All the Harley's breath a sigh of relief

[TopCatGr58]

MMO and SEAFOAM warnings!

Just a warning,

Soccer4m, you or anyone do NOT want to actually RIDE the bike with MMO or Seafoam, OR leaked FUEL in the engine oil, or even just squirted into the cylinders, because it does leak past the rings and gets into the oil, and severely thins the oil and reduces is viscosity and lubricosity, and IF any LOAD is put on the engine can damage the bearings and such!

Using these cleaning solvents should only be done while on the center stand, slowly warming up to normal temps, perhaps even a fan blowing across the engine, and just very mild 2-3k revs at most, but NO HARD RIDING or WOT revs!

Then after 5-10 minutes of this engine running at temp is done, fully drain the oil, change the filter and put in the oil of your choice(see the numerous threads in this forum), and THEN you can enjoy the engine to it's fullest capacity...frame and suspension and brakes and tires and your skills being the only limits!

T.C.

[79XS11F]

I also agree with the advise others have given you. The engine is going to smoke a little or maybe even a lot untill the rings are floating again. Then you will see higher comp values. 20K in nothing. I wish I had an engine with only20on it.
Rob

[DRedel]

I'm gonna try it in the next few days and I'll be sure to let everyone know

[MaximPhil]

I'm gonna try it in the next few days and I'll be sure to let everyone know

Keep a close eye on the OIL level Even if not obviously smoking it can burn a lot of oil with sticking rings. Mine went though nearly 3 quarts in a 1000 miles when first run after sitting for who knows how long.
Uses very little now.
Phil

[DRedel]

The other problem that I was working on with the mechanic is that my rear caliper bracketed not sitting correct. The rotor is grinding or really close to the bracket and it's not sitting with the rotor in te middle of the caliper. We jacked the bike up and loosened the axel we loosened the small nut on the caliper side and made sure That the drop part of the axel was lined up. Tightend the small nut then the larger nut on the end of the axel. To try to pull the braket over. It made little difference. He thinks that someone put the wheel bearing in too far so that it allows the bracket to be too far over when it's against it. Any ideas?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey again,

Okay, you say it's an MNS, but what year, there IS a difference in the brakes for the 80 vs. the 81. Are you familiar with the ONLINE Microfiche site that Yamaha provides, you can view exploded views, although you should also have them available in your manuals/service guides, but you need to be sure of what year/model you have. Sounds more like someone forgot to put in a spacer the last time they did the rear tire. The bearings are NOT in the wrong place I'm fairly sure of that! On specials there is a thick large combination seal dust cover and spacer, along with the caliper bracket. Also a possibility that the bracket may have gotten bent?

T.C.

[mack]

Grommet

Check to see that the caliber thrust plate is against the swing arm. Some people think it goes on the out side of the rubber grommet. If you force it to the outside it will be out of alignment.

[DRedel]

I have an 81 midnight special. I looked at the exploded picture and also looked around on the fourm. I must be missing the spacer between the wheel bearing and the bracket. That or it's bent.

[TopCatGr58]

Sorry there Dredel,

The 81MNS has a totally different bracket, and doesn't use a spacer compared to the other Specials.....my bad!! Reviewing the microfiche, the caliper is mounted on a single swivelling bolt, you should be able to rotate the caliper body into a position where it shouldn't rub against the rotor.

T.C.

[DRedel]

Rotate it how? By unbolting it and setting it on different and then bolting it back?

[cywelchjr]

Mines a bastard xs midnight special that had sat for 5 years before I got it. I ha the carbs rebuilt and breaks rebuilt. I changed the valve cover and the oil pan. I replaced the pick up coils. I also had to change the clutch cable and the throttle cable. The bike has like 20000 miles. When we did the compression test the numbers were like 45 60 90 and 80 but I can't remember which cylinders were what. I felt sick in my stomach and had to leave. I went back today and he had adjusted the valves and put them back into spec. He also did a leak down test and said that all of them were off by different amounts. They were not all off by a constant across all cylinders. He said that the Vaccume to my octy was on a weak cylinder so he switched it. But he said its done. I have to go get my bike so Let me know if there are some more specific questions to ask him

I would be surprised to see one start and run with compression that was REALLY that low. I'd be surprised if it didn't turn out that he didn't have the throttle wide open when he did the test, which would cause exactly that problem, and if he did that he probably didn't know the proper way to balance carbs, likely having only done fuel injected throttle bodies, which also need balanced, but don't need the additional mixture adjustment involving getting the best vacuum level you can get as part of the adjusting process and balancing. This is why almost everyone who takes one of these bikes to a professional mechanic ends up having to do all the work over again themselves to get it done right, cause mechanics today don't know how to work on the old bikes, unless your lucky enough to find one who worked on them back when these were new.

[TopCatGr58]

Essentially, yes, but just loosening it, the caliper housing can swivel a little on that bolt, the pads are held in position by the channel/guide of the main mounting bracket that the caliper is bolted into, but the caliper just swivels around the bolt, so it can be moved a little clockwise or counterclockwise around the bolt to possibly allow more clearance around the rotor. But I would think that the mechanic would have figured that out after taking it off, so if that doesn't work, then the bracket may be bent?

T.C.

[dpotter58]

Keep a close eye on the OIL level Even if not obviously smoking it can burn a lot of oil with sticking rings. Mine went though nearly 3 quarts in a 1000 miles when first run after sitting for who knows how long.
Uses very little now.
Phil

still using two stroke oil?

[DRedel]

We dident take the caliper off so I'm going to try that. The mechanic I went to did it on a cold motor. I watched him do it. He claims that he did it with the throttle wide open my I don't remember. This dude has a grave yard at his house with over 125 old Japanese motorcycles. He never graduated from carborated. He even dug up a xs 11 manual. I don't know what he did wrong. We were looking at the manual and it said 145 for a comp reading on a cold motor at sea level. The worst cylinder I has was 35 and the leak down test on that cylinder said I was loosing 30 percent. He said my cam chain was stretched to the maximum and I guess couldn't be adjusted anymore. He adjusted the valves but dident have any more shims. But he said although not perfect they we're acceptable. I told him about the mmo and he said try it but your motor needs a lot of help.

[MaximPhil]

still using two stroke oil?

Hi Duwayne,
That was Gary C, not me, with the 2stroke MOTORCYCLE Oil

Phil