I've moved from 'Parts wanted' to hear as I've moved well past the parts wanted stage.
I impulse bought this old fav when I saw her sitting proudly on the side of the road with a huge price tag, $2800. Hmmm, must look after stopping car....here she is...good side & bad side. No rego & was last on the road in QLD.
:good2:
PO self haggled down to $1500, still high, but the impulse was strong. Took her for a test thrash & seemed ok. No 2nd gear probs, wouldn't idle and was rough as guts below 2500-3000 rpm, but over that fine. Bought her home & did the list:
Fix carby
Wire petcock thingy (thanks Pat)
Do shims
Oil & filter
New rubber front & back
Replace existing rubber brake lines with steel braided.
Tighten/fix top steering bearings
New front indicators
Replace shim cover seals, sump seals, plus one or two others
Repair front shocks & polish tubes & replace fork seals
Replace coke cable & guide
Replace 4:1 with an after market 4:2 plus replace butchered balance box
Replace bent clutch lever.
Repair/replace top cowl fairing.
Find replacement bottom cowl fairing (I've noted these are now called Unobtainum).
New windscreen.
I gave the whole job a budget of 5-7K as I would not be turning the spanners on this one so I can do the loving husband/father routine & justify the money (well, yes not really, but....).
A little desktop research turned up some of the previous life, plus what the PO had gleaned from the 2nd owner. Bike mfg May 1984, #586 (50K000687) off the line & imported by McCulloch into Oz & sold in sunny QLD. Original owner kept her on the road till 1993, then parked up. Not sure why, I assume an accident, ran out of maintenance, interest, dunno. Parked up till 2002 when bought by 2nd owner who noted that the original 4:2 was replaced by a 'butchered' collector box and 4:1, with some oil probs, but was very happy (this was off FJRegistry, just type your VIN/frame #). By 2003 was sold as a running wreck after 2nd owners son (this is story from PO) had a smash (damage looks like a high-side). Bike then parked up again till 2007 when bought by 3rd owner and stayed parked till I picked her up about a month ago.
I'll copy the rest of the posts from the other threads, & start putting up more pics..
I did go through the Yamaha VIN range list & have added up the total between ranges. It looks like there were possibly as many as 63687 production FJ1100's made, across all variants globally. I've been advised the first 50 were factory racers & the second 50 were promo bikes. Don't know how many were bought into Australia as McCulloch were the importers till 1986 when Yamaha set up a direct office & by then the 1100 was out of production.
This project has been handed over to Glenn or Glenn Henry Motorcycles in Nowra. He's rebuilt one big-bored & heavily modified FJ my brother built originally. If anyone on the South Coast NSW Oz needs some competent mechanicals done on an FJ I thoroughly recommend Glenn. Gary in his office has forgotten more about where to find parts than I'll ever know, especially for Yamaha.
First step on the restore was road test. Was good enough for me to take her for a test thrash before I bought it, but Glenn did the same. As mentioned before no 2nd gear issue.
Second step, compression test. All cylinders running 120 psi, prefer more, but as is equal we'll leave it for the moment. I'll add some performance via the cams and perhaps a big bore kit when the rings need replacing. Also, no smoke, so the rings are ok we think. The ODO shows 64K, so probably more like 164K.
Third step, pull the carbies as she won't idle below about 3000 rpm. Glenn believes it is the pilot jet as this feeds the fuel from idle to about 3k. Well, after pulling the carbies, break them down, check needles, seats, rubber, floats etc, need complete needle & seat set, but otherwise ok.
Forth step, shims, not too bad, #3 had to go up one, #1 was a tad tight & went down one (bit of a worry, I've not had one decrease before).
Variety of steps all in one now as carbie kit arrived minus one needle ( :dash2:) so on to the rest:
Wire petcock
Oil & filter
New tyres
Steel braided lines all-round
Clean and tighten steering bearings
Replace shim cover seals, plus the sump ring seal. All others are good.
Remove and wet/dry then polish the front forks, replace fork seals.
Replace the choke cable and guide.
Replace bent clutch lever.
A few gremlins have appeared. Firstly the carbies which we though were ok needed a lot more work and time ($$$$!!) the brakes where, as expected, pretty gummed up & needed quite a bit of cleaning. But the crazy one was the front brake master. The clear window was, we thought, painted over, but turned out to have some sealant over it. Whilst cleaning it completely disintegrated requiring a new plug to replace the window piece which Glenn made in house. Not optimal as I'm trying to do a resto, so I'll look for a replacement once we get it running.
The pipes were pretty buggered, and I ordered a header and collector box set from Delkevik, these arrived no problem & fitted well.
After some discussion about mufflers in the Parts Wanted forum I went against the collective wisdom and ordered some F1 mufflers. I STILL DON'T HAVE THEM AFTER ONE MONTH!!! Quite irritating, and a lesson learnt, other members have the knowledge, this is what the forum is for, and I'll not be so clever again!
Next will be some minor mechanics and the decoration....pics coming up.....
Here are the progress shots...Glenn fitting the braided lines to the front.
Next is post braided lines, whilst waiting for some carbie bits we've decided to remove the forks & wet dry the stone chips, give them a polish & new seals, plus a general tidy up..
Time to do the collector & headers while the front is off. Headers look like original. OD shows 64K, so could be original 64K or 164, hard to say...
the old headers were in pretty bad shape. Inner pipe on two of them had come loose, butchered collector had some holes...nice shiny new ones ready to go!
Incredibly the old headers came off & no studs broken. They had about a day with penetrating fluid on the studs & came out clean.
Righto, lets put the forks back on...
Assembly time...
Quote from: Troyskie on March 29, 2015, 09:11:41 PM
Righto, lets put the forks back on...
No!!! Not the AD units...Don't put them back on..... They work like screen doors on submarines.... :rofl2:
Yep, the original AD are on and yes they are crap, but I've not removed them as I haven't put anything else on to replace them. Should I disconnect the AD completely & leave the housings in-place?
Still waiting on the exhausts, windscreen, and although not in the shot, the fairing was taken off again and the two side scoops and top cowl were removed and sent for painting...hopefully only days to go...just by coincidence a new version machine was in for service same time...
Quote from: Troyskie on March 29, 2015, 09:25:54 PM
Yep, the original AD are on and yes they are crap, but I've not removed them as I haven't put anything else on to replace them. Should I disconnect the AD completely & leave the housings in-place?
The AD units can be bypassed to save on new brake lines. Loose the upper half, flip the lower half, and loose the brake AD lines, this allows the fork oil to flow properly.
Right, once home I'll camp-up & get on it...thanks Monkey.
Ahhhh, love the progress photos, looks great! Reminds me to chase up the whereabouts of the carby kits I ordered!
Quote from: FJmonkey on March 29, 2015, 09:14:45 PM
Quote from: Troyskie on March 29, 2015, 09:11:41 PM
Righto, lets put the forks back on...
They work like screen doors on submarines.... :rofl2:
That's my queue...
OK, so I just bought my first set of AD units (on the '84) and they actually work IMHO. I brake pretty aggressively and the stock '84 does have the feature of keeping the geometry nice heading into a corner under hard braking. I've only put a few hundred miles on an AD bike, so I'm not an expert by any means. I have given the whole bike the benefit of the doubt. Let me explain...
In "84 the FJ was Yamaha's race bike of the street. Eventually that became the FZR (or YZF), but the FJ was "the shit" of the day. AD was on contemporary race bikes and did help loft Yamaha onto the podium. The technology is simple and the purpose clear, keep steering geometry closer to design while keeping the compliance and resulting traction optimized off braking. This problem has been solved more cheaply (and better no doubt) by more cleaver designs, but the AD solution worked and was race proven, so it went into the FJ.
Now to my new bike. The system appears to work as advertised and I can stop the bike nicely with 1 finger. my conclusion is this... the AD system and brakes overall worked pretty good from the factory. The AD especially is prone to degradation from neglect and the brakes suffered from shitty pads and rubber lines. My bike has 3 mods... EBC HH pads, SS brake lines, and stiffer front springs. These combined with great maintenance (fully GYSM compliant+) has delivered a bike that performs as originally advertised by Yamaha... "Complete except for the number plate". I'm astonished actually....
Wiz is all about how much you can get out of an FJ, but the original '84 design was nearly spot on. Whenever race technology makes it to a street bike, the maintenance and attention required to keep it working is usually the reason it fails. I now believe the AD units would be appreciated much more if they got routine maintenance and were working in accordance with their design intent.
