Topic: The Hot-Tub Bike! "750 Virago"

[axehole54]

Check the connection at the solenoid and clean the ignition switch contacts might be awfully corroded  also clean all the ground wires everywhere i think there are some in the headlight bucket too just guessing on the solenoid but i'm sure the contacts are likely aluminum and crusty hope you can figure it out

[seaweb11]

Yeah, still figuring out how to get at the ignition switch Too many little covers. Still looking for stuff.
I get that there will be gremlins, but everything all at once ? 

Thanks

[seaweb11]

Just went into the shop to look at the solenoid. Test light gave a positive response.
Still nothing on elect start, so I wiggled the key as I have had to on a couple of other basket cases and the console lights lit up! Still nothing on the electric start button though.

Test light in hand, my hand slipped off the possitive side when holding it against the solenoid and a big spark later the starter clicked over by accident.
Tried the push button and I have ignition, turn signals, and now I will put the carbs back on.

Thanks for your help

[CBJoe]

Test light in hand, my hand slipped off the possitive side when holding it against the solenoid and a big spark later the starter clicked over by accident.

Never admit to the accidental fix    Always claim pure genius and apply the "i know EXACTLY what i'm doing"  posture 

Sounds like a wire brush and contact cleaner on connectors and grounds will go a long way on this machine.
Ultimately it depends on how far you're going to go with the pay-back to your hot-tub guy.  Is this a full "safe rider" deal or are you just getting it going?

BTW... did you ever figure out if it was an XV700 or 750??  The twin shocks were supposed to be the 700's, but I did see a case where someone claimed a "bridge" model where the twin shock '84 model was still a 750.

Cheers, joe

[seaweb11]

It's an 84 750 and it is a twin shock.

I will do what it takes before I get it back to him
Amazing aren't I   To funny how this #$%* happens sometimes.  That's why I walk away and come back later.

[CBJoe]

The article I read claimed that there were supposedly some twin shock 750's that were "bridge" models between the XV750 and XV700  released in limited quantities.

The change from 750 to 700 had to do with the import taxes to the US concerning bikes over 700cc..... similar to the reason that the GS750's were downsized to the GS700's for '84 and '85 (maybe '86???).

Joe

[seaweb11]

Getting the key / ignition out seems a lot of effort on this thing.
Anyone have a problem with me spraying a bit of penetrating oil in there to see if it will smooth out the on/off business?

[Frankenkit]

I wouldn't think it'd harm anything.  Seems I read conflicting reports on just what to use, though.  Some say graphite is great, others say it's terrible and will gum up the works.  I have a drip lube made for bicycle chains that leaves a film of teflon.  That's what I break out when the going gets tough.  It's very light-bodied and works as a solvent, too.

[seaweb11]

I believe its just dust and crap in the key switch.
It's intermittent on and off, a quick blast of aerosol penetrating oil can't hurt...... "I think"

[Grnrngr]

If it's a key switch on the dash, like mine, I wouldn't use oil, seems to me it would put all the little particles in suspension and cause it to short worse than it is. Contact cleaner, or ether, with the bike held at an angle so all the little metal shavings from the key sliding in and out, along with all the little dust and crap from over the yrs, could wash over to one side or the other and then be out of the way of the contacts, then the cleaner will evaporate off and leave the little pile of crap in a corner out of the way. Those Yamaha key switches seem to be problematic, several people on the ViragoTech forum have complained about them, both my Viragos and the xs650 I used to have, all had "issues" with the key switch. Several Virago owners have also indicated problems with the starter button as well. Considering your environment, I'd just start taking all the electrical stuff apart and start de-corroding them. A commonly recommended "mod" for all Viragos is to add a second ground wire from the battery to a different place on the frame than the single one on there now.

[seaweb11]

Thank you for the additional information

[Grnrngr]

My pleasure!      some of these bikes are not unlike wooden boats...a constant source of excitement 

[axehole54]

If it's anything like the ones I've had you may want to bypass the kickstand saftey switch mine used to like to stall when the bike went over a bump took me forever to figure out what the hell it was lol

[seaweb11]

So thats what that was

I saw it today when on my back.

