the "special" motorcycle project thumbnails 2/20/2011: started working on an attempt to build a henry abe/breadbox air filter... the outline the front view the back view fits darn near on! test fit works! another view (and another) the screen Update 4/11/2012: i've slowly been working on this and haven't updated anything, so here are a few more shots. the back cover fits and i have the first screen holders created. turns out they don't fit 100% though... when everything is closed up the bottoms are about a 1/4" high since the holes aren't centered (i always forget stuff like that...). luckily they don't take that long to make... why holders/supports/things? i can't find the link, but people on the triples forum have talked about the vacuum created during accelleration. the vacuum is strong enough that the filter can be pulled down and maybe even sucked into the carb a bit. the holders are needed because even if the filter were not sucked into the carb, it would not spring back into place and the air would not be filtered anymore. this solves two problems. that's the way i understand it anyway... Update 5/28/2012: the air duct that will connect the same way as the original air box is finally in. the tube-name-i-can't-remember, two bolts and two washers did the trick. now i just need to figure out how to route the hose... 9/30/2011: after doing some reading at the triples forum i decided to use pine sol when cleaning this carburator. i let the pieces sit for four days and wow, the pictures do not do it justice! the cleanup is amazing and i had to do very little scrubbing to get the dirt off. there are also pictures of the "butterfly tool". when changing the butterfly valve seals i've found that they do not want to budge. and, because they are a very soft metal, deform very easy. but! if you whack the screwdriver a few good times with a hammer they twist out very easy and could be very reusable. however, once the piece that holds the valve was bent and i am afraid it is because i whacked it a bit to hard. so, i created this tool to help mitigate it and keep the rod from bending. seems to have worked this time when i used the tool, so fingers crossed... dirty! screw w/broken head removed the butterfly tool the tool in use looks pretty darn clean see both clean vs. dirty 10/2/2011: i bought a centech fuse box to stick on my bike, but they are too tall to fit under the seat! i couldn't really figure out a good place to relocate it too, so i have attempted to build a box (basically from scratch) that does fit under the seat. it is an aluminum box from deltron and is 80 x 25 mm (part number 459-0140). the fuses used are the low profile mini fuse and the sockets are keystone part number 3557-2. the wire is all 14 gauge solid color (even though some on the bike is not). i basically could not find striped wire so i took the solid color approach: red = red, red/white = white, red/yellow = yellow and brown = brown. most of the difficulty was figuring out how to jimmy everything in so it would fit and the seat would close. a bunch of pieces centech and the prototype prototype w/box prototype in box finished prototype learned a lot... board and box w/flanges first layout cutout and socket fit first flanges test fit! board fits in box! wire test fit, grrrr... new board layout new wire test fit. YAY!!! mounted the standoffs painted the inside, hopefully no shorts soldered on... ...with hot glue! hopefully to prevent things... it's mounted! the extra hookup open with notes... everything tested out: the headlights came on, the turn signals worked and it turned over (the bike is still in too many pieces to actually start yet). so, we'll see how this works. one of these days i may have to remove the connector between the fuse box and main loom and just shrink wrap them together. the seat closes fine, but after a ride or two we'll know for sure... fingers crossed... 9/14/2011: in an attempt to take things out of the equation, i wanted to rebuild the starter. getting it out was less than easy, as it seems just a bit too long. and getting it in was a trick. turns out that despite just about every form of yamaha xs known to man in the 70s and 80s used the same starter, it was just the starter motor. the gear on the end could be different! let's just say it's a lot easier to get the starter in when the correct gear is on. forgot the dirty shot   filing off a bit helped       divent, but look!   yup, the gears differ   just a bit!     9/6/2011: when working through the layshaft bolt the alternator had to be removed. let's just say a bit of an electrical mess was found due to the battery's tube becoming disconnected, the plastic connectors being brittle and the old fuse box probably not being replaced in a long term way... batter acid!   yay!   ...everywhere...   one unsalvagable     cleaned up   ...nicely!     all 4 fuses   up close...   up close...   inside...   Update 9/14/2011: over a long weekend i started to rewire the fuse box. the box itself didn't come in, so i just got the first half done... Update 9/16/2011: the fuse boxes from centech are great, but too high and don't fit under the seat! so, while i ponder where to put them i came up with a temporary solution that may be long term... here are a few ideas from the yamaha-triples.org: the right side, tool box one and two and on the battery box.   hopefully it'll work better...   the tmp "block"   hopefully it'll fit...   7/30/2011: before reattaching the oil pan i wanted to clean it up. i let it soak it hot water and dish soap for a couple hours and then, with a bit of scrubbing, it cleaned up right nice. <g> 7/14/2011: replaced the layshaft bolt, the clutch friction plates and just messing around a bit. (a good clutch basket and nut pic from the yamaha-triples.org too). alternator connections   crankcase cover removed   pressure plate   the 32mm nut pushrod crossbar   pressure plate and disks   the clutch fingers   the shift cam the new layshaft bolt   the transmission   the transmission     the dogs aligned   dogs misaligned   the alternator plugs   a bit dirty!   baking soda and battery acid!   the pieces

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last major update: 9/6/2016