Ryengoth

Head cleaning and valve lapping is done. Valve cover is curing after hammer and gloss treatment. Some more sanding and final clear coating is next. The fuel tank had a blowout with the mig trying to weld screws to pop dents. I chased it with the TIG for over an hour and gave up. Too much rust inside, too thin of a wall. I'm looking for a donor tank now that has a few dents to strip and repaint. I'll get back to this tank one day and put a huge weld wart over the holes, preferably after my patience returns. I have a stud gun now to avoid this in the future.

This is before I removed the gaskets and cleaned the exhaust ports. I'll post another pic tonight after the other 4 valves are lapped. I would have preferred to get it walnut media blasted but I'm also on a budget. I have a soda gun but it wastes more than it cleans on stuff with this many pockets and deep grooves. I want to spend as little as possible where I can without sacrificing the longevity and safety. $120 for the cam treating versus $120 for a media blasting, I'll do the cams. :) Yes, it was time consuming to clean the head this way but also satisfying to see it come clean. New exhaust studs, exhaust gaskets and head o-rings are on order. The blasting would have ruined the stem seals as well, but after lapping the first 4 valves only one gave any kind of resistance. So, they're all getting replaced anyway. Better safe than sorry for a cheap rubber part eh?

The used head is almost done with cleaning. The combustion domes and exhaust ports had a good .5mm of solid carbon. Some CRC GDi intake cleaner, a cordless drill and some small wire brushes did the trick. The valves cleaned up just fine and I've just lapped in cyl 1 and 2.

After a LOT of degreaser, a messy driveway cleaning and a few shop rags the chain lube grime goo and road splatter are gone. New chain in-hand. Might try to polish the shock springs once I disassemble the rear sway arm setup. It's all getting sanded, rust treatment and then a coat of gloss black frame paint. I used some of the frame and roll cage paint recently on some auto subframe braces and it survived some "adjustment" hammering surprisingly so it should last a long time on the bike frame. The chrome is in surprisingly good condition. The undersides of the chain guard and rear fender support need some attention while off the bike. The signal stems are also in-hand and waiting for the frame to be painted. Everyone uses black vinyl tape don't they? :D Front and rear wheels look in good shape. Rear needs a bit of brushing and buffing before paint. New sprocket in-hand. Will see how bearings are. They feel fine pushing the bike around but need to make sure they aren't worn too much. Something always refuses to get clean! Well the stem bearing has no cover, so who knows what the races are like. Guess I'll be pulling the head apart. I hope the bearings aren't bad because that's quite a bit of cash. If it's packed full of old gooey grease it should just need a clean and repack, with new covers.

I am buying the XJ lot from him and will have them converted. The 650/750 is a 2-card set. He may have XJ owners manuals too, waiting to find out what he has. If anyone else wants in, let me know by listing the series and/or model. He also has other makes available if you have an interest in other Japanese bike brands.

Hey folks, I picked up a 1982 XJ service manual microfiche card and am going to have it digitized into a searchable PDF. Is there anyone else that has Microfiche that would like to have it converted? It will be more cost effective to do a set of cards instead of just 1 or 2. Attached is the microfiche card I'm sending off. It is in great shape. Here is the eBay seller a few hours away that's selling the cards, he has a bunch of models available for around $6 each. I will purchase the card and arrange for digital conversion for you. The PDF will be sent via email as soon as the conversion is completed and postal mail delivery of the card if you want it. Once I have a gauge as to the number of cards I can get a total per-card conversion price for everyone involved. .https://www.ebay.com/str/tiredironclassics/Microfiche-Cards/_i.html?_storecat=13055027012 Let me know what year/model you are interested in getting a parts/service manual for and I'll put a list together. I have contacted the seller and awaiting to find out if he will entertain a bulk purchase of the cards he has. I also asked for a list of what types of cards and for which models if there is one. Easier to review that than a bunch of eBay listings.

Well I have a 650 head now since I wasn't paying attention to my eBay wish list selection and bought the wrong one. Anyone need some cleaned XJ650 valves? The 1000mile cams are on the way to WPC for Izumi to mico-peen them. The lobes and journals should last a lifetime on a bike like this. At the very least, the heat build-up from air-cooling should not affect lubrication as much on the bearing surfaces. I'd love to do the crank journals too but I'm not tearing that far into it unless I crack a piston or start getting ring blow-by. Based on my initial compression tests 180psi leads to be believe it's fine. New ignition switch and used cover fit well. I still have to find a sumitomo 250 connector for the harness end. Someone took the cutters to it and didn't put the connector in the glove box. New voltage regulator is on the way, I was getting 10v from the regulator while the AGM battery it was connected to was pushing out about 13.5V. I believe the turn signal issues will go away once voltage is above 12v. Still unsure about the charging system and won't know until the bike is running again. Also not sure what's up with the headlight wiring. No light but the lamp is fine. Master cylinder and lever have been replaced, as well as the clutch control. Someone broke a drill bit off in one of the cap cover screws and I had no choice but to try to drill it out and ended up ruining the cap. The handle and housing was beat to death so just ordered a new matching set of lever controls. New clutch cable is in along with a new old-stock Maxim 550 emblem for the side panel, once paint is done. Engine block, head and cylinder crown polishing are in progress. I plan on starting on the rear wheel soon. New sprockets and chain are on order since these are worn so I'll get all the wheel cleaning and painting done before the new sprocket goes on.

