1983 XJ900 Seca SST Shocks

Here is one of only two pictures that survived a camera malfunction. Shot a bunch of pics upon the arrival of my 1983 Yamaha XJ900 Seca in February of 2007. The bike was purchased off eBay from a seller in San Francisco. Only 14,000 miles, but as you can see from the picture on the right, rough. Notice the amount of corrosion on the wheel and rust on the shock. You can barely see the swing arm and a rusty spot where the battery leaked acid. Note to self, always have battery removed prior to shipping. The photo on left is from two weeks ago. This is a picture shot through the shock spring, at the shaft. It's hard to see in the photo, but shock oil is everywhere. The bottom cup, which holds a rubber stopper, was soaked. Our website gives the details of how I sent off the stockers for rebuild. GP Racing did a great job, but these shocks are pretty much non-rebuildable. GP did what they could and told me some parts for rebuild are just not available. So on my ride last month to Mount Rainier, on a very beat up road, the pogos blew. Previous post shows oil that had overflowed from the cup onto the final drive. Also note the 'neck' on the shock reservoir. I mentioned in a Facebook post that new shocks are being ordered. At the top of the neck it bends down 90 degrees, at this bend the shock passes by the frame, with only a 1/16 inch clearance. The width of the neck is about 1/4 inch wider on new shock than stock shock. That's a problem, won't clear frame. Everyone I talked to wanted to sell me the shocks and mount them with reservoir mounted toward the rear, or upside down. To me, it just doesn't look right. A local shop, Wasco, is the 'go to' guys for all things frame repair. Richard, the shop owner has a plan. The frame can be 'pinched' for the clearance needed to mount the new shocks. Currently bike is in the shop for carb clean, rubber hoses replaced, and valve adjust. More pictures and post, as parts and bike return to the road.