Just my newly informed opinion...
Frank
Righteo then, looks like I'll have some fun trying some 'with' and 'without' tests. Good point on the maintenance side Flynt, they were a mess when we pulled them apart, and I do wonder how well they worked, or worked at all, with the amount of gunge in system. It looked like it had never, ever, been pulled apart or cleaned up. But, from my early days on FJ's when they were new I was not a fan of the AD. I preferred to shim-up the forks, and/or change over to progressive springs, (this was actually my brothers work so can't take credit for that). However, and I mean a big...HOWEVER, the bike has always had more performance than I've had ability, with or without the AD.
So Monkey & Flynt, as I mention above, I'll do the test, AD on AD off, I'll attempt this on the same day, same road, same bike, same rider, same fluid bla bla. That will be another post once I've got the bike on the road. I'm still waiting on those mufflers from F1 :dash1:
I spent a couple hours dicking around with the suspension and AD adjustments on Boulder Creek Rd and Hwy 9 today. Found a decent setup that works well with no bad behavior... 3/3 (preload/dampening) on front, 4.5/4.5 on rear, and 2 turns out on AD. The AD keeps the bike noticeably more neutral under braking as you crank it up, but it does eventually prove too stiff on bumpy corner entries if you get past 3 turns out and brake hard through turn-in. Never scary, but at the edge of where I like to ride. The suspension feels much better than it did Saturday when I was riding with some of the fast boys from NoCal... but it is no Wizard.
Anyway, do try with and without AD. Be sure to give yourself some time to adjust "with AD" in full turn increments starting all the way in. If you're not feeling a difference, the AD isn't working right.
Frank
Talk about a perfect storm... A near factory fresh '84 FJ with AD units and a rider that can scare his tires to being sticker than they should...
I am interested in seeing where this goes. My old AD units might be POS due to lack of proper maintenance. I never felt that they worked in the 17 years I owned them...
Keep it coming Frank...
Frank , you should try a panic braking right hand turn with a reducing radius at rally speed .
I double dog dare you. :blum1:
P.S. Please wear your gear and carry fresh underwear.
Ok fellas! Minutes to go....The F1 exhausts are nowhere to be found & F1 are not returning calls. They've moved and had a work injury so I'll play nice for a while longer and be patient. Gary at the workshop suggested we put the old 4:1 back on & I can have Effie for the Easter long weekend. Just got back from a very wet QLD, snuck back from Sydney ahead of the holiday traffic, 4,30 in the arvo & I drop the old system in at Glenns. Quick bit of spanner work & Glenn is off for the test run...more to follow...
Thanks Glenn & Gary!!!!!! No chance for more than the run home from the workshop, too short for any sort of shakedown, but Kookaloo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thought I'd brave the Easter Monday holiday traffic for a quick shakedown run while the kids are occupied.....KOOKALOO!!!!!!!! I've never had a machine with the proper 4:2, so the run with the old 4:1 is really quite fitting.
From the shakedown there are a few things that need fixing.
Instruments vibrate quite noisily at low speed, and the aluminium frame plate on LHS is bent (from the PO highside where the pillion peg copped the impact), & I think I need to replace it. It was bent in enough that the swingarm bumps the nut from the foot peg. I managed to pull it back, but now don't trust the aluminium casting being sound. Any suggestions?
Also, I've re-adjusted the gearsack rack but think I'll remove it completely as it will be my to-work ride & a little backpack will likely suit. My days of the FJ being my sole means of transport & thus requiring luggage capability are past, but, what do you think fellas? Drop it (for the 'original' look) or keep it?
looks fine to me , Ride it. :good2:
Quote from: Mark Olson on April 06, 2015, 02:09:06 AM
looks fine to me , Ride it. :good2:
:good2: :good2: :good2: :good2:
Hey Troyskie
For the aluminium side plate try contacting this guy (Robert Kiss at North Coast Motorcycle Dismantlers - 66617903). He has my old parts bike and there were still decent condition plates on it.
As for the gear rack. I personally would leave it on. You will miss it if you remove it as a back pack does get a bit uncomfortable after a while on the long trips and when you duck down to the shops for milk.
Mark
Keep the rack, cut the front bar off and mount a top box on there. Mine is I think a 35 litre but big enough to fit a full face helmet in when parked, very handy to carry things in when on a ride, while being lockable, secure, and totally waterproof unlike a bag.
(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a586/the4ts/DSC_0695_zpsad112be2.jpg)
(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a586/the4ts/DSC_0694_zpsd5cff1e6.jpg)
(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a586/the4ts/DSC_0454_zpsbaeca0c4.jpg)
Good looking bike bones, But i didn't realize the big box on the back (aerodynamics) could cost 25 to 30 % acceleration loss, although my figures could be a fraction out, .
A bit like dragging a parachute. Did another accidental power wheely today. For safety sake i might re register the R1, lol.. see ya soon up at your joint, ken
Thanks Mark & Bones, I'll hold off removing the rack for the moment. Great contact for the plates Mark, I'll give them a ring. Mr. Olson, not riding was never a possibility. I get to go to work tomorrow on my beautiful baby (weather permitting, don't want her getting all cold & dirty just yet)...next posts I'll have some more of the re-decorations done, plus a list of new or emerging gremlins, the tank needs work in and out, including the fuel guage sensor/damper, the brake and clutch masters need a good old clean, plus, once the rain sets in (if ever), a major strip, paint & tidy-up.
I've also been perusing the rpmracingca.com site for more bits, WOW!
Also Flynt & Monkey, the AD test is now a challenge, I'll finish getting comfy again & then set her up, already picked the bit of road.
One last one, Pete, now I'm on the road let's hook up for a coffee, perhaps in Ulladulla or Batemans?
Quote from: Troyskie on April 07, 2015, 04:42:43 AM
One last one, Pete, now I'm on the road let's hook up for a coffee, perhaps in Ulladulla or Batemans?
Sounds like a good idea. How's next weekend looking for you? At the moment I have no plans, so name the time and place and we'll take it from there.
Pete.
Quote from: Mark Olson on March 31, 2015, 02:40:02 AM
Frank , you should try a panic braking right hand turn with a reducing radius at rally speed .
I double dog dare you. :blum1:
So I've been playing around a bit and have found with AD all the way out (toward H), this situation induces a chatter in the braking that's hard to modulate... you end up not wanting to get there because your bowel does feel a bit loose... I backed down to 1 turn in from full H and it is much more modulated in heavy braking. I've also adjusted the rear preload and damping to get a nice, stable street ride with decent performance when stressed. It is certainly serviceable and pretty nice actually, so I'm happy to ride it like this for some time.
Frank
Quote from: Flynt on April 09, 2015, 08:26:10 PM
Quote from: Mark Olson on March 31, 2015, 02:40:02 AM
Frank , you should try a panic braking right hand turn with a reducing radius at rally speed .
I double dog dare you. :blum1:
So I've been playing around a bit and have found with AD all the way out (toward H), this situation induces a chatter in the braking that's hard to modulate... you end up not wanting to get there because your bowel does feel a bit loose... I backed down to 1 turn in from full H and it is much more modulated in heavy braking. I've also adjusted the rear preload and damping to get a nice, stable street ride with decent performance when stressed. It is certainly serviceable and pretty nice actually, so I'm happy to ride it like this for some time.
Frank
Hey Frank , If you can get it to work where you feel good about it then congratulations :drinks:
I could never get mine to work right .
Been busy riding and breaking some of the old parts. Hooked up with Pete, Pete, & Alf down in Batemans, thanks fellas! I'll be back down soon. Next morning after the Bay ride Ms Effie presented me with a nice puddle and petrol stinking shed, plus the LHS aluminium side plate has finally cracked through. Still rideable, but the fuel tap/petcock has buggered rubber and worn out wave washer. Also discovered on the ride back my forks had different preload settings (troy troy troy!).
I pulled the tank off, drained (filleted her up on the way home), and discovered a lot of crud. What a nice surprise before trying to go to work in Monday!
A quick call to my local source (thanks Glenn!) and with some Vaso, TLC, some words my kid will be learning shortly in the playground, I'm off.
A beautiful surprise in the office, Randy & RPM came through, new front guard, drop bars (crash bars), plus heaps of rubber bits, and I only ordered them 6 days, including the weekend earlier!!!
More to follow...
Troy
Whoops, forgot to mention, also ordered a Haynes Manual. Hmmm, I have to do quite a bit of re-assembly for things to be correct.
