The one that got away.

[Bungie]

Fork oil update.

Read the manual before you do it. I forgot the bike had air forks. You know what happens when you take out the drain screw when theirs air pressure above the oil?

Stinky loon **** spraying EVERYWHERE all over the garage.

In other news, I took a good look at the cowl that was flopping around. Seems they are designed to pivot forward from the factory (I didn't remember this). Well one of the mounts is half broken off. Fixed that with some epoxy. More troubling, the mount at the hinge finds the bushing housing all broken to pieces (it's a blind mount with the 'nut' cast into the fairing). I'm going to drill it out and just run some nuts through the front under the headlight. Once painted and finished, they'll be all but invisible.

Why the git'r done fix? The only used fairing I could find was $356 and I think mine was in better shape!

Cleaned out the switches for the signals, headlight dimmer, horn and starter. Found out contact cleaner works fantastic cleaning 31 years of crap off the housings. They look new!

I'm booked for next Tuesday to get the mechanical fitness. At least then I can get some plates on it and take it for a proper ride.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I vote black looks better than white on this bike. Had a similar issue on the '83 Magna with having to pull too hard to get brakes, seems pistons weren't free to move in them old hard seals...... rebuild the calipers with new seals, problem solved, although brakes of that vintage were only so good anyway. Might as well put a kit in the master cylinder while you're at it...........

 

[Bungie]

As promised, here a quick walk around, sound clip of the new project.

 

[wheatonFJR]

You didn't let it get away this time.

Some effort required...but good catch Stevo.

 

[clocklaw]

Fire your camera guy immediately......are you planning to go through the bike this winter and tear it all apart in your livingroom floor?

 

[Bungie]

Fire your camera guy immediately......are you planning to go through the bike this winter and tear it all apart in your livingroom floor?

Hey, what do you want from cheap labour.

I'm planning on going through the bike over the winter, but not in the house. I like sleeping inside to much to jeopardize that.

Macgyver'ed the front fairing tight (plastic bosses were broken off in 3 places). Hot epoxied the main side pivot. and and just ran some screws through the lower front to secure it. It looks like it never did align nicely which caused the bosses to break off. It's no longer rattling around.

Also, changed the spooge in the rear diff. It holds about twice as much as the FJR. Old oil that came out looked to be in really good shape. Oh ya, swapping the loon **** for good Amsoil 10w fork oil made a HUGE difference in the bike!

 

[wheatonFJR]

They have loon **** in Sudbury? No way, eh?

 

[Bungie]

They have loon **** in Sudbury? No way, eh?

Oh ya, we got a lot. I'd be happy to send you some if you'd like.

 

[dcarver]

No thanks on the loon ****. Besides, it's plastered all over your garage walls just waiting to develop aroma... .

 

[Bungie]

Brought it in for a Safety Certificate today.

Failed. Needs a clutch switch and apparently fork seals (nevermind that the tubes are bone dry.). ********.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Paint it flat black, and turn it into a cafe bike.

 

[airboss]

Paint it flat black, and turn it into a cafe bike.

cafe bike, no way.

Looks to good in factory trim.

 

[Bungie]

Paint it flat black, and turn it into a cafe bike.

<dead eye stare>

 

[wheatonFJR]

Paint it flat black, and turn it into a cafe bike.

I think I've seen that stare.

 

[Bungie]

Paint it flat black, and turn it into a cafe bike.

cafe bike, no way.

Looks to good in factory trim.

Hey Carl, wasn't it you who has the GB500 TT?

 

[Bungie]

I've done a bunch of work on the bike. Lubing the cables, and pivots, changing the pumpkin oil, adjusting the clutch/throttle, fixing the fairing. I finally brought the bike in for a mechanical fitness so I could plate it for the road.

I'm standing there outside the dealer and the mechanic comes out to bring the bike into the shop. He starts the bike. Then puts it in gear. Tests the kill switch. Then thumbs the starter with the bike in gear and clutch engaged. Bike jumps forward. CRAP.

So it seems the clutch safety switch is borked. He also wrote it up as needing fork seals. One seal was seeping ever so slightly, not even enough to worry about wiping it off! Oh well, he's doing his job.

