My latest project

[HeartBreak]

Hey all, I just picked this up tonight... Whatcha think?

I know ya really can't see it... Doggone fireball in the sky went down before I had a chance to snap some pics... What it is;

1977 Yamaha 650, with a 3 (yes, THREE) cylendar engine... It needs some pretty severe work, but I think I scored... Somewhat.. Here's the rundown of what's needed to be fixed/replaced;

Headlamps/instrument cluster (missing)
mirrors (missing)
wiring harness (some idiot chopped it to bits)
battery (prolly the same idiot needed it for their 'hobbies'... poor gerbils)
seat (upholstery)
new tank lock and seat lock (didn't get keys... wouldn't have helped anyways... locks are fubar'd)
handlegrips
brake pads/kits
starter needs fixing (it has both electric and kickstart, the kickstart just feels like it's freewheeling, not engaging the engine... unless it has to be done hard n fast....?)
air filter
fuel lines
spark plugs (including cables, too)
front faring (cowl)
tires (prolly tubes, too, dunno)
muffler

outside of that, that's the light stuff... now comes the bad part; the licensing/title is non-existant. The last time this thing saw a DMV tag was 1987. So, does anyone know how to get a salvage title WITHOUT tracking down each and every previous owner, or am I SOLAJWF?

I got it tonight at a junk shop for $25 (yes, TWENTY-FIVE bucks!), and the lady said 'no title'.... I had the plates ran, the frame numbers ran... came back clean thru NCIC, DMV, the works, so I know it's clean (I gots da connections for that...). All I have is a bill of sale listing it as a parts' bike.

So, whatcha all think? This is my first cycle, and it's gonna be a winter restoration project.

 

[SpitFireV12RR]

Its nice...when you kick start, the engine should go(if it doesn't start) ding da da da. It won't sound like anything until you get the engine rebuilt. Before you do anything, I would take apart the engine, look a the cylinders and piston heads and see how that's holding up. Take apart the crankcase, I would get a new crankshaft. Drain all the oil from everything(crankcase, engine(if there is any there), transmission, brake fluid lines and boxes and wash them out until they're dry. Replace with all vavoline(best stuff) and I would even get rid of the electric start( I fix dirtbikes so I don't like electric starters, too much weight) anyways nice find, and remember, if I am correct for onroad bikes, you need a special drivers licence(class D or C i believe) and take a few lessons from people if this is your first. I have seen too many young dirtbikers(5 & 6) be too cocky about themselves and then brake a few ribs. DRIVE WITH CATION. There are some retarded people behind some wheels.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Wow! To quote Ed Harris' character on Apollo 13, "So, what on the spacecraft actually works?" :jk:

Joking aside, I think for $25, you got an awesome deal! Sure, she's a dog right now, but I'm with ya, I can see the treasure under all that crap! My first street bike was a 1978 Honda CB650 Custom. Four cylinders and four carbs! That SOB gave me more fits trying to keep those carbs synch'd, but when she was dialed-in, she moved!

As for the title, I can't speak for CA specifically, so you may want to ask Robmob, FastEddy, Sweetdiesel or any of the other Cali boys. In the Buckeye state, it's pretty simple. You take the bill-of-sale in along with the VIN. So long as there are no liens on it, you're set!

Do us a favor and post some pic's in better light and as you go through your project. Also, let me know if there are any parts you're hunting for. There are a lot of bike graveyards around here, so let me know if I can hunt something down for ya, be glad to help!

Good luck and have fun! :moped:

Oh, one more question and just one suggestion. Is that guy shaft drive? I'm guessing it might be by the pic's, but it could also be because I'm flying with Nyquil as well!

Also, find a Clymer shop manual for it. Those things are great! Walk you through everything and have great pictures so you can understand what you're looking at.

Again, have fun!

 

[HeartBreak]

It is indeed shaft driven - I thought that feature was kinda different... It's actually a road bike (the front end without all the trim on it kinda makes it look like a dirtbike). I have a Haynes book, but it seems like it's the wrong one... It's for an 80-84 year bike, but it covers a lot of the same concepts (like, what to expect on that shaft-drive).

I'm thinkin I should be fairly okay with the DMV, as I have a bill-of-sale. I'll have to track down the VIN number, but that's no big deal. The neck is exposed, and there's a label right-smack-there with all the info on it.

Earlier, when I tried the kickstart, here's the basics; tried it in neutral; it felt like there was some resistance (like a gear train moving), but not much else... In 1st, the whole bike wanted to move. I'm thinkin the kickstart is alright, but I'm pretty much going to double-check it when I tear it down (had planned to basically take it down to parts over the winter a section at a time).

Right now, my parts list isn't all that much.. Just a muffler (the right-side one), tires (possibly tubes, haven't checked to see if they're tubeless or not), brake parts, wiring harness, the instrument cluster/front lamps/horn, some grips, air filter, battery, and a few other misc parts... That's what I know for now... however, as we all know, ya tear down, ya find broken stuff.

