Agreed, Jetmechmarty, way less expensive than hanging out in a bar, and I've done my same of that when younger.
I believe the XS11 was the predecessor to the FJ1100?
I believe the XS11 was the predecessor to the FJ1100?
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My next Yamaha project
- Thread starter TX650A Van Islander
- Start date
I finally just got the front sprocket off of the donor bike. Had to buy a 36 mm socket. Impact gun - nope. Had to hang a chain on it and secure the chain to a part of the subframe with a screwdriver and then put a 2' pipe on the 1/2" drive socket wrench. Just about landed on my face when it finally let go!
But holy shit, I am still in shock from what I found on the rider bike. Front sprocket nut not even finger tight!!! Loose as in spin it with one finger!!! No retaining washer as it is a welded together POS offset sprocket to accommodate that crazy too wide rear wheel. Would not even accommodate a proper washer. Good thing I only rode this bike in first and second gear up to about 25 mph!!! F**cking hack job PO!!! Unbelievable.
First photo is of the donor bike. Rest of photos of the rider bike. Tomorrow I'll get the rear ends back together and turn these things into rollers.
And this is a story about why it is in our best interest to go through any used bike, whether it is us or a trusted mechanic. The guy I bought this from told me he
rode it up to about 100 mph! Wow.
The last photo is of the inside of the sprocket cover. You can see where the roving sprocket was wearing on the cover! Time to go home for a beer!
But holy shit, I am still in shock from what I found on the rider bike. Front sprocket nut not even finger tight!!! Loose as in spin it with one finger!!! No retaining washer as it is a welded together POS offset sprocket to accommodate that crazy too wide rear wheel. Would not even accommodate a proper washer. Good thing I only rode this bike in first and second gear up to about 25 mph!!! F**cking hack job PO!!! Unbelievable.
First photo is of the donor bike. Rest of photos of the rider bike. Tomorrow I'll get the rear ends back together and turn these things into rollers.
And this is a story about why it is in our best interest to go through any used bike, whether it is us or a trusted mechanic. The guy I bought this from told me he
The last photo is of the inside of the sprocket cover. You can see where the roving sprocket was wearing on the cover! Time to go home for a beer!
GaryInVA
XS650 Enthusiast
I worked at Yamaha Northeast in El Paso in the late 70's. We had a XS1100 with a sidecar as our shop bike. I would use it to run parts between shops. Was a blast to ride with someone in the sidecar. We'd act like we were sidecar racing with me leaning into the sidecar and the passenger leaning way out.
Sorry hijacking your thread.
Sorry hijacking your thread.
Bit by The Dreaded P.O. !
You’re exactly right about not trusting anyone else’s work!
Today was a good day. Back end is all cleaned and reassembled, all rear suspension pivot points greased and torqued to spec. Yesterday I started the tank cleaning, and used Evapo-Rust, turning the tank over a number of times. I obviously changed my mind from the electrolysis method. After approximately 30 hours soaking I removed the petcock and fuel level sender and washed it out with water after emptying the reusable Evapo-Rust into a bucket. I then used the heat gun to dry out the tank interior as much as possible. Photos of before and after and also sediment in bottom of bucket after pouring out the relatively clean Evapo-Rust. Next I washed out the tank with alcohol (I used camp fuel - hopefully ok. It evaporates quickly). And then hit it with the heat gun again.
Next task is using the plastic welder I ordered to fix the cracked mounting points of the fairings. At some point I need to service my neglected TX650A so I can ride the old girl on a nice day!
Next task is using the plastic welder I ordered to fix the cracked mounting points of the fairings. At some point I need to service my neglected TX650A so I can ride the old girl on a nice day!
Tank looks great. You’ve already cleaned it and doesn’t sound like you intend to coat the inside, so just as insurance, I’d slosh around some oil to coat the inside of the tank for winter storage. Most likely unnecessary but I’d do it (but that’s me). Nice work.
Works well to coat inside tank.
Did any of you notice that white plastic neutral light switch with 3 ears/ countersunk screws? It looks exactly like the same part on a 73-75 RD250/350, and most likely was also used on the RD400 models. Talk about a long part lifetime!
Your gas tank came out beautiful! That Evaporust is a miracle worker. When I did my XS2 tank I used this product, bought it on Amazon.
After blowing out the tank I tried a tip from @Jim , I mixed up a little acetone and motor oil to slosh around in the tank. The acetone evaporates off leaving a film of oil. Worked great!
After blowing out the tank I tried a tip from @Jim , I mixed up a little acetone and motor oil to slosh around in the tank. The acetone evaporates off leaving a film of oil. Worked great!
