So close!
XJ650 Seca Teardown
So, since I last posted, I went and rocked out some more teardown on the motorcycle. This is all very educational! I've never done any extensive work on a bike, so I'm learning a lot by taking one apart. First off, the whole arrangement of the forks and how to remove them was interesting. Look at that, they just slip right out! Also, the rear wheel was interesting, as it's both a drum brake (which I've never worked on, car OR bike) AND shaft drive.
What has been surprising me is how light everything actually is. All the parts that I'd think would be super heavy really aren't. It makes me want to weigh this thing when I get it all back together to see how it compares to modern bikes. I'm sure it'll be heavier, but I don't think it'll be by as big a margin as I originally expected.
I also found a great online community for the XJ series of Yamahas. Turns out there's a really strong community behind these things, and they're apparently quite popular overseas, people turning them into cafe racers and rat bikes and the like. Also, it's seeming like this particular model, the XJ650RJ Seca is somewhat rare. The vast majority of the XJ650s out there are the Maxim line, which is more of a cruiser style, where the Seca is a sporty-standard style. People seem really fond of the engine, which makes me even more excited about getting it fixed up.
Today has been slooow. Slow getting started, slow getting work done. Mostly I'm just reading/researching today for a client, and the material is pretty dry. On top of that I'm feeling really energetic, so it's hard to stay focused on that. Instead I think I'm going to utilize the current burst of energy to run over to the crib and get some work done toward selling the house!