Turbocharging my 82 XJ650 Maxim

Ok so heres the deal guys. I have an 82 Maxim 650 with a little over 6,000 miles and in near perfect condition other than a small dent in the tank. I love the bike but it could certainly use more power. So today I found an 82 Seca turbo 650 and bought it. It has 12,000 miles, new tires, a power up kit, and is in damn good condition for the year. It has minor surface rust on the exhaust and the shocks but nothing major. It supposedly ran when parked but I dont know how long ago thats been. It is complete other than lower side fairings, title, and keys. So I figure what the hay I might as well make my little maxim have some boost. I have searched and searched but so far I havent found anyone who has done the swap as of yet. I plan on hotwiring the bike and getting it to run decently and then swapping all of the parts over. I intend on using the harness and all of the electronics from the seca on my maxim although the ugly instrument panel has to go. I hate that thing with a passion. I am going to install the entire front fork and triple tree assy on the maxim along with the rear rim, swingarm, and shocks. What I am wondering is what mods would be good while I have everything apart? I have a nice triumph exhaust can that would look nice on the bike and I have heard of several people removing the right side pipe altogether. Does anyone know anything about doing that? At the moment I dont know if I am going to keep the stock turbo or upgrade it to the 9a or whatever it is. I plan on putting on an aftermarket air filter and probably a small intercooler but aside from that I want the bike to appear mostly stock-ish. I intend on installing a tank from an xj750 for the added fuel capacity, either some flat bars or clip ons, and a small cafe racer style fairing. I have read about doing an xj900 top end swap but I dont really think I want to tackle that right now. I intend on starting the project this week and once I figure out how to post pics I will have some up for everyone to see.

 

You officially got the easy part done!

That would be: "Telling us about it!"

Now comes the sweat and blood. Some of the adventure is going to go smooth as silk. The landmines are the same for everybody.

Soft steel Cap Screws on Cylinder Head Manifolds that tend to break.
Soft steel Studs with rusted-on Nuts on the Exhaust Collars that tend to break.
Exhaust system hardware not moved an inch in 25 years that strip and break.
Pipes that won't want to come out of the collector and need a fight.

Other than that, Mrs. Kennedy, how'd you like your visit to Dallas?

Do pix all the way.
Everybody is going to be interested in this project!

Good Luck!
Oz fishally givvin yuh boaf tums aup!
Gits yer Mo-Jo woikin' ann build you a bike!
Wheeze all behine yuh tuh gidd-id-own!

 

Can anyone shed some light on these sorry pieces of engineering known as a pressurized petcock and carbs. Are most of the internals like normal mikuni bs series or are they all ascrew inside?

 

They are like Mikini's. The Jets are different and the Air Jets are placed in another location.

The operation and theory remains the same.
But, the Mikuni Air Jets are on the Intake Horn rather than under the Rubber Diaphragm.

 

Maybe this will help:

 

i would love to turbo my 1100, anybody know if those engines can handle boost?

 

So today i tore the turbo bike all apart. Believe it or not all of the exhaust bolts came out without any problems. Im going to paint the engine and then throw it in the maxim as it is. It only has 12,000 miles and pulling it out isnt that big of a deal so I'll risk it. The turbo has a little side play but itll have to work for right now. If I blow it up it will just be a reason to upgrade. The carbs are varnished to oblivion right now so they are going to need some attention. Hopefully they wont need too much. I am going to flush the fuel pump out really good and hope for the best as it looks like finding another one will be a pain in the butt. The petcock is screwed. Can anyone point me in the right direction for a rebuild kit for it? I hope they still make them. Aside from that I have a lot of painting and turd polishing to do. I intend on using the seca turbo harness with the maxim handlebar controls and guages so I may have some wiring to fiddle with. From the looks of it I am just going to throw the turbo front fork assy in as a unit and get around to rebuilding and strengthening it later. I think the bike will be a good deal lighter without all of the plastic fairing crap so maybe it wont handle so bad. Now all I need is a bunch of time, a xj750 gas tank, petcock rebuild kit, and a bunch of carb cleaner and hoses. I cant wait till I get the old girl together and have it screaming at 9000 rpm at 15lbs of boost.

