Not just a Seca site

Not just a Seca site...

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:18:00 +0000

I'll use this for FZ1 updates, too. Why not?
Some random stuff I need to do on the Fizzy soon:

Replace the chain and sprockets

Synchronize the carbs

Put the Rifle screen back on for cold weather

Clean and/or destroy the EXUP valve

Carb synchronizer... Just what I need!

'02 FZ1

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:48:00 +0000

As of March '08... So long, Seca; hello Fizzy!

New pics...

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:07:00 +0000

More on the '03 Gixxer parts.

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Here's a photo of how the Seca 2 sits in my cluttered garage:

I got the welding done for mounting the 2003 Suzuki GSXR subframe. It's using the stock plastic & seat as well. I scored a custom undertail from the ole reliable EBAY, and it's pretty trick -- what with the built in LED signals & all.

Wiring is done, all the relays & boxes are secured inside the subframe, and I was able to customize the Seca battery box enough to fit it under the new seat.

I primed & painted the rear plastic a cool metal flake rattle can gray, and I'm hoping to get the tank sprayed to match it. The Suzuki seat is proving to be very uncomfortable to ride on, so I'm going to be taking a look at helping that out soon.

GSXR Tail Mockup

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:56:00 +0000

This is a Test fit of the subframe & plastic w/ the upper tabs tacked in place. The seat's off in this pic, but it should fit with a little coaxing.

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Chopping off the factory tail is going to shave off a ton of weight. The complete Gixxer tail (seat, plastic and subframe) weighs about the same as the Seca's seat.

2003 GSXR Tail Swap, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:32:00 +0000

This fall, the Seca got backed over in a parking lot. I bought some parts for it and some other projects with the cash the insurance company was nice enough to give me. Now that it's cold, I'm making room on the ole Yamaha for the '03 GSXR tail & subframe.

Southwest Virginia Backroads

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:22:00 +0000

This photo is rarer than a comet. It's a sunrise shot by me. This is an hour of the day I don't often see. Enjoy it, people.

My friend and I took a quick trip up to Southwest Virginia this weekend to see what the Seca is like on a road trip. Well, it's super fun in curves. After about 100 miles on the interstate the vibes and less-than-plush seat take their toll on one's nether regions. Frequent stops are welcome. At the end o' the trip we clocked about 600 miles in 2 days. The fun route started in the morning at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA. We started off heading up 16 north through the Jefferson National Forest. This is your typical East Coast mountain pass: Up and down, left and right. Kind of all at once at times.

On one of the many uphill sweeping left turns in particular will stick around my brain for a while. This turn was cool. It was a wide left going uphill. Wide enough for a noob like me to take it with some speed. Unbeknownst to me, at the precise instant I began my entrance to the bottom of this turn a young man in a gray pickup truck with a chocolate lab in back had also begun his entrance. Into the apex of the turn. He did this by backing out of his driveway which was precariously positioned on the right hand side of the road right in the middle. So the pickup truck backed out. Sideways. He had just begun to straight'n'er up when I rounded the bend and was treated to a face-shield filling view of Dodge tailgate and slobbery Chocolate lab. The lab looked friendly. The tailgate looked hard.

I got to practice a mid-turn (leaning) emergency stop. It was cool. I quickly righted the bike, and jammed the brakes. Not too much... don't wanna lock up. Apply even yet forcefull pressure. Both tires grabbed, neither broke loose, and I was able to slow down (real quick), downshift and motor on without even lugging the bike -- too much. Dude in the truck went approximately 50 feet before turning into another driveway.

So anyway, 16 wanders along and eventually intersects with 42 which is as beautiful a backroad you could ever request. Curvy parts. Straight parts. Little traffic. Beautiful. When went all the way through Bland County and into Giles where 42 turned 4 lane. So we ducked off onto 730 for some more twisties. This included one with a lot of sand and gravel in it. I didn't dump the bike, but I sure thought I was going to. 730 pops out on 460 just west of Blacksburg, home of the Hokies, and that's when I was sad I left the town oh about 7 years ago. Who knew such bliss was so close-by?

Icon Strongarm II street jacket review

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:13:00 +0000

I've been riding with the Icon Strongarm jacket for a few months now, and figured I'd post my thoughts.

This jacket breaks in well after a few rides, and begins to conform to the wearer for glovelike fit. The shoulder, elbow, and back padding is confidence inspiring. The jackets materials feel up to the task of real world protection. As with all of Icon's jackets, the Strongarm is tailored for the riding position. As such it is in its element on the bike. Movement is unhindered both while riding and while perusing the racks of whatever store you've stopped at. The jacket's normal looking denim/leather materials also reduce the Are-You-A-Famous-Racer looks from other patrons. I like low profile clothing.

