Yamaha XJ 650 Turbo Mini Restoration Part 4

[@uhtred7860]

I’ve really come to admire Yamahas engineering on their 70s 80s 90s era bikes, many bike guys put Honda on a pedestal, but for decades they couldn’t make a cam chain tensioner that worked properly😂 I rebuilt the engine out of my 87 FZR1000, it had done over 100,000 Km and honestly I could have bolted it back together and not bothered. Everything from the pistons and rings to cams to the shell bearings were well within spec, the gearbox showed zero signs of wear, the dogs and shift forks were perfect. Only one exhaust valve looked like it was starting to wear a bit, but I found out from the guy I bought it off he had never done the valve clearances in the 18 years he owned it….but he did change the oil every 5 thousand Kms.

[@uhtred7860]

That tool for checking the shims is great, good price too. I was pleasantly surprised how cheap many of the factory special little tools for engine maintenance are (for Japanese bikes anyway) I bought a genuine Suzuki tool for the adjusters on the tappets on early oil cooled engines, cost only 5 NZ dollars!!

[@Adikxx]

Yep, i was surprised too. Usually tools are so dear but here it was a bargain !

[@ukaszmynarczyk5874]

Great sound😊

[@SundownCity]

As someone who absolutely loved this model and purchased four of them brand new in the 1980s, I'm glad to see that you have breathed life back into this one. But spraying the panels from a can in the open air? I don't even want to think about the orange peel, dust particles and other issues that must have resulted. I understand that you didn't want to put a lot of money into it, but surely you could have splurged for at least a cheap, semi-professional paint job.

[@Adikxx]

You'd be surprised how the paint came out. Certainly no visible dust trapped in paint. I put a few layers of clear coat on top of the paint and buffed a little bit it once cured. It really doesn't look bad as you assumed. There is something you didn't consider (or maybe didn't know) and that is the forgiving nature of bright colours like silver or white. Those are easier to do. I'd never even attempt doing black, dark blue, dark green etc as those show all imperfections and need extreme craft. You mention "semi-professional paint job" which suggests there is something in between what i did and a professional shop doing the job. Sorry but there isn't anything in between. You either do it yourself to save on labour cost (which is the bulk of it) or you pay a minimum of a £1000 to spray shop to do it professionally. Nobody will take on a job requiring full prep and sanding of all panels and their tiniest crevices without charging for that laborious process. I'd be more than happy to let someone do it for attractive price but sadly nobody like that existed.

[@SundownCity]

I'm surprised but happy for you that it turned out well. Having had many of my vintage vehicles repainted over the decades, I've learned a great deal about the process, and of course I know that white and lighter colors are more forgiving. I also know that most people are not at all discriminating and have little appreciation for fine craftsmanship.

[@TheVictorFour]

You need to advise people not to watch this is they're on acid......those pyjama trousers!

[@Adikxx]

Thank you very much for watching, it's appreciated.

[@TheVictorFour]

@@Adikxx you're welcome, your videos are all great actually!