After tearing into the front brake system on my Daytona (posted here (https://www.2strokeworld.net/forum/index.php?topic=7072.0)), I started working on painting brake parts and a new set of engine covers.
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The brake parts were cleaned up with parts cleaner then run through a few cycles in the ultrasonic before final cleaning and wipe down.
The case covers were media blasted and then prepped for paint with acetone and masking. Unfortunately painting took several days due many varied issues: wind outside, moving inside the garage and then not having good visibility, and a horrible Thursday where gardeners on both sides decided to fire up their blowers for extended periods of time causing dust impurities in the paint finish.
In the end, it was primer followed by about 3 coats of VHT black satin caliper paint, with some light 400-grit sanding and an overnight rest between coats.
That was followed by about 20-30 minutes in the sun to start curing the paint.
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and then 1 hour in the BBQ at 240F :clint:
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They look pretty good. :thumbs:
Next up is draining trans & oil tank on the bike and removing all the case covers and the oil pump. And then install of the newly painted bits.
:clap:
Covers are ready for install
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Front brake components are finished too. Caliper and master are painted and rebuilt. Master also got new SS hardware on the cap and a NOS lever.
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Beautiful work :patriot: :patriot:
Wow that is first class, good job. I have a GSXR1000 that got into an accident a long time ago and I used that same paint to refinish the stator cover after sanding out the road rash. However I never took the cover off the bike and obviously didn't have the same curing/dry effect as your finish. So well done I say! :thumbs:
If one doesn't have a BBQ grill can they put parts into an electric kitchen oven and do the same?
Quote from: RDryan on May 22, 2025, 09:22:01 AMIf one doesn't have a BBQ grill can they put parts into an electric kitchen oven and do the same?
You could but I wouldn't recommend it. The paint off-gasses quite a bit and your house will stink and so will the oven afterwards. I would assume the fumes can't be good for you.
Progressing slowly...
Left cover installed. :thumbs:
I never really liked the polished covers that a previous owner did before I purchased the bike almost 20 years ago. So I gathered some used pieces and refinished them in order to do the swap. I didn't want to undo all the polish work that someone spent a lot of time doing.
BEFORE:
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AFTER:
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Tomorrow it's on to the right cover, along with new FZR1000 clutch frictions and rebuilding the oil pump.
Quote from: SoCal250 on May 21, 2025, 10:02:07 PMFront brake components are finished too. Caliper and master are painted and rebuilt. Master also got new SS hardware on the cap and a NOS lever.
Unfortunately, the caliper has to come apart again (3rd time). The piston is sticking (stuck solid) in the bore. Not sure why, but the seal is binding. The bore, seal groove, and piston are completely clean with no corrosion, and the piston slides in and out smoothly without the seal. Install the new seal and once the piston is pushed in it's a no go. :uh what: Two steps forward, one step back.
Looks a lot better with the painted cover. Curious to know why the brake piston is sticking, I'll have to stay in tune. Sounds like a fitment tolerance issue between the seal,piston and caliper? Of course me being me I just got one of those cheap Chinese reproduction calipers for the 250/350's also not sure if they're available for the 400's.
Quote from: RDryan on May 23, 2025, 03:30:03 PMLooks a lot better with the painted cover. Curious to know why the brake piston is sticking, I'll have to stay in tune. Sounds like a fitment tolerance issue between the seal,piston and caliper? Of course me being me I just got one of those cheap Chinese reproduction calipers for the 250/350's also not sure if they're available for the 400's.
There are repro calipers available for the '76-78 RD400, but I'm working on a Daytona Special which uses unique one-year-only single piston calipers. Repops are not available.
Pretty sure my issue is seal related since there is good clearance without the seal between the piston and bore. Tempted to try the old seal but it's at least 20 yrs old and has a few blemishes in the rubber when viewed with a magnifying glass. Currently, with the new seal the interference is enough that 70-75psi compressed air will not budge it
Right engine cover is off and oil pump is removed. Clutch pack pulled and partially reassembled. Aiming to get the clutch finished up tomorrow, and then tackle the pump rebuild and few other things.
Also need to remeasure the clutch springs because the numbers i wrote down don't jive with the spec in the Yamaha manual or my tech notes.
