Soul Restoration...

Parallel

As some of know I recently inherited my Dad's vintage Yamaha and have been working to, not only restore the bike, but to restore my soul after losing my Dad on Christmas. Anyway... I figured I'd give a bit of an update, so here is what I've been up to for the last couple of months (at least in between all of the honey do tasks).

First I gave it a bath (after taking the video in this link). Check out the video to see just how bad this bike looked up close before I went to work on it.
It looked decent from a few feet away after all of the grime was washed off... but it still had quite a bit of rust and aluminum corrosion to deal with.



The brakes were a basket case, which wasn't really a surprise given they still had the original brake fluid in the reservoirs. I completely disassembles the front a rear brake systems, thorughly cleaned all parts, repainted and cured (baked at 200° for one hour) the master cylinders and calipers and then reassembled using OEM rebuild kits and new brake pads. The brake hoses will be flushed thorughly before being hooked back up to the system.





I used a product called Metal Rescue to remove the rust on any parts that I couldn't sand and repaint (like chrome parts, etc.) This stuff works great and the best thing about it was that I could soak the parts in it without it hurting any paint, plastic, rubber or anything else that wasn't rust. Just check out the before and after in this next photo... all I did after a 12 hour soak was rinse with fresh water and wipe with a terrycloth towel.


Then Came the engine and frame. They both had a significant amount of corrosion to contend with and it took a LOT of hours of sanding, priming painting and polishing to make it all look like new. I even took the gauges apart so I could soak the bezels in the metal rescue to ensure no corrosion is left on this bike.


Next came the wheels. The cast aluminum alloy was dull and slightly pitted so I took the old tires off (replacing the old original tires with a new set of Michelin Commander II tires was something I intended to do anyway) and polished the bare metal using 400 to 1000 grit wet dry sandpaper and metal polish on a bench grinder with a series polishing wheels. After that the paint, which at first seemed fine, looked bad. So I spent six hours taping off the shiny bits and painting the rims with black caliper paint (durability and chemical resistance). These of course had to baked at 200° for an hour to cure as well.



I tried to find some original exhaust pipes that I could have re-plated with chrome or better yet some that wouldn't need it, but the only ones I could find were in worse shape than the ones I had. I got lucky and found a set of new old stock Jardine slip on exhaust that utilize the existing headers. The plan is to use these while I keep my eyes open for a good set of OEM pipes.


So... this is what she looks like right now. I've begun working on the tank and side covers (next photos).


The tank came out great after I took a clay bar and some Carnauba wax to it. In all of fifteen minutes that tank with the 34 year old original paint looks like new. I also took some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound after the side covers, you can see the before (bottom cover) and after (top cover) in the picture. Eventually I'll get the windjammer and saddle bags polished up as well and I'll update this thread.



The only major thing I have left to do is the disassemble, clean/polish and rebuild the bank of Mikuni MK2 carburators I purchsed that were on a 1979 XS750. These carbs are easier to work on, parts are readily available and they'r eeaiser to sync than the Hitachi carbs that came as OEM. This is crucial with the higher flow exhaust and the pod air cleaners that I'm going to be using. I can rejet the Mikuni carbs so I don't run lean and burn up the engine with that much more air being fed to the engine. I'll update this thread as I get things done and when she's complete I'll post another video showing her up close so y'all can see how great she looks.

SGH

Looks good my friend. You are obviously not only a talented cook but a very skilled mechanic as well. Can't wait to see the end results. I would also like to say that I'm deeply sorry for the loss of your dad. I have been slowly working on a 55 Chevrolet that was my dads before he passed. It is my hope to leave it for my grand daughter when the good Lord calls me home. I feel that this would make my dad proud. Enjoy working on your dad's bike and take comfort in the fact that you will get to spend eternity with him. Good luck and God bless.

johnmitchell

Great Job and also sorry for the loss of your Dad...The bike looks fantastic and that you kept his memory alive.

jhl192

Wow! Nice work. Your Dad would be proud!

hapster

Wow... Quite a labor of love.

SGH

@Parallel‌l
I just read your post again and wanted to take a moment to say good luck and God bless you my friend. Nothing more hurtful than losing a loved one. I know this all to well.

Parallel

Thanks y'all. I'm just itching for some time in the saddle. This is taking a bit longer than I had anticipated... but every time I consider taking a shortcut or leaving something undone or unpolished I can hear my Dad saying; "don't do it at all if you're going to do it half assed"  )

JRWhitee

Sorry for your loss Parallel, that bike looks like new your dad would be proud. 

Charlesmaneri

your moving rite along on this project you should be proud of yourself as I'm sure your father is!!!!

MaskedMarvel

Fantastic!  Can't wait for the next series of pics!

Parallel

Thanks. I'm hoping that there will be no major issues with the motor other than the expected nasty carburetors. If that's the case I hope to have a video to post of the beast running sometime next week.

TonyA

Godspeed Parallel.

Spaightlabs

That's a very nice tribute to your Pop. Well done - great therapy.

Focker

Your dad is so proud, very nice work, and tribute.

Claying and removing the invisible contaminants, is such an important step in the detailing process that often gets overlooked.  Meguiar's 105, followed with 205 is magical, brings a finish back to life.  A good sealant, then wax and it will last a long time.  

