The little buggers are in. What a story. First and foremost if your going to do this mod, READ DA MANUAL, THINK about it, READ it again, put the manual in your bathroom and when your spending a little "quiet time" with yourself READ IT SOME MORE".
Kudos and a hat's off to Mike King (StarHubby) for submitting this article ...
Ordered the parts from an out of town Yammie guy that gave me the advice I needed to make the big decision. Get the call "their in", at the request of the parts store, I drove 30 miles for the pick up. Yamaha, short shipped the springs. I was so pissed, I told them to cancel the order. I don't mind the short ship but they could have checked the paperwork before I launched.
Called my local Yammie parts guy. Told him I wouldn't cheat on him anymore. A week later, no problem. Springs are in, tip the parts guy ten bucks. Start tearing down the bike, did not read the book. Pop off that hose with the valve covers off - water in the engine - that will be a few additional oil changes, thank you much. (Please DO NOT ask me what oil I use...I'm not going there)
Then I built a tool to compress the valve springs (during which I was attacked by the neighbors cat, but that's another story). By the way, the local Ace hardware store is a great for assembling a bunch of do dads for this. After the clerk sees you walking around, holding hardware and mumbling to yourself he knows your in brain cell figuring-out mode and just leaves you alone.
Download a schematic for DAS TOOL in Acrobat format. You will need Acrobat Reader to view or print this file.
So after building the immaculate valve spring contraption. I was sooo proud of myself until I started wrenching down the first spring. POP, my homemade rig broke. My trusty JB Weld failed, no problem... off to Home Depot and a 45 minute buy analysis on what brazing rig I should get, settle on the AUTOMATIC Push button start MAPP gas solution. Flash back to high school shop class, line up the rig, going for the cherry glow and tack her her good. Remove the hot bolt, drop it on the floor so it can cool down. Finish the job and look for the bolt....its gone...look some more, still no bolt, after 20 minutes I look on the bottom of my shoe, bolt melted into my sole.....Honey, I found it. She comes into the garage and notices my padagona is partially melted. "Are you qualified to operate that flame producing device?" Her eyes roll back when I explain the principle of operation while showing her how the auto trigger helps make fire.
Cruising through the swap out, second to the last spring, fingers are getting weak and piinnnggg there goes the valve key somewhere into the bowels of the motor. Right about now I'm talking to the BIG MAN. Motorcycle mod boy to GOD, I heard you can build a universe, perhaps could ya help me out with this...uh... minor problem. Flash light up...wait, I can see it, right next to the camshaft chain..a little tough to reach....there it is...almost got (GOD is giggling right about now) - tink - now its gone bye bye. Over to Roadie boy neighbor for the anti gravity machine, i.e. one deluxe mag-o-net. One swipe (are the planets in alignment) - CLICK - and the ZEN Motorcycle Maintenance God was a smiling on me. Yea baby!!!!! Hands clasp together and eyeballing the sky. Did a little dance when I retrieved that bastard.
Now the dreaded CAMS alignment (now folks, I was reading my ass off and I still got it wrong) Lined them up, put it together, cycle the crank, chain jumps the sprocket slams into the plastic water pipe thingie, Order more parts (the guy now thinks I'm a wack job). Finally get her rebuilt, start her up and did you know a Royal star will fire on one cylinder and the sound of valves opening when their not suppose to....well it will make you sick....push her back into the garage dive right back into it and check my brain alignment, maybe I'm off a few degrees. Roadie neighbor comes over and NOW I have to READ THE BOOK, (don't want this guy to get the best of me) all I can say is the little holes for the rear and the BIG holes for the front. (if any of you break your motor down this far that phrase will become crystal clear to you). The rear was 180 degrees out. Reassemble once again and SHE fired right up. Funny thing about wrenching on your ride, what took half a day when you started the project, you can complete in about an hour. If you asked me about adjusting cams, and swapping springs a month ago, you would have got a deer in the headlight look, but now....hey I can do that.
I'll finish her up next week after I do the shim math (do not get drunk and look at the shim chart, you'll hurl for sure) and report on the track to 8,000 rpms.
Posted by NIFAIRIOUS at December 10, 2002 08:53 PM