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Quote from: SoCal250 on May 23, 2025, 04:21:40 PMQuote from: RDryan on May 23, 2025, 03:30:03 PMLooks a lot better with the painted cover. Curious to know why the brake piston is sticking, I'll have to stay in tune. Sounds like a fitment tolerance issue between the seal,piston and caliper? Of course me being me I just got one of those cheap Chinese reproduction calipers for the 250/350's also not sure if they're available for the 400's.
There are repro calipers available for the '76-78 RD400, but I'm working on a Daytona Special which uses unique one-year-only single piston calipers. Repops are not available.
Pretty sure my issue is seal related since there is good clearance without the seal between the piston and bore. Tempted to try the old seal but it's at least 20 yrs old and has a few blemishes in the rubber when viewed with a magnifying glass. Currently, with the new seal the interference is enough that 70-75psi compressed air will not budge it
It's interesting as I assume you would use a OEM replacement seal but know from experience that even a slight difference in size really can make a difference.
Quote from: SoCal250 on May 23, 2025, 10:21:35 PMAiming to get the clutch finished up tomorrow, and then tackle the pump rebuild and few other things.
Also need to remeasure the clutch springs because the numbers i wrote down don't jive with the spec in the Yamaha manual or my tech notes.
Got the clutch pack reassembled yesterday, so that's now done. Also went through and remeasured the springs to confirm the lengths I wrote down the other day, and they matched. Not sure what I have in there, but they're indeed longer than stock by about 2mm and darker color than OE. All measured between 38.12 and 38.60mm (OE spec is 35.4~36.4mm).
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And I got a little surprise when I removed the oil pump drive from the old clutch cover so I could swap it over. Fortunately I have a replacement pin on hand.
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I believe my engine was done by Gary at Spec2 around 2004-2005, just before I purchased it. Not sure who is responsible for the drill bit fabrication, but I would assume Gary did the springs when the engine work was done.
Nice!
Finally! A day with some progress and positive outcomes. :clap:
I pulled apart the clutch pack again and checked everything. Nothing looked out of place. This time I reassembled without the rubber cushions. And Eureka! Problem solved! I now have a firm clutch lever and just need to make some fine adjustment at the linkage set screw in the left cover. This is how I was expecting it to be after swapping plates.
For my second project I pulled apart the front brake caliper again. I measured and compared the old seal with a the new seal and another new OE seal fresh out of the package. All were almost exactly the same. Then I checked my piston for out-of-round and it was OK.
Next I polished the seal groove in the caliper with red scotchbrite, then did a little red scotchbrite inside the bore, followed by 1000 sandpaper and finally 1500. The piston just got a little 1500 treatment. After cleaning, I thought about reassembling with the old seal just to test things out, but after looking at it closely I didn't want a future leak. So I put the new seal in and did my usual assembly process. And everything is good now! Tested with 20psi air and the piston moves as expected. Another issue resolved, :cheerleader:
Howdy. I certainly wouldn't use those xs parts bin "specials"
Just my opinion. Plus I don't know what your end game is.
Thanks for showing your bike.
Quote from: rdshaw on June 01, 2025, 04:58:23 PMHowdy. I certainly wouldn't use those xs parts bin "specials"
Just my opinion. Plus I don't know what your end game is.
Thanks for showing your bike.
Hey Murray, haven't seen you around in a while.
Since this Daytona is far from stock, as it was was modified by its previous owner, I feel no obligation to retain "correct" OE bits on it. So I have some things planned for the refresh. :science:
Progress is still moving along slowly just haven't updated this thread in a while.
The oil pump was torn down, cleaned in the ultrasonic with two 20-min cycles, and then rebuilt.
Before:
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My 400 pump does not have the rear thumb wheel, so instead of two dowel pins and springs in the distributor it has only one long pin without a spring.
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Done, and ready to reinstall.
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One item on my long list was repacking the silencers, so today I had a moment to pull the baffles out of my pipes.
I think I discovered why one pipe was louder.
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Hoping to get some time tomorrow to clean, repack and then reassemble.
A little progress today. While some tasks took several steps backwards and one went all the way back to the drawing board, I was able to get the pipes repacked and reassembled. Just need to twist and tie down the safety wire.
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Got the pipes finished off with safety wire.