Here's a couple of pics of the drop bars (crash bars), you can also see the foot pegs are pretty buggered. Found a new pillion LHS on, waiting for it to arrive. I've also replaced that rubber grip on the rider LHS peg...
Finally heard back from F1 re the mufflers (they had a nasty little work injury that has buggered them up, glad I didn't get nasty), hopefully here today or perhaps Monday. Then I'll have the shiny new headers, collector, mufflers, and new side mounts ready to go on.
Hopefully I'll be looking at stripping her down and giving the engine, frame, wheels & other bits a nice little paint. I'm not sure I'm sold on the look of the drop bars. They look good on the 1200, but I don't think they do the 1100 much justice.
What do you guys suggest about the frame paint v powder coat? I've noted quite a number of powder coat projects, but I'm not sure I want to break down that far yet...
Hey Mr Conlon, I've been eyeing off your beautiful beast & tried the search for a project write-up on it but had too many results. Is there are specific one mate? What got me searching initially is the seat (well a fair few other things as well). It looks like a Corbin & I've been considering their 'Gunfighter' model. I'm looking for local Aussie seat guys, but they all seem to simply recover & my seat has been bent by the last 'recover' specialist, so the cost of a simple recover with new foam plus another seat base are coming up higher than the Corbin.
Hey Troy, thanks for the compliments. The seat shown in the picture is indeed a Corbin. A Gun Fighter and Lady model. I now have a Gunfighter solo model on the bike.
Corbin seats are strange. You sit on one and think, holy shit this seat is hard. It's only after the first 200 mikes where this seat starts to shine. I've learned thru the years that soft seats are fine around town but after a long day on the road they set my ass on fire. Not so with the Corbin.
For the first 20 years I had my '84 I used a sheepskin cover on my stock seat....much better than stock.
It was only when I stole Klavdy's Corbin off his '93 (now Frank's Wizard) and rode from the WCR in Petaluna back home to Palm Desert (680 miles) that I really had a chance to feel what everyone was talking about.
I FedEx'ed Klavdy's Corbin back to him so all is good there....however that will be the last time he will leave his keys in his bike at a rally....serves him right.
I don't have a build thread. I've been modifying my bike in stages over the last 31 years. A lot of info. came from Barry Edwards site. The TAce conversion specs from Marc Rittner, etc.
I have several other links on the picture descriptions. If you have a specific question fire away.
Cheers
Mate, I'll have only a few million questions, but you've answered the first of many.
Cheers,
Troy
G'day Troy, it was great to catch up with you last weekend. There's a great seat builder in Goulburn. I haven't had anything done by him yet, but I have two riding mates that have. His work is as good as it gets. http://www.mjmcustommotorbikeseats.com.au (http://www.mjmcustommotorbikeseats.com.au) He's usually very busy so there might be a wait to have yours done. Not cheap either but this kind of workmanship rarely is. He's only a couple of hours away from you so you can ride up there, take a spare seat with you and he will measure and design with you on the bike, leave your spare seat there and ride home. I bought a spare seat to do this too but haven't got around to it yet. Regards, Pete. :drinks:
Thanks Pete! I'll look them up. I do really agree with Pat about the firmer seat being better for longer times in the saddle. My car has quite firm sporty seats compared to others and on long drives are surprisingly comfortable. Something to ask the boys in Goulburn.
Quote from: Troyskie on April 16, 2015, 05:23:30 PM
What do you guys suggest about the frame paint v powder coat? I've noted quite a number of powder coat projects, but I'm not sure I want to break down that far yet...
Paint.
Think about how much of the frame is seen when assembled and what sort of wear and tear it gets.
Use a Polyurethane paint (wheel paint) that will resist scratches and rubbing.
If you can still get "Ford Argent Silver" in a polyurethane paint the States, it is a perfect match for the OEM frame silver.
Noel
Thanks Noel, I'll look it up.
Took her out for a fang today, do we 1100"s have a power band that kicks in at 6K RPM?
Quote from: Troyskie on April 18, 2015, 05:19:39 AM
...... do we 1100"s have a power band that kicks in at 6K RPM?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Noel
Is it a factory power band, or has a PO fiddled with the cams? All looked pretty stock to me...
Quote from: Troyskie on April 19, 2015, 12:15:05 AM
Is it a factory power band, or has a PO fiddled with the cams? All looked pretty stock to me...
It is factory for the 1100s. Kookaloo zone.
Awesome! I had a panic baking moment coming up to a right turn yesterday as I'm getting progressively more comfortable with the go juice lever in corners, but the kookaloo mode caught me out. Me thinks a lower gear selection will keep the kookaloo coming :good2:.
Quote from: Troyskie on April 19, 2015, 01:19:57 AM
Awesome! I had a panic baking moment coming up to a right turn yesterday
keep the kookaloo coming :good2:.
Yeah, those Anzac bisquits just wouldn't rise :yahoo:
D-oh! :wacko3:
Paint, powder coat, polish? I've read a number of posts about the aluminium parts and getting them presentable. I'm replacing both the left and right footrest brackets as the originals have been a bit butchered and the RHS is now cracked behind the rider peg mount bolts from the PO's high-side.
If the pic is good enough, you can see the aluminium is pretty weathered. I've degreased, and pressure cleaned them, they are now ready for some love.
I did the basic first step and tried a bit of Autosol on a small pitted and crappy area with no real good result. Any pits just turned black.
Also, where there was any factory lacquer left it was shiny, but very different.
From some of the other posts I noted that some suggested using paint stripper to remove the lacquer, others to sand it off.
I tried a basic auto paint stripper with ok results, but not very uniform.
I tried a stiff bristle wheel on a Dremel style device on another small section. This did remove the lacquer, and polished up the aluminium, but left the surface slightly irregular. Plus any pitted spots showed up.
I tried a small amount of primer and paint the stripped and cleaned small flat section and the colour was ok, but the finish was not good as any of the tiny pitted spots showed right up.
Last method was wet/dry with a combo of 800, then 1500 grit. This worked a treat, and even gave me a slightly better finish than the factory linish/lacquer finish, especially when I work the paper in the same direction as the original linishing.
I'd avoided the wet/dry as I thought this would be a long ordeal, but turned out to be relatively quick with instant excellent result.
I thought then the next step would be to Autosol the wet/dry work. No go, the Autosol simply buffed the wet/dry linishing I'd done and gave the surface a shiny, but not uniform finish.
Essentially the wet/dry is the best way I've discovered so far.
Next question, how do I protect the areas I've polished? Clearly Yamaha went for a clear coat/lacquer, but won't the etch priming required bugger all the hard work with the wet/dry :scratch_one-s_head:?
Troy, what you eventually did is the way to go.
Don't worry about etch primer, just spray it with Incralac or high temp clear. I've done lots of this and the clear works fine.
Below is one at about 60,000km's. Looks as good as the day I sprayed it.
(https://flic.kr/p/mPJoqP)
You went a bit overboard on the clear Noel, Its turned it invisible, :greeting:
Quote from: X-Ray on April 19, 2015, 07:49:33 PM
You went a bit overboard on the clear Noel, Its turned it invisible, :greeting:
Haha Ray, very funny. Changing from an IOS to an Android phone it's not the only thing that's disappeared.
Noel
Thanks again Noel, (and Ray for the laugh). I'll get the Incralac today and keep the project moving (if those mufflers ever show up!!!!!!! :dash2:)
BTW Noel, the local car accessory mob had the Ford Argent Silver, so the frame will get some love soon too.
Here is the first go with the Autosol...
Next is the bristle brush...
Now the paint stripper. Although the photo is crap, in real life it looked kind of arty, but definitely not what I want.
And here we have the wet/dry. Yes it is not finished & those scratches are mine (but not the big gouge).
This only took about a minute, which was much quicker than the other methods I attempted assuming they were quicker.
As I mention earlier, this was done with a 800/1500 combo, but I think I'll add some coarser early grades to remove some PO evidence of rough love like that gouge.
I just spotted Pat & Marks fun polishing up his headers and forks. I might consider polishing he forks the same way (buffing wheele & rouge), but for the headers and collector, I might black chrome them. Has anyone done this? Does the heat change the black to brown?
Troy, you may not have been around when this was posted.
