XJ900F - getting a new home

[drewpy]

looking good

[blackhat250]

yeh , good work,,,

[IKE]

Re my earlier mention on the ignition switch riveted to the top yoke - well, guess what, these are not rivets, these are shear-bolts and, if they are the original factory fit, they will have been loctited in - aargh! So, I am now considering my options - but I would really like to put in a nice new ignition switch - after I have stripped the yoke down, blasted and painted it. Hmmm, decisions decisions ...

[IKE]

Whilst mulling over the problem about those pesky shear-bolts, I decided to work on the swinging arm. The roller bearing races were fitted to the swinging arm a few weeks ago so next up were the roller cages (greased), the grease seals then the spacers. Before lifting the swinging arm into place, I decided to dry-run the pivot bolts and it's just as well I did, as the final 10mm of the threads in the frame were clogged with powder coating (I suspect they only fitted silicon plugs to the outside of the hole), and needed a Dremel wire brush inside the hole to gently clean away the powder coating. Another dry-run confirmed that the threads were clean all the way through. I removed the pivot bolts, greased the threads and screwed them back and, this time, into the lined up swinging arm, adjusting each one to make sure the swinging arm was central in the frame. After tightening to the correct torque settings, the lock washer tabs on the left pivot bolt were bent into place and the locknut at the other side tightened. A final check on the gaps between the edges of the swinging arm confirmed that the difference between the two was well within tolerance of 1.6mm. I fitted the single rear shock to the swinging arm (the other shock fits onto the drive shaft hub). Now back to those shear-bolts...

[IKE]

If you have read the previous posts you will see that I have been considering options for those shear-bolts in my ignition switch. Well, I decided to tape up the switch and wiring and glass blast the yoke myself. It turned out quite good and I might lacquer it, rather than paint it black. The jury is still out on that one. Anyway, I have greased the new roller bearings and fitted the steering stem to the frame. It's easy enough to take out if I decide to paint the top yoke in the same black as the bottom yoke.

[blackhat250]

That's some neat work IKE,

[IKE]

Thanks Blackhat, slow progress but enjoying the glass blasting results.

[IKE]

Decided to push ahead with the front end and have fitted the forks and the bars. The forks have only been cleaned as there were no signs of leakage and the last service record, albeit a couple of years ago, showed that new seals had been fitted. I polished up the aluminium handlebars and was pleased that they matched the aluminium of the top yoke - easy decision, keep the yoke as it is, not going to paint it. The fork gaiters look sound but I think they are too soft and almost look bent. I know it's only cosmetic but I'm going to investigate stiffer gaiters to see if they retain their straight shape - easier to do that before I torque everything up. The last photo shows the final drive hub after a liberal dose of paint stripper. I suspect this is going to be more difficult than I thought - in fact, I nearly stripped down the whole final drive assembly but decided to check the manual first. Guess what? The manual says NOT to do this, it should only be undertaken by a Yam dealer. I suspect it's the pulling out of gears and bearings that would be the problem. So it's down to some cleaning and polishing to see if I can get back to a good quality aluminium finish.

[neversaydie]

Yea, modern paint strippers aint wot they used to be. If you can still find it, I think Strypit is supposed to be effective.

Nice work by the way

[IKE]

Thanks neversaydie, I've found some Strypit on e-bay for a couple of quid. Order placed. I had been trying Nitromores but it looks like there's been laquer and paint put on there over the years! I'll give your stuff a try though. Thanks again.

[IKE]

Been busy with house type DIY over the last few months so progress continues to be slow. I lifted the cylinder head and removed the cams, shims and valves (note the different storage boxes for each pot). Early readers may remember that one of my exhaust stud holes needs to be welded and re-tapped for a new stud but I need to take one of the exhaust flanges with me to ensure the correct pitch between the studs (the flange gets used as a jig/clamp to ensure straight holes etc). My new problem is that my bike has those four into one exhaust jobbies and I need to remove the pipes from the collector box before I can slip off one of the flanges. Guess what - those pipes are well and truly stuck in the collector box. I have a plan to restore the pipes so I am not keen to cut them off just yet. The pipes are soaking in WD40 but I suspect they might need another approach. Has anyone got experience of removing these things? 

 

[slice]

They got on there that tight with heat so they need heat to get them off, can be right bastards to get off, you just have to be patient and wiggle them till they give in.  DON'T hit them as your sure to f**k them up if you do. Clamp one end in a vice , get it hot, then turn it back and forward till it gives, wrap the pipe in a cloth to prevent a dent or scratches. Use PLUS GAS or something similar to give you penetration deep into the joint, you can squirt it while it's still hot but make sure you have a bucket of water handy and the garage door open, DON'T breath in the smoke as it will make your eyes water something fierce, been there done that.

Edited July 25, 2015 by slice

[drewpy]

therm shock will get them off as Slice suggested, heat,then cold ad infinitumn. should come loose eventually

[IKE]

Thanks Slice and Drewpy, are we talking oxy-accetelene hot or just hot air gun hot (I have a paint stripper HOT gun)? Appreciate the health and safety advice too guys.

cheers

[slice]

No to OXY that will just make your local Fire brigade happy, try a propane gun, about £20 from your local DIY shop, hot air gun won't even get it hot enough. You want to get it almost red but not to the point of glowing, give the outer section the heat then cool the inner with water, that way,as Drewpy said, it gets a thermal shock and the outer stays hot while the inner pipe cools rapidly, then give it a tweek but NOT a full blooded heave, you want to separate it not distort it.

[drewpy]

What he said ^^^

[IKE]

Thanks guys, I've got a small propane blow lamp so I'll try that in the next few days. I wonder why only one of the inlet pipes to the collector box is split and clamped - why not all four?

Hey Ho...

[slice]

They usually have an insert, like a wire pot scrubber thing ! inside that takes up any slack,

[IKE]

Just a quick update...

I heated the exhaust collector box with a small propane burner then, with the assistance of my neighbour, we gently rotated each pipe and they eventually came out. Good advice not to use a vice or clamp so as not to damage the pipes - thanks guys. I noticed that the collector box is not in a good condition but that's fairly small item if it needs to be replaced. 

For earlier readers, you'll remember that I had a broken exhaust stud-hole in my cylinder head. I took it to a bike friendly alloy wheel repair man and he filled it, drilled and tapped it and fitted a new exhaust stud - all for £30. A brilliant job and I am now getting ready to overhaul the head and grind the valves.

Happy Days

[IKE]

I was just about to post an update with a couple of photos but I'm getting a message saying I am limited to 190k for attachments. Is there any way to increase this or do I need to remove earlier photos?

cheers