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But the other tasks I was working on all ended in roadblocks. One even had two alternate solutions also fail. :whatever: Because this bike is a 1-year-model and because it's been customized by a previous owner, nothing is easy or straight forward. The simplest task can turn into a month long headache. :bang:
Still making progress on this project, just haven't done any updates lately. I've been trying to keep pace with Tim.
One task that was finally finished today was the oil pump that I started working on, and finished a while back. Turned out it wasn't really done. :bang:
I went through three oil pumps getting the right one for this refresh. :rolleyes: The original had some strange internal wear and bluing after being disassembled, and did not function properly following a rebuild. (Further investigation and troubleshooting to occur at a later date.) So I had to find another one.
The 2nd pump, which I pulled from my inventory the other night showed signs of a hard life and poor storage. It was super dirty, rusty, and it could have been an old junkyard part. The distributor shaft was so rusted that it could not be pushed through the housing even with the rear seal removed and after polishing the tailshaft with scotchbrite and emery cloth. (Further work and rebuild to occur at a later date.) So I had to find another one.
The 3rd pump I pulled from my inventory came from a bike in Canada and looked to be in excellent condition. It was the winning candidate. And since it was from an earlier RD400 I was able to add a priming wheel to my 400F, which was not a stock feature in '79. :thumbs:
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I'm getting pretty good at tearing down pumps, swapping them out, and getting them shimmed and bled. :dawg:
On to the next task...(which I've already done, but just need to post it here)
Beautiful work :patriot: :patriot:
:clap:
Yesterday was the first fire-up after a long nap. This bike has been displayed in my living room for the past few years.
Started 3rd kick and only needed 1/4 turn of the throttle screws for a perfect idle.
So I decided to take it out for a quick putt around the neighborhood. Only did a little over a mile, but everything seemed pretty good. :celebrate:
Today, so-cal-sdr200 and another riding buddy rode over to my place for the initial shakedown ride. The Daytona did a successful 20 miles with only a couple small issues to resolve. I believe one is now fixed, as I did a post-ride modification of the shifter that will be tested tomorrow. Monday is another shake down ride.
When I have some time I'll fill in all the details about the refresh project and add some photos.
Spent all afternoon again on the Daytona.
Double-verified pump function and that oil was being emitted by each carb nozzle, (call me paranoid). All was good. :thumbs: Also added throttle slide opening marks to my handlebar for jetting checks.
Did another 27 miles of shakedown today after fixing my shifter issue. That problem is confirmed solved.
Tomorrow I'll be pulling the carbs again to tweak the pilot jetting. While I have the carbs apart I also need to check my right float & valve as the right carb seemingly decided to overflow while riding causing a bad burble on that cylinder as I was heading for home. Once parked in the driveway the overflow dribbled a little, which is a new issue. The carbs were just disassembled and ultrasonic cleaned a few days so the issue is strange, although I did note some unusual discoloration inside that valve seat even though it looked smooth and clean.
And I need to fill the rear brake system and bleed. That will include checking the rear caliper that may need a cleaning and inspection as it's been a while since I rebuilt it.
Quote from: SoCal250 on June 03, 2025, 11:39:10 AMQuote from: rdshaw on June 01, 2025, 04:58:23 PMHowdy. I certainly wouldn't use those xs parts bin "specials"
Just my opinion. Plus I don't know what your end game is.
Thanks for showing your bike.
Hey Murray, haven't seen you around in a while.
Since this Daytona is far from stock, as it was was modified by its previous owner, I feel no obligation to retain "correct" OE bits on it. So I have some things planned for the refresh. :science:
Despite repainting and rebuilding all the OE front brake components, I decided not to use them...
OK, here's the brake update I decided to do. This has been on my wish list for years. A few weeks ago I finally got around to making it happen with this recommissioning project.
I don't have a good "BEFORE" picture as I didn't think of it until I already had the fender and brake master off.
BEFORE:20250509_142423_resized.jpg
The disc was upgraded from 267mm to 298mm (3CW) from a 1990 Yamaha FJ1200. A custom spacer and SS bolts were added.
The front master was changed out for a 2018 Yamaha Zuma YW125 unit, which was refurbished with a new paint job, new lever, new cap, and new SS cap screws. The Zuma brake switch was modified to plug into the RD400 harness.