Quote from: ribbert on January 08, 2015, 08:00:05 AM
Quote from: Dan Filetti on January 04, 2015, 03:16:54 PM
OK, so WTH Noel, you say the above, then don't offer an opinion as to which method was the 'best'/ 'easiest'/ 'most fun'... in your opinion? I've read varied accounts of folks getting pipes to look like that, and most of them seem to be a fairly involved and concerted effort. I know Father Pat, and Leon (I think) love the Simichrome, was that your end-state solution too?
Do tell.
Dan
Quote from: Easterntide on January 07, 2015, 10:04:30 AM
......and very likely polishing the headers....though i'm still pondering that effort vs return.
Don
Dan, we're all men here, you can say WTF.
I had though about posting this at the time but thought better of it, so, against my better judgement and because you asked so nicely, here it is.
I have said a number of times I have no interest in polished pipes but I must say after a few days of riding with them I have taken quite a shine to them.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7551/16044172047_398143f9f1_c.jpg)
Getting that sort of finish was not the point of the exercise, expediting the process was.
If I had something handy to remove the paint, then the whole process is probably 30 mins per pipe and involves NO hand polishing, it is not labour intensive.
In the absence of something to dissolve the paint I rubbed it off with emery cloth under a running tap. The cloth degrades at just the right rate so at first it removes the paint quickly and then progressively smooths the metal enough to move straight onto mechanical polishing. Having a stripper (yes, I know you can get it) and not having to rub the paint off would make it a lot easier. I will do this on the next set. A couple of grades of W&D would have the same effect but take a lot longer.
Then it's simply a case of working it on a rag wheel. I did try a stitched wheel and course polish as an intermediate step but it was a little too aggressive and turned out not to be necessary.
Polishing is a bit of a black art and is about speed, pressure, duration, abrasion and heat and constantly assessing the results as you go, and that is impossible to describe.
Heat plays a big part in closing the pores of the surface over and these parts at times were so hot I could barely hold them through leather gloves.
I only used one grade of polish on the rag wheel, green. That was enough to jump straight from rubbing the paint off to the finish you see.
I cannot imagine how long it would take to do this by hand or believe the same standard could be achieved, it is a job I wouldn't even consider taking on. I imagine you would have to work up through many grades of abrasives to get there with an incredible amount of rubbing, this is where mechanical polishing allows you to jump some steps without compromising the end result.
I do the same on my screens, they a mostly machine polished.
SS is great stuff to polish, it has just the right level of hardness and the surface is fine.
I just did this (below) half an hour ago. This was with the SS underneath unscratched, as it would be if chemically stripped (I just polished straight through the paint)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/16228655302_dc7937ecd6_c.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/16203926826_a1d08c1e60_c.jpg)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/16042447450_ff5b8ac7e1_c.jpg)
These I started refitting as they came off and looked pretty bad, I quickly cleaned them up on a wire wheel which scratched shit out of the soft aluminium and then buffed them really hard on the wheel, 5 mins each and while not perfect, they are good enough. These got so hot I couldn't hold them through leather gloves. You can't do that by hand.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8670/16145535972_6a98e83910_c.jpg)
This is the rag wheel that makes it a breeze and the single grade of polish I used.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16227594281_bee3fff7a6.jpg) (https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/16042091220_57119300a2.jpg)
So, the bottom line is, find something that will chemically strip the paint ( or rub it off, but this makes more work getting rid of the scratches) 30 mins playing around on the rag wheel and you have one of these.
I did try hand polishing one of the finished pipes to see if there was any further improvement, there wasn't.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7570/16042819188_f02537bdb2_c.jpg)
Despite my misgivings about something else to keep polished, they do look good.
I realise these are only photos and not video, but it did happen :biggrin:
So maybe now we can debunk the myth about polishing pipes.
Noel
Troy here's the picture of the side cover I tried to post this morning, the sheen level is by design, I didn't want it any shinier. I seem to recall I just used normal clear on this, not high temp.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/13667280823_24e858d4f6_c.jpg)
Be very careful using the clear, it is VERY thin and a bugger not to get runs in.
I had always intended to black chrome my pipes, but they need maintenance as well. May as well save myself the money and just polish them occasionally, no more work than black chrome.
If you're polishing alloy, such as fork legs, clear coat them. Keeping that sort of stuff polished is a mugs game.
Noel
Quote from: Troyskie on April 20, 2015, 12:20:02 AM
T
BTW Noel, the local car accessory mob had the Ford Argent Silver, so the frame will get some love soon too.
What happened to the black frame idea? Pete.
Troy, I love restoring automotive finishes and have been doing it for a long time. It's a bit like golf, you never actually get totally on top of it but you get better at it. If you want any more info on polishing, preserving and painting. PM me.
Even after 40 years every job has an element of experimentation about it and the combination of variables is endless, the results immensely satisfying.
Just look at Pat and Mark today, wouldn't call the King their Uncle.
Noel
Quote from: oldktmdude on April 20, 2015, 06:46:28 AM
Quote from: Troyskie on April 20, 2015, 12:20:02 AM
T
BTW Noel, the local car accessory mob had the Ford Argent Silver, so the frame will get some love soon too.
What happened to the black frame idea? Pete.
I'm flip flopping. Now it's getting closer to original, I'll probably go all the way. Having said that, with the drop bars on now, all black is good too....decisions decisions.
Thanks Noel, I'll be PMing soon. Regardless of the colour, I've not done any automotive paint before.
As I'm intending to make her a daily ride I'll most likely focus on the visible parts and simply clean the rest.
I did find the Incralac at the local Wattyl shop today. They've changed the name to Copper Clear Coat, but it is the original Incralac formula.
After seeing what happened to FJMonkey's forks (without a clear coat) they'll get a polish, but definitely a clear coat.
Nice hint on the caution with the clear coat, I'll be careful.
Like you, I don't want a highly polished look, more of a satin sheen like you have in the pic.
I think I'll also start planning painting the engine. Totally different to frame paint I would think (do I need to oven bake it on or can it simply be sprayed?), and I would like to polish back the cooling fin edges (the original look again). A big BUT, if I polish back the cooling fins (W&D) should I consider clear coating them? They'll get mighty hot, so perhaps a super fine grit W&D? Will the paint on the edges adjacent to the fins peel off if they're polished? Finally, and I think I saw a post from you about this, can I paint most of the engine without removing it from the frame? Cheers, Troy.
News! Looks like I'll be doing the Delkevic 89 FJ1200 slip-on conversion to 84 1100. The other mufflers didn't end up coming through. Ordered the Delkevics from Joe today. Saved myself some cash as well, but I think I'll be spending that on the conversion.
Steps to go till I'll call this project complete for a pretty daily :
Replace centre stand (original is warped in two directions I've discovered, but works for now), I sourced this from Joes in ACT.
Replace foot peg brackets with the ones I'm cleaning up. (These came from Rob at North Coast Motorcycle Dismantlers 0419 214 265, thanks again Mark)
Put on the new headers, collector & mufflers (I will do my best to do a step by step on this)
Paint exposed frame
Paint the engine (as much as I can in the frame), then polish fin edges if possible (I'm getting better at the W&D)
Try and reduce or at best eliminate the vibration noise from the fairing and attachments (I think it's the instrument cluster, but might be headlight as well)
Clean up crappy hand paint mess on duck-tail.
Give her a good clean.
New helmet (suggestions please, I normally go for Arai or Shoei), as my old HJC needs to retire.
Run back to Batemans (or Bermagui) and show her off all shiny!
Quote from: Troyskie on April 21, 2015, 02:40:03 AM
Run back to Batemans (or Bermagui) and show her off all shiny!
Sounds like you're making good progress Troy. Looking forward to seeing you and your nice shiny bike again. Plan on doing a run, south down the coast from here when you visit. This is our local race track, so it'll be a good shakedown for your bike (and you!)
Regards, Pete. :drinks:
make sure your mirrors are clean, you'll need to squint as I'll probably be waaaaaaay behind :mocking:
Noel will be able to give you some better pointers with the painting Troy, but I have a few pics here http://s367.photobucket.com/user/raywise_2008/library/FJ1200%20Bits%20and%20Pieces (http://s367.photobucket.com/user/raywise_2008/library/FJ1200%20Bits%20and%20Pieces) showing the before after shots of my engine repaint when I was adding the RPM oil cooler. I used VHT Gloss Black Engine enamel. Fantastic paint, sticks like anything as long as your engine is degreased and dirt removed properley. I didn't do the polished fins look this time, although last time I just used some 600-800 wet and dry to do the edges.
