BlueSky

The spark plug wires love to corrode at the spark plug cap joint. Maybe unscrew the caps and cut a half inch off the plug wires and screw them back into the caps.

Like always, it's about making money. Mobil could advertise the cheaper Group III as synthetic so that is what they did.

In auto oils, "Full Synthetic" in almost all cases means Group III oil. I don't know of a PAO Group IV oil. Mobil 1, Amsoil, all the oils are mostly Group III with maybe some PAO or Ester added. Mobil 1 was a Group IV PAO oil until the court decided it was okay for Castrol to market a Group III oil as "synthetic". That caused Mobil and maybe everybody else to switch to Group III because it was cheaper to produce. I don't know what is in motorcycle oils because all the oil companies consider their formulations proprietary. Mobil used to brag about their oil being a PAO but not any more because it isn't. On the truck forum I read, a member works in an oil co. lab and he was the one who corrected me when I posted that Amsoil was still a Group IV PAO oil. He also told us many times we were wasting our money buying "synthetic" because he has access to the oil testing. He used Group II Pennzoil or Havoline in his truck and ran it 7500 miles testing it along the way. I think PUC is the smartest oil purchaser. The proof is in the pudding. If you can get a minimum of 225k miles out of your old $1200 bike using cheap oil, why not.

There is the option of taking them to small claims court after they finally pay off the loan to get your payments back.

Yeah, I would replace cracked tires. The original tires that came on my 85ZN700 were not cracked when I bought the bike in 2009 with 1k miles on it. I kept the tires thinking I might put them on ebay. Somebody who wants a collector bike with OE tires may want them. I put about 300 miles on them before replacing them. They look like new except for just a tiny bit of wear. This bike was stored in WI so maybe the cold weather helped preserve them.

There are two walmarts in wilmington nc. The one close to me is not always stocked that well. The other one is larger and really well stocked. I'm not sure what the difference is, whether it's lack of managment or the one is not making enough money and they are trying to keep less stock on hand.

I like the self checkout. I don't want nobody doing nuttin for me.

Be careful, I understand the wildlife folks are like nazis in you state.

Only use oil that meets the JASO MA specification. It is for motorcycles with wet clutches. Rotella meets that spec. Choose the correct viscosity and the proper spec as stated.

As you know the 86 has several improvements such as much better brakes and a transmission that doesn't lose 2nd gear. And if you like the extra luggage capacity, that's a plus. Maybe buy flying fool's 88 bike. It will be ready to ride instead of getting another project.

There's another thread on this. This guy sells the stuff that you really need in his opinion to get your bike to ride like he likes. You know what they say about opinions.

Those used car lots that will sell your car for you have also stiffed a lot of people because you have to sign a power of attorney to them so they can sell your vehicle. I've read where cars were sold and the business went bankrupt and the owner got stiffed.

I think that one of the documents you sign when you trade is a "Power of Attorney" document where you agree to allow the dealer to represent your interests in the transaction. It works fine until you use a dealer that is in financial trouble or is very unethical. But, the bottom line is that you agree to let the scumbag sign for you in the sale of the tradein.

You may want to contact a Yamaha Rep and let them know how unethical this dealer is. They may want to terminate their relationship with them.

24 Bags! I'm tired just reading about it! I mixed 4 or 5 bags to pour the ramp to my new utility shed using a hoe to mix it inside a wheel barrow and it was a lot of work. 24 bags!

Hope your friend learned something. And maybe let him buy his own bike?

I admit it. The Mark I's with their slimmer saddlebags look better than my 89 with it's fat bags.

I like it the way it is now except I wish a new classified post would show up when I click on "new posts" so I can check it out. I tend to forget to check what is for sale because I usually just click on "new posts" and read those. Thanks for asking.

I think you can lower the front by raising the fork legs in the clamps. Maybe you can install stiffer springs in the forks and reduce the spacer length for a little more lowering. I don't know if lowering links are available to lower the rear. Others will chime in who know much more than I do.

69hp and 81 ft lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm, 668 lbs curb

I rode my Kawasaki from Wilmington and back and stayed dry. I did leave early trying to outrun the rain. It was great to see the guys I knew and meet some more members.

Any way you look at it, it's a great deal if you can get it for $24k.

Partzilla has all the parts needed for a rebuild. https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/yamaha/motorcycle/1983/xvz12tk/clutch

Well, you kinda, sorta knew you needed another radiator. Change it out and keep on grinning!

The end of this story is disappointing. The transmission did need a conductor plate but it also needed replacement. There was more sludge in the pan than I usually see and after the conductor plate was installed, it worked for a short distance and the filter plugged with the transmission whining and slipping. Opening up the old filter revealed that it was plugged even worse. Sooo, the car is in a transmission shop waiting on a remanufactured transmission to arrive. This is the first auto transmission failure I have had and the transmission is a Mercedes trans. I bought the car new and it now has 108k miles on it. I drive aggressively for an old guy but nothing like compared to a young pup. A large portion of the miles on this car was interstate miles with the cruise set when I was contracting away from home. The shop gets its remans from a company in Milwaukee, WI called ETE. Like they say, if it burns gasoline or has teets, it's going to cost you some serious green.