The OE single-piston caliper was changed out for a 4-piston (5DM) unit from a 5K-mile 2002 Yamaha YZFR6, and it was rebuilt with a new seal kit, pin, and EBC Double-H pads. The new caliper was mounted with a custom 0.500" bracket and new SS hardware.
In addition to the brake upgrade a RSW Racing fork brace was installed.
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AFTER:20250704_152642resized.jpg
Beautiful work!!! I love big brakes and I cannot lie!! :patriot: :patriot:
The big brake looks awesome, and probably works even better than it looks.
I love it! As MTV used to say: Too much is never enough!
(https://i.postimg.cc/63YWw0d4/image.jpg)
Quote from: 85RZwade on July 08, 2025, 08:44:02 PMI love it! As MTV used to say: Too much is never enough!
(https://i.postimg.cc/63YWw0d4/image.jpg)
Looks like great minds think alike :wink:
And it was actually Billy Idol who said that on MTV! :olaf:
Today I got the carbs pulled and installed new pilots along with a right side float valve. Idle was re-set and they were re-synced.
Also installed the new rear master banjo brake switch and got the brake system filled with DOT4 and bled.
And I put in a few more miles of shakedown, so just over 60 miles now since getting it running again. No major issues but I still need to tweak a few things, and find the source of a high speed vibration that comes in at about 55 or 60mph through 70+. I feel it through the seat and pegs but not really the bars, and it is not affected by pulling the clutch.
Tomorrow will be some more small follow-up items and additional road testing. :vroom:
Have your wheels been balanced?
Quote from: SDDaytona on July 09, 2025, 05:18:06 PMHave your wheels been balanced?
Yes, of course. I even rode it over to the shop that mounted/balanced the rear tire a few years ago to discuss it with them and get input. We checked over the suspension, fastener torque, confirmed wheel weights were still in place, etc., and didn't come up with any smoking gun. He offered to put the rear wheel on the balance machine again if I wanted to bring it in, which I may do if I don't find anything.
In a conversation I had earlier in the week with John at Economy he suggested wheel bearings, which I have not done on this bike. So, when I have some time I'll be popping in a new set since I already have them on hand.
Since this bike has been sitting for about a month it's time to get back at it. I was trying to get it ready for an event in early July but it wasn't at the point that I thought it was reliable for 100+ mile rides. I worked on it right up until 8pm the night before leaving and couldn't get it sorted enough. I was chasing a mysterious jetting issue that requires further investigation because it ran great several years prior in the same configuration with the jets I started the project with, so they shouldn't have needed changing. (Especially having to increase pilots several sizes.)
So, now that I have more time and I'm not facing a deadline I can start plugging away at the remaining items. It needs the following:
1) Investigate and correct source of vibration at high speed.
-Replace rear wheel bearings
-Verify rear wheel balance
-Check for runout on rear tire
2) Troubleshoot carb performance and jetting. Still doesn't run right below 1/4 throttle.
-Leak down test
-Re-jet
3) Repair transmission oil leaks. Some seals seem to have failed after getting it running again. Mostly on the left side, so I need to pull that engine cover to see exactly where it's coming from but I'm pretty certain the main culprit is the countershaft.
Install new seals:
-Countershaft and shift shaft
-Neutral switch O-ring
-Clutch pushrod?
-Kick starter
4) Investigate reason for slight runout in pressure plate. Without the clutch window I would never have known this was an issue, but I discovered that when the engine is running the pressure plate has a small wobble to it. Not sure if it's a concern or not.
Realized I never posted the before/after shots of the right side of the engine since I was still working on that when I posted the left photos back in May.
BEFORE:
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AFTER:
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And how the bike looks now following all the recent updates during the refresh.
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:clap: :nana: :vroom:
Here's the summary of all the work done so far on this refresh.
RD400F - 2025 REFRESH PROJECT, COMPLETED TASKS
CHASSIS & BRAKES
Front fender – installed new mounting hardware
Fork brace – installed new RSW Racing RD400F unit
Front brake – repainted and rebuilt OE front master and caliper. Then decided to install refurbished & rebuilt Zuma master, R6 caliper, & FJ1200 rotor with custom bracket and spacer, and all new hardware.