Concerning noise from vibrations, I do get a bit from the instrument cluster, but mainly from the loose weights in the FJ mirrors!
Have Fun, :good2:
Oh, forgot to add that yes you can paint the engine in the frame, just takes a bit of time to mask up properley and get things out of the way. :good2:
Thanks mate, great pics, I also checked out the Graftin rally pics. I'm going to have to block the calendar when the next one comes up. I saw Pete on his 1100, but it looks like there was perhaps only one other 1100. Could that have been Marks?
Hi Troy. Yes there were only two.1100 on the rally. Mine and pete's. Mine was the veteran (84) and Pete's is an 85.
Mark
I think I need to put my glasses on for posts, "Graftin" indeed!!! :rofl2: Hopefully I can add another 1100 to the stable for the next one.
The replacement centre stand arrived today :yahoo:, just waiting on the new slip ons. Unfortunately work is out of town next week, so the pace will slow up, plus a busy day Saturday with an expected hangover Sunday, so not much will happen this weekend..
Couldn't wait to post this, slip ons arrive from Delkevic! :yahoo: here they are, and the centre stand from Joes in Canberra...Tech issues, I'll post the photos after
Quote from: Troyskie on April 24, 2015, 02:32:53 AM
Couldn't wait to post this, slip ons arrive from Delkevic! :yahoo: here they are, and the centre stand from Joes in Canberra...Tech issues, I'll post the photos after
hangover, check.
Hair of the dog, check.
Got heaps done today and will be able to arrange the final steps for daily ride.
Pics here are of the cleanup of the foot peg brackets.
Method was start with 400 w&d, then 800, and finish with1500. This was the finish I was after as it is most similar to factory.
Final polish steps
Another
Here is the donor.
Quote from: Urban_Legend on April 26, 2015, 03:20:04 AM
Here is the donor.
Mate, they were HARD to clean up. The ones they will replace are quite clean and look good, but the two end returns with the three holes have been ground off. I assume the gear sack rack was probably attached & snapped them. Plus the crack on the LHS.
I wanted to renew the black paint inserts on the brackets, so before the last two polish passes I taped them up and gave them a couple of coats of gloss black. My guess is the factory probably did the pain then polish and clear coat, so I've used that method. Here's the paint ..
Quote from: Urban_Legend on April 26, 2015, 03:20:04 AM
Here is the donor.
Does the donor still have it's tank cap? Mine is pretty pitted through the chrome. Also, if I can replace the tank cap, I should be able to swap key barrels out right?
I w&d the final two passes, and also fooled around with the direction of the final pass. Factory is vertical, but on the final 1500 gentle rub I went horizontal as it seemed to give a more uniform sheen. I gave them 4 thin coats of the clear.
The centre stand worked but was bent. This will be a problem for the new 4:2 system from Delkevic as the foot level rubs against the foot peg bracket.
I gave the replacement a general degrease (I think there was a couple of decades of chain lube on the LHS :smile:), and tidy up, then it got a couple of coats of the same black I used on the peg bracket inners. The old on is the dirty in this image, I tried to take another to show how bent it was..
Here's a pic of them end on. Shows the different angle a bit better...
Quote from: Troyskie on April 26, 2015, 04:39:12 AM
Quote from: Urban_Legend on April 26, 2015, 03:20:04 AM
Here is the donor.
Does the donor still have it's tank cap? Mine is pretty pitted through the chrome. Also, if I can replace the tank cap, I should be able to swap key barrels out right?
Sorry Troy no it doesn't The cap from that bike is now on mine.
Mark
Oh well, looks like the cap will get a had polish was well. Probably end up pulling it off and having it re-chromed one of these days...
Getting close to final assembly of these last parts.
A big thanks to Joe from Delkevic. The mufflers arrived on Friday with a cool little multitool, even has a torch and socket set in it!!
As the peg brackets are ready, headers, collector and mufflers ready, new (now it at least looks new) centre stand on, we can put it together!
The headers and collector were already installed once, so we know they fit.
As there seem to be no readily available mufflers for 1100s with 4:2 except the Delkevics I'm going to push the finish back by a week so I can take a day off and properly document the mods required to get them to line up with the collector.
My expected issues are, will the centre stand cause a need for re-routing? Will the pipes reduce the cornering? Will the connector pipes need to be totally re-built?
all booked and set for Monday!
Monday arrived and was used well!
Took her in to Glenn Henrys.
List to do today, replace footpeg brackets.
Clean up a little what was exposed.
Remove old headers & 4:1
Fit new headers, collector & slip-ons
work out what to do with the mid pipes between collector and mufflers
Removal of the footpeg brackets was straight forward, but a slightly tense operation. As the swingarm and rear frame attach onto these we used a couple of drifts to keep everything lined up.
After removing the brackets I tidied up as much as I could. Due to being in the workshop I didn't go too far with this as I'm paying by the hour.
In this next image I've tried to show the crack on the LHS bracket which is what prompted the replacement....
This was not a problem for general riding & with the 4:1 really no problem at all, but with the 4:2 going back on it was a risk. I did have to remove the gear sack though, as the crack did move with the rack attached.
New brackets on...this all seems so simple & quick now I'm posting, but with muchly dirty hands, spanner turning (amazingly I'm turning as much as Glenn is now :nyam1:), this was somewhat slow but, as before pretty straight forward.
Now for the old system removal....plus a couple of shots of the front engine with the old headers removed. She does need some love here and a repaint will be a fairly big job, which unfortunately will likely include pulling the exhaust system off in my shed. Functionally, everything seems fine however.
Here are the new headers and collector in place...
On to the mufflers. These were intended to go on to the original muffler attachment points...
The angles were all wrong and to get the muffler to line up with the collector and not have a sharp dogleg mid pipe we had to make a couple of brackets and attach from the rear footpeg... this extended the muffler way further back than I wanted, but it worked...
whoops, buggered the post, here are the other pics of lining up the muffler
And this is the little temporary bracket made to hook onto the muffler attachment..
These little brackets are only temporary, and this weekend I'll make up some better ones in stainless that will have two connections to the footpeg bracket and one to hold the muffler. This will make the mounting more rigid.
Anyway, we had to send the whole lot down to 'Frenchies' or City Mufflers here in Nowra to have the mid pipes modified.
Sterling work! One join with two angles, waaay beyond my ability to weld, plus they moved the centre stand bumper to fit as well.....
As you can see from the last end view photo I've some final tweeking to get the mufflers to sit exactly, and the LHS has rolled over slightly. This will be the work for the weekend..
Finally a pic of her with her new pipes...I really like the sound. Jury is out on loud (i.e. wife & kids), I left very early this morning & she/they will let me know how stealthy it is... But the bike now has a deeper throatier rumble without the crackly pitch I had with the 4:1. This is not the stealth mode I intended, but much nicer bass.
Down side is that these mufflers poke out further back than I'd like. I think it will grow on me, but if it doesn't I'll start another topic.
Well everyone, this is almost the end of my first FJOwners project.
Obviously there are going to be more and more mods, repairs etc.
I'll go and tally up the bill and post up the costs as a conclusion to finalise the whole project. I don't think it will come out cheap as I've paid a very good mechanic to do most of the spanner turning in the early stages, but we'll see...
Troy.
Troy, that is a beauty...you should be proud. Don't tally the costs, just enjoy that machine. :good2:
It's all about progress, not perfection and you've done well.
Kudos
Never add up the costs , it is better not to know.
Definitely better not to know. Think of it as therapy... :drinks:
George
Thanks fellas, however SWMBO was pretty happy I came in under budget :dance: (this can be found at the beginning of the post...), not massively under budget, but 'happy wife, happy life'.
Now I'm riding her to work each day I'm picking up some old issues I last dealt with in the late 80's & early 90's. These have been very well covered on the forum so I'll not labour it now, but the summary is, fooling with tyre pressures and mushy front end..
Yes I know the AD is mostly the culprit, but for now I'm going to get the most from what she is & see if I can shrink that chicken strip a bit.
'Smooth is fast' as was recently posted
Up side is the 4:2 seems to have had some effect on the whole engine-drive set up. I had a quick discussion with my 'guy', leading with the obvious back-pressure idea. He feels it is likely the case as well. So, it seems the 4:2 system makes the engine/gears/power connection feel much tighter and, strangely given she's 31 years old now, like a new bike. She is jetted to original specs, so that is likely part of it.