[Grnrngr]

hahaha..mine works good... most of the time I kick up the sidestand first thing, but it took me a real long time to figure out why every once in a while it would start with hardly even a touch on the button, idle just fine, but die everytime I put it in gear...had the kickstand down. Who the heck invented a "sidestand safety switch", and WTF for???   

[axehole54]

So thats what that was

I saw it today when on my back.

I went from CR250 - RD350 - virago 920 thought that was so odd on my space age digital dash pain in my a$$ lol

[Retro Rocket]

hahaha..mine works good... most of the time I kick up the sidestand first thing, but it took me a real long time to figure out why every once in a while it would start with hardly even a touch on the button, idle just fine, but die everytime I put it in gear...had the kickstand down. Who the heck invented a "sidestand safety switch", and WTF for???   

When you see what happens when someone corners with the stand down you will understand, not pretty..

Mick

[Grnrngr]

Guess I've just been lucky, prolly done it a hundred times, bounced me a little but folds the stand under...that's why I usually make sure I kick it up as soon as I get on, before I even start the bike, but still, every now and then I forget..if it's a great "safety" device, why do so many (most?) people unhook them?

[axehole54]

Guess I've just been lucky, prolly done it a hundred times, bounced me a little but folds the stand under...that's why I usually make sure I kick it up as soon as I get on, before I even start the bike, but still, every now and then I forget..if it's a great "safety" device, why do so many (most?) people unhook them?

sometimes they're just overactive and problematic and cost money to replace when they mess up same people bypass the clutch safety too lol

[Retro Rocket]

I'm not saying they are not a pain in the arse, just that it can be dangerous. I was with a couple of friends years ago and we took my mates brother some gas as he'd run out about 10 miles from home. We gave him the fuel and he road off and straight away we could see that he had his stand down. We tried to catch up because he had 3 right hand corners then a tight left just before his house , we flashed the lights a couple of times but he didn't see us,  as soon as he tipped the bike into the left hander he high sided right in front of us, totally trashed his bike and broke his shoulder....it was like watching a bad movie...
I had the switch on my GSXR and until i got used to it i nearly dumped the bike every time i went to take off, let the clutch out and it just lurched and died...Awkward.....Sorry for the hijack Derek......

Mick

[bryanj]

BE VERY CAREFULL WITH THE OIL FILTER!!!!!

It is very easy to fit backwards and if you do you trash the cams/rockers/cam bearing.

Its the same filter as the SR500 single but goes in the opposite way and when the bikes were new Yamaha had majour problems with people, including dealers, doing it wrong, so much so that they rushed a load of parts through that were made wrong and failed again just to make it worse.

From memory the shaft drive was the 750 whilst the 1000 was chain

[seaweb11]

Well I sorted all the electrical demons. carbs cleaned, new pugs, new bat., new gas.

Hooked up the fuel lines without all the extra tubes and air filter.
No go on straight gas, but a few quick squirts of eth and with my hand flapping over one of the carb intakes I got er going.  No idle, just a lot of rust on the floor behind the exhaust pipes:o

I assume when I get all the hoses sorted back out and add the air filter to the equation it may settle down a bit

[seaweb11]

So I started to put the rest of the carb hoses, air filters back on today.
Looking at the photos from the tear down I could see I should have slid the right side spark plug wire up in between the carb. Too late now, and I did not want to re and re the carbs for the 3rd time!

The plug end of the wire was to big to fit so I decided it would be easier to pull it off. A bit different looking inside the plug housing so I decided to unscrew the inside assuming that would make it easier to twist the wire off.  

WOOPS. This is what fell out.

I have the wire in it's happy place but need to know what order the tiny round metal piece and the insulator go back in?
Any one have an idea?

[TwoTired]

Take another one apart and note the assembly order.  Reassemble them both in the proper order.

Cheers,

[seaweb11]