Brake switch, front – modified used OE Zuma switch to plug into RD400F harness
Switch assembly, right – repaired wire loom
Rearsets – replaced MotoCarrera set with 202 Racing set.
Rear brake – replaced OE brake master with CRF250/450 rear master that is integrated in 202 Racing rearsets. Deleted OE rear brake master, reservoir, pivot & push rod, return spring, & switch.
Brake switch, rear – installed Spiegler banjo bolt pressure switch, modified to plug into RD400F harness
ENGINE
Engine covers – replaced all 5 pieces with another refurbished set that was media blasted & repainted
Bolt kit – replaced all engine cover hardware with polished stainless Allen socket heads
Clutch window – installed Siberdyne kit in refurbished clutch cover
Oil pump – rebuilt OE pump. Then replaced with another rebuilt RD400 pump after finding issue with original.
Clutch – replaced frictions with new FZR1000 pieces
Carburetors – ultrasonic cleaned and rebuilt
Fuel hoses – replaced with new clear Tygon
Exhaust – repacked silencers
Looks great, well done :clap: I gotta good question for you regarding your modified front brake. So that Angry Bees meet up that was already posted in the events section but I sorted double posted in the General Chatter section...well anyways there was a hopped up RD400 that had a similar front brake mod but it was cleverly switched over to the other side. Why is that? Is it too keep things better balanced I guess with the rear brake already fixed to the right side? As if to keep the forces of braking canceling each other out so to speak?...I dunno just find it interesting.
Quote from: RDryan on August 11, 2025, 04:54:51 PMLooks great, well done :clap: I gotta good question for you regarding your modified front brake. So that Angry Bees meet up that was already posted in the events section but I sorted double posted in the General Chatter section...well anyways there was a hopped up RD400 that had a similar front brake mod but it was cleverly switched over to the other side. Why is that? Is it too keep things better balanced I guess with the rear brake already fixed to the right side? As if to keep the forces of braking canceling each other out so to speak?...I dunno just find it interesting.
He used an RD350 front end which has the caliper mounted in front of the fork, so he swapped the fork legs in order to place the caliper on the rear for better handling (move weight lower and back) and for appearance.
Ahh I see that makes perfect sense. Duh, I have my stock RD so I should know that about the caliper location.
Quote from: RDryan on August 11, 2025, 08:25:05 PMAhh I see that makes perfect sense. Duh, I have my stock RD so I should know that about the caliper location.
And just an FYI in case you're getting any wild ideas :dawg: if you switch fork legs to move the caliper to the rear you'll end up with the speedo drive on the wrong side and spinning backwards, bringing all the issues that entails. :twocents:
Looks great. How did you attach the caliper bracket to the fork? Nut on the backside of the fork tabs?
Beautiful work!!! :patriot: :patriot:
Quote from: SDDaytona on August 11, 2025, 11:55:22 PMLooks great. How did you attach the caliper bracket to the fork? Nut on the backside of the fork tabs?
Thanks. Yes, M10 A2 stainless nylon lock nuts
Quote from: Kawtriplefreak on August 11, 2025, 11:59:23 PMBeautiful work!!! :patriot: :patriot:
Thanks Tim :cheers:
Just trying to somewhat keep pace with the goings on in your shop (but I seem to be drastically slipping behind) :dawg:
I am still working at it...one day that shop will be cleaned out and organized. It has come a long way but has a long way to go.
Quote from: SoCal250 on August 11, 2025, 08:50:37 PMQuote from: RDryan on August 11, 2025, 08:25:05 PMAhh I see that makes perfect sense. Duh, I have my stock RD so I should know that about the caliper location.
And just an FYI in case you're getting any wild ideas :dawg: if you switch fork legs to move the caliper to the rear you'll end up with the speedo drive on the wrong side and spinning backwards, bringing all the issues that entails. :twocents:
OK good to know :thumbs: I would love to do that someday but for now my RD doesn't scare me enough to be wanting more stopping power.
Quote from: SoCal250 on August 09, 2025, 06:26:16 PMRealized I never posted the before/after shots of the right side of the engine since I was still working on that when I posted the left photos back in May.
BEFORE:
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AFTER:
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And how the bike looks now following all the recent updates during the refresh.
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Very cool! Has anyone tried the clear clutch window mod on the RD350?