2023 September XS Rally

[newc4]

Arrived home safe and dry at 5:40PM, 9 hours on the road, 556 for the day, 1,662 for the weekend. Didn't drop the bike. No encounters with LE. Looks like they were letting you go 15 over on I-81.

Bravoi Zulu to Kurt and Nancy for another outstanding VYR. The Event was great, the weather and roads were beautiful.

[LAB3]

Did you guys get hit with that tropical storm?

[Radioguylogs]

Did you guys get hit with that tropical storm?

The weather was perfect for the rally!

[LAB3]

The weather was perfect for the rally!

Well heck, I didn't think I was going to make it due to a variable schedule and only ended up as far as Shenandoah National Park where we got NAILED! I'd have just pushed it to make it there in time had I paid better attention to the weather, forecast, better luck next time I guess.

[JeffH]

Some 2023 Rally Photos at our Facebook page

Vintage Yamaha Rally | Facebook


also starting some updates to www.vintageyamaharally.com for the 2024 Rally Sept 26-30, 2024

Jeff

[kboehringer]

Hey XS 11 Guys that attended the 2023 Rally,

I really appreciated Mike's "Rag Award" for "Best Vintage Tow Vehicle". The Trans Am did very well draggin' the bikes to the rally and was a lot of fun on the Dragon.



HOWEVER, there was a strong concern about the brakes on the ole girl (car not Nancy). Although I'm certainly not the first to use a 2nd Generation Firebird to tow something, I don't think the engineers really planned on this vehicle being used to tow a trailer. The rear brakes were pitiful and a bit scary with a ~2000# trailer behind it. I was preparing to stop at traffic signals 1/2 mile ahead even when the light was a pretty green!

For this vehicle, much like my XS11 restorations where I frequently grab XJ and other Yamaha parts to accomplish a repair or upgrade, I'm upgrading the rear drum brakes on the ole' girl (car not Nancy) to the factory optional Disc Brake set-up.

This is, according to most, a very significant improvement offered by the factory for the '79-'81 Trans Am models only and was an expensive WS6 option (not offered for the Camaro). Although there are several aftermarket kits available that might even be a little better for actually a comparable cost to this OEM set-up, but like the XS11's I prefer OEM GM parts. I don't want to be ordering brake pads & rotors from some oddball company that may not be in business a few years from now.

I'm planning on the same tow set-up to VYR 2024 and am confident the upgraded rear disc set-up will make the ride & towing much more enjoyable..... and I may be able to retain my fingernails.

OFF WITH THE OLD


ON WITH THE NEW!


Not quite finished yet but the replacement will include:

• New Drilled & Slotted Rotors
• New/Remanufactured Calipers,
• New Pads & All Grade 8+ Hardware
• New Parking Brake Cables
• New Rear Brake Hydraulic Lines (SS hoses where available)
• New Wheel Bearings & Seals (Although not bad, I'm in there might as well!).
• New Proportioning Valve
• Complete Brake System Flush.

Obviously, can't wait until next year!!

Kurt

[DEEBS11]

Kurt, that is a great upgrade to an old drum brake system. I used to do this mod to my Volkswagen Beetles back in the 80's when I was a younger man. I wish I still had that car (1972)! AND that hair!

[kboehringer]

ALL DONE..... I was even able to modify the twists and bends in the OEM lines for the drums and re-orient them for the calipers.....



RR Done


LR Done



RE: Misinformation - Misguidance - Inaccurate Data - Opinions Opinions Opinions.....

Unfortunately, this upgrade was a bit more difficult than needed.

Much like other websites, the TransAm.coms and FB pages provided a huge quantity of inaccurate information provided by posters had had little or no mechanical ability or experience.. This complicated the work significantly. In addition, the retailer's rebuilt caliper boxes were mislabeled LR vs. RR. Very fortunately, I have a bit of a greasy thumb and a bit of mechanical experience to sort through the BS and misinformation, although the wrong backing plate parts numbers provided on the .com page really set me back a day or so trying to understand why nothing seemed to fit correctly. I'll likely create a "How To" document with real world photos and proper information.

I'm honestly quite tired of following the instructions of others that may have never performed this work themselves or that "Half-A$$" something as critical as a braking system..... UGH!!! But it's good now!!