Finally Arrived!

[TrafGib]

My SRX-6 finally arrived this past Tuesday. After traveling for two weeks in a transport truck, it fired up first kick! Well pleased. I was able to get the state inspection taken care of yesterday morning. This allowed me to get the title transferred over to my name, and get an "Antique Motorcycle" license plate for it. In Texas, any vehicle past 25 years of age qualifies. I wish they would use "Classic" or "Vintage", rather than "Antique", but such is the government.

We had a bit of rain yesterday which cooled things off enough to make getting out in the shop bearable. This bike is mechanically sound, and well taken care of, but it was not in the hands of someone that practiced a habit of highly detailing the bike. As such, I have a lot of cleaning and polishing to do. In the end, it will make for an excellent bike to have in the collection.

To get started on the journey, I cleaned and polished the headers. Much better now!

[Peter-D]

Great appearance!

Almost showroom-condition

(brakelines  )

Cheers
Peter

[TrafGib]

Great appearance!

Almost showroom-condition

(brakelines  )

Cheers
Peter

It shows well from a distance. Up close, it needs some love. Mostly, the wheels have the gray corrosion that needs to be cleaned and polished. Most of what is on the engine is fortunately just dirt and grime, I am finding out. Very little on the clear-coated side cases. There is a bit of corrosion on the tops of the shocks. All in all, nothing that some sweat, time, and polish can't improve or remedy.

The biggest issue is the paint on the fuel tank. Only one tiny dimple of a dent, but a fair number of nicks in the paint. The "YAMAHA" badges on the tank were well worn, so I removed them. Sadly, there was just enough of a gap, behind the badges, that dirt had accumulated, corroded, and made rust spots.

Being that the bike is 100% original, I have been hesitant to consider painting it. As they say, a bike is only original once. However, I am a bit OCD on quality and appearance, so I am stuck with one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat as I consider paint.

Regarding your comment, what about "brakelines"? Upgrade? Replace? That likewise conflicts with "all original" versus "tasteful upgrades".

[wergan]

There are steel flex brake lines covered in black rubber available, that can hardly be told from the original ones but give you much better control. Since all motorcycle manufacturers instruct users to periodically exchange the brake hoses, this could be a good consideration.
I own a 1975 BMW 75/6 and converted the old, all-rubber hoses to black look-alike steel-flex lines: a big increase in braking reliability, no big deal in appearance.
Hope you will have fun with your SRX. Consider this: SRX Rüdiger: Der Termin 2023 ist vom 2. - 4. Juni. Weitere Infos folgen

[TrafGib]

There are steel flex brake lines covered in black rubber available...

Thanks for the tip. Compared to drum brakes, on my other bikes, these are great. However, for dual-discs, they are not spectacular. New hoses would probably be a worthwhile upgrade.

[Peter-D]

Yamaha recommended to replace the lines every 4 years (not fourty  )

Chapter 6-5 Owners manual

   

I would guess they were well matured at the age of 12.
Even if now available,genuine Yamaha parts might have spend that amount of time in the warehouse.
So it makes no sense to insist on genuinity.

Cheers
Peter

[Jörg Dümpelmann]

In spite of the little corrosion: a very nice bike.
I wish you lots of fun with your new baby :-)

[TrafGib]

In spite of the little corrosion: a very nice bike.
I wish you lots of fun with your new baby :-)

Thank you. Well pleased to have it.

---

Yamaha recommended to replace the lines every 4 years (not fourty  )

Good to know. Appears to be a worthwhile, and safer, investment. Among the many users, has a preferred brand of aftermarket lines surfaced?

[LucaGregory]

Spiegler. Eigentlich hätte ich ja Melvin empfohlen, die sind aber leider in den Ruhestand gegangen. 

Gruß Oliver

[cr]

Good to know. Appears to be a worthwhile, and safer, investment. Among the many users, has a preferred brand of aftermarket lines surfaced?

No one here has ever had to report a burst brake line on an SRX due to age. So you can take it easy there. A well vented brake system brakes excellently even with the old rubber lines and as long as they are not cracked I would not have any concerns. The advantage of Stahlflex is the harder pressure point at the pump, because the line can not stretch. Who puts value on original remains with the lines of anno 1986.
In any case, however, worth the complete disassembly of the brake system with cleaning and rebuild. As a rule, no new rubbers for brake pump and calipers must be purchased as long as they are still in perfect condition. I then also always convert the System to silicone DOT5 brake fluid. Only those of Schöbel or "Mike Sanders". With BelRay the rubbers swell.

cheers Chris

[TrafGib]

No one here has ever had to report a burst brake line on an SRX due to age. So you can take it easy there. A well vented brake system brakes excellently even with the old rubber lines and as long as they are not cracked I would not have any concerns. The advantage of Stahlflex is the harder pressure point at the pump, because the line can not stretch. Who puts value on original remains with the lines of anno 1986.
In any case, however, worth the complete disassembly of the brake system with cleaning and rebuild. As a rule, no new rubbers for brake pump and calipers must be purchased as long as they are still in perfect condition. I then also always convert the System to silicone DOT5 brake fluid. Only those of Schöbel or "Mike Sanders". With BelRay the rubbers swell.

cheers Chris

Thank you for the feedback Chris. The brake hoses, and all of the rubber, on this bike look great. I don't think this bike has spent much time in the sun. I know some rubber degrades from just being in any light. I have service records on this bike showing that the brake fluids were flushed and replaced in March of this year. Unfortunately, I don't see notes as to what type or brand of brake fluid was used.