I'm booked for a Dyno run today, & we'll see how many of her horses have slipped out of the harness. Given an even loss of 10psi of each cylinder on the original compression check, I'm not expecting her to be very close to the original 100.
Dyno had to wait, looks like that will happen on Monday or Tuesday, needed to work in Perth. Here are the new brackets, first is the flat cut & holes. I'm using a 3x30mm stainless flat bar. Drill press set to slow. Cuts 10mm holes nicely. Using WD40 as cutting fluid. First pic...
next is first fit, I'll round the ends of the FB.
Not obvious in last photo but the swing arm is going to touch the mufflers, and the FB needs a couple of dog legs to mount properly.. bending and taking stress out of the exhaust system...final shape, after about 5 x fit & remove...this also allows me to move the muffler mount straps further back so the system is not cantilevered as far forward. Two big shifters and an off-set vice allow me to shape the bracket and put in some chord.
both sides are now done, pattern from LHS did not match RHS, as the axel shaft nut and thread protrude further. I loosened the exhaust connectors into the muffler and collector then balanced the distance either side to match. Exhaust guy who made the mid pipes showed me the measurement short-cuts, these are height off the ground (now the new centre stand keeps her standing nice and straight makes a huge difference), and distance between muffler edges to centre of wheel. Very simple, but I'm sure I'd have made it far more complicated
whoops, here's the pic..
And from the top...Once off the centre stand and with SWMBO on bike for some ballast, swing arm and nut clears both sides by 5 & 15m respectively. difference is the extra length of the nut and thread on RHS. My measurements were not as tight as normal so the above might be a little out, but balance measures are good.
Decided I'll paint the new exhaust brackets black so the cast aluminium footpeg brackets stay centre stage. Once done I'll do the before/after pics to show the difference.
Dyno run is on for this week, I'll post the results. We should see if the 65k's is real or wound around.
I'm not likely to make much change based on the dyno results (as I'm not chasing horsepower) and slightly rich (which I suspect) is better in my opinion than lean in an air-cooled motor (I mean slightly, not real rich like an old Holden). The dyno is just to see what she's got left, now she's set up factory spec after 31 years.
I'll wind up the project after the dyno run & move to new posts.
Things left to do on other posts:
Paint engine, frame, tank & ducktail.
Re-chrome tank cap, this will likely entail a lot of pain (as I've gathered from some other posts).
Polish fork bottoms & other bits.
Fix mushy front end (although I think I've sorted that by fooling with the pre-load, AD setting, and tyre pressures).
I expect the tank will give me some grief as there is a lot of shite living in there, mostly rust. I'll be pursuing a complete tank probably, but hopefully not. I'm keen to give the home grown galvanic cleaning/plating method a real try :crazy:(mentioned earlier this year in some other posts).
Then some gadgets & other bits and pieces.
Lastly I'll try and get my bro to join and post his FJ story. He's the guy who got me into FJs in the first place. Last check he has almost 600k's on his bike (original crank!!!), admittedly a few of those are mine, but he has a wonderful story & if I can get his tech lazy arse to the keyboard it will be well worth a read (I'm not a secretary he can type his own crap! :rofl2:).
Quote from: Troyskie on May 10, 2015, 05:02:59 AM
....... Last check he has almost 600k's on his bike (original crank!!!),
Holy cow! What sort of oil does he use?
Hmmm, If you need to double up the clutch springs say, every 80,000km's, to stop it slipping, that would make................ My God! He must have replaced all the clutch plates with just a stack of clutch springs by now.
Seriously, that is an incredible feat, not only of the FJ's longevity, but riding. Most riders will never get anywhere near that in a lifetime's riding. Good on him. I'm sure there must be a great story behind all that, not only the mileage, but doing it on one bike! (and where the hell does one get that much time to ride?)
You could not possibly spend that much time on the road, on a bike and not have a great collection of yarns to tell.
I for one would love to hear about it.
Noel
Thanks Noel, I'm going to forward this to him to try and motivate his typing digits!
Ok, last post of the project.
Dyno run was fun, never done that before. A little intimidating seeing my Effie get hammered in a small room.
Much noise and a little smoke yielded some interesting results (and a crowd wondering what an antique is doing in the 'sport bike area' :wacko2:)
After 31 years, three owners, one nasty little high-side, and a number of other scrapes I expected her to have lost a few of her horses.
Not so, she peaked at 104 horse power.
Dyno guy showed me on the chart that the clutch slips at 7500rpm and she's probably good for 110 or 115, possibly 120 if I fool with the jets & needles.
I'm mighty surprised as factory is 100 or 101 depending on spec, so my Effie has some more life than I expected.
I'll be onto the clutch very soon, but will be perusing the clutch files here first.
Enjoy the dyno pic, I'll try and get a better print so it is more readable.
Kookaloo!
Troy
:good2:
Ok, looks like there will be a couple of more posts to really finish what I said I'd do.
The new seat from Corbin arrived today. Didn't fit as easily as the original, but WOW :good2: it is the business!! A very similar feel to the firm sporty seats in my car. I'm looking forward to a longer ride to see if it is as comfy as I hope.
The clutch plates have arrived, so these will be installed, possibly next week.
I have decided the front springs are too soft.
I've perused the forum for fork spring topics and will be going for stiffer standard springs with emulators. This method is, interestingly, what the 'experts' are advising as well.
My original preference was for progressive springs as this is what I'm familiar with, but technology has improved, and it seems that progressive springs, like anti-dive, are being surpassed.
I should have this done in the coming weeks and will post each step.
Troyskie
Well, took a few days extra, but we have all the parts, the some lost time to work...too busy in the office to attempt this myself, plus some impatience included so, off to Glenn's she went for the new clutch friction plates and stiffer std springs with emulators,...here are the pics...
Massive difference!
Once the old springs were removed they were actually progressives!
I knew within 50m of moving off what a difference I'd have. Beautiful front feel, very close to a stiff 1200 front end sans anti-dive.
By the way, the AD is still connected, but with the emulators I can't feel any/much difference between hard and soft.
The best part is, I'm on setting 1 for the pre-load! Lots of stiffness left for loads and lunacy.
Bad news was the diaphragm plate in the clutch looked a little worn, so when time permits I'll sneak out to the back roads and bang the kookaloo zone to see if I get any slip.
Holly Kookaloo FJ Man!
A bummer with the weather for some planned non-FJ fun allowed me to hop out onto the back roads this arvo for a clutch and front suspension test.
A quick recce found a couple of contract plods parked and making cash, now for the clutch test.
High winds made really high speed cross-wind testing dangerous, so I settled for a few runs into and with the wind.
Wound her up to about 7500 on the RPM in 3 & 4th, and in each case, I had the chance to really bang the throttle open. I think there is some small slip, but not a great deal, I mean in 3rd I think I also felt the front wheel lift on some of the surface irregularities. The road (whoops I mean 'track') surfaces are complete shite in my area so I really am not sure if, by redline, the clutch is slipping or the back-end is slipping due to bounces.
There are some decent stretches of 'track' nearby & I will ensure they get a turn each, after a recce to check the condition of the 'track'.
With the crap surface the silver lining is I accidentally was able to get a good 'feel' for the new front suspension.
It just felt right.
There were a few coit clutching moments where my anus had a better grip on the new Corbin seat than my hands did on the handlebars & my balls had retreated either right up to side of my heart (which I think they were trying to re-start). Thankfully this was not because of any issue with Effie, but with the amature built tracks we pay for that are supposedly 'roads'.
Our German FJ members would be scandalised by the condition of what we call roads and the speeds we are allowed to travel down them.
But the silver lining was a serious test to the new springs and emulators.
They performed as advertised. This might not seem like high praise, but with all the claims and advertising malarkey, they are as advertised. I'm not as discerning, or good a rider as most of you, but the difference between flogged out progressive springs, and stiff standard springs with these 'emulators' is significant even to me, plus I'm still on number 1 for the pre-load.
So, back to the dyno to see if the clutch is slipping still....perhaps a few more posts to this will see it done, then I can shrink that chicken strip real small.
Troyskie.
Quote from: Troyskie on June 08, 2015, 04:46:55 AM
Holly Kookaloo FJ Man!
....... so I really am not sure if, by redline, the clutch is slipping or the back-end is slipping due to bounces.
Troyskie.
Troy, I have experienced the back wheel skipping at high speed and full throttle but it feels nothing like a slipping clutch. It is a very rapid, small and jerky rev flares as opposed to the smooth increase of revs in excess of the speed you are gaining with a slipping clutch and there are not many roads around with a surface that will do it, as opposed to isolated bumps which produce easily identifiable and singular rev increases.
