1983 Time Machine Yamaha XJ750 Maxim

The year was 1983. Michael Jackson was atop the Billboard charts, MTV was still watchable, National Lampoon’s Vacation was opening in theaters, The Jedi had returned and Ronald Regan had a brown suit on.

It was an amazing time. It was the best of times.
Somewhere in the world two young parents were delivering their third and final child. This child was to be the coolest cat that ever was, and would turn the game on its ear. At the same time Yamaha was putting together a monster of a machine, a 1983 Yamaha XJ750 Maxim.



This thunderous machine would change the world almost as much as that young baby boy.

Now, at present time it is 2013. Cars still do not fly, Madonna is still trying to pass herself off as 20 something, Michael J. Fox cannot keep still, our president is black and it isn’t Morgan Freeman. Worst of all time travel has STILL not been opened to the public.

Things have changed, and you long for days of yore. If only the Pentagon would declassify time travel we could go back to a more simple time when things were better, hair was bigger and pants were leatherier.

Oh but wait! I have something that may scratch that itch! It’s a type of time machine, and much more affordable than a Delorean souped up by Doc Brown. Best of all you don’t have to worry about the Butter Fly Effect. Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you THE 1983 Yamaha XJ750 Maxim. Modified for maximum cool this machine is bound to attract the opposite sex while you ride it. It will transport you and all that view it to a time when men were men and acid washed jeans were not only acceptable but required for entrance into some clubs. You will feel like Prince from Purple Rain. Who doesn’t want to be like Prince? If you haven’t seen purple rain...I don’t know what to tell you. Go purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

What’s that? You are a hipster and you don’t actually want to go all the way back to the early 80’s? Well that is fine. With modern touches like the LED turn signals, brake light, updated shocks and springs you can remind yourself that you are so over everything that is not obscure as you ride through the city with your retro helmet to the coffee shop. With the perfect blend of cafe/bobber styling all your hipster friends will be ironically jealous of you.
The synthetic Ostrich peanut butter leather seat looks so much like leather. But it’s not. It’s synthetic. I just said that. Why weren’t you listening? I am trying to help you here. Pay attention. Anyway, the seat is synthetic ostrich skin that way you can still be vegan and look down on people who wear leather shoes. Not vegan? Tell people its leather. No one will know. This is the bike for you stop questioning it.

This Maxim comes with a brand new clutch and oil. With this brand new clutch you can do burnouts with ease. More plates than Home Goods are soaked in the fresh Royal Purple motorcycle oil creating a smooth engagement and easy gear changes. The front brake lines were upgraded to stainless steel so that while you burn rubber in protest of the establishment you can be sure your front wheel won’t let you slip. Like a boss. NGK classic spark plugs with fresh wires make sure just enough gas is ignited to make the bike scream while the rest is expelled into the air to let everyone around know that you are a boss.

Woodcraft three piece handle bars clamp firmly to the front shocks giving you the perfect stance as you check your reflection out in store plate glass as you scream down the boulevard. You attractive hipster/non hipster you.

A 1981 Seca gas tank makes your XJ stand out from the crowd in an ironic way...or not. It has been stripped of all paint and been allowed to patina. Not in a rusty VW way, but an ironic I am a drifter and I don’t have time for paint type of way. Have you seen that Ryan Gosling movie “A Place Beyond The Pines’? If he was riding this bike he would have not been caught. Oops did I spoil the movie for you? Well buy this time machine of a bike and go back in time and don’t read that part. You are so smart. Why didn’t I think of that??

Do you have an annoying girlfriend that always wants to be around you? Well with this bike the cafe racer style full steel seat pan has only space for your two cheeks. That’s right boys. She has to stay at home and it ain’t your fault. Tell her meet your there.

Do you have a clingy boyfriend? Well with this bike the cafe racer style full steel seat pan has only space for your two cheeks. It was never painted and allowed to patina in a totally non VW way. So ironic Alanis Morrisette (she’s Canadian). Just enough surface rust to make you look dangerous. So tell your boyfriend to walk. You have no space for his cheeks. Ungh.

