My 60th birthday present

That's a fine example of what needs to be done, in order to help those tiny electrons run around the bikes wiring.
Anyone else, who has not done this yet, stop procrastinating and do it.
 
Awesome ! Why did these XS' s ever come with a 140 mph reading Speedo? I do just over 100 just to prove it sometimes but really 110 is all there is ... And that's Good ..I like 3500 rpm the most, Good vibes
 
Not to open a can of worms, but I believe Deoxit a much better choice on those clean contacts than dielectric grease. Google Deoxit and the dielectric controversy and make your own choice. I've certainly never used dielectric grease on an airplane. YMMV

caig_landing_test.png
 
Marty......................I don't think its a choice between which is better. Both products are very good; I use both. Use the Deoxit first, then follow up with dielectric grease to exclude moisture and oxidation.
 
That sounds like a good technique. I've never run across Deoxit - can you tell me where you got it RtrdGent?

Pete
 
Pete......................I bought it at a local electronics store, that sells products for various electrical and electronic hobbies. Another hobby I have is amateur radio, and Deoxit is recognized as one of the best products to clean mechanical wafer switches, etc.,
inside a transceiver. My transceiver is 37 years old, so switches occasionally need to be deoxidized.
 
Today was a mixed bag, I did some work and some fun stuff, with varying degrees of success.
I installed new plugs. When I pulled the old plugs they were a slightly different range than recommended. They were NGK BP6ES instead of BP7ES and they looked rather dark and sooty. I will run the correct ones for a while and check them later.
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Then I tried a shortcut to polishing the right side engine cover, I had such success with the paint stripper and Blue Magic on my rear wheel that I tried it on the engine cover.

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I don't know why but my paint stripper never raised so much as a wrinkle after four hours of soak time. But it did manage to make the clear coat look WORSE! So I will have to get more aggressive on it. Another day.
Then I did some fun stuff, I have decided to live with the existing paint job for a while, it really doesn't look bad, the only thing that bothers me is the lettering, it is just pre cut vinyl and it has started to shrink and edges have started to lift. So I am just going to replace it with new, but I changed it up a little to look more like the letter style that Yamaha uses. I custom ordered these online and they are surprisingly inexpensive. I think they came out pretty good. Here are some before and after shots.
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So another weekend shot in the ass, I am getting closer to firing this thing up. ( I sure hope it runs) Later, :bike: Bob
 
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Hmm a 6 is a hotter plug than a 7, hope 6's were just an oopsie.

Lettering is a big improvement.
 
MMM recommended to me to go with 6 plugs in light my expected use in traffic, etc. He said many of his customers use 6s. I wonder...

I can imagine how anxious you are to start that beautiful bike of yours. Really great work. And I like the improved lettering as well. Very sharp.
 
Thanks Daniel, that's interesting to hear about the plugs. You are so right , I'm getting anxious to fire this bike up.
Just a little mechanical work left to do then it will be time. For me there are still so many unknowns regarding this bikes motor, ignition , charging and fueling. A lot to figure out yet.
 
Make sure you check the gap on your new plugs. They usually come gapped in the .035" to .040" range for auto use. That's too big for our wimpy stock ignitions. Use .028", .030" at most. Even with a Pamco and hotter than stock coil, I only use .032".

One of the local 650 guys I know called me with a problem. He just put new plugs in and now the bike wouldn't start. I stopped by to have a look. He didn't gap them. They still had the large gaps for auto use. I set them correctly (down to .028") and the bike started right up.
 
5twins said:
Make sure you check the gap on your new plugs. They usually come gapped in the .035" to .040" range for auto use. That's too big for our wimpy stock ignitions. Use .028", .030" at most. Even with a Pamco and hotter than stock coil, I only use .032".
Click to expand...

Yes you bet, I always check them. But you brought up something interesting. I was thinking about that just today. I plan to switch to a Pamco as soon as possible and his hotter coils and was wondering if the spark plug gap would require a larger gap. Now I know. Thanks 5T!
 
Looking really good - the white tins are unique!

On the plugs - my old auto shop teacher Mr Kokkinen always taught us to NEVER EVER trust the gap on plugs out of the box. They get jostled around so much in shipping, who knows what the gap is when you unwrap them. It is always a good practice to whip the ol' feeler gauges and check and adjust the gaps before installing them.

Pete
 

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