I picked the bike up and checked the clutch switch. Sure enough, the little plunger is broken. I was going to fix that but decided to test the switch. No point in fixing it, the switch is buggered too. Ordered a new one, along with some fork seals. Just my luck, they are back-ordered until next week. Which means I'll get them sometime in August.

I think while I'm waiting I'm going to pull the forks as they need to come off anyway, and send the lower legs/ fork brace for soda/media blasting to clean them up. They're in need of some lovin. Having polished fork legs by hand before, I'm happy to spend a couple of bucks to get them blasted.

 

[Bungie]

Time for an update.

Bike is now plated and on the road. The idle sucked on it so I decided to pull the carbs and have a look. While I'm in the process of pulling them I notice the vacuum line to the fuel petcock (why did manufacturers do that?) is split at the connection. So I clipped the offending bit off and replugged it back in.

Major improvement. But it's still not a 100%.

It could be bad gas, but I've run a couple of gallons of fresh stuff through it. It could be the carbs are seriously out of sync (somebody has diddled with the carbs in the past), but I need some adaptors for my carb tune before I can get to that. The reason I think it maybe that is it that it vibrates a lot at high revs.

I reset the idle mixture screws, but with the erratic idle, it's impossible. Settled on 2.5 turns out on both and left them there.

I think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and pull the carbs and give them a good what for.

My 250 Ninja was all buggered the same as this one. It had a completely closed mixture screw from the factory (they were still capped!) and the sync was way out on it. After fixing that one it was absolute butter on the hwy at high revs. I'm hopping I can get this one to the same level.

In the meantime, taking it out on a sunny evening is great fun. I can't tell you the number of times I get asked how old the bike is, or, "that bike sounds great!"

Having fun with it

 

[clocklaw]

You can run a couple of doses of seafoam through it but with all my carb bikes, nothing beats cracking open the bowls and wiping the crud out.

Time for an update.
Bike is now plated and on the road. The idle sucked on it so I decided to pull the carbs and have a look. While I'm in the process of pulling them I notice the vacuum line to the fuel petcock (why did manufacturers do that?) is split at the connection. So I clipped the offending bit off and replugged it back in.

Major improvement. But it's still not a 100%.

It could be bad gas, but I've run a couple of gallons of fresh stuff through it. It could be the carbs are seriously out of sync (somebody has diddled with the carbs in the past), but I need some adaptors for my carb tune before I can get to that. The reason I think it maybe that is it that it vibrates a lot at high revs.

I reset the idle mixture screws, but with the erratic idle, it's impossible. Settled on 2.5 turns out on both and left them there.

I think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and pull the carbs and give them a good what for.

My 250 Ninja was all buggered the same as this one. It had a completely closed mixture screw from the factory (they were still capped!) and the sync was way out on it. After fixing that one it was absolute butter on the hwy at high revs. I'm hopping I can get this one to the same level.

In the meantime, taking it out on a sunny evening is great fun. I can't tell you the number of times I get asked how old the bike is, or, "that bike sounds great!"

Having fun with it

 

[rushes]

Small diameter copper wire bent all crooked and hand twisted thru jets with a squirt of carb cleaner....

Mmmm.....

 

[Bungie]

You can run a couple of doses of seafoam through it but with all my carb bikes, nothing beats cracking open the bowls and wiping the crud out.

Yup, The fresh gas I've put in the bike was spiked with a double shot of seafoam.

Prior to yanking the carbs I drained the bowls (I love these old bikes that have real drains for things like float bowls or forks!). Gas was clean out of both. But that's not the same as dropping the bowls and having a look.

My most likely culprits will either the carb sync being horribly out of way wack, or, another vacuum leak; although spraying the joints on the carb boots, both on the input and output sides, didn't have any affect. It could be internal as the carbs a CV types.

No worries, it's a project bike. I'll get it sorted out.

Small diameter copper wire bent all crooked and hand twisted thru jets with a squirt of carb cleaner....Mmmm.....

I don't use copper wire or any metal for that job. Usually bits of hardwood.