I ran into a friend of mine last night that is a motorcycle guy. I told him I had signed-up for the MSF course and was looking around for a bike. He told me he had a 1982 Yamaha Maxim 650 with only 12,000 miles on it. He bought a HD and hasn't ridden the Yamaha for a while. He is going to take it for a ride and check it over to make sure everything is still in good shape. He says the bike was always well maintained and he thought it would be a good first bike. I was worried about buying used since I've never had a bike before, so I feel better about buying from somebody I can trust. Just wanted to know what people here think about this as a first bike. Anyone have/had one and what do you think about it?

Thanks

That's an old bike and it will have some odd problems, but The XJ motor in and of itself is a great piece of machinery, it is reliable, powerful, and very trustworthy. (although I've managed to distroy two 750's now).

Once you get the hang of riding and you feel that you need something bigger and faster, the bike can REALLY be improved on with a few performance enhancements, and the differance may even suprise you.
Then once you've gotten past that and want a new bike and let that one sit in the garage for a while, you'll sell that Maxim, go on with your life, and sooner, or later, you'll start looking for one just like your old one.
They're great bikes, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to you (although I may be a little partial :) )

I agree that is a good choice for a first bike. They are quick but not overly powerful for a first timer. Also with buying used you can learn to tinnker with a bike on your own instead of paying 70-100 dollars an hour for someone else to have all the fun.That was my first bike and i wish i still had it :D As long as he doesn't want to much for it i say JUST DO IT. B)

Thanks for the advice. My friend called me today and said the bike started right up for him. He checked it over and took it for a ride. He said the front breaks worked but felt a little spongy. Everything else looked and sounded good. He offered me the bike for $400, so I'll have money to get the breaks checked out. I'm going to take a look at it on Thursday and I'm sure I'll hand him the money for the bike. Now I just need to find out which weekend I'll take the safety course so I can start riding.

I am also signed up for a motorcycle course come late April...
I bought the XJ650 as my first bike and I have had a blast learning how to ride on it as well as fixing it up... It is very easy to ride although a little heavier then I expected. I have also noticed that although it can go slow for you it can still really get up an go too.

Have fun and welcome to the family! :D