YC's got a new bike

[yorkie_chris]

Don't panic, the SV is here to stay...

I was after another bike to be a bit better on juice and consumables than the SV, it needed to be small and light, possibly even of the muddy persuasion, cheap to insure, did I mention cheap? etc. So I got to looking at XLR250s, DR350s, even superdreams and other such plodders.

Then I bought this pristine, svelte example of lightweight precision engineering:
Can ya tell what it is yet?


P.S I know the morlock-esque underdwelling dinosaurs and super-geeks of infinite wisdom will get that in about 0.2s, leave off and let the young uns have a guess!!

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1831/image011xy.jpg

[no_akira]

Its an inline 4 cyclinder, would it be an early 70's Honda. Classic little number maybe ?

[lukemillar]

Looks like a heap of cr@p!

[EssexDave]

Looks like a heap of cr@p!

+1

Does it have wheels and everything?

[toxic]

Looks like a zed to me.

[21QUEST]

Kawasaki Zephyr?

[Jayneflakes]

Our vote is for either Yamaha or Suzuki.

Yammy XS or Suzi GSX?

[the_lone_wolf]

Can't make up my mind, by the look of it it's either Massey Ferguson or John Deere...

;)

[GMS]

Guessing there`s a word starting with "S" under your hand in the photo but not Suzuki ;)

[shifter]

XJ600 Diversion?

[hindle8907]

I Know !!!! :D its a beauty lol :p...... but only becuase I had the pleasure of YC's company yesterday.
So let the guessing continue ......................

[454697819]

bandit 400..

[tonyt]

Yamaha XJ 650

[radicalry00]

bandit 400..
Exactly what I was going to say. But it's just a wild guess tbh. I can't really tell at all from that photo lol.

[yorkie_chris]

Some people are close

[maviczap]

Kawa GT550

[Ratty]

XJ550 seca

[yorkie_chris]

Guessing there`s a word starting with "S" under your hand in the photo but not Suzuki ;)

Nope!

[maviczap]

Yam XJ750

[Whyte25]

CB ?

[yorkie_chris]

It's a shaftie

[tonyt]

Kawasaki GT550

[tonyt]

Suzuki Kantana 650..

[andrewsmith]

I'm going to keep stum as I have rough idea what it is now.

[yorkie_chris]

Nah have a crack!

[andrewsmith]

Yamaha Divi 900

[AndyBrad]

divvy ?

[Sid Squid]

It's definitely a Yamaha, as you say it's a shaftie the possibilities are reduced, but I don't think it's an XJ900, so I'll go with XJ650.

Maybe.

How did I do?

[dizzyblonde]

An XJ of some description?...or perhaps a midnight special, cause we all knows you love cruisers :0)

I've seen enough Yamahas to know their casings, looks suspiciously Yammy but gammy to me!

[widepants]

but will it have some plastic guttering gaffer taped on it for the next 3yrs

[punyXpress]

You told me on Thursday so not telling.
Real impressed with how you detailed the frame so quick & so perfectly!

[Owenski]

Not a scooby doo - Its defo got some metal and an engine involved somewhere.

[Bibio]

xj 650 turbo (seca)

[andrewsmith]

Not a scooby doo - Its defo got some metal and an engine involved somewhere.

we talking mental then..

Yamaha 900 with NOS and a turbo :lol:

[yorkie_chris]

but I don't think it's an XJ900,

Why not? Cos that's what it is

[dizzyblonde]

http://www.click-cars.co.uk/2444/images/23800386.jpg

[Geodude]

This one? (http://www.nextbigwhoop.com/images/xj900r.jpg) :D

[Owenski]

hahahhaahhahaha this I gotta see!

[andrewsmith]

haha

is this for resto or as a souped up hack?

[dizzyblonde]

I just found a website for YC to get new ideas for his new steed


http://www.ratbike.org/pages/413ace02_yamaha.rat

read what he coul potentially use it for!

[andrewsmith]

I just found a website for YC to get new ideas for his new steed

http://www.ratbike.org/pages/413ace02_yamaha.rat

read what he coul potentially use it for!

Hahaha :smt037

Portable petrol cooker sound like a plan

[mister c]

I reckon it's of the Yamaha Persuasion. 4 letters under the hand? Maybe middleweight?

Just guessing.
And I am old

[kaivalagi]

Will it Cafe racer styled? I can see that working...

