made2care

Actually, the parts I picked were off an 83 so I'm good. Also , back to the loud noise I heard on startup, I'm not hearing it anymore, so I'm hoping the starter clutch will hang in there!

Holy moly!! I just started the bike after it sat for a few days, right after I hit the starter button I heard a loud thump !! Didn't sound good at all! I waited a minute and started it again and it started no problem and no loud sound. If it threw a rod, could it still run? mmmmm...........now I'm reading it could be starter clutch.

Well, the parts bike was stripped when I got there. Good news I did get a windshield, calipers, air suspension controller ( just putting on for looks), complete plastics same color, I just now noticed that the trunk on my bike is not stock. Would not have noticed if I didn't get a trunk while up there, I prefer the smaller stock trunk. I also picked a nice seat. Anyway, all was free so it was well worth the drive!! Oh, I also picked a vmax final drive since he had some vmax parts there.

Okay, I just found out the the parts bike is an 86, will some parts on that work on my 83, for instance i am needing the air suspension console unit.

T stat housing not leaking but now the water pump elbow has a pin hole on the bend. Looks like the po might have scraped it somehow. a new one costs $40 so i'm going to wait till up go to OKC this Sat to get my FREE parts and maybe there will be a good one there.

I went ahead and removed the housing and the o ring was chewed up. I guess i put the incorrect size in. I fashioned a new o ring and then put some sealant on it, hopefully it will work. Also, I have some good good news, the guy I bought this bike from has 2 other bikes which i believe are 87,88. They are torn down but he contacted me yesterday and told me he was tired of storing the parts and that i could come and get what i want for free !! So ......................

mmmmm..........it appears as though the housing is slightly deformed and not seating all the way. might order a new one.

Just noticed a coolant leak from thermostat housing. I did put in a new thermostat , maybe there's an o ring i forgot to place in. will try to fix today.

Here is a current list of what I have done so far: new reinforced frame cleaned gas tank new inline fuel filter new fuel petcock new steering head bearings rebuilt carbs rebuilt front forks with progressive springs 2nd gear fix new clutch slave cylinder new starter new tires new battery valve clearance adjusted all new gaskets and seals all fresh fluids new neutral switch New thermostat new trunk key whats left: rebuild brake calipers complete wiring up electrics complete assembling plastics purchase windshield Vmax final drive conversion nestled between above mentioned almost there!!!

Thanks. I am very excited. now I have to rebuild the brakes and then its time for a test ride

I'm definitely going to take you up on this. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks. I did prime a little and opened then closed choke prior to start.

Great news!!!! She's running!!!! Fired right up and running smooth!! Wow!! Engine sounds like a beast!!! Thank you very much to everyone that helped me. I really appreciate it! I will post video soon!! Here is the video: you will notice some smoke by exhaust manifold. Bike sounds great!!

Okay, will do. It will be this evening when i post the video if all goes well. I still have to mount the mufflers and gas tank.

Good to know, thank you. I will fire her up today and post a video for all to hear and see

This is very helpful information. My spirit is lifted and i have some hope. I will try this for sure. Thank you New filter and oil are in. 3.7 quarts. Higher octane gas.

The main issue here is that the readings are not within 14 of each other which in turn will cause my carbs to be out of wack. I just spent $800 on these carbs and am a little fearful to put any type of chemical in the gas.

My bike is an 83 , therefore compression readings are different. I really don't think i have a stuck ring , since it does crank over. I'm just guessing at this point. On the high readings it could be excessive carbon buildup, on the low readings maybe my valve clearances are too tight. Geesh !! Surely someone out there can chime in with additional info but I appreciate you responding with your thoughts. I'm at wits end !!

Here's a thought. My carb guy suggested I lower the valve clearances 1 to 2 thousands across the board, then take it out for a 20 mile ride , then recheck valve clearances and compression. The difference in readings of 120 and 180 will affect carberation.

Lesson learned. This will teach me. I ran a compression test with the engine cold. 1- 130 2- 160 3- 180 4- 120 I don't understand the higher numbers, bad rings? I also would like to know if I can run the engine to warm up and see if the numbers come into spec. I also read that if one puts a little oil in plug holes and the number goes up then its the rings. I truly cannot believe after all these years I have never done compression readings and the bikes i had ran like a charm. My first "off frame " resto and this happens !! I was surprised that #4 ( had rust on valves) was in spec. Any ideas? Please help, I really wanted to fire her up !! Actually, now i'm reading that if the compression reading is high, there might be some oil/liquid in there taking up space, so maybe i'm not doomed.

I'm going down to Autozone today to purchase a compression tester kit. plug hole size? Is there a thread on how to perform a compression test? Thanks

Not quite there yet. Yesterday i ground all plug wires, went ahead and put a little mm oil in each sp hole and started the bike. Good news is my new starter is working great! Will try to compression test.

Well, I was rushing a little today and decided to slow down and rethink things. I removed all the spark plugs and sprayed a little pb blaster in each. Will let sit overnight. Tomorrow if I have time i will ground plug wires and and start it, hoping to break free any rust left over. fingers crossed the valves are okay. After that will attempt to start. Can't promise all of that will be done tomorrow but will try. Thanks for your advice and lets hope these valves seat nicely. As you mentioned, valve could burn and if it does, i guess i have no choice but to pull the head. This will teach me a lesson, I should have looked over the valves and compression tested at the very beginning. Urghhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Before I placed the carbs in and after spraying PB blaster, i turned it over by hand watching the valves on #4 . When the valve closed, bubbles formed , so I think this might be leaking due to the rust ( the rust appears to be a little more than just surface but the valve does move freely). Right now, I don't want to remove the head and believe it or not, after all the years of working on bikes I have never done a compression test, therefore don't have the tools. What should I do? Option 1, fire her up anyway. Whats the worst that could happen if #4 is leaking. Option 2. remove carbs and try to clean valves best as I can without removing the head, if that's even possible ! Option 3. remove the head but I don't want to do that right now.

Carbs are in. Lots left to do before I fire her up. I'm hoping valves will clean up after running a while. They will have to.