The license needed here is a Class M... That much I know; I have to take a cycle riding class (no biggie), then insurance, etc, then take the bike (on a trailer) to the dmv for an obsticle course test... Not all that hard, really.

I'm gonna stick to the electric start; I'm too lazy to bother with a kicker, lol.

 

[dannyd]

are you just going to restore it or you going to convert it in to a crazy bike or something? or did i miss something :shrug:

 

[HeartBreak]

I plan on restoring it back to what it once was.. Or there-bouts. I figure for the price paid, plus parts n labor, it'd be a fun little project.

 

[HeartBreak]

Just an update on this fairly old thread, lol.... The bike itself is a 1978 Yamaha XS750E Triple.

Started tearing down the bike, and heres' what I've found so far.

Either the engine or the clutch is siezed. I'm wagering the clutch is totally fubared, due to the starters (both kick and electric) not working when the bike is in nuetral. They both literally hit and lock up. On top of that, with the clutch lever held all the way in, with the bike in gear, it does not roll at all. It does roll in neutral. Maybe someone can chime in on this diagnosis....?

The rims themselves are tubeless and straight. My guess is that the clutch went south, and it was parked. The previous owner left it sit for a good 15 or so years...

I took the trans apart, nothing is broken, everything is a light golden brown, but otherwise nice and shiny. No rust at all. Timing chain intact, the works. Cleaned out all the fluid, and replaced it with Valvoline (as suggested).

The head of the pistons, however, have a nice carbon buildup from over the years... so I'm going to guess this thing has a load of miles on it. Either way, it's getting new rings and a hone job, at the very least.

The paint is good, except the clearcoat is peeling off. The seat and sissybar need re-upholstery (no big deal there... I know someone that can do that blindfolded, and can get it done for just the cost of the leather).

The wiring harness is all in tact, except where someone cut the right control lines (easy to re-solder).

I've tracked down a place to get parts outta Fresno, so there's a good chance that I might be making a road trip down south some day.

I've yet to take better pics of the bike; the weather here turned horrible in a heartbeat.

 

[RatzoRC]

Could the calipers be frozen?
Was it stored outside? If yes, you might have rust on the brake disks or inside the cables.

Lift the bike up and try to spin the front tire.
Then dissconnect the drive line (shaft) and see if the rear wheel turns.

If anything, you'll at least know that it's something internal.

 

[HeartBreak]

The brakes are physically unmounted, with the rears having no pads... They're on the rebuild list (of course... 65mph, ya gotta stop somehow, preferably without the aid of another vehicle/brick wall). The problem is squarely in the drive train, which is why I suspect the clutch.

As far as I can tell, it was stored in a shed for the brunt of the period between 87 and now.

I'll clarify the diagnosis...

the bike rolls in nuetral, but not in gear. actuate the clutch in gear or neutral, it doesn't 'release'. both kick and electric start are siezed because of this.

According to the shop manual, the starters are connected to the clutch via an idler setup.

I'm thinking clutch is fried, and needs at the very least new plates/pads, and maybe a set of springs.

After that, the engine itself might be siezed; can't tell because of the above problem.. I'll be able to tell once I get the clutch repaired/unstuck.

I'll be removing the plate that covers the clutch later on today, so I'll be able to give a more detailed posting then... All I know is, it's either something really simple, or extremely expensive.

 

[SpitFireV12RR]

the bike rolls in nuetral, but not in gear. actuate the clutch in gear or neutral, it doesn't 'release'. both kick and electric start are siezed because of this.

It sounds like the clutch isn't engaging and when it tries to, it's rubbing agenst a 1st gear and not letting it move. I would just replace it and go from there...

 

[supersavage]

After sitting solong there is a good chance that the clutch plates are basicaly glued to the friction plates. Is it a wet clutch (plates run in oil) or dry?

 

[HeartBreak]

I think it's a dry clutch, but I haven't had the chance to crack it open. I spent the day at my sisters' house, helping kids with their presents... Nothing beats having to teach them how to install a monitor (yeah, I know, lol...), somethin I normally charge $25 for.

Anywho, I'm prolly gonna go out and crack the case in a moment... Or I just might hold off till tomorrow. From what I can make out of the service book that I have, the clutch is 'dry', being that it doesn't have seperate clutch fluid... but the fact that it's in the tranny-case makes me kinda second-guess that... ya know?

I'm thinkin a complete clutch teardown and replacing of the 'wearable' parts, providing it isn't completely fubared. I'll post when I get the chance to check into it further...

 

[Arrow]

wet clutches bath in the pil bath for the engine i think.

 

[HeartBreak]

If that's the case (the clutch residing in the oil), then it might be a wet clutch. I can't see any 'clutch isolation chambers' in the service guide, so that's likely the case.

As for cracking the case, I have to invest in some better allen wrenches. This thing literally has more Allens on it than a Tim Allen lookalike contest... and all metric, too. I need to get my hands on a metric set of allens, preferably 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5 and 7 mm sizes, that attach to a ratchet. The cheapo $4 set of T-handles I bought at Harbor Frieght ain't cutting it for nothin.