[mikerj]

Looking at the frame I reckon it's an XJ900. If it is I have some doubts about it being cheaper than an SV to run (excepting chain and sprockets) and I can't see it being up to much on the muddy stuff :D

[hongman]

It's definitely a Yamaha, as you say it's a shaftie the possibilities are reduced, but I don't think it's an XJ900

Why not? Cos that's what it is

Why are people still guessing? :smt016

[kaivalagi]

Why are people still guessing? :smt016

I thought that but it was funny just to let them :)

[hongman]

Sorry, didnt mean to spoil!

I'd make some smart quip about the bike but I know nothing about it (or bikes really) so I'll just stay quiet in my little corner ;)

[kaivalagi]

Sorry, didnt mean to spoil!

I'd make some smart quip about the bike but I know nothing about it (or bikes really) so I'll just stay quiet in my little corner ;)

lol, most of us don't know all that much, just think we do :) (waiting for the speak for yourself response....:lol:)

My dad had an XJ900 when I was still at school, it was a good pillion bike :)

I remember it being reliable but carp looking (even with gold pin stripes on black), good engine and shaft drive would make for a trusty steed I bet, but cafe racer'ed up it would redeem it a little I reckon :)

This is what his looked like (minus the engine crash bars), I remember that horrible plastic backend:
http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classic_bikes/yamaha-xj900.jpg

[yorkie_chris]

Looking at the frame I reckon it's an XJ900. If it is I have some doubts about it being cheaper than an SV to run (excepting chain and sprockets) and I can't see it being up to much on the muddy stuff :D

Will see!

Not much incentive to rag the living crap out of it as much as the SV, if it turns out dear to run then I should turn a profit on selling it.

[andrewsmith]

Will see!

Not much incentive to rag the living crap out of it as much as the SV, if it turns out dear to run then I should turn a profit on selling it.

What was the damage for bike YC?

[yorkie_chris]

£375
So far needs a battery, a pair of shocks and a carb rubber and a lockset building. Possibly some tyres, maybe, if I'm feeling like a pussy :-P

[andrewsmith]

Not bad then for £600 so far.

How bald are we here?

[yorkie_chris]

£20 on the carb rubber, lockset probably a tenner, dunno about shocks, not sure oil in them will make much difference.

Haven't heard it run yet, hopefully today though :)

[Sid Squid]

I've got a mate who owns the biggest XJ900 graveyard imaginable, if you need bits I can ask him if he can help, unless you've already ordered the rubber that is.

[yorkie_chris]

It's alive!

Well actually not yet, but the clock on the dash has come on! Progress!

[davepreston]

how dare you start a new project while mine is still needing finished, sort out your priorities young man
;)

[yorkie_chris]

It's alive! Muahahaha
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_co3wu2CRTpo/SbqQx58xbpI/AAAAAAAAA1U/HKWE2gZMADA/s320/its_alive-fstn-721852.jpg

[hindle8907]

It's alive! Muahahaha


Maria pushing you down the hill doesn't count :smt037

[andrewsmith]

Maria pushing you down the hill doesn't count :smt037

:winner:

[Bluefish]

new track bike chris? :D

[yorkie_chris]

If I get it running good I'll get some knee down* pics at three sisters on it :-P




*Possibly also the other knee, head, elbows and *rse too.



This installment of yorkie's garage brought to you by hammerite

[Jayneflakes]

Yay, another XJ owner on the SV forum!

My XJ400 that blew up is now a very light and easy to manage frame and wheelset, the engine languishes on the floor of the garage until we can open her up. No obvious signs of damage yet, but we are still to break open the case. The 550 lump is being sorted at the moment, valve clearance check is a doddle when the shims are on top of buckets and the engine in on the work bench in the hall (next to the radiator!) and not on the cold stone floor of the garage!

Have fun with your new project, I expect stories of how comfortable it is and how lovely it is to ride down the motorway at 50!

[yorkie_chris]

£30.12 for a genuine yuasa battery from MDS batteries :)

Quite disappointed to speak to some hairy *rsed sounding bloke on the phone though when everyone else seems to end of chatting to some silky voiced temptress though!

[punyXpress]

She'd have cost you more though, Chris.
And we know how you like to keep your cash!

[yorkie_chris]

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1231/ckq8vqwkkgrhqzkwe0fevbb.jpg
The beast :-P

[andrewsmith]

that doesn't look in bad nick at all!

[maviczap]

pretty sweet for £400

[yorkie_chris]

A lot of bike for the money.
Literally. It weighs a fackin ton. No chance of rocking this one back onto the centrestand while sat on it!

