exess4

Greetings. If you've at all perused this site you will notice a bit of intro and hello is a friendly gesture for a friendly answer Adjust the clutch cable. When did you switch to synthetic?

ANYway. . . . . . . . decided to use available resources and 4ott steel wool grabbed nicely onto brass gun brushes, and some brown rubbing compound. Partway there, could be better and prob thousand ways to clean between fins. Vapour blast would be best! Still wondering what detailing thread i saw with that pic of forementioned bike. Earlier and now.

I owe you guys an apology, I was CERTAIN i saw that thread on YOC because I would spend so much time here. I found the gun brush cleaning method and it's not even a Yamaha http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=97579 I'm still not convinced that is a great idea.

Wonder if electric toothbrush would fit between fins, I brush the manual way I just took the head off and am going to try out some kind of brush using the drill. About now I guess I should have a dremel. I have a dozen pack of bronze bristle gun cleaning brushes but not so sure I want to try that and would have to get in the fins to more finely polish the scratches out anyway.

I was doing a search trying to find a post that had great info on engine cleaning tips. Particularly getting between the fins. I recall one guy said he used gun cleaning brushes but that seems a bit harsh! In XS400 forum I found the one with Houghmades bike pic http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4783&highlight=polishing (seen that on YOC as well) and this from Hough: "What didn't I use....Carb cleaner, brake cleaner, Simple Green, Comet, Aluminum Polish. Fish tank brushes helped to get between the fins. The scrubbing cleaned up the jugs to a nice "as cast" look. Lot of wet sanding and then hand polishing for the side covers." I have the valve cover shined to feaux chrome finish and it's beautiful but it will look really odd to leave it at that and have a shiny bald-look motor, HA. Does someone know where that post is or better yet good advice on best method of getting entire engine to look as new as my valve covers now do. Best method to get between the cooling fins and that. THaNKs!

AHA! That is right, I never did get directly from 2nd to 1st without hitting neutral. Good to know that is how it is supposed to work. My first experience with a "vintage" , or maybe it's a Yamaha thing. But happy to hear that.

From the less than 2 miles I've put on mine so far it seems that way. Going from 2nd down to first I had to intently weight it down to not get neutral. Other shifting also seemed to have to give it some conscious leverage. BUT I assumed it is just a takes-gettiing-used-to thing since it is from 30+ years ago.

This time I will not doubt. Call it good as done THANKS and to all at YOC as always!

i saw once that someone had to ask what that was - as i wouldve - must have been Americano. Yes I am in love! The shortest but sweetest of a ride

After some anguish and then some focused deliberate brooding and dwelling over the issue of possible crankcase pressure I decided to remove the breather cover gasket as pictured. I am wondering the necessity of putting it back in place or just leaving it removed. Is it's function really that important, does it prevent droplets of splashing oil from making it up to the breather tube and intake?

Once again to gazing affectionately, admiringly upon my 'new' bike I like it with the little bit of mud-splash on it! Yea!! Thanks for the help as always YOC.

not only that the cam seal didn't seem to be leaking, for sure not as much. tho it will be replaced. And learned electrics to headlight good, light is burned out, a good day

I wanted to reply earlier but didn't get the chance. WHY DID I EVER DOUBT. After so much idling and 3-4k reving, i thought that would suffice as a good run! I thought long and hard on that reply about crankcase pressure. I decided to take out the gasket under the breather cover. Started it and much the same. Today it was a crazy 60 degrees (f) day in MN. Just to see if it would at least shift through the gears (got to 4th in a short alley), and if not then no reason to worry about burning oil anyway, i went a mere tenth of a mile down alley staying in 2nd. Turned around and got to 4th gear and hard on the brakes (nothing to lose). (drum pads are quite worn and just more $ into the thing, ha). So it shifts beautifully. . . .AND. . . back in the garage it WAS NOT BURNING OIL! Started it several hours later and ALL GOOD. Just a good run! All .2 miles of a good run. Why did I even doubt the advice? Only I just don't quite understand it. Hmmmm. Idling and revving for an hour with continuous oil-burning smoke. Then a 1 minute semi-hard ride and I'm back to manically happy. The whole experience has been manic! And I rode my bike!!!

Oil level is just slightly below the mark and probably from burning off. So what i'm understanding from that Drewpy is that possible blowby gas and increased pressure in the crankcase. The mist is an oil mist at top end and too much oil being forced up to cams? Also that the blowby would cause gas in oil. That's what I understand from that. Here is the short answer to my question (picture). Right now still in denial but not looking at the thing so affectionately as a day ago. Yes I am an ASS. Needless to say I didn't start it this evening. short-lived jubilation. Exhaust was still smoking when shut it off and it was running for 40-50 minutes (2 videos i have are 55 minutes apart). Not sure but not in a hurry anymore. Brand new spark plugs. 1 hour, 0 miles on them.

