VX800 fixer-upper

I've managed to score a new tank in good condition (minus 2 dents). Most importantly the inside isn't rusted through so I don't have to worry about petrol pouring out of it when I'm riding along. It also includes the original petcock, and I'll be grabbing a sidestand switch off his donor bike whilst I'm there, so all my problems minus the choke will be fixed.

You guys have mentioned that the original fuel petcock goes bad pretty commonly. Is the problem that it passes when turned to the off position? If so I guess I'll fill it and see if it leaks at all. If it does, is there a recommended fix for it?

Thanks

Suzuki had a recall on the original petcock. Be sure to get the new version--- the original would lose the detent (sounds like yours!) and leak.

Picked the tank up yesterday (4 hour round trip but through some lovely Aussie countryside) but unfortunately the sidestand switch didn't work so I bought a couple of small switches today to play with just to get it going. I also bought some marine vinyl so I'm going to have a go at re-upholstering the seat. I'll post pictures if it's passable, if not you won't hear about it again haha.

Gnigma, what is the detent? The one I have has 2 nozzles, one small and the other normal size. No fuel comes out in any position so I'm assuming that's because there is a fuel pump on the bike.

Sorry for the terrible phone photo. Getting late so just took a quick photo. It's not perfect by any means, but hopefully should pass a roadworthy.

Improved the seat a bit tonight. I'll sow the lip and the top together tomorrow so it stays in the right place.

Everything is back together now, and I'm pretty sure I've fixed everything that needs fixing. I'm booked in for a roadworthy tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. Atleast if anything is wrong with it I'll have a list of what I need to do to pass.

The detent is just the little dent that holds the valve in position, either open or closed. If the rubber diaphragm is ok, you should be good--- sounds like it's good. Like I said, Suzuki replaced most of the originals under recall, so it's probably been done. The smaller connection is for the vacuum line from one of the carbs. Without engine vacuum, you have to put it in "prime" to get the fuel to flow. I want to say there was no "prime" on the upgrade, meaning you have to crank the engine over several times with the vacuum line connected to get the fuel to flow to the float bowls.

http://www.suzukiservicerepairmanual.com/tag/vx800/

I do have a thin hose coming from one of the carbs that isn't connected to anything, I'm assuming this is the vacuum? I have the aftermarket petcock on the new tank at the moment, but I'll probably swap over to the other one if I can make sure it's working properly.

I got it roadworthy-ed, registered and insured yesterday and rode it into work today. I have a small leak coming from the drain plug of the shaft housing that wasn't there when it was stationary (guessing because there's pressure there now) but I've picked up a few crush washers at work which should sort out my problem. If not, I also got some gasket material that is rated to 10,000psi so I can make a gasket up if all else fails.

I also broke the sight glass on the master cylinder so had to swap over the master cylinder from my 250. I'm debating getting some aftermarket levers and master cylinder but I need to make sure they'll fit before buying them. From what I've seen the brake line banjo fitting is pretty universal right?

Well, coming home from work I rode over something and had a flat tyre within 2km. Freaked me out as I was going 100km/h and thought the small leak from the shaft housing had drained it completely and I was tearing apart the shaft. Managed to get off the highway to a quiet street and got my little sister to bring me tools so I could take the back wheel off, fix it up and then take it to a petrol station to pump back up. So a 30 minute return journey from work ended up taking about 3 and half hours as it was pitch black and I hadn't removed the rear wheel before.

On the plus side, I've fixed the leak using 2 copper crush washers with a little oil between them. Also fixed up the clutch cable as high revs in each gear felt like I was in neutral. Just going to take it to the petrol station now to check if my tyre pressure has stayed where it was.

Turns out it isn't the shaft oil that's leaking, it's one of the rear shocks that was running down and collecting on it. I've just ordered some new shocks which should be here on Monday.

The coolant overflow reservoir was a complete mess so I've replaced that and flushed the old coolant out. It looked like swamp water so I'm glad I did that.




Also got some gold foil stickers so decided to chuck some on:



Hopefully when I put the new shocks on nothing else breaks.

Sorry for the complete lack of updates. Haven't managed to get much done on this as I've been planning and paying for my wedding in 3 weeks time. I've replaced the shocks which have worked well.

Having ridden it to work a lot I've found a few other things that I want/need to do.

First and most important, I need to repair the clutch. It's slipping around the 6000-7000 rpm mark (which isn't too annoying at the moment but it will be soon I'm sure). Without taking it apart first, is it likely that I only need to replace the friction plates or will I need to replace the friction and the steel plates?

Whilst I'm in there is it worth replacing the springs too? I'm pretty poor at the moment so if I can get away with not replacing them at the moment that would be great. Any advice on what I should be looking out for in regards to wear on the steel plates and clutch springs would be much appreciated.

Cosmetically I want to repaint the tank as it was rushed for my roadworthy and replace the instrument cluster with a smaller combined speedo/warning lights and I'll probably do away with a tacho entirely.

Eventually I want to strip down to the frame and powdercoat whatever needs doing, but travelling 100km a day for work and going over a toll bridge means it's much cheaper for me to ride to work than drive so that will have to wait until I move some time next year.

What oil are you using? If you're using a car oil that has additives in it it might be causing the clutch to slip. Check that first.


If the clutch isn't dragging or jerky then the steel plates are more than likely OK - you'll just need new friction plates. You'll be able to pretty much tell when you pull out the friction plates and see the wear on them. If there's blueing on the steel discs then they might need replacing.


At a pinch you can slip a washer under each of the springs to give a bit more bite - but you'll probably find new friction plates is all you need if the oil is not the problem.

As far as I'm aware I'm not using oil with additives. It's just 10-40 oil. Thanks for the tips. I'll buy some friction plates and replace those and see if that fixes my problems.

Don't forget to soak the new plates in oil for a few hours before you install them.

Recommend you check the oil again before spending money on the plates. If you were using oil intended for cars, odds are VERY good it has a lot of additives not useful for a motorcycle clutch.

Good option, Rotella 15-40 intended for Diesel engines. Has been approved by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers for use in motorcycles. Look for JAMA in the fine print on the label or on the cap. Indicates it is good for motorcycle engines. Lot cheaper than friction plates.

Also, confirm that the clutch has been properly adjusted--not just at the clutch lever.

Best wishes on the upcoming wedding