She is gonna clean up nicely. I have a lot of brushing and polishing to do. Waiting on another head to start on head and valve work. Almost new cams (1000miles) are on the way to WPC for micro-peening. $40 a cam is pennies considering the cams will outlast the cylinders. More pics to come as I focus on each core area. Rear wheel refresh coming up.

Thanks for chiming in! I'll take any input I can on this model as it's my first bike rebuild. I've done 2-smoke and 4-stroke varying from chainsaws to the boosted v6 GDi engine on my Genesis Coupe 3.8T project so I have a wide range of fundamental knowledge and skills. I just need guidance on what's common between models and series as well as where to get engine parts (besides eBay). Most of the online "Yamaha Parts" stores I've found have the same generic bolt and gasket selection with no real OE parts. Example, the small allen-head knurled screw for the chain tensioner housing. The long knurled nut came off easy, the bolt had to be forced out since someone cross-threaded it. ?

Very nice. Looks like a model I may be aiming at now! I am just getting into bikes and it looks like rebuilding could be a hobby I might stick with. I often jump between 'fancies' as the groovy factor wears off and I learn everything I can. Unlike cars, I can fit multiple projects in my garage which might be a BAD thing! ?

Valve cover and retaining bolt buffing. The buffed cast aluminum is growing on me, but the black paint fill is OEM. Half done, but you get the idea.

Thanks! I may just buy a tool depending on what's required to fab it and how problematic YICS is. I'll check out the diagram as well as the eliminator. I prefer metric for engineering and solid design. I do solid modelling of prototypes and 3D printing so I might could 3D print one if the torsional stability for PLA suffices for the tool.

I'm in the process of re-birthing an 82 xj550 and will be posting some updates along the way. I've started a picture thread in the gallery as well but will keep the technical discussion over here. Can anyone confirm that the crank case and trans are the same between the 550 and 650? I've been debating doing a parts swap on the case I have to upgrade it. If it's too much modification then I'll just redo the bike with the original bottom-end. The original head is in the spare parts bin with a heavily scored exhaust cam cap on #1. I have a decent used head on the way and will hopefully get another 30 years out of this re-build. I found a cam set from a bike with 1000 miles and will be sending them off to WPC for micro-peening. That should give the cams and caps a lifetime of friction freedom for cheap. Electrical is a mess. No ignition switch, fuse box rotted into oblivion and the gauges don't do anything at all. Horn works, starter works and it fired over on starter spray. The taillight, signals and indicator cluster lights work but I'm having to rebuild the signal flasher relay. The capacitor inside is worn out. No headlight power still. Lots of work to do!

The XJ650 is the "big brother" of the 550. The 750 was the big daddy of the XJ series. I might do a swap in the future, if I keep it. I like flipping things for the experience. The 550 is kinda small. ? I still have to learn what the "model" branding differences are in the XJ series. BTW, I will be keeping YICS and trying to restore the original carbs even though it's a pain to tune. Who knows, I may trade-up for a larger 80's model if I find one around here. Lots of parts incoming Fri and Sat so more pics coming including valve-train work and -possibly- engine removal for upcoming naked frame work.

Thanks! I doubt this will be my last bike project. Always looking for something to learn on.

I just picked this bike up locally for cheap and am in the process of making it road-worthy again with as many OE parts as possible. Born May 1981, appears to be all original excluding tank cap. No ignition switch. Tank key does not match helmet lock. Tank has a lot of dents so debating swapping tanks. #1 exhaust cam cap is galled beyond repair so another head is on the way. The others are fine, go figure! Pistons and cylinders look great and cleaned up nicely! Original paint was metallic ruby. Not sure on paint yet, have a looong way to go. More to come!

Hey, I just acquired a 1982 XJ550 Maxim and am in the process of tear-down and restoration. I work on all sorts of projects. The most recent restoration was a 2001 Dinli DL601 T-Rex that included electrical, frame paint, stroker and big bore upgrade from 90cc to 106cc, new plastics and controls. I also recently did a de-rusting and rebuild on a 2000 EZGO 36V golf cart and decked it out with new wiring, lighting, high torque motor, brake system, wheels and batteries. My current customer project is for a friend, upgrading electronics, doing various repairs and adding new toys to a 1995 International 4700 bank transport limo conversion from GoArmor. Always something cool going on. :D Glen