When I removed it nearly 2 yrs ago now, I knew I was possibly looking at an ALL original bike, HA

All good advice as expected. I bought the oil by the gallon 4 qt jug and considered it was possible I poured too much in a tad. The rings are new, so i had the cylinders honed as well. The end cam seal will be replaced. I stopped by Yam dealer today and he couldn't get it so I'll find it elsewhere. I will look forward to giving it a good run too! If it works itself out all the better and all the more fun Thanks!

Haha, that's PO after dropping it thought he was being original. Didn't think of that, very original

Upon another review of my own video the burning oil from cam seal behind the points doesn't bother me since i kind of expected that, it just looks real bad for now. Although the exhaust looks does look as if it is burning oil. I was thinking a below-freezing garage and rich mixture and/or timing needs to be fine tuned in. Does that not look like i am burning oil? When I rebuilt quite a while back, and didn't know what I was doing, is it possible the brand new valve stem seals are not pushed down all the way? Or might it be what i first thought - coldness / rich mix / timing?

ass is right, HA

I feel a certain loyalty to Yamaha Owners Club since all that i was capable of grasping -and still- i learned from starting here. I've been spending more time ass 226 on xs400dotcom. I should re-introduce myself and gotta say big love on YOC from me. I forgot that the owner told me it hadn't run for 2 years, interesting. Most of those questions have been answered I believe. To my recollection I joined the forum the same evening I bought the bike, April 6 2010. Since then? Pretty much plain gave up for a while after I realized how much it needed and how much unknown amount of money it would require from me. But it was making me sick looking at it so at least I would buy a part here and there and eventually a pile of stuff, new stuff, needed stuff. To shorten this i had the motor rebuilt for 1 1/2 years, then gave up looking at the entire thing, then this year, armed with a mountain of new parts and things (still not close to enough), i resolved to start going on it Jan 2. So by end of January motor was in, by end of February I wanted it running. As of March 1 it got running and is a story in itself. I carefully looked things over, it started on very first kick - it is Kickstart only. BUT after less than a minute the choke/enrichener needed turning down and it died. Then partially warm it wouldn't start until I messed with the points a little. OK, So it runs!!!!! It was a long time to see this day I overtightened exh header bolt and a small exhaust leak. It does in fact have an oil leak from the Cam Seal behind the points. And from the exhaust it looks to run real rich. The headlight does not work. The instrument lights also do not work. And there is one question i might have considering the timing/points. But I am elated and ecstatic and it even goes through all the gears - i was expecting it to as i had it apart down to splitting the case, but i got it and the clutch lever was replaced with one that didn't fit right and the gearshift was replaced with a short little thing and a bolt with a 'S' for Suzuki on it - huge red flag if I'd have known enough to see that. It turns out that was no problem but MYRIAD AND PLETHORA of problems APLENTY. Too much to speak of and mind boggling. In short for my first attempt at rebuilding something (a few mistakes of course!) to bringTHIS once POS to life and do my part in saving one little bike from becoming a donor and then no more, almost satisfying. I didn't take nearly enough 'before' pictures. Only took 3 the day I bought it. Then there's this, some may or may not recall. My own doing! And was ready to give in and forget the whole thing at that point. After posting the pic on YOC a certain moderator was encouraging and I kept the faith. Kind of. But this was today. Learned that I have to replace the cam seal - oil by the points and smoking. Also a small exhaust leak, oops. And it seems to run rich from exhaust, needs fine tuning. (also garage is 30 degrees F here). The video is spastic but i wanted to keep it at one minute.

Is that why 26? heard this on a youtube vid for adjusting breaker timing the rice-rocket rider goes up to the crusty old bike rider and he says "man, why do you have so many old bikes anyway". The vintage rider says, "well i'll tell you sonny boy, it's because all bikes made after 1980. . . they're just so pointless"

The spring that oldgit described is in place i assume. You asked for any advice, so here is what seemed to happen when adjusting gear select myself. The same as you describe, it didn't seem to click and be ready to shift into next higher or lower gear. I had the shift pedal bolted on shifting by hand and tried numerous attempts/adjustments to get it to go into the next gear. It seemed that when I shifted by hand and then also slightly turn the motor (transmission) also by hand it would then find / click into place, the next gear and be ready to shift to the next gear.

Somewhere else andrewp had a picture of the rod he welded to clutch steel driven plate, similar to first picture here.

Yamalube 2, what else could it be, haha Good Info, because i didn't actually have the answer. . .http://throttleyard.com/2011/07/13/two-stroke-of-luck-four-1966-yamaha-yl1s/