A slight correction Bob... I suggested a general purpose grease and acetone... and Iirc that's what you used.
The grease has excellent staying power... it'll stick to the top (inside) of the tank forever, unlike oil which will slowly work it's way down to the bottom of the tank. The acetone thins the grease to a consistency like thin oil, which allows it to coat the entire inside... then slowly evaporate off, leaving a film about the same as cosmoline.
Unlike cosmoline though, the grease washes out easily by sloshing some gas in there when you're ready to use it.
Cosmoline can sometimes be a bugger to wash off.
Very nice on the tank. I've done 30% harris vinegar then diluted till the tank filled. Then steel nuts/nails and slosh. Each time I've done a tank i thought it was the last one and wish I'd either saved the vinegar after filtering it or used something reusable like evaporust. Years ago, I de rusted some stuff w/ Molasses and Water. took longer and its reusable but I tossed it. On last year's XJ650, I fogged it and then hung a dessicant bag inside, then sealed it up for 2 weeks. I'd rinsed, then used WD40, then Fogged. I still had some resedue in there that did not come out and after clogging a rock filter, I ran fuel through it several times, sloshing around, then drained using old petcock and ran into a can through a big paper filter. Put the gas in the can I use for snowblower.
I'll be curious to learn more about grease/acectone like what grease and what the mix ratio is and how much to use.
I'll be curious to learn more about grease/acectone like what grease and what the mix ratio is and how much to use.
For a gas tank size item:
About any grease will work. I usually just use a "general purpose" grease, but whatever's handy is fine.
Doesn't take much... just one or two blobs about the size of a golf ball in a container, then mix in the acetone until it's the consistency of light cutting oil. MEK or lacquer thinner also works.
Pour it in, slosh it around and pour it off.
Evaporation can be very slow sometimes due to solvent vapor saturation. In which case I'll use shop air to gently (about 5-10 psi) blow in fresh air and displace the vapors. I won't go into details on the safety considerations, but needless to say the air in the immediate area will be very volatile.
That's about it. Once you're satisfied all the solvent is gone, tape up the openings and put it on the shelf. It'll last years like that.
Great suggestions, thank you! I do plan to have gasoline back in this tank within about 6 weeks, and the tank is currently in a heated room at about 70 degrees F, with fuel cap open. Do you think it's necessary to coat it regardless as you guys have suggested? Great point about the top of the tank for sure though Jim, which rarely touches gasoline.
Bob, does this work as well as Evaporust? I may pick some up next time I’m south of the border.
I don't think I would, given the conditions.... not for 6wks. Maybe give it a good look every week or so, otherwise it should be OK.
My experience with it is pretty limited. I only used it once on the gas tank that I had Jim paint for my XS2. That tank had pretty minor rust inside and it came out absolutely spotless with a 24 hr soak. My understanding is that it uses the same chemical process as Evaporust, but it is concentrated….one bottle makes 4 gallons, which is more than enough to entirely fill an XS gas tank, making it very economical and easy to use. I think it’s a good product.
For what it’s worth, I took the extra liquid I made and threw it in a bucket with some rusty old tools, left overnight and in the morning they looked kinda black, but a quick brush with a wire brush and they looked like new.
Tonight I tried out the plastic "welder" I bought on Amazon for $40.00. It came in a kit with a bunch of pins you melt into the plastic and then cut off, releasing from the gun, which is more or less a soldering iron. You cut the pins flush to the plastic, effectively embedding a stitch into the plastic. These fairings have a lot of micro cracks at the mounting points and I haven't figured out yet what type of plastic I'm going to use to fill in the missing pieces, or how I'm going to cut that plastic to shape. There is an industrial plastics supplier here in Victoria so will start there for ideas.
It works quickly in a matter of seconds and you have to be cautious not to destroy the fairing part. Brutal smell though. I'm going to wear a respirator for the rest of this task.
It works quickly in a matter of seconds and you have to be cautious not to destroy the fairing part. Brutal smell though. I'm going to wear a respirator for the rest of this task.
I was thinking, maybe you could try the body panel adhesive I was telling you about, to first “glue” the pieces together, then stitch them with your new tool. That would fill in the gaps between the pieces. The tool is intriguing. I’ve watched videos of its use before and noted when they imbedded the wire into the plastic, they would give it a slight twist before releasing the wire from the gun. I think this will help bury the wire under the plastic’s surface, adding to the strength of the repair. Regarding the adhesive, I don’t know how the hot wire would react with that material. So some experimentation would be needed. The stuff I use turns hard as a rock snd can be sanded, filed etc.
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