That first ride will be special.     

GeorgeS

Very nice work! I wish that I had been able to do that with my dad's bike. I lost him last august and I'm in Florida this week completing his final wishes. He had an 85 full dress Harley that he turned into a trike. Every time I tried to work on it it turned me into a blubbering mess. Never new a bunch of metal could do that to a man! I ended up getting in touch with a bunch of his brothers and had them find a buyer inside the family who could put it back on the road again. The guy who bought it has been an friend of my dads for flirty years. He is in his late sixties and they are in the process of putting it back together now. I'm just pleased that it's going to be used by a friend and it will more than likely stay in the same group of guys when he is gone. I hope you enjoy it!

Gator_Man

Parallel nice job and tribute to your Dad! He is with you on this ride!

Parallel

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that these 35 year old Mikuni MK2 carburetors are fighting me every step of the way on getting them disassembled. I've soaked them overnight in Marvel Mystery Oil. I'm hoping that it will penetrate and loosen so I can get the screws to break free tonight and get on with the cleaning and rebuilding of these carbs. I need to hear that triple cylinder engine roar soon.

Parallel

These carbs are old and obviously have never been serviced and they STILL cost me $200. 

I've soaked them for DAYS in Marvel Mystery Oil and sprayed the Hell out of them with Blaster 16-PB Penetrating Catalyst and a host of other penetrating oil and the fasteners are STILL fighting me every step of the way. I bought a good set of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screw drivers before I even contemplated tackling this job and I have been as careful as I can possibly be and I STILL buggered up a few of the screws. The worst part is that I'm still not completely finished with dis-assembly so there could be even more issues (hopefully NOT with jets because THAT would be really bad). I've even spent well over $100 on even more tools designed to deal with stuck fasteners. At least thus far those tools have at least worked albeit very slowly.

~X(

It's not all bad news and bellyaching though as I did manage to avoid one of the common pitfalls. I've read the lots of dire warnings on the Yamaha Triples forum about snapping the float post off while trying to remove the float pins. I certainly did NOT want to do that so I went searching for solutions and I came across a stunningly simple one. An automatic (spring loaded) center punch. I got mine from Sears for about $10.00... worth every penny. At least SOMETHING has gone right with this part of the project.

I made a YouTube video to demonstrate.

SmokeyPitt

You have much more patience and skill than I possess.  I would have already stripped every single screw beyond recognition.  

My dad had a similar bike that was a 750 when I was a kid.  I have many great memories riding on the back of it.  

Best of luck on the home stretch of your restoration.  

bud812

Have you tried a little heat on them? Maybe a heat gun..

Parallel

bud812 said:

Have you tried a little heat on them? Maybe a heat gun..

I bought one of these today for just that purpose. I ended up not having time to work on it this evening though.

Parallel

Well... I had them all ready to go... all disassembled and rready to be soda blasted. But no place around here that dose soda blasting would take the job saying the parts are too small.


So, I went and bought one of those Harbor Freight 15lb soda blasters and a 50lb bag of soda blasting media. The damned thing won't pick up the media so I've given up on the soda blasting... I'm just going to have to  do this the hard way. A little metal polish and a LOT of elbow grease.  I'm just going to polish the caps and bowls and leave the bodies alone.  They aren't too bad anyway and I can just clean up the mating surfaces  the old fashioned way. Here's the first set polished up (I could go  further but I just want them clean not like chrome).

Parallel

I finished the polishing of the caps and bowls today all while not feeling well and combined with the drama of my wife's side of the family dealing with rough times. The family had multiple destroyed homes due to the hurricanes that hit Mississippi last night. Then... this morning her young cousin, our live in babysitter for the last four summers, crashed the car we gave her. She's in the hospital and is expected to be alright but she has internal bleeding and bleeding on the brain. Suddenly this motorcycle I've been obsessing over was no longer the most important thing on my mind. For those so inclined... prayers are definitely appreciated.

  

Eggcelsior

Let me know if you have any questions about her. I did neurotrauma ICU nursing for 3 years.

MaskedMarvel

Looks like the car took the brunt of the impact. As it should have. Thinking of you and hoping everyone comes out ok.

GeorgeS

Damn brother prayers for you and your family! She is luck she is alive by the looks of that car!

Parallel

We just got the word that the MRIs show that the bleeding both internally and on the brain has stopped. As she had no other serious injuries they're considering discharging her.

Thanks to all for the prayers and well wishes. :-bd

Parallel

Update on our injured family member; she's doing very well and is at home recuperating. Thanks again for the prayers and well wishes.

Now I can focus once again upon my latest obsession...

It's FINALLY time to reassemble these Mikuni MK2 Carbs and get them ganged together and installed so I can see if this bike is even going to run. With luck I'll be posting a video of the first start up tomorrow night.

DMW

Glad to hear. And on reassembly of those carbs...lots of little pieces I'm sure I'd lose in the process. ) Good luck, look forward to the first startup.

Eggcelsior

This has been the best erector set ever, huh?

NPHuskerFL

Glad to hear they are ok and recovering. Eagerly awaiting the rumble of the past starting up in the present. Gonna be enlightening I'm sure. What an awesome journey and project. Your Pops would be proud I'm sure! :-)