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Post by skucera on May 30, 2012 5:13:13 GMT
I joined a couple of weeks ago and wrote a lengthy introduction, but I must have forgotten to click that "Post Message" button or something.
I bought a very used 1987 FZ700 California model from a local guy on a farm a couple of miles from here. He sold it to his cousin... who never paid for it, dropped it on both sides or rolled it, and then set about "fixing" it himself with rattle cans and masking tape. The cousin abandoned it for a couple of years at a friend's house, and the friend called the seller back to say the bike needed to be gone. The seller took one look at it and decided to just get rid of it. It was nice once, but now it's a fixer-upper. I got it cheap... we'll see if it is cost-effective later.
I got it mostly complete, except the bodywork is shattered. That will be the expensive thing to fix. (My wife has had a "no more projects" rule for a few years, but when she saw me back if off the trailer she said, "That's not as bad as you said it was." She's even asking for me to take her for a ride on it when I get it running.) I'm cleaning rust out of the tank now, soaking it in a mild acid solution. I had to replace the vacuum petcock, and learned that Yamaha has obsoleted that part and superseded it with a mechanical petcock. It's water-tight, so we'll see how that works out in its nigh unreachable place behind the side cover.
As for me, I haven't been on a motorcycle in 30 years. I briefly owned a Moto Guzzi Eldorado back in college, and sold it in the fall thinking I'd pick up another bike the next summer. That didn't happen as quickly as I'd planned. It'll be fun learning to ride again.
Scott
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kja
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by kja on May 30, 2012 7:05:51 GMT
Welcome, some pictures would be nice.
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Post by Graham on May 30, 2012 8:16:06 GMT
Hello Scot. Thanks for registering. As long as your bike is mechanically sound I wouldn't worry about how it looks too much. If it runs fine then I think I would focus on the tyres & brakes first. I hope we can be of some use to you during your FZ ownership.
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Post by skucera on May 31, 2012 4:50:07 GMT
Thanks for the welcome! I'll put some pictures up soon. Tonight I am printing out pictures for my oldest daughter's term project, so the computer is a little busy at the moment.
Scott
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Post by onewicked750 on May 31, 2012 5:35:01 GMT
Welcome Scott, I'm over here in Northern California resoring an FZ as well. Can't wait to see some pictures. Let me know if you have any questions!
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Post by skucera on Jun 1, 2012 5:24:58 GMT
Alright, here's the first picture on the day after I brought the bike home: This is a close to a "beauty shot" as it comes on this bike. In the twilight when I rolled the bike back off the trailer, my wife saw it at a distance and thought it didn't look bad at all. It's only when you get up close that you realize that bit of trim and bodywork is damaged. The frame, forks, swingarm, and engine all appear to be miraculously unbent, but the tank is dented and the bodywork is all cracked. I did get some of the bodywork in a box of broken bits. I have most of a windshield. The '87 wind deflectors to keep the air off the handlebars are mostly present, but in bits. A broken '85 upper fairing came with the bike, and the right-side radiator cover is present. But the left side is smashed. After studying the frame and the decals under the rattle can paint job that the bike originally came with a full fairing. It must have been nice new. Here are some pictures of the terrible paint over the decals: Why can't photo hosting services host full sized images anymore. They used to not suck. But I digress.... Despite missing the Run/Stop button on the throttle switchpack, most of the motorcycle actually shows the evidence of careful maintenance and good quality repair parts. The motor isn't siezed, but the bike came to me with the chain removed and the transmission's output sprocket in a box. The old chain showed that it sat outside for a couple of winters, and was thoroughly rusted and partially seized. I've got a new one on the way. Some gasohol in the tank left it slightly rusted, and the vacuum petcock was smashed, so I bought a Yamaha replacement only to find that they no longer offer the vacuum petcock anymore. C'est la vie. So, I'm on the path to trying to see if the engine will run with a cleaned up tank and fresh gas. Once I can reassemble the output sprocket and sprocket cover, and get the shifter remounted, then I'll see if the transmission will shift. I'm hopeful it will. The tires are good, and the brake pads look almost new. There's hope. Scott
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kja
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by kja on Jun 4, 2012 20:51:43 GMT
Nice project Scott
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Post by skucera on Jun 7, 2012 2:24:08 GMT
Thanks. I've just got to find some time to get back out to the garage to work on it some more. My new chain arrived, so I'm really itching to get it installed... just no time to do it. Grrr.... Scott
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Post by skucera on Jun 11, 2012 5:12:17 GMT
I had a few hours of quality time in the garage today. The tank cleaned up just great. I cleaned up the case around the front sprocket, and now I see why people comment about the rear suspension getting so grimy. Chain lube and grit made a quality of gunk I've previously called "English car grime" but I've never seen it on any Japanese car I've owned. Yuck. I also ran the rear wheel forward on its adjusters and cleaned up the rear sprocket. It's looking pretty worn, and I bet I'll have to replace it. The front sprocket was unworn... grimy, but unworn. There are almost no lands left on the tops of the gear teeth on the rear sprocket. Here's a picture: I've never owned a chain-driven motorcycle before, but my instinct is that I need a new rear sprocket. Can someone confirm this, or reassure me that I don't need one quite yet, depending on your opinion? Thanks, Scott
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Post by Graham on Jun 11, 2012 10:33:21 GMT
Those teeth look very pointed from that picture Scott. You should really replace it whilst you're at this stage or it may damage your new chain? You will need to do it soon anyway. Fairly cheap on their own on ebay.
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Post by skucera on Jun 11, 2012 21:49:59 GMT
Thanks for confirming it. Yeah, eBay has some very affordable sprockets. Time to break out the plastic again....
Scott
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Post by skucera on Jul 5, 2012 4:23:07 GMT
I had a bad turn on this project bike. The nut that secures the drive sprocket to the output shaft stripped. Actually, I don't know yet if the nut stripped, or the shaft did because it just spins and doesn't come off. It looks like I'll have to cut it off to see the true scope of the damage.
I hope it is just a stripped nut, because they are $6-7. If it is a stripped shaft, it'll cost me $250-300 and a lot of work to split the cases to get at it. So, I've been moping around since stripping that shaft last weekend, but I'll only know for sure when I've cut that nut off for a look.
Scott
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Post by Graham on Jul 5, 2012 9:25:05 GMT
If you google this it is STILL a problem with some more modern Yamahas. Hopefully just the nut mate. Fingers crossed for you.
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Post by fz750horse on Jul 5, 2012 12:27:05 GMT
I've seen this a couple of times before. Fortunately, Yamaha had the sense to make the shaft harder than the nut so it's almost certainly the nut. You can probably get it off by putting gentle pressure on the back of the sprocket with a tyre lever or similar whilst undoing the nut. Strangely, I once fitted a new nut and tab washer, torqued the nut it up and bent the tab washer over. I loosened the tab washer a few weeks later to alter the gearing and the nut wasn't even finger tight I'm quite anal about stuff like that and I'd swear blind it was properly seated when I did it up - I have no idea how it happened. As you say, the nuts are cheap so I always replace the nut and tab washer with the sprocket these days. Like Graham says, received wisdom is that you should replace both sprockets and the chain at the same time to prevent accelerated wear. Good luck.
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Post by skucera on Jul 6, 2012 3:18:42 GMT
That's reassuring. It's a little too late tonight to get out to the garage to try a tire iron on it. It'll have to wait for tomorrow night. Fingers crossed....
Scott
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