My only complaint with the Strongarm jacket is with the useless liner. It is neither warm nor wind resistant. Any riding under about 50 degrees is downright freezing. Also, while there are vents in the shoulders and back, it can still get a little steamy while riding in hot weather. To that end, I recommend this jacket for riders in moderate climates.

I bought this jacket from RideGear.com for about $215. It's well worth the price, but Ride Gear's shipping was a bit slow.

Nothing new to update

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:50:00 +0000

Well, I haven't wrenched on the bike for a while. Been riding too much to tear it apart to work on it. Anyway, here's some background info from the always helpful Wikipedia:

The Yamaha XJ600S is known as the Diversion in most parts of the world, and as Seca II in North America. The bike is a descendant of the earlier Yamaha XJ600 models that were manufactured 1984-1991. This model is fitted with a 598cc, air-cooled 8-valve inline-four engine giving 61 hp (45kW) / 55 Nm output. The engine was tuned from the original XJ600 model towards improved low- and midrange power, sacrificing some of the peak power in the process.

The 600cc Diversion models were manufactured from 1992 to 2003. The US Seca IIs were manufactured from 1992 to 1998. As the Diversion/Seca II design is based on an earlier well-matured bike model, changes made to the bike during these years were rather subtle, mostly concerning improvements in fairing, a second front brake disc and small oil cooler appearing in 1996 model plus improvements in carburetors.

This Yamaha is considered an affordable entry-level bike that can give plenty of fun for its price. Despite its sporty looks, the Diversion features a more standard riding position than most 600cc sport bikes, making it an excellent commuter bike as well.

Buell lights, modified wind screen, and low profile turn signals

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 01:54:00 +0000

I got the front lighting worked out mostly by trimming the stock upper fairing. I trimmed it so that it fits almost perfectly around the Buell headlight housing. This way, I'm able to keep the stock wind screen for some pretty noticeable wind protection. I fitted some small low profile turn signals front & rear, too.

For the front signals, I moved them up by cutting off the mounting bracket and re welding it up higher on the headlight support frame. Pretty simple, but the frame is THIN, and I burned a hole in it on the right side.

Overall, the new signals clean up the look of the bike considerably, and even though they're small... they're bright. As a side note, I will not be leaving the H4 bulbs in the Buell housings. Night time visibility is poor with them. The reflectors really only work with the original H7 bulbs.

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 02:59:00 +0000

...More on the headlight configuration for the bike...
I wanted to have high and low beams work with the Buell setup, so I retrofitted some H4 bulbs in place of the H7 that come with the XB9 light. I'm not sure if it's going to work or not, because the reflectors in the Buell headlight unit are not really designed for H4 bulbs. I haven't tested the light at night yet, but we'll see. I might end up scrapping this altogether & working up something else. Anyway, here it is now, and I'm trying out different ideas for a front bikini fairing / windshield. I'm considering trimming the factory Yamaha fairing which I think will look the best once finished. But I'm also building a small fairing out of some sheet metal.

Fitting Buell XB9 headlights

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:15:00 +0000

I got a Buell XB9 headlight assembly from the local harley dealer. I'm in the process of installing the new dual headlights in place of the original. I found that the tube bracket Yamaha uses to mount the original headlamp and plastic cowling fits "almost" perfectly with the Buell setup. I just welded some small tabs to it on the 2 center cowl mount bracket and bolted up the new lights.

The only problem is the wiring. So far, I haven't gotten High-Low beams to work. I've only gotten it to work with both lights on all the time. This isn't too much of a concern for me, because I don't mind being extra visible. I may spend some more time on it trying to get it to work, but I'm trying to avoid re-wiring the whole circuit.

"As Purchased" near stock trim

noreply@blogger.com (kilby) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:58:00 +0000

I got this motorcycle in November '06. I was looking for a commuter bike, and something fun to ride. Oh, and cheap, too. I found this on CraigsList, and after seeing it, I was sold. It's a 1992 Yamaha XJ600 SecaII. When I got it, it had less than 9500 miles, and had just been treated to a few new tune-up parts. The previous owner installed the Yoshimura pipe. I'm hoping to do a few mods to it, and make it more "mine", so that's what this blog will document. After looking around online ( http://customfighters.com ) I have a few ideas of what I'd like to do with it. Nothing crazy... just a little style.