1982 Seca XJ750, ZRX1200 has company now.

[Socer4m]

HI Bonz,,,,way back on the site there was a picture that detailed the passages for the YICS,,,only three spots need to be closed off,,check out the rubber on the YICS TOOL,,by closing off the rest of the inlet could keep it from synching correctly by varying the inlet air,,,,,so,,,would recommend the tool,,,,but without out it it will run at 90-95 percent if all else is good. If you are keeping the bike I would suggest getting a YICS TOOL, as it is good to synch pretty regularly to keep the xj in peak performance, Mike in S.DIego and PA

[Bonz]

Thanks Mike, good food for thought. The reading I've done suggests pulling the long, narrow width cloth through (wet well with atf or oil) and stuffing it back in so it's packed tight the full length of the passage. The tightness of the cloth not just the diameter of the passage, but the length of the passage, seems to keep it from getting pulled in. If it was too loose it definitely wouldn't be good. Once I see how it's running on the street I'll decide yay or nay on the tool.

I haven't read any bad stories about making it worse by sync'ing w/o the tool, just that it won't be as good as with the tool. Is that pretty much the case?

[Socer4m]

Howdy Bonz,,,,,I wouldnt recommend putting any cloth in the passage to block off, as it is a high vacuum inlet port all the way through the carb air inlet ports,,,,,if anything gets sucked in it could be a pain in the assss to remedy. The bike will run much smoother with a sync done with the YICS tool, or the YiCS eliminator but will run decent without the tool, provided the carbs are setup correct. Maybe a gas line the just barely slides like DEEBS suggested, not sure if that will block off the complete air inlet along with the carb air inlet....just recommend the YICS tooll for best results, after my long term 40 plus years of having an XJ1100,,,,maxims rock, just harder to get certain parts as it was a one off of the xs1100.....Mike in San DIego and Pa......

[DEEBS11]

or just a long rubber tube like fuel line with a wire leader.

[Bonz]

Thanks, will hold off on buying something overseas with the tariffs and crap that's going on for the time being. I don't see why a long thin fabric or old sheet oiled real well and pulled through then stuffed back in really tight won't accomplish the same thing. My wife won't be happy but there is an old sheet that she won't know is missing, lol.

[DEEBS11]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20498335361...Bk9SR6LSyrClZg

[Socer4m]

Howdy Bonz,,,,I have made the YICS tool and also have the real deal. After using both the Yamaha Yics tool is superior,,,the homemade version is a sloppy fit, I always felt like rubber pieces break off,,,the Yamaha tool is larger rubber and slides much easier in the channel,,,,after slapping hi temp grease on the rubber it works great.....also there is a YICS eliminator tool which is a very good alternatiive if you can find it. Someone made it on the site years ago. It balances the carbs nicely, but leaving it in does affect the gas mileage a couple mpg's in my use. SSSoooo if you can get ahold of the factory YICS tool,,,around 50 bucks on ebay it is the best overall. The eliminator is second as it can be used to tune,balance and leave it in, then the homemade version which kinda works....or you can wait till the next Colorado rally and I can bring mine out.....cya, Mike in San Diego and Pa......

[Bonz]

Thanks Deebs!

[DEEBS11]

Thanks DEEBS, anyone have experience with the homemade version and how well or not well the tool comes back out? That's the main thing I've read about, the rubber hose catching.

Bonz, the tool installs and removes quite easily. There is a device to make the seals expand tight.

[Bonz]

Thanks DiverRay.

In memory of Motoman, I yielded and did the fuel level float height method on the Seca. I substituted different needle valves that are the same dimensions but nonetheless different than the ones that were 42 years old in the carbs. The springs seemed weak on the stock needle valves.

I set them manually at first, 17.5 mm is the Seca spec on the HSC32 carbs. 3mm +/- 1mm below the bowl line is the wet spec. The wet levels were all over the place and very much too low. It took a number of trials to get the feel for how much adjustment on the float made relative to the effect on fuel level.

As I lowered the float height a bit at a time to raise the fuel level, I had more cases of the needle sticking and fuel coming out the vents. I was doing this off the bike so it was no big deal other than wiping up some fuel each time. A couple raps on the bowl after they stuck freed them. Then I'd open the bowl drain screw and bring some fuel out and let it refill from the auxiliary source so I got a good reading. But no manner of tapping on the bowls/carbs before filling them seemed to make a difference. The floats/needles still stuck until they were wet, then were fine once I tapped on them wet. That's telling me something's up but I'm not sure what to do about it. I checked if the gasket was the issue but there's no contact between the float and the gasket.

Addendum: Carbs back on, nice difference in smoothness and sound starting up in the garage. Sync will wait til next weekend, Broncos are on! Thanks Motoman. Still keeping an eye out for me.

[DiverRay]

A little silicon grease on the rubber and it should slip in and out easily. The grease will not cause any problems with the sync, as it's neutral,

[Bonz]

Thanks DEEBS, anyone have experience with the homemade version and how well or not well the tool comes back out? That's the main thing I've read about, the rubber hose catching.

[DEEBS11]

..........

[Rasputin]

Goofed here. Thought you needed XS1100 Yics tool.

[Bonz]

Thanks DiverRay, I've read up on making the homebrew version and a lot of times pulling them out has become an issue with some of the rubber parts that are specified hanging up on the way out, even after guys have cleaned the ports from side to side with a gun cleaning brush and solvent.

One of the more simple ones I've read about is soaking a thin, long rag/cloth in ATF or oil, pulling it all the way through and then stuffing it back in from each side to effectively plug the ports. Doesn't get hung up on deposits and I've old thin t-shirts that could become a donor.