 

The turbo fuel tanks are vented differently than all other XJ tanks, probably for reasons that have to do with the fuel system.......

 

Yeah I think I will have to seal the gas cap very well cause l think the boost pressurizes the tank.

 

The tank absolutely does not become pressurized, it vents like any other. The only thing that goes to it is the return fuel from the pressure regulator.

I admire your work ethic, but I think changing the cosmetics on the turbo to suit your tastes would be a whole hell of a lot easier than doing a transplant to your maxim.

As for turbocharging an 1100....

Nothing Exceeds Like XS

 

Un-freakin'-real!
What a MONSTER!

Nice work and craftsmanship all over that bike.
It looks like they come that way!

Beautiful ride. Magnificent is a better word.
I'm blown away buy the looks of the thing!

My hats off to you, 'Mate!

 

Well I'm glad the tank is not pressurized. As far as doing the swap, it shouldnt be that bad. I've done more challenging swaps and I have the means to fabricate about anything. Also the seca didnt have a title and my maxim has a clear title and has a huge amount of sentimental value as it was my late grandfathers bike. Plus I think it would be really cool to have a turboed maxim. I hate the way the seca turbo looks. My dream would be my 650 sitting on spokes with flat bars, a nice gloss black paint job on the tank and fenders, a nice stainless exhaust, and lots and lots of boost.

 

http://www.motad.co.uk/product.php?prod ... ete+System

Stainless

 

I like the looks of that system. Too bad they dont make aftermarket pipes for the turbo bikes. I have a nice triumph can that I think will work with some mods. Hey you dont know where I can get a petcock rebuild kit do u? All I can find is a new oem petcock for $115. Which I'm tempted to buy but I dont really need the whole darn thing

 

talk to chacal... the man should be able to find you something that'll work

 

I would love to see more pics of that XS11. I like the stock tank.

 

After letting my bike sit for months on end in many pieces I have got the motivation to work on it some more.

Today I installed the seca turbo front end with the dual slotted discs. Looks much much better. I plan on buying some ss braided brake lines and Im sure the 26 year old rubber lines arent very good at all.

I am keeping my stock front fender which bolted to the new forks just fine but it is at a crazy angle....like 3 inches clearance on the front and like 2cm clearance at the rear. Thats not gonna work.

I started to make the mounting holes larger so I can correct the angle but my crappy rechargeable drill died. Its charging now so it will be ready in the morning.

I took the bowls off the turbo carbs and believe it or not they arent too bad. Not nearly as bad as I suspected. I am going to tear them down completely tomorrow and clean them thoroughly.

I still need a petcock kit and oring but I have a whole bunch more work ahead of me to worry about that right now.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the carbs straightened out, removing the centerstand mounts, installing the turbo mount & maybe the centerstand mounts from the seca turbo, and swapping out the rear wheel and brakes.

I should have current pics tomorrow. The little maxim sure is looking meaner with the wider front tire and dual discs from the seca. Im sure it will look even better when I get the rear wheel swapped over.

I'm trying to make the bike look as stock as possible so the little kids on their 600's will really get embarrassed as the "grandpa" bike comes flying by them.

 

Love to get my hands on that swingarm!

 

turbos on cars TAKE A SEPERATE LARGE OIL LINE TO LUBE THEM... how does your turbo get OIL TO IT ? can you add that to your engine from the old one ???????????????????????????

 

That's why I am using the xj650lj turbo Seca engine. It has the oil feed line and return line fittings on the lower crankcase. No other xj engines have the provisions for turbo oil lines. I am sure you could rig one up fairly easily by tapping into the oil supply going to the head but you'd be better off just getting the turbo motor as it has lower compression and much stronger internals.