so lots of my customers see them and share interest and advice etc. with me. One old fellow said to loosen the small water hose[on the block] and run the bike until it starts to recirculate, he said the water pump can get air in the system and this will get it out[and yes there is water and antifreeze in it, was a little low put covered the core,& oil level to top of window]. He used to own a bike wrecking yard, sold parts etc. and usually is right on with his advice. He knew exactly what the bike was as soon as he saw it and said they were great little bikes. He suggested turning the forks around so the wheelbase was a bit longer, said they are real quick reacting to steering input. I am far from ready to try that but has anyone? and what does that do to the front brake, seems like it would be grabbing from the wrong end of the pads and they would be in front of the forks also. Does anyone have the phone # for Sirius for carb kits. The previous owner said he'd replaced the clutch and fuse box and had tried a couple shops for the carbs but was told carb parts not available and the shops were'nt really interested in trying to help so he just parked and bought a new Maurader. The petcock leaks also and the front brake was dry with powder in the resevoir, are the master cylinders the same as other Yamaha's of that era? I also have a 80 650 Special that is a total blast to ride[I'm easily pleased] and a 81 650 Maxim my wife rides. Other bikes are a 1962 305 Dream, a 1971 350 Honda scrambler, 1971 450 CB Honda, 81 Suzuki GS450ST, 76 Honda 750F, 85 Suzuki GV700 Madura[anyone had one of these?] as you can tell my email name is fitting[oldbikefool] Good thing this doesn't require paper to communicate as I get wordy. I'll try to keep to shorter ?? from now on. Thanks for any and all advice and help.

[h2olawyer]

Welcome to the Visionary fold!  

Looks like you've got lots of experience keeping vintage bikes going.  It will come in handy with your Vision.  You need to get either a Haynes or factory repair manual for it.  As with all bikes, there are procedures that are best explained in those publications.  Also, be sure to check out Lucky's site for the common repairs & preventive maintenance.  (http://www.xz550.com)  That is a great place to start getting your new toy in great, safe condition.

There is a bleeder for your cooling system.  It is a bolt in a fitting in the coolant line located under the tank & airbox.  The thermostat has a bypass so running it with the hose unhooked will allow for some coolant to pass through before it opens up.  (One of those things explained well in the repair manuals.)

Not sure of master cylinder interchangability w/ other Yamahas.  Usually, a good cleaning in new brake fluid will get things working right but there are rebuild kits available from Yamaha if necessary.  

The poor running below 3,000 RPM could be as easy as carb synch or more involved like a leaky YICS box or most likely, since it sat for a while, a thorough carb cleaning (strip & dip in Berryman's).  Normally, the carb parts aren't too bad & can be reused.  Don't have the phone # for sirius but keyster kits for both 82s & 83s are available on ebay.  Petcock kits are also available but I don't remember the source at the moment.

Why would you want to make the wheelbase longer & slow up the handling?  For their age, these bikes carve up the twisties very well as designed.  They also ride fairly well on the open highway for a mid size bike.

There's a lot of Vision knowledge in this group and everyone's very willing to help.  I bought my 82 new in 1984 and it has had a couple extended periods of nonuse.  With the help of the great folks on this site, it actually runs better today than the day I bought it.

Good luck getting your V in top riding shape!

H2o

(As a lawyer, I can get a bit verbose too!)

[nvdranger]

Not running below 3k is the problem I had.  Get the Keyster Carb kits and perform the carb dip as h2o suggested.  Pay close attention to all the passageways, this was my problem the first time around.  The carb cleaner alone wont always get everything out and as many will tell you these carbs are VERY touchy.  I used a welder tip cleaner (similar tool can be bought from honda or yamaha store) to clean all the passageways.  I just got the keyster carb kits last week and the new jets helped significantly, even w/o the carb synch. but once you rip the carbs apart you'll most likely need to synch them.  just my 2 cents.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

Ken

[Lucky]

Anytime the carbs are seperated (or even loosened from the bars that hold them together they must be synqed.  BTW, it's not nessacary to seperate the carbs to get them out of the bike, or even remove the fuel pump, just move the wiring harnesses (both sides) and coolant hose (right side) out & up.

Double & tripple check for a vacumme leak, YICS canister, hoses, petcock, intakes (cracking on the outside is ok) and fuel pump.  spray tiny shots of carb cleaner thru the tube at suspected vaccume leaks. a change in idle will confirm.  cavet: use too much spray and it'll find it's way into the carbs anyhow.

Carb synq directly affects idle speed. it's all about how far open the throttle plates are open. so i'd definatly check this second.

--Lucky

[Walt_M.]

Keep the forks stock! The brakes will not be the problem but steering geometry will! If somebody is suggesting that you change what you have, ask them what the resulting rake and trail will be. They will not know and will not know why you asked, they are stupid! Your health and well-being are at stake here.  

[Rick G]

Actually , I contemplated  reversing the forks  to slow the handling down (I worked out the numbers but no longer have them, it was 5 years ago) After 3 months of riding the Vision , I put all thought of modifying  the front end  aside . Its fine the way it is.  
You might want to set it up with air forks or a set of progressive springs ,though.

[Walt_M.]

It would actually speed up the handling as 'trail' would be decreased by about 1.5-2". To determine trail, draw a line through the steering head to the ground. Now draw a vertical line through the front axle to the ground. The distance between the lines is 'trail'. As you should now see, moving the axle foreward will decrease the trail. Generally, greater the trail, the more the bike wants to go in a straight line. If you want a to make a slight trail increase. put on a larger diameter tire, it makes a small increase in the steering rake, with respect to the ground. I have a 110/90 on mine and am very happy with it.

[Steve Martinson]

Thanks for your comments. So far I've ordered the carb kits from Sirius and "possibly" bled the cooling system. There is a bolt or screw on the side of each cylinder close to the bottom and when I loosened them coolant came out. I warmed it up to see if temp went to the red again and it got pretty close, went for a short ride to see if it went all the way and once I was out of town and could go over 30mph it came down to the middle and stayed there for a short 20 mile ride. I obviously need to get a manual asap before I do something stupid that will cost me $$ or frustration. It still won't idle of course but with only the occasional stop sign it didn't really matter for a few miles. This little jewel likes to move! I'm an overweight 53 year old and I was pleasantly[very pleasantly] surprised, looked at speedometer and was at 80 with a strong bit of pull left, was driving more like my mental age of 18. I am looking forward to the carb cleaning, petcock fixing etc. and going for a good long ride. I live in Ferndale Wa. just below the British Columbia border and love riding up there, just a few miles and I can be on the best roads imaginable, very little traffic, hardly any police, and speed limits that are fun to pretend like they aren't kilometers. There are two vintage bike gatherings the next two weekends at Chilliwack and Vernon BC, the Vision won't be going but I'm sure looking forward to them. Well looks like another book, thanks again for the advice etc.

[Oldbikefool]

Re: post 7 I ain't too familiar with using these forums yet, I am Steve and just left a thanks to all who gave advice to another newby, only when I looked at it my name was there instead of Oldbikefool, guess I am supposed to login before doing anything else, well  live and learn.

[Ken Stuart]

 Steve,
      Sure wish I was in your shoes,lots of good roads in your neck of the woods. If you get up to Vernon again take your ride over the Monashee's to Fauqier & Nakusp one of the best rides going.
            Cheers Ken