1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange" D-U-N Done! Well, at least for now.

Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Also, A guy on one of the RD forums explained it as much the same way the spark arcs the points when they seperate the current arcs where the insulator is damaged which is why the ground issue comes and goes as does the spark. Does that make sense to you?

I do understand the complete circuit principle though 8)

Thanks!
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Ok I may have spoken too soon.....I didn't get that spark energy was involved in that piece.
I've got all my bikes running electronic ignition...

If this is the case then you're only real option is to replace the insulators. Are they available new or is this old-bike-unobtainium? If they aren't to be had lemme know.....
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

I may sink the $$ into an electronic ignition :-\

I can get a set of points no problem. I'm hoping one of the guys either here or over on the aircooled-rd forum has a used one kicking around they might be able to peel a washer off of. Otherwise I'll just buy a point to get her running and then look into electronic ignition.

Thanks again.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Alright, minor progress and one medium set back. :(

I bought a point off ebay and am waiting for that before finishing the ignition stuff and hopefully tuning. My girls dad was here for the holiday and he gave my wiring the once over and agreed that it was probably that stupid insulator. He is an electrical engineer for Lockheed-martin and used to rebuild MGs so i trust him.

I got the rear brake lever etc. mounted and adjusted and began working on the rear lighting. stupid brake light switch doesn't work, grabbed one off of the xs650 and that didn't work either :mad: could be a bulb but that is new so its unlikely. They're cheap from HVC cycle so I'll get a new one and see what happens.

I still have to get the seat mounted as well I'll be working on that over the next day or so.

The set back, you ask??

The gas tank leaks. :p it seeps just a bit at the very back bottom corner. It seeped enough to bubble the paint but it doesn't drip. But the paint is ruined in that spot. I'm hoping I can strip the area and weld the spot with out ruining the entire paint job as I had just applied the Yamaha decals to the tank. The thing looks killer too. its a shame but If I have to strip and start over I will. I can't believe I didn't check the tank for leaks first. It didn't even cross my mind. Lesson learned there for sure. :-\ I will post a few pics later.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Alright, I got the sparking issue worked out. new point solved that. Still not firing the cylinder though. I pulled the plug and it was all wet with 2 cycle oil so it may just have been fouled. Which is a good thing because it means the auto lube system is working! :) I need to set the timing again too and I didn't have the energy to soldier through that ordeal tonight so that will be a tomorrow thing. It was getting cold in the uninsulated and unheated garage tonight as well. I hope to have the run issues sorted out tomorrow and some video up for you guys soon!!
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

diesel450 said:
Alright, I got the sparking issue worked out. new point solved that. Still not firing the cylinder though. I pulled the plug and it was all wet with 2 cycle oil so it may just have been fouled. Which is a good thing because it means the auto lube system is working! :) I need to set the timing again too and I didn't have the energy to soldier through that ordeal tonight so that will be a tomorrow thing. It was getting cold in the uninsulated and unheated garage tonight as well. I hope to have the run issues sorted out tomorrow and some video up for you guys soon!!
Click to expand...

The autolube should not be pumping that hard. So little of that oil makes it to the carbs. I wonder if your autolube is fucked...When I started my RD400, I left the oil lines dry and ran premix in it for a while--not much mind you. As the bike began to run out of fuel, I hooked up the autolube and primed the system. Once done, I filled the tank up with 93 octane and off she went.

That said, it seems like you have an electrical issue...Which I do as well. I hate timing 2-strokes and I hate points.

--Chris
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Pump seems to be pumping, and she smells like 2 stroke ;D. I just bled the line with no other adjustment so it may need to be dialed back a bit. I too think it is still electrical. I still have the old coils in there, I just haven't ponied up the $75 for new coils and wires. I will though, that has always been the plan. As you know the timing isn't really hard just a bit of a pain. I looked in to the electronic ignition and the whole shebang is like $500! :eek: SO that ain't happening anytime soon. The other thing is I could have fuel delivery issue to that carb. need to double check that.

Oh and I should prolly order a tail light ::) I get excited about taking a ride and realize I have a host of little things to do first. Might need snow tires to ride this thing this year. I envy you guys in the warmer climes.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

I must have totally missed that ignition. I saw two there for like $500 and $525. Crazy. Hey XSJoe if you have one of those washers I'll take it to save that point. I did get another point and I ironed out the electrical today. I've got good spark at both plugs now. I reset the timing and did a bunch of other stuff. I ground some frame bits down to get the seat lower on the frame. I cut my rear brace and moved it to avoid hitting the tire if it bottoms out. etc. I would have tried to fire her up but I had drained and removed the tank and with it leaking I didn't want to go through that again. I'm going to repair the tank first. Riding season is all but over here anyway.

Seat looks good on the frame now. I'll snap some pics tomorrow.

