Introduction / Opinions . . .

My name is Jason. I hail from Southern Louisiana. I have been a previous owner of 2 motorcycles: Kawasaki EN500 (too uncomfortable and fiancee thought she would enjoy two-up riding) and a 2004 Yamaha Road Star (when fiancee decided two-up riding wasn't for her I wanted to get a smaller bike).

I am currently looking at a 1983 Yamaha 550 Maxim (http://houma.craigslist.org/mcy/4703196514.html). I should be able to touch and physically look at it tomorrow.

I called a local motorcycle shop and talked to the owner about these motorcycles. He explained that for the era the XJ's are extremely reliable (however are currently "ancient"). He does not sell motorcycles. He only works on them, so I prefer to ask him questions...plus...he and his shop hands/mechanics are the only people (besides myself and my father) that I trust with my motorcycles.

I am looking for opinions on the current owners asking price. I also found some info on this forum already on making sure that VIN numbers all check out. I am also going to look at the brake lines tomorrow to check the manufactured ages of them. I was thinking of offering him much less (around $800) to see if the owner would bite.

Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to the forum. What I would do is to make an educated offer, sometimes by asking questions you educate the seller along the way. Here is what I would ask:
When is the last time valves where checked?
When is the last time the brake system was redone (pads, shoes, brake lines, master cylinder rebuilt or replaced)?

When is the last time the carbs where serviced and what was done to them?

When is the last time the petrooster was rebuilt?

How old are the tires?

Those answers will give you a general idea of how well maintained the bike has been besides changing oil, spark plugs and battery.

All those things have to be up-to-date so you have a reliable and safe bike.

The more things that have not been done are yhings that will cost you and would lower the value of the bike.

If NOTHING on those questions has been done I would not offer more than $500 assuming that the engine has good compression and the frame is solid.

That is just my hummble opinion.

 

Is there a good way to check for compression without any specific tools?

I have asked about the tires. Acoording to the owner they are a few years old.

I honestly, would love to buy an XJ already done in the style I want (bobber/chopper). I really, really like the one thejewishguy had up for sale, but not sure if it is still available. Plus, he is in Miami and I work 5.5 days a week.

 

ecologito,
Just wanted to keep you and the rest of the forum members from feeling too much like a mushroom.

I texted the owner of the XJ all of these questions and his answer was that he has had the bike a few years and only rode it a few times. Then stating that not much maintenance needed to be done because of that. I totally disagree with that statement. He is not the original owner and doesn't know what the previous owner has done to the motorcycle. He does claim to have run the engine monthly to "keep the fluids flowing". What that means is that the motorcycle probably didn't get run properly for the last three years because it probably didn't reach proper oil temperature, nor pressures. He replaced the battery this year, but needs to be replaced again. It also needs clutch