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Upgrades for commuting

  • Thread starter Thread starter musicman
  • Start date Start date
M

musicman

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So the weather here in the PacNW is FINALLY beginning to dry out for the summer, slowly but surely! So I'm going to be commuting about 70 miles a day more often on the 550 to work and back, and want to go through things to get it as reliable as I can without going broke. I'm struggling to get a loan for the Wee Strom I really want and am probably going to end up stuck with this baby bike for longer than I thought.

So to start, I've gone through the carbs, jetted/adjusted for pods, waiting on the tool so I can adjust the valves, have a honda r/r, RK chain and new sprockets, new tires, etc.

What I'm curious about is the ignition side of things, all that is original on this thing, coils, plugs wires, points, etc. My first thought was to buy new Dyna coils and get an ignition kit and new wires from Z1, but would it be a benefit to go to a Dyna electronic ignition? A lot more money, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not.

The other is the stator, so far no problems with the 33y/o stocker, but I've been stewing on replacing it just for peace of mind, 33k miles on it and not so much as a hiccup, but every night on the way home it's always on my mind, then I wonder if there's any good replacements out there.

The bike is going to save me a fair amount of money on gas, I've been pulling 45-48mpg with it, which is really nice. Going to get a Maier (sp?) cafe style fairing for it, and try to come up with some discreet lowers or something that doesn't detract from the Cafe look I've been trying to keep. Imagine that, a cafe build that is actually ridden! :eek:
 
I get you want that peace of mind.....what I don't get is your after a new bike, yet you want to spend money on an old bike, but there really is nothing wrong with it.

If it's allworking right, why make any changes, sorry I just don't get it...

I just went through a rebuild, I did not change that what was not broken, O rings on the carbs and boots, new seals on brakes, and new lines, and pads, a couple of new gaskets as some were leaking from before, new fork oil, left all the electronics as is, except I wrapped the original wiring harness with new electrical tape, cleaned up all the contacts, left all the old stuff as it was, R/R, coils, fuses, and so on.....

save your cash for the new bike, replace or fix once something breaks......

well at least that is how I would go about it....maybe invest the cash in road side assistance of some sort, in case you do break down, you will at least get home.....

just my 2 cents worth...

.
 
Some of my concern I guess is breaking down on the way home, which is usually around midnight, or being late to work (big no-no with the railroad, haha). My credit took a hit with some... mistakes I made the last few months and I don't see myself getting a new bike this summer, so my thoughts were upgrade the current ride and try again next season for a new bike. I do agree about the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" thing, but I've always been about preventative maintenance and never have it break in the first place.
 
I put a new fuse box, and got rid of plug type connections, no more or need of the coil mode relay, starts easier, charges like it never has before.
 
Clean your wiring again and don't worry about it.
I'd send the money on better shocks, and better brakes.
 
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You'll never be able to anticipate every single thing that may go wrong. Just keep your maintenance up and be mindful of signs.
 
musicman said:
What I'm curious about is the ignition side of things, all that is original on this thing, coils, plugs wires, points, etc. My first thought was to buy new Dyna coils and get an ignition kit and new wires from Z1, but would it be a benefit to go to a Dyna electronic ignition? A lot more money, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not.
Click to expand...

I hope you don't mean you have the original points and condensors in there. Condensors go bad over time and then you have no spark. No spark, no go

The Dyna S is definately worth it - set it once and you're good
 
so far as I can tell they're original, this bike has been neglected as far as maintenance, had the original chain on it, original front sprocket, original pads front/back (well, or lack there of, haha), calipers were seized, rear master was rusted solid inside, rear hard brake line was plugged, nothing has been done by the P/O's in terms of maintenance, plenty of gasket leaks too. So that's why I was wondering about all this I guess, 33y/o parts just... kinda spook me.
 
Points and condensors are cheap and easy to replace, so maybe you should just carry a set of spares.

That's what I did with my 1930 Ford, and in 20 years I never needed them!

On my 550, I've been running the original type ignition (with new parts) for two years without issues. I'd follow the others' good advice about checking and cleaning connections, etc., and you should have no troubles.
 
Good spark and Valves are essential!
Especially if you are doing a lot of highway riding.

Replace those old wires,caps and points.
Weak spark can fool you into thinking you have dirty carbs, bad compression, burnt valves,etc.(trouble starting, weak idle, random stalling, powerloss)

The idea is to verify that you have a solid 12volts going to the coils.
Your wiring is over 30 years old, and the electrical path often has much resistance....and by time it gets to the coils, ya don't exactly have much Juice getting there!
(there is something called Coil Mod, search for that, and it will explain it)
 
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musicman said:
so far as I can tell they're original, this bike has been neglected as far as maintenance, had the original chain on it, original front sprocket, original pads front/back (well, or lack there of, haha), calipers were seized, rear master was rusted solid inside, rear hard brake line was plugged, nothing has been done by the P/O's in terms of maintenance, plenty of gasket leaks too. So that's why I was wondering about all this I guess, 33y/o parts just... kinda spook me.
Click to expand...
Imagine that. Must be a first. Well, not really.
As BassCliff likes to say, you have a 30+ year old bike that needs 20 years of maintenance.
Just go through the list and do everything he suggests and you will be fine.
AFA the ignition, if you had an OEM electronic ignition (you do not) I would put a Dyna S on it. Since you have a points/condensor system, I would just replace the points and condensors. They are available at Z1 enterprises, Points and condensor kit
 
I'm in a transition time for finances and my friend let me have the thing for $200, he said it needed a valve cover gasket, brake pads, and a rear tire. Uh... well, it did, and a front tire, front wheel bearings, caliper rebuilds, master rebuild, carb rebuild, chain, sprockets, tach cable, clutch cable, battery, valve adjustment, intake boots/rings, shocks, still needs new fork tubes (pitted) and oil, etc.

So yeah, I made that classic mistake, bought a cheap bike hoping to put maybe $300 into it tops and have something to ride while I get my finances in order. Ha! Though I will say this forum has saved me so much headache and money it's mind blowing, I've got it running/riding great. And learned a lot about vintage bikes too, it's been a ton of fun playing with it, enjoyed every minute. Gave me a much needed break from my Camaro too, and it made me a Suzuki guy as well.

But anywho, yeah, I'll replace the points/condensers, finish up the other things that need attention, and call it good. Keep it simple stupid, need to keep saying that....
 
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