Listen. If you have gotten to this point and you have not been convinced that you MUST have this bike you probably like your desk job. You probably wear faded dress shirts to work and have issues with acid reflux from all the coffee you drink. Is your 401K part of your daily conversation? Maybe you drive a Toyota Corolla, but not in an ironic way. My friend your hipster/biker/toughguy/girl image is in question. If you want to get any respect from your boss you need this bike. If you want a promotion you need this bike. If you want to LIVE...that’s right you are getting the picture!

Wait, you don’t have a MC license? It doesn’t matter. You are an outlaw. You are rugged and rough. People lock their car doors when you saunter past. Haven’t you seen Sons of Anarchy? SINCE WHEN DOES ANARCHY FOLLOW RULES? Last time I checked having a motorcycle license is following rules.

Maybe you don’t deserve this bike.
Your kids don’t respect you and neither does your significant other.

Wait you don’t have kids? It doesn’t matter. They still don’t respect you. As a matter of fact I don’t have kids either and THEY don’t respect you. They have not even been conceived yet but they plan to not respect you because of your khakis and your lack of facial hair.

“How can I gain your unborn children’s respect?” You ask sheepishly.

I’m glad you asked. I am here to help. I only want the best for you. In order for my unborn children to look upon you with any sort of respect you need to buy this bike.

If you act now I will throw in a brand new Seca chin spoiler, spare carburetors, and four pod filters for only and extra $200!!! (not literally, I will probably hand them to you or let you pick them up with your own two hands. Unless you are handicapped in which case(no disrespect intended) you should not be riding a motorcycle. That is pretty irresponsible.)

Insane right?

“Why would you do this for me? I barely know you man?!?!”

Well I’m glad you asked. You see it’s like this: Remember way back in the beginning of this ad I was talking about a little baby boy born in 1983? He turned out to be the coolest guy ever? That is me. I am that cool guy. It’s what I do.

No need to thank me...No really it’s my pleasure.

You’re welcome.















Air shocks like a boss.


A rearview mirror so you can see the future as you go back into time.





A video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95068106@N08/10331967625/

$2,500 OBO

 

That price is more than a tad optimistic. Especially in the fall.

I don't see "valves shimmed" in the dissertation. Did you ever check the valve clearances?

 

What is your appreciation of these RFY rear shocks?

 

sorry to tell ya

 

A bit steep on the price, but a cool read.

 

Nice write up and photography!

GLWTS

 

Hey friend. This last go around I didnt shim the valves. The engine runs smooth so I didnt want to open the motor up and release its mojo.

I totally understand the concern over the price:
1. It is a time machine. Hard to price those.
2. Price is negotiable.

Thanks for looking friends.
P.S. I dont get the Leopard joke but I like humor and Leopards so thanks for the post either way!

 

I used to live in Beaver Falls Pa too. Small world.

Thanks friend.

 

I love them. With this seat after about 2 hours of riding you start to wish they were a bit softer. But the bound/rebound is on point.

 

Saw this time machine a few weeks ago being piloted south down 611 in North Philadelphia. Pilot wearing a three piece suit and a red #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr helmet. Speed up to take a closer look and but got stuck in traffic. Bike is definitely unique.

 

I looked at the pics again in case I was being too harsh to begin with. Nope.

I can't believe he posted closeups of the horribly corroded ignition cover and too-long upper brake hose snaking around the headlight bracket like they're selling points. The more I look at the poor thing, the more irritated I get.

That price would only work if the bike were bone-stock and had SS lines (done right) and premium tires and shocks. And shiny alloy bits.

As is, all the hacking and modding (at least the airbox and exhaust collector survived) and paint stripping, etc., had done is LOWERED the value of the bike significantly. You can't just yank the front fender without replacing the brace. Missing side covers aren't a "feature" they're a blemish unless something creative is done to replace them. Corrosion and rust aren't selling points. It's not a "time machine" nobody hacked them up that bad back in the day. (I was there.)

Sorry to say, as it sits it might fetch $800 if it runs ok.

 

Haha that was definitely me. Thanks!

 

I like you. You speak your mind.
Sadly this bike is not for you. I will do my best to keep my future children from disrespecting you in person, but I can make no garauntees. Enjoy your Khakis.

