Another New Guy!

[Cobia]

Welcome Tantor,
You're in the right place for just about any assistance/information you need to get and keep your bike running.
I also have an XJ ('82), and believe me unless you have a YICS tool to help you synch your carbs, the first item I would buy and install is a YICS eliminator. One of the members here makes/sells them for $29 and it's the best mod you can do to the XJs. Trust me I went through a lot to get mine running right and the eliminator was a major step in accomplishing that.
Good luck and welcome.

[tantor]

A new battery, a couple of cans of contact cleaner, a tube of electrical grease.... many beers and smokes, and I'm really wondering just who won the last war!

This is almost to the point of bypassing all of the fancy relays and crap, and just adding a very simple running circuit.!

I will keep bashing it, just because I want to do a proper restoration, but Holy Crap!

Talk about Japanese Water Torture!

When I know exactly which parts I need, you know that Andreas is going to get a shipping list!

[tantor]

Update: The pig finally fired up! Major work on the electrics, I think that the Carbs are semi clean.

Mrs Murphy reared her ugly head the same day, and I think that in honor of my 2 wheel successes, the transmission on my F-250 4x4 cratered! I'm going to have to get the bike on the road a bit early!

The last time that I first rode a new to me bike, we had 6 inches of wet, slickery snow! I still took the Virago 920 home, and I'm going to try to have this beast on the road by next weekend!

My mechanic has loaned me a Ford Escape, but I'm used to bigger trucks. I want to 2 wheel again, or buy a Suburban! (cheaper than fixing the tranny!)

I will try to post a Youtube of the first firing of the bike, after a 4 year hibernation, in a bit.... but wrenches, or Video Cam..... Wrenches!

I need to be self sufficient enough to pop down to the jar store,
for a box of suds! (Beer!!!)

Oh, yeah, the going to work thing is important too!

[natemoen]

Glad ya got her breathing fire again! Hopefully she can act as your temporary replacement ride!

[tantor]

Running! Front brakes finally working! Now it's just lubing the clutch cable, making the turn signals work, an oil change and then some tags!

On the road again!

[lancelot455]

It will be a fun bike. I love mine.

[thecamelman79]

Welcome to the site Tantor,
You are gonna love that XJ you got there. Lots of power, perty good through the twistys, and great long distance rider.

Had any problems with first or second gear popping?

[tantor]

Update! Some Seafoam in the tank and sump, much cursing, and now it's down to a sticky clutch cable and the lack of turn signals. I'll get the LOOBIT and multimeter out tomorrow, and hopefully I will having moving under its' own power for the first time in 4 years. This site has been a God Send! I would have never figured some of this stuff out without your help. THANKS!!!

[natemoen]

Glad to hear your moving forward!

[tantor]

Update, It's tagged and running! Turn signals / 4 way flashers don't work yet, and the clutch slips under large load. I'm getting there!


If it were not for this site, the beast would have gotten crushed, and recycled into a crappy beer can. Don't get me wrong, I like beer cans, as long as they're full. I have emptied a few in the progression of this rebuild!

When I figure out how, I'll post a pic.

[cywelchjr]

Update, It's tagged and running! Turn signals / 4 way flashers don't work yet, and the clutch slips under large load. I'm getting there!


If it were not for this site, the beast would have gotten crushed, and recycled into a crappy beer can. Don't get me wrong, I like beer cans, as long as they're full. I have emptied a few in the progression of this rebuild!

When I figure out how, I'll post a pic.

Naw, wouldn't have been a beer can, those are aluminum, so it would have ended up a soup can or a can of beans which IMHO would actually have been more useful than a beer can, but still would have been a horrible thing to have happened.

Clutch if you haven't gone through the whole clutch adjustment procedure starting at the bottom and working up to the top may just need that done so do that before doing anything else, and make sure that the oil you are using is non synthetic and is not energy conserving, and at least an oil change or two that way first. If it still slips then you need to open it up and check the frictions, steels and springs against spec.

For the flashers

[cywelchjr]

Update, It's tagged and running! Turn signals / 4 way flashers don't work yet, and the clutch slips under large load. I'm getting there!


If it were not for this site, the beast would have gotten crushed, and recycled into a crappy beer can. Don't get me wrong, I like beer cans, as long as they're full. I have emptied a few in the progression of this rebuild!

When I figure out how, I'll post a pic.

It would help if you added the model and year to your tag line as I'm not sure but it sounds like since you say 4 ways that it's an 80 or later.

This being the case, check in the left hand control pod, the 4 way switch and make sure the wires are firmly connected to the switch as they tend to come loose and will cause the turn signals and 4 ways to not work. This can be fixed if it's the case by soldering the wires back onto the switch (you may need to clean up each connection before doing so as they seem to get rather corroded).

[tantor]

I just had it out for a quick spin. Not bad. It takes forever to warm up, but I can put up with that until I clean the carbs again!

Now it's time to do the battery sensor eliminator mod, and work on those damn turn signals. Fun, fun, fun....

Oh, and I got home just before the hailstorm! Yeah!

[tantor]

Just an update, It is at my welder's place, so that we can refab a 1 season exhaust. The old one didn't have enough to weld patches onto. This will be a 4 into 1 , just because that's what we had in stock. Over the winter, we will rebuild (from scratch) the proper mufflers.

There is a little more electrical to do and the Brakes still need more work. They apply real well, but the rears don't like releasing. Time to flush and clean, and identify the source of the contamination. I don't want to replace all of the lines at once!

Side note, I just picked up an '80 XS 400 Special for my wife, under 13K original miles, and dropped at least twice!

I have a carb cleaning event happening soon, I've got 4 sets of Quad carbs (for 3 separate 1100's) and 2 sets of twins for the 400.

If you hear a lot of swearing, THAT WILL BE ME!!!

Thanks for all of your help, and I will start posting progress pics! Stan.