As promised a photo of Captain Crash near over rotation. The 1971 CT1 Yamaha 175cc landed almost vertical and Captain Crash decided to switch to flat track mode after this near disaster. I believe I identified this bike as a DT model....my mistake. Thanks to vintage motorcycles online for the correction.

How to store fuel tank cap, fuel petcock, and fuel sending unit for motorcycles

When relining your motorcycle fuel tank it's important to store the cap, petcock, and fuel sending unit in such a way as to prevent rust and corrosion. This video gives a simple tip on how to do that.

RaceTech's Matthew Wiley suspension seminar clips

Ever wonder how important suspension is to the performance of your motorcycle? Have you ridden with friends and got smoked in the twisties? Was your first thought, "am I really that crummy of a rider?" Trying to convince your wife you need a new bike? Let me first suggest that all of the above may be cured with one simple fix. Upgrade the suspension. Replace the fork springs, add a RaceTech gold valve, replace worn out bushings, and seals.  Replace the worn out rear shock, or shocks. Try a new set of tires, and check the steering head bearings.  I did all of the above and it has transformed the Yamaha 900 Seca. True, it may not have the same handling performance of a new bike....but it's darn close.  Take a look at some points Matthew gives, try to attend one of the seminars he gives at the Progressive Insurance Motorcycle shows currently being held around the USA, and keep riding the current bike you have. Tough times call for keeping the current bike you have on the road. Upgrades can help.

Fuel T arrives!

In an earlier post I had ordered a new aftermarket fuel T from motorcyclecarbs.com. What a disaster. The T was ordered on November 17Th, 2010 and has still not arrived. Eight emails later I finally got a response on Tuesday, December 21, 2010. Here is the response, quote, "Jon, Sorry for the delay, We were out of stock on those tees (this is different from email I received on November 17Th, which stated the T was in stock and would ship within 7 days-JF). They have to be manufactured. The vendor is usually very good at sending out products ordered. Seems he never got our order via email as his email crashed.
Also to make matters worse we have been going through some internal changes that have affected our customer service response time(no kidding!-JF). We have not had the man power to keep up with emails for some time and the best we can do is catch up in ebbs and flows(what the heck?-JF). We have done that this past weekend and continue to do such.
Once we followed up with the vendor from your prompt yesterday (and earlier) he said he never got the order. We have subsequently reordered. I suspect you will have your tees in a couple of weeks." Close quote.
Robert Reil/Sales Dept Associate/Motorcyclecarbs.com
I was hoping the T would arrive in time to have the bike put back together for the December International Bike Show in Seattle. Obviously that didn't happen. So last week I contacted a facebook friend and four days latter...... used fuel T arrives. Already delivered it to the shop and was told should have the bike back on December 28Th. Tom, my fb buddy would also like to pass along that he has parts for the 1983 Yamaha XJ900, available for sale. Please contact Tom direct at moto-resto@tampabay.http://www.facebook.com/1/90712;rr.com 

1971 Honda SL100

As promised the photo of my first real 'race bike.' This is a 1971 Honda SL100 I bought when I was 15 years old. When I wasn't using it to commute to school on, the lights came off, the Bassani pipe went on and off I'd go to race.

I wore it out. Dad was always ready to step in and help, so he bought a used SL125 motor for it. But, I was ready for more horsepower and moved up to a 1972 Honda XL250. Can't say I can remember what happened to the green meanie.....but Dad still has the 125cc motor.

Send me an e-mail if you want a very low mileage 125cc motor....barn fresh. secaman@gmail.com

Where it all started

Ever wonder how a couple of brothers get whacked out about bikes? For us it was a Christmas morning in the 60's, when Santa left a new Honda 90 sitting under the tree (OK, it was the garage, but the note Santa left said, " check in the garage.") Dad loaded us up, with the bike and headed off to the biggest parking lot we could find to 'practice.' With an imposed speed limit of 25mph we rode it all day long. Of course we graduated to other bikes and more daring speeds. I moved onto a 1971 Honda SL100, with Basani pipe, (stay tuned for the only known picture) and my older brother Scott purchase a 1971 Yamaha DT175. Big brothers always need to show the younger boys the ropes, so the one upmanship was always entertaining. The photo on right is taken around 73 or 74, and took place in the local gravel pit. Always one with a bit of dry humor, I laughed when he took some flannel, cut out a big circle, a letter C and hot glued it to his fannel underwear shirt and said "bring your camera and follow me." The laughter was more intense when he dawned his vinyl replica WW1 flying helmet, period goggles, and a black towel for cape. Captain Crash was born.....long before Super Dave ever made his TV appearance.

Arriving at the gravel pits, the stage was set for high flying fun! With each pass up a steep incline, the air time seemed longer, higher, and put my photography skills to the test. To bad the camera I could afford at the time was well, crap. I'll post another photo, which shows how close, Captain Crash came to over rotation. Psst....don't tell my Dad....he's getting on in years and it might freak him out.

OK, I'm on a roll.....the local High School (Hazen High....but don't tell anybody) had a nice new red cinder running track, Scott (opps, did I just name, names?) decided we needed to really 'ramp' things up and we departed the gravel pit and head to the wide open areas around the school. Hey its summer, nobody's around, and we had just watched Kenny Roberts tear it up on ABC Sports. Mr Roberts inspired many a young teenage boy to try flat tracking. Little did Kenny know that we would test our new found 'TV' skills at the local high school running track. I must say, my brother should have gone onto a professional career in shredding dirt, he was that good. We even tried to restore the cinder to its rightful place after the practice laps by pushing the dirt back into place with a swift sideways motion of our boots.