It looks much worse close up :-P
The fairing is quite crazed on the other side, it's all a little bit scabby, could be much worse though.

Only bit worrying me is the electrics and tank, this is the petrol gauge sender unit. There was at least 5l of water in the tank. Could probably do with some sealer. The electrics will probably be fine after a while but I'm expecting issues.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/3043/image009qe.jpg



I'm not intending on dropping the engine, but I've had almost everything else off and the only casualties so far have been one carb rubber retaining bolt snapped, and one fork pinch nut which rounded a bit.

Amazingly the brakes aren't even seized.



Well, maybe not so amazing since it was last taxed in 07, but looking at these tyres I wouldn't think that it was actually used then.

[yorkie_chris]

Don't think riding it to the Elvington meet is going to happen as intended.
Just got the fuel tank cap off. Ewwwwww. It came off as swarf 'cos it was so seized on.
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/1597/image017sm.jpg
Now awaiting some wheel bearings and valve shims from the mighty spanner man, so we can get forward with it a bit.

Then, I think a tank cleaning and sealing kit is required. Not sure what gives me this idea...

[andrewsmith]

That looks like a sewage treatment pond!

is there much more wrong with it beyond what you knew about

[dizzyblonde]

So.....this cheap new hack....is it really going to end saving you money?


Next installment of the argybargybike

NEXT week :)

[Dicky Ticker]

New tyres?

[yorkie_chris]

New tyres?

New front, as the one on it of 1994 vintage won't hold any air :smt037

Or maybe I should just inflate it and ride it about a bit and see if the heat makes it reseal? :reaper:

[xXBADGERXx]

Save money by not buying things like this in the first place . Admit it , your just a sucker for some rusty puppy dog eyes :)

[dizzyblonde]

Save money by buying something decent in the first place .

edited:smt037

[xXBADGERXx]

Nah , he has an eye for something that fits the bill ................... cough*GPZ 500 Crackerbox*cough

[yorkie_chris]

Haha the GPZ was ace, except for the horrible lumpy engine, the self destructing alternator(s), the cracktastic starter clutch(s), the suicide handling, the tankslappers, the random slides to nowhere.
Oh hang on, actually it was a bag of crap. Though the note* from the only vaguely attached** silencers would make children bark and dogs cry.


*I use that word loosely, maybe cacophony would be better, or racket, or aural trauma...
**A lot of the time not actually attached at all

[xXBADGERXx]

That`s more like it :)

[yorkie_chris]

Actually the only time I really enjoyed that bike was over in deepest lancashire somewhere when I absolutely caned it round a sliproad, flat out by the time we got on the Mway, lovely CRACK on the overrun between gearchanges.


Then it broke down. Well more accurately it was at that moment I discovered the reserve setting on the tank to be faulty. And to be honest, that happening in lane 3, with another 2 lanes joining at the time, while it was busy, doing nearly 100mph still, and so hung over you could have set fire to my p*ss... was inconvenient at best.

[xXBADGERXx]

Was it a "tense and nervous" moment ?

[yorkie_chris]

Tense and nervous, yes. Very nearly smelly and sludgy when I saw a police car coming down the sliproad we had just darted across in a fairly silly fashion on a backfiring and misbehaving GPZ followed by Jamessunhills chavtastic vauxhall corsa (ahahahaha)

[xXBADGERXx]

Sounds like a recipe for a good story over a few beers and rollies one night my fine dirty-fingered-fellow

[yorkie_chris]

Is that an invitation? :-P

[orose]

It certainly makes a change for me to be on the side of a road stationary and not broken down...

[xXBADGERXx]

Is that an invitation? :-P
Door is always open , fridge will be stocked and arms are thrown wide open upon welcome , and that goes for anyone on the Org as well

[yorkie_chris]

Oh and it was all going so well.
Snapped one of the tw*tting rear bleed nipples.

Carbs cleaned up nice in the dishwasher though :)

[xXBADGERXx]

Did the Carbcleaner tablets contain Caustic ?

[yorkie_chris]

No I didn't use anything in there, just wanted to get all the sh*t off. Will try the calipers with a tablet in there, don't think they contain caustic though, no warnings on the box. (cheap tablets!)
Will try a tablet in with the calipers and see what happens, my mate had a set turn black, must have used something stronger.