 

Thanks for the answer. I consider putting two of them (red ones) on my Seca900.

 

i saved that picture for a few weeks, you should feel privileged i used it on your post
i call bikes like this " interesting", i'll look at a bike like this at a bike night longer that a restored whatever or a chromed out chopper thing.
granted it's a lot of time and work but really anyone can do it, it's just a matter of how far into the details they went.
but one in this condition that runs like a Timex is rare, a story behind every scratch and ding. usually the only ones i see are Harleys and BMW's. because the owners ride them hard and put them away wet then ride them some more. if it brakes they fix it but don't wipe off the oily finger prints. they keep them in the driveway not the living room.
what this one needs is some age on all that shiny stuff to match the rest of it, it looks confused. is it getting old or new?
you'll never get that much for it

 

How do you maintain light rust, but in a non- VW kinda way ??

You should list it on E-Bay in the spring,
if it doesn't sell, paint it Kenny Roberts yellow.
You'll get $2,500

http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/TIMEt ... 1.jpg.html

 

Thanks man. I enjoy good humored ribbing obviously. I don't expect to get my asking especially on a forum dedicated to the bike. But it's a starting place. I would be forlorn to start at what I expected to get. This give me some wiggle room. The way negotiation works is you start high and the buyer comes in low. Then by the end of the session if the person wants it you two have met in the middle. Pretty much everyone who has commented on the price has no interest in the bike so it is an exercise in semantics at this point. BUT at the advent of a truly interested party negotiations will fly I'm sure. But I totally agree. Obviously by the responses elicited already there are two distinct groups. The restore and maintain, and the modification group. I love both. This is the first time I have built a bike like this and I love it. It gets as much hatred and anger as displayed by bigfitz52 (who I imagine is a charming older gentleman in person despite his crotchety shots) as it does love. Either way I enjoy all kinds of bikes as well as riders. This is the last bike I "built" for the track. Quite a 180* turn!

If you ride fast enough the rust doesn't get a chance to form. I can assure you there is not a harder ridden bike on this forum as I daily ride this bike to work down route 309 which is quite a fun highway, followed by a few twisty back roads. The only thing I seriously pay attention to on this bike is the engine, brakes, and suspension. The looks are not something that really need to be maintained. I don't wash the bike or wipe it down. If it sells it sells. If not I will continue to ride it hard. I don't really like selling large items on Ebay. It's more of a hassle than anything in my expirience.

 

ditch the royal purple, thats the reason fpr your clutch slipping (or is also a contributing factor)

castrol 4t 20w-50

new plug wires? lets see a pic.

 

The clutch no longer slips! Holds great after I adjusted the engagement and drained the Castrol.

Are you interested in the bike? I will send you some pictures if you are.
Otherwise there are plenty of pictures in the thread to be made fun of!

 

Buyer left a deposit then backed out. This thing is still for sale at best offer.

 

These bikes are just not meant to be hacked......it belongs back in the dilapidated barn it came out of....to re-appear with a new price tag on it

Is that a mailbox behind the seat......???

Sorry, Obeewon but that is just my opinion.....no disrespect by any means....

Just ribbing you a little.....

Good luck in getting your price......your other bike is nice looking....

I am presently looking for a Yamaha VMax myself to add to my collection...

 

Ha it does kind of look like a mail box.
I don't mind a ribbing, however that was disrespectful, and we know what is said about opinions.

There are only two cuts on this entire bike. If for some reason someone wants to return it to stock it is very possible. I also have ALL the stock items. I also forgot to mention I have a reproduction lower chin spoiler from the Seca to go with the bike.



Last night a woman in her 70's asked me for a ride on the back.
This bike is guaranteed to get you mature ladies!

 

Good luck selling it. Personally I wouldn't sell it. It's not like 800 bucks or whatever is that much money. I think it's cool. Like those rat rods I always see at car shows. It does need some kind of fabbed up side covers though.

 

sold.

I have some oem factory parts that the owner did not take if anyone is interested in them.

I also have a set of carbs.

Thanks for looking guys!