veej

Thank you earl, marcarl, for the rapid reply! earl, your descriptions are incredibly useful and have all the techie details I enjoy. I will send a PM to you to continue the brake line deal. But for anyone who is watching: I’m going to go ahead and Delink the bike with the calipers/rotors as is, until the R1 calipers, MKII forks, & rotors magically appear on the bench (which may take me all season to acquire if everything is safe with new lines) I will go ahead and keep the front MC the same, see how she goes. The rear, I will do the same for now, I can swap for MkII later this year. Will definitely clean out and tune the carbs, I know an old japanese motorcycle guru up the road who has a nice carb sync. Going to change those front bearings for sure. Aside from fresh fluid of the proper volume, anything in the final drive I should be looking at? Bearings, gear wear? in reference to the water pump: given that this is an 83, the odds are strong it’s the plastic impeller unit (unless someone serviced/replaced the pump in it’s lifetime) I COULD pop it off to find out, but I’ll probably just order the better part (what year/part#?) and have it on hand when I crack the coolant. seems like i should pop a thermostat in while I’m down there? Again, appreciate the time! Brandon

Thank you all for the reply! Very relevant to my overall plan. the last xvz12 (‘83 23k mi)I had ran incredible after I rebuilt the carbs. the ‘new’ xvz12 (‘83 17k mi) needs a once through, an idle passage is clogged probably only in one. Little subtle pop every couple secs at idle. No biggie there, should be through it before I ride again. More importantly, I need to address all the hydraulic lines. I flushed/bled new fluid (needed a new clutch slave) and it’s a world of diff better but I see seepage at the crimps on the clutch line and one of the front brake lines. so for now, bike is out of commission until that is addressed. I have the xj750 to keep me busy. like @Marcarl said, I plan on getting a whole set of lines from @skydoc_17 in the very near future. That said, simple plan: please chime in if I’m incorrect, I don’t mind. needs wheel bearings front, considering the rear as well, since I’m pulling it for new tires anyway.. The bike has 17k miles, I was honestly surprised the front wheel bearings are screaming. (Another reason it’s off the road). Heavy bike and lots of sitting? Odd to me, but its definitely in need of bearings. looking for mkII lower forks. Going to pick up progressive springs and block off the anti dive?.. R1 calipers, virago 298mm rotors and delink. Ill pop back the archives to find out, but I think I’ll want a different front master cylinder? While the rear brake pedal does a surprisingly good job stopping this bike at the moment, the front, as noted is useless really. I use it to keep the bike from rolling backwards at a stop? Hah. Im a fan of divided brakes anyway from every other bike I’ve personally ridden. The brake upgrade I’d like to do by end of season, but the hoses have to happen ASAP. Is there a hose solution for regular brakes now, and delinked later? Obviously don’t want to buy twice, but I don’t have the forks,springs,calipers,rotors etc on hand yet and didn’t plan on rushing that one…but I CAN rush it if it makes more sense to just do the fork swap/delink now. I guess, short of those safety issues (all the hydraulics, brake pads, bearings) the only other thing I find noisy is a little clutch basket rattle perhaps? It’s noisier on this bike than the previous xvz I had (23k mi). I’ve only ridden the bike a handful of miles after the clutch slave swap, finding these reasonable issues. Haven’t had a chance to change the oil or clean the carb. If I smooth out the motor a bit, and change some good fresh oil, will the clutch basket quiet down a bit? I’m assuming it’s running rougher than I even think and rattling some excess noise down there. Just spitballing here. I know you folks know your stuff after reading for quite some time. Only reason I joined this particular forum. thanks again folks, appreciate all of the info. B

Been a minute. Back in a forum is great. Always looking for seasoned vets with more information than I could ever collect👊. been riding 15 years, Yamaha addict. first bike 82 xj750 maxim. Multiple fun little toys, another 82 xj750. bought an ‘83 xvz12 last year to see if I was into it. Turns out I enjoyed it immensely, and the wife enjoys the seat compared to the xj750. The bike I bought is mechanically about as solid as an OG can be, just not that pretty. Swapped the clutch slave, bled the hydraulics (brakes n clutch), rebuilt the carbs,fixed the class computer, and tightened up the fairings etc. the brakes were meh (someone overheated the front rotors no doubt warped) but the season was safe and slow. found another ‘83 mkI this year, garage kept with only 17k miles and in much better shape. Brakes are way better than the first, but still leave a little to be desired. Currently working on selling the first Xvz. Have read so much already, figured I’d sign up and become a member. The ‘new’ to me xvz is worth putting a little energy into and I look forward to meeting the resources lurking here. Riding season is upon us. -B