[andrewsmith]

I thought this thing had been push off the tops mate

and caused the small blaze around 'Fax :lol:

[dizzyblonde]

No I didn't use anything in there, just wanted to get all the sh*t off. Will try the calipers with a tablet in there, don't think they contain caustic though, no warnings on the box. (cheap tablets!)
Will try a tablet in with the calipers and see what happens, my mate had a set turn black, must have used something stronger.

Just make sure all evidence of said dishwashing experience is gone. Don't get caught when owner of said dishwasher comes home to find disgusting gunk in it:smt082 I'm sure you've heard the story I'm on about:p

[yorkie_chris]

Seems to be running pretty good except for a slight miss on #2, downpipe is merely warm where others are all sizzling. Will swap the leads over with #3 and see if problem moves, should tell me whether it is fuel or spark.

Annoyingly #2 is only mixture screw that's seized. Bah.

[yorkie_chris]

On 4 cylinders and purring like a kitten :)

It seems the old fuel hose was loaded with mayonnaise and immediately blocked the previously pristine float valve filter :confused::confused: New one for me!
New hose, started on all 4 first push of button :)

Now to reassemble the calipers, finally order a tank restoring kit, send for a V5, maybe even splash out on some new shocks :-P

[yorkie_chris]

I think I have a problem. Of course admitting there is a problem is step 1 of recovery. As far as I could figure, steps 2-5 involve fitting flatslide carbs, porting heads, a quickshifter and some radial monoblocks on the SV. But maybe those are symptoms...

Anyway, I foolishly attempted to drill the bleed nipple which was causing me so much mither. Unusually, I missed with the drill, and on extracting the remnants of the nipple found the threads to be completely buggered.
So I got to thinking, the front and rear calipers look very similar, I could probably swap half a front one onto the rear, but that would leave me with only 3/4 of a front brake...

Hmmm, what's that I see lurking in the parts box... Worth a go... Perhaps... Perchance...

Ta daaa!
http://imageshack.us/m/84/9413/p1040646p.jpg

Does that make it a Tramaha? Sounds about right for the weight :)

[Bluefish]

mega lol, knew you wanted a triumph, and that's nothing like one, take it off imediately ;)

[yorkie_chris]

BTW I think yamaha(/sumitomo) blue spot monoblocks from the R1 also drop right onto these bikes, could be a useful upgrade for you triumph lot.

Also I don't make any secret of it that my plan was to keep the SV for a couple of months max and then sell it and get a TL1000S or a t595 speed triple! That was in 2007 and look how far that plan got :-P

[Lozzo]

Is that a Tokico 4 pot or Nissin you have there? Looks like a Tokico as per GSXR600/SV1000 etc.

I'd always though Nissin were Triumph's caliper of choice.

The original XJ calipers were Sumitomo and the same fitting as a TDR/TZR250, so the chances are the R1 bluespot calipers will fit because they go straight on a TZR or TDR

[yorkie_chris]

Well they are triumph badged, but I think they are nissins. They are from TT600 so same as load of other triumphs.

Reason is they are not compatible with SRAD
Nor are they compatible with GSXR1000/SV1000 spacing.
Nor do I think they are sumitomos cos they were making monoblocks around this era.

So I reckon they are nissin with triumph badge on. Like I say above, you can fit blue spot to these bikes... so anyone with triumph should be able to fit them too should they feel the need.

[rictus01]

they are Nissin calipers t509/955i/tt600/S3 &S4.

Well it's at least one bit of the bike I'll like.

Cheers Mark.

[andrewsmith]

well that does look you to the job of stopping the XJ!

The triumph nissin's were also on a couple of the Hondas of that time, or a similar design.
How far is the tank off completion now?

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah. I think the forks may disagree though.
You mean the tank as in the XJ? Or literally the tank from the XJ?

I'm going with the "fervent prayer" approach to the tank from the XJ. Shotblasted and nut and bolt rattled as much crud as possible out of it and going to run an unfiltered on/off/reserve tap with an external filter and carry some spares!

they are Nissin calipers t509/955i/tt600/S3 &S4.

Well it's at least one bit of the bike I'll like.

Cheers Mark.

You will like master cyl and half a braided line kit too :)



In tonights episode of "oh you contrary old F***ER!", the front tyre has changed it's mind and decided, actually it WILL hold some air in for 24 hours. Right after I decided it was definitely leaking (west ham styley) and ordered a NEW tyre. Bah!

In other news, we have almost working electrics. Trust yamaha to have 2 wires in the same place, the same colour, doing totally different things.

Also found the intermittent fault when all the smoke fell out of the sidelight bulb holder :) Be right, didn't need that bit anyway!