Chris, Troybilt - As far as the tank goes, I need to weld a pretty small little spot where it seeps. Obviously I need all the fuel and fumes out of it but is there anything else i need to do particular to welding a tank? I have been practicing with the welder a bit and feel I just need to get a good bead in that one spot then grind it down. Sound right?
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

can not help on the welding... but to get fumes out of tanks before we put them in the oven we run auto exhaust through the tank for about 2 - 5 min... works great!!!
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

JRK5892 said:
can not help on the welding... but to get fumes out of tanks before we put them in the oven we run auto exhaust through the tank for about 2 - 5 min... works great!!!
Click to expand...

Where do you come up with this shit? Joe you are unbelievable. If it weren't dark out I'd be in the driveway right now trying that out.

As far as the welding goes, I've got a beat tank that I'm going to poke some holes in and see what I can do.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

diesel450 said:
Chris, Troybilt - As far as the tank goes, I need to weld a pretty small little spot where it seeps. Obviously I need all the fuel and fumes out of it but is there anything else i need to do particular to welding a tank? I have been practicing with the welder a bit and feel I just need to get a good bead in that one spot then grind it down. Sound right?
Click to expand...

Unless you have a really good set-up, I would not even attempt this job. Even if you did have all the right stuff, I'd pay someone else to do it.

What you CAN do is drain all the fuel and wash it out really well with 1/2 Simple Green and 1/2 water. I'd leave that in there for a few days and swish it around a few times a day. One you're sure it is absolutely clean and will not blow up in your face, you run a purge tube of argon through the petcock hole (petcock removed of course). Let the argon flow for quite a while. Then, dial down your back-purge a bit, but don't turn it off.

To weld it, I would use a .040" tungsten sharpened up. Get the weld going and get out of it as fast as possible. Don't sit there with the torch fired up for a while while you try to get your filler in position, you know? And next time, test for leaks :)

NOTE: I'm not telling you how to do this; use your own discretion. I just explaining one possibility.

--Chris
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Okay Chris, so is the big worry here blowing myself up or ruining the tank? I'm pretty sure I can make the tank clean enough so I don't kill myself and though I would rather not ruin the tank I'd also rather do the work myself, if possible. I'm not in a big hurry here either as the season is over here and the push to ride the thing has subsided. I now have a few months to finish this with no pressure.

I bought a Lincoln 135T mig welder, I chose that rig so I would not have to put a 220 drop in at this point and by all reports this unit can handle the bulk of what I want to do with it. I bought a Lincoln so that when I'm ready to upgrade I can sell it. and it came to me loaded with a spool of flux core wire, which is what I've been using thus far to get "aquainted" with it. I am going to get the gas rig set up at this point. And practice with that a while.

As I mentioned I do have a beat up tank that I can practice on. I'll probably have a go at that and see how it goes before I dive into the finished product. We are fortunate to have a great tool and welding supply shop here in Portland, (Advantage gas and tools) The guys are knowledgable and helpful and don't condecend to the do-it-yourselfers, I'll run this by them before I do anything and see what they have to offer for advice.

Thanks again for all your input. I appreciate the unvarnished opinions.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

If the part you need to seal is underneath and out of sight you can always put some gas tank seal putty. I used some on my SR250 thank and it's held up for 2 years now with no more leaks. It's not the prettiest fix but works great if it's out of sight.
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Blowing yourself up would (should) be the primary issue, though more likely you'll only get injured and make a weak partial recovery. After a long wait, during which time you'll live in a $10 motel with one shadeless lamp, you'll get work in a light-bulb factory where you'll regale your fellow wage slaves with 'once...I road motorcycles'....

....then you'll beat someone up for a juicebox only to be disappointed when you find that it's a YooHoo.....

(sorry.....no coffee yet this morning)

Yeah sparking off the fumes would be the big issue followed by ruining the tank/paint.

Have you considered one of the many decent tank liners available? POR15 works a treat:
http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/FTRK/
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

come on man! i was in a meeting and read this on my phone and just started to laugh! haters!!!
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

Hehe.....mission accomplished..... ;D
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

I like light bulbs. I also like Yoo Hoo.

I don't like shrapnel though.

I'm pretty sure I can eliminate the explosion risk.

Noahdog, unfortunately the spot is right at the back corner where it meets the seat. plainly visible. I hadn't thought of lining the tank and where it is only a slow seep (it doesn't even drip, just evaporates) that might work, the inside of the tank (that I can see) is pristine (was rusting from the outside) and I'd hate to line it.

I'm going to look into this more. I'll hit up a welding forum and see what those guys have to say.

Why is life so complicated? ???
 
Re: 1972 Yamaha R5 350 "A Clockwork Orange"

I think you can weld a tank that has had fule in it if you clean it out well with soap and water and then fill it up with water to the top to prevent any gases forming. Not sure, so I would do a search. Someone on here did that on their build and may chime in. I can't remember the build though......I think they tried it just empty the first time and blew the tank across the shop ;D then did the fill with water trick.
 
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