Ever wonder why schools now have cyclone fences around the track and play field? Now ya know.

Captain Crash's faithful sidekick.....Wonderboy....signing off.

Santa stops by Seattle MC show

On Saturday Santa stopped by the Seattle International Motorcycle show to wish all a Merry Christmas. Wouldn't you know it was just as I was rattling off the names of my four grandchildren; I forgot the name of one of my grandsons! Santa to the rescue with some good natured ribbing! Great fun, and great to work with RaceTech as a volunteer in their booth. Matthew Wiley and Lenny Albin are walking encyclopedias when it comes to motorcycle suspension. Learned a lot about why the most important components of a bike are forks and shocks. Stay tune for some clips of Matthew giving seminars on the how's and why's of MC suspension.

New Honda 250R

News from the Seattle International Motorcycle show....the new Honda 250R was on display. My hat is off to Honda for bringing this bike to the USA. For all our friends from around the world, 250cc bikes in America are almost unheard of. Kawasaki's 250cc is the only other bike in our market. All of my street riding experience began on a 1972 Honda XL 250 and I didn't, 'move up' till my first year of college. After a short 10 years on 50cc, 100cc, 125cc, 175cc bikes, 650cc felt just right at eighteen.

Putting new riders on 650cc, 120hp bikes never seemed like a good idea to me. So let's hope Honda is moving in the right direction by introducing their newest ride. To all the newbie's......this bike is worthy of your attention.

Yamaha 900 Seca fuel tank derusted and lined

If your thinking about buying or refreshing a motorcycle from the 70s, 80s, or 90s, here is a hot tip. First and foremost check the condition of the fuel tank. It's easy, take the fuel cap off, stick your finger inside the lip of tank and swirl. If you see dirty brown on your finger, PROBLEMS. Also take a flash light and take a look see....if you see rust, PROBLEMS. While it's easy to think, 'I'll just throw a fuel filter on it and trap all the rust particles, PROBLEM.' No fuel filter will screen the microns of tiny rust particles headed toward your carbs. While it may screen some, it won't screen all. So the fix is to have the fuel tank derusted, and lined. Some may choose to do this job themselves. My experience...let a pro do it. Chances are you won't get all the rust out and IT WILL COME BACK!

This is the second time the carbs have been rebuilt due to rust problem. I'm $800 poorer for it. So with some research I found Fuel Tank Services, in Florida. The owner, George always picks up the phone and great to work with. Watch the video and see why I can recommend FTS.

Yamaha 900

The fuel tank, back from Fuel Tank Services, is now ready to have the fuel petcock and fuel sending unit reinstalled. George at FTS indicated that the mounting surfaces should be coated with Form-A-Gasket (Aviation sealant liquid), item #80019 for the best seal, and to protect the mounting surface from corrosion. Now all I need to have the SST back on the road is the fuel T. It was ordered November 17th, 2010 and still is not arrived. C'mon fuel T!

Yamaha 900 Seca-carb fuel tee leaks

The bad news, the fuel tee located on the air intact side of the carbs is worn out and leaks fuel. We found that out after a total rebuild and test. Wait it gets worse. The Yamaha part # 3H3-14988-00-00 is no longer available. Watch the video for the good news!

CB1 BSM Vampire

updated 900

Sanctuary Motorcycles of Japan does incredible work updating the old standards of the 70's and 80's. A long look at their website and you'll see bikes with upgraded forks, brakes, exhaust systems, reworked motors, and trick oil coolers. Another great website to visit is Bikeexif They feature some of the latest custom builds from around the world. Perhaps you discovered us there. Great folks. Ride safe. JF

Carbs being rebuilt, valves adjusted for 1983 Yamaha XJ 900Seca

My local shop, Hinshaws Motorcycles in Auburn, WA has pulled the carbs after the fuel tank was discovered to have a recurrence of rust. Fuel tank rust is one of the major problems in old bikes. The rust makes it past the fuel filter and clogs the carbs, therefore needing another rebuild. I thought I had the problem solved in April of 2007 by having a local shop seal the tank. Boneheads didn't remove the rust, only sealed over it. With time the rust penetrates the 'seal' and comes back with a vengeance. Now the tank is off to Fuel Tank Services www.fueltankservices.com in Florida to have the job done right. This may take up to three weeks. So while the tank is out, bike in shop, new carb intact boots ordered (can only get them through Yamaha), valve adjust, (in video I stated valve job-wrong, just adjust), new vacuum lines, carb drain lines, fuel lines.
The seat was sent out as I mentioned in earlier post for new foam at Sargents. www.sargentcycle.com Should be back any day. Stay tuned for more fun. Jon Fife

Yamaha - 1993 FJ1200ABS

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.

Stock shocks died!

Here is the evidence of blown shocks....shock oil that leaked onto the final drive.

New Forks

So, why did the folks come off last summer after a total rebuild of the bike? It seems that I didn't inspect fork tubes close enough upon bike rebuild and the fork seals let go (rust pitting). So I took the bike into my local shop to have them install new fork tubes (Forks by Franks- www.frankmain.qpg.com)They screwed up the job, big time! The numskull mechanic took an air wrench to the caps and stripped out the threads. $300 bucks wasted. Grabbed the bike back, and took it home. Sent for new forks, and had my good buddy, Matthew Wiley at www.racetech.com rebuild them for me....also installing the Gold Tech Valve. Put it all back together and what a difference! Took the bill to numskull and had him pay for the new parts.