If you are only putting it on the dyno to check the clutch, there are simpler ways to check it without the expense.
What sort of oil are you running?
Sounds like you had fun. It's sad that here, redline in only 2nd gear is enough to get your bike impounded, lighten your wallet by $1000+ and see you walking for 6 months.
I was lucky enough to spend a reasonable amount of yesterdays ride cruising at around 160kph (yes, near your place Arnie), just like the old days, it feels great. I reckon the FJ's sweet spot though is around 145.
I also established my recently fitted top box lid does not "float" at 220kph unlatched.
On the news tonight, a road safety "expert" claimed checking on children in the back seat while driving is twelve times more distracting than using a mobile phone and we all know, because the "experts" told us, that using your phone while driving is as bad as DUI.
We also know the Govt is only concerned about our safety and not revenue, so I guess confronted with such overwhelming evidence, they will have no option but to ban children travelling the rear seat.
The more likely outcome is they will introduce a complicated law that no one understands that says they can be seated there but you're no allowed to look at them etc. Fines could range from $100 for glancing at them in the mirror to $400 for a head check.
They could make a fortune from this, maybe even recoup some of the money they've spent unsuccessfully trying to introduce front rego plates for bikes.
Sorry, got a bit carried away. I have paid the Govt $1000 in the last month in traffic related offences and I'm not feeling kindly towards their war on the motoring public and the recent enforcement on low level speeding - 4kph over is now enough to get booked. For God's sake, that's not even walking speed. Roadside discretion is no longer applied, everyone gets booked, so you don't have to fake being pleasant when pulled over any more.
I did however offset this with a win in court last week on a speeding fine.
Noel
Yep, have to agree with the speeding nonsense. Next time I get done, I will be telling our safety officials what a crock our speed limits are, and doing 5 kph over it on a dead straight, nearly deserted road is NOT going to kill anyone, no matter what our stupid govt keeps trying to feed us. $1000.00 Noel!!!??? I'm still pissed over contributing $227.00 recently, :dash1:
So far so good, not had a fine or points in over 15 years. I do admit most of that time I've not had a bike :rofl2:.
No progress as I've been having too much fun sneeking in a quick ride when I'm not working or doing family stuff.
Bike feels great.
I still have the feeling the clutch might be slipping, a tiny bit, but not likely to be a problem, so I'll leave it be.
I discovered the gearbox breather hose that goes to the airbox has come apart.
Much fiddling to no real result, the hose is just kind of sitting closed, but not connected.
I checked a couple of threads here for connecting this hose, but without dropping the motor, pulling the carbies, or building special tools I might leave this be as well.
Any suggestions (aside from emission compliance) if this needs to be fixed, or can it wait till I need to do some serious work? (given how reliable FJs can be this might be a while)
Troy.
Quote from: Troyskie on June 08, 2015, 10:37:06 PM
So far so good, not had a fine or points in over 15 years. I do admit most of that time I've not had a bike :rofl2:.
Troy, I also avoided fines for around 10+years and its not because I ride at the speed limit.
My embarrassing moment was when my son's friend (who is a cop) came over for a visit. They were talking near my FJ when my son turned on the key and proceeded to press the buttons on my Speedhut GPS speedo till he got to the top speed. The cop proceeded to yell " I didn't see that, I definitely did not see that", considering the GPS is accurate at all speeds he was looking at 2.5 digits. So I now learnt to erase the speed every weekend.
Troy,
Not having the breather hose connected may leave untidy oil mist residue on your engine, but its not going to harm anything unless you try to ford deep streams or a child trys to hide small stones in the open hose. Although re-fitting the hose is a pain, it can be done. Remove the airbox lid and the filter so you can get to the hole from the inside to guide it in.
Bozo,
My 'little' bike has that max speed attained "feature". I make sure to re-set it after every ride :-)
Knock on wood, I'm currently riding with a clean license.
Arnie
Quote from: Arnie on July 28, 2015, 10:27:54 AM
Troy,
Not having the breather hose connected may leave untidy oil mist residue on your engine, but its not going to harm anything unless you try to ford deep streams or a child trys to hide small stones in the open hose. Although re-fitting the hose is a pain, it can be done. Remove the airbox lid and the filter so you can get to the hole from the inside to guide it in.
Bozo,
My 'little' bike has that max speed attained "feature". I make sure to re-set it after every ride :-)
Knock on wood, I'm currently riding with a clean license.
Arnie
Arnie, glad to hear from you, I'm trying to remember the speedo you used, can you jolt my memory. I believe it had a similar magnet pickup to a bicycle, so if a cop pulls you over and checks just say it reads double the actual speed.
Hi Bozo,
That was a bicycle speedo mounted on the bars of my Cagiva Navigator. It was there so I had a clock :-)
What I was talking about was the "trip computer" on my Aprilia Shiver 750 that gives a whole range of data including avg fuel use, instant fuel use, trip, time running, clock, avg speed, max speed. Interestingly there is no fuel gauge only a low fuel warning light that comes on with 5L left.
If a cop pulls you over its pretty easy to reset things back to 0 while slowing down and pulling over.
No need to self-incriminate :-)
Quote from: Arnie on July 28, 2015, 10:27:54 AM
"Although re-fitting the hose is a pain, it can be done. Remove the airbox lid and the filter so you can get to the hole from the inside to guide it in."
Cheers Arnie, I've a little time spare this morning & will see how I go.
Troy
Minor problem fitting the breather back on.
Arnie, excellent method to get them to join.
It would have worked perfectly, except the breather must have been shortened at some point as it only just meets the elbow barb end with about 3-4mm. The hose clip goes on the end, but I don't think it will be adding anything to hold it together.
It is basically connected, but just sitting together. There is some small oily wetness around it after the bike has had a hard run (testing my kookaloo zone), but just around the join and not dripping etc.
Arnie, thanks again for the reminder about water. I'm unlikely to ford any creeks on purpose, but I might stay out of heavy rain if possible (sods law will mean I get dumped on tomorrow).
Looks like a new slightly longer breather hose will be added to the 'major work' list for future projects.
As I mentioned on an earlier post, I'm intending to leave the clutch as is.
Effie will go for a dyno run & I'll post up the results & call the project complete then.
I'm on the hunt for another FJ, so there will be another project write-up on what ever I get.
Troyskie
Troy,
See if you can find a bit of tubing to act as an extender, just to get them to marry up securely.
Really won't matter if its plastic or metal.
Well, been a while and Effie is grunting nicely, however, with the Shed day coming up, and a dyno run planned I'm going to bite the bullet and replace the diaphragm spring in the clutch (for some reason my rev limiter doesn't kick at 9.5k, I don't know where it kicks as I'm too nervous to go much further than 10k).
The slipping at 7.5k is now getting annoying.
I've read some threads about doubling it.
If memory serves, there was also discussion about genuine v after market on one of those threads. This seemed to be based on genuine wearing quicker and/or being a bit weak.
After 31 years, and either (now) 68 or 168k on the odo, I'm inclined to simply put another genuine in (dependant on availability). I also mostly ride in town. Stop/start stuff, so a stiffer clutch is not a preference.
Any opinions fellas? :unknown:
I generally don't fang flat out, but I'm getting a little more confident (took a 1/4" off my chicken strip), plus with a load on for some longer distance rides I think I'll just feel better sorting out this clutch slip.
Troyskie
Put a new FJR spring in, see how that works. Save your old spring. You can always add it to your FJR spring if needed.
If you need new fiber plates, be sure to get oem Yamaha fibers. While you're in there remove the wire retainer from your clutch pack.
See the clutch files for more info.
Cheers. Pat
Quote from: Troyskie on October 17, 2015, 05:26:23 PM
Any opinions fellas? :unknown:
I generally don't fang flat out, but I'm getting a little more confident (took a 1/4" off my chicken strip), plus with a load on for some longer distance rides I think I'll just feel better sorting out this clutch slip.
Troyskie
When my clutch failed on my '86 a year or so ago I took it apart. It was some after market pack with thinner steels and fibers. The plates would stick like the oil was glue. I got refurbished steels from Randy at RPM, new OEM fibers and spring. What a difference that made. I had a slight shudder during engagement till the fibers and plates bedded in. No slip during Kookaloo all the way to 9.5K. I think that calculates to 22,000 telephone poles an hour.... :shok:
Thanks fellas.
