Help Get My Yamaha FZR-700 (Fazer) Back on the Road

[Gordo2]

Looking for suggestions on items that need to be addressed prior to firing up my motorcycle that has been in storage for about 7 years.

I want to get it running and sell it (buy more Porsche parts...). It was a great bike for it's time, but isn't my riding style anymore even if I was wanting to ride again.

So far I have:
-Cleaned 7 years of dust, corrosion and mildew. The bike looks great again, only 4 hours of detailing; now I recall how much I hated detailing a motorcycle.
-Changed the plugs; now I recall why I hated working on bikes (remove everything to get to a part).
-Attempting to remove the float bowl covers to spray any fuel residue out - more stuck/stripped scew heads.
-Removed air box and sprayed carb cleaner down the venturis.
-Stripped a screw head on the cover to my front brake fluid resivoir. I plan to flush both the brake and clutch fluids.
-Removed radiator, drained and installed fresh fluids.
-Drained old oil and added fresh stuff.
-Lubed and adjusted the chain.
-Plan to drain fuel tank, flush and replace fuel filter.

Once I have this done I figure I will give it a go at firing it up and running it around the block for a first run check.

Any other suggestions prior to firing/test ride?

Pick of the bike in progess of getting back on the road:



Thanks, Gordo

[David]

Looks like you've got it all covered.

Give it a good power washing so it doesn't look like it's been sitting for 7 years and hope the fork seals don't leak and the clutch isn't locked up. Of course it's fun to unstick the clutch by starting the bike with the front wheel against a brick wall.

[Gordo2]

This bike had the clutch stuck on it before - sat for 3 years. A friend of mine who is a motorcycle mechanic recommended driving it in 1st gear; gunning and sharply letting off the gas repeatedly.

After about 20 minutes of tire smoking whiplash "fun" it came loose. To be honest after about 10 minutes of riding like this the fun was gone... Suspect I will need to ride the bull again.

Thanks, Gordo

[fastpat]

This is my old, and long since sold, '86 FZ750. The photo is up above Cal State Hayward, where I lived once upon a time.



It sounds like you've got it covered. You can get aluminum hex socketed screws to replace almost all of the phillips headed screws, making things much easier to remove in the future, even gold anodized ones to match the engine trim. Also, use anti-seize compound (I recommend PermaTex brand) on all of the threads going into both steel and aluminum. To successfully get the stuck phillips heads out, I've alway used a manual impact driver. That usually prevents stripping out the cross.

[Flatbutt1]

whats the condition of the tires? any dry rot?

also +1 on Pats recommendation for swapping out the bolts.

[Noah930]

Battery charged up?

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by fastpat
This is my old, and long since sold, '86 FZ750. The photo is up above Cal State Hayward, where I lived once upon a time.

Pat, I had the exact same bike when I was 18. It was modded pretty heavily by the previous owner. Unreal sound! My first venture into nirvana

[fastpat]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Pat, I had the exact same bike when I was 18. It was modded pretty heavily by the previous owner. Unreal sound! My first venture into nirvana

My only mods were to richen up the pilot jet to smooth out the low speed stumble, the custom Corbin seat, and the Yosh exhaust which I had coated inside and out by Jet-Hot.

I started on a more serious mod program, but sold the bike prior to completion. A set of GSXR upside down front forks, rear set foot pegs and linkage, and custom swingarm for the GSXR rear wheel. Wanted wider 17 inch wheels. I still have the article on how to raise displacement to 900cc, somewhere in my archives.

[LakeCleElum]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you really need to pull your carbs apart and clean them right. The jets and passages are extremely small and certainly plugged. Spraying cleaner from the outside and cleaning the gunk from the float bowls is just not the same.

I currently have 19 motorcycles and can't count the number I've had over the years. I 1st thing I do when I buy and m/c that has been sitting is to clean the carbs and drain the fuel. With a fresh battery, that's what it usually takes to get one running. G'luck...

[Gordo2]

Good gouge,

Pat, good idea on replacing the float bowl screw heads with hex head bolts...

Lake, I hear you... Though I don't want to (I wince at tearing apart the carbs/more than I wanted to get involved on this project). But aggree I may end up having to take that route in the end. The carbs were gummed in the first place when I put it in storage 7 years ago - definitely didn't get any better sitting. Wishful thinking but I'm hoping the good spray down will do the trick.

Tires have some minor sidewall cracking. I'm not planning on more than some low speed test runs. Will definitely let the buyer know they are a life or death must replace item though.

Man, I broke open the front brake reservoir. Nasty but nothing a good flush can't fix -too bad my Motive doesn't have a cap...

Battery surely died a death many years ago - to be replaced.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions. Looking forward to hearing it fire.

Gordo

[Steve Carlton]

You've inspired me to get to work this weekend on my old Honda in the backyard!