Pat, I assume from your suggestion of going for the FJR one, the FJ one is no longer available, or is it better?
Monkey, I did replace the friction plates with OEM when I first noticed the slip (step one diagnosis :sarcastic:).
I think the PO may have been on the way to solving the same problem before the high-side. The friction plates replaced are in pretty good nic so I now have a spare set, but am keeping the new ones in.
I'll be checking the clutch files about removing the wire retainer. Thanks Pat.
What seems to work best for clutch is to replace the 1/2 size fiber disc under the chatter spring and use a fresh clutch spring. This will add 1 more full size disc and seems to do the job without having to go to the double up spring . The reason for the fjr spring is it costs less and is the same thing.
My lack of knowledge and mixing terminologies has got me :pardon:.
I think the terms used in Oz are different to what I'm reading here :flag_of_truce:.
I checked up on the FJR clutch spring. Although it's part picture looks the same, and has the part number referenced in the clutch files post, is everyone actually meaning the XJR spring? Or is the XJR called the FJR in the US?
The only FJR we have here is the 1300 etc, all the 1200's (after the FJ finished production) are called XJR (I could be wrong, this is from leaning over the counter and looking at the computer display :crazy:).
Could Yamaha Marketing be playing silly buggers with the model names like Kawasaki did with the GPZ900R/ZX900/Ninja 900? Perhaps they got stuck with cold sake :biggrin:. Alternatively I experiencing my married state of life generally starting with 'no you're wrong'.
The XJR spring also works with the FJ from all years (identical part number I'm talking about now), but also the R1 for quite a few years (up to 2006 or 2009 I think), plus quite a few other models (it was a long list).
Also the FJR spring with the part number 5JW-16334-00-00 costs about 1/3 more than the FJ part, which is what got me thinking (yeah, I need to stop doing that), 'perhaps they mean the XJR....???'.
Another terminology confusy thingy is the 'friction plate'. I realise that you mean the fibre plate, but the parts diagram calls them friction plate, which is what I've been calling them - Sorry Monkey, when I said I replaced the 'friction plates', I meant the fibre plates. You mean what the diagram calls clutch plate right :unknown:?
Now, onto my utter lack of knowledge (yes I realise it's obvious). WTF is a chatter spring? The blokes asked in the shop, when I described the necessity of removing the wire retainer, if I meant this Masonian 'chatter spring'? I nodded sagely, and described the wire retainer and the Font Of All FJ Knowledge forum here's suggestion about removing it. Yep its gotta go, I read the post, but is it the 'chatter spring'? At the shop I was confident about what I was talking about, but now,.... :ireful: Yes I could ask my Bro, a number of friends etc, but I want to follow this thread to the nutty end now.
The parts diagram does not list it. Fine. It shows a variety of things called 'spring', such as 'Clutch, Housing, Clutch Boss' but no secret womens business about 'chatter'. From the clutch files, the reference to part number 8 in the diagram as being the wire retainer/wire circlip is specific, but is that also the elusive 'chatter' spring?
NEXT, Mr Mark O, I want to follow your suggestion and fix my bike your way, it really seems the way to go. When you suggest 'replace the 1/2 size fiber disc under the chatter spring', which number from the diagram do you mean? I have my spares from replacing them & can do that, but I really want to get it right. My Effie's pulling harder than a teenage boy left alone with a box of pornos & I really don't want to bugger this up (wow REALLY mixed metaphors there!). This will also probably tell me what the 'chatter spring' is also but I'm on my second beer in the shed now and this is fun typing! :drinks:
OK, I looked at the parts diagram.. You will remove parts 4,5,6,8 and pitch them into the bin. Put a full size fiber in their place.
The anti-chatter spring is number 8 .
Here in the US the fjr1300 diaphragm spring is low cost and the fj1200 spring costs more. Same part , so whatever is lower cost for you will work. Just save the old spring in case you need to double them up.
I hope that helps.
Quote from: Troyskie on October 24, 2015, 01:08:31 AM
Another terminology confusy thingy is the 'friction plate'. I realise that you mean the fibre plate, but the parts diagram calls them friction plate, which is what I've been calling them - Sorry Monkey, when I said I replaced the 'friction plates', I meant the fibre plates. You mean what the diagram calls clutch plate right :unknown:?
No worries, I meant friction plate. I think of the clutch pack as fiber plates and steel plates. Better for me to use the OEM names to avoid confusion. Now get that clutch fixed and find your Kookaloo...
Quote from: Mark Olson on October 18, 2015, 12:33:56 PM
The reason for the fjr spring is it costs less and is the same thing.
BTW, yes the FJR spring is cheaper in the US, but RPM sells the FJ spring for basically the US FJR prices.
Yamaha Clutch Spring FJ1100 FJ1200 XJR1200 XJR1300 (http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Clutch%3AClutchSpring)
Or there is also an aftermarket spring;
EBC Clutch Spring (http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Clutch%3AEBCClutchSpring)
and finally, there is full & complete write up with pictures on the clutch mods, including the chatter spring here;
Clutch slipping? Look here. (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=1808.0)
Randy - RPM
Thanks Mark, Monkey, & Randy.
I have been using the clutch files as my reference starting point.
I think we need to add Marks' method as option 1 or 2, so there could be 4 options in the intro. Perhaps separating them into street/commute and performance clutch mods.
Mark, are parts 4 & 5 spacers to allow for the smaller friction plate?
Randy, do I need to have the ID of the full size friction pate machined back by 0.01" (0.254mm)? Is that so it fits on the clutch boss? Also is the spring to be removed part 5 the Clutch Boss Spring, or part 13 the Housing Spring? I'm assuming part 5 as Mark has already stated it goes.
Troyskie
There is basically only one mod to the clutch pack itself. The other modifications revolve around the spring and pressure plate.
Like mark said removed and discard 4,5,6 & 8.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/1_09_04_10_12_33_04.gif)
Then you replace it with another #9, wide clutch/friction/fiber disc
(http://rpmracingca.com/prodimages/giant/Clutch%20WCD-1.jpg)
Yes, the narrow fiber is required when #4 & 5 are used, when they are removed then #9 is a direct replacement without any other modification/machining required.
#13 stays in place, you only need to work with the numbers provided above.
Randy - RPM
Awesome Randy.
Now, as a little tangent.....could replacing the number 6 without changing the diaphragm spring reduce slippage on its own?
I am replacing the diaphragm spring that is certainly the culprit in my case, but just asking, as this might be a 'bush mechanic' fix to keep a bike going that needs to get to the next town.
Troyskie
No, replacing that spring would make it slip worse.
If you just removed it, that would remove the cushioning spring tension from the clutch pack as it tries to work against the diaphragm spring.
Randy - RPM
Ah ha.
Aren't you done yet? Follow the link Randy posted and you will be done in no time..
:good:
I need to sharpen my hammer before doing any precision work :sarcastic:
:pardon:Weeeellll, I had to have some maintenance done on this corpse of mine. I'm down to one arm for a while, so off to Glenn's workshop (he kindly picked it up and rode it to the shop) she goes again.
I'm on my way back to Oz, and just had the message from Glenn she is ready to go.
Luckily the shed day is coming up, so some fortunate lad gets to fang my Effie for me. I'll also need someone to take it to the dyno run as well.
Nearly there!
It f!#@ing sucks typing one handed, with your off hand!
Plus all the prep to do this myself hmmmm
Quote from: Troyskie on November 18, 2015, 06:41:57 AM
:pardon:Weeeellll, I had to have some maintenance done on this corpse of mine. I'm down to one arm for a while, so off to Glenn's workshop (he kindly picked it up and rode it to the shop) she goes again.
I'm on my way back to Oz, and just had the message from Glenn she is ready to go.
Luckily the shed day is coming up, so some fortunate lad gets to fang my Effie for me. I'll also need someone to take it to the dyno run as well.
Nearly there!
It f!#@ing sucks typing one handed, with your off hand!
Plus all the prep to do this myself hmmmm
Pick ME! Pick Me! :yahoo:
....Only 8 sleeps ta go!!!
First in, best dressed! All yours Doug :greeting:
Righto then, after the dyno run, no slip.
OEM mufflers take 10-15hp off the back wheel, so conservatively Effie has real world 110hp with the Delkevics, and measured 102hp with the OEMs.
All finished :dance2: :greeting: :dance: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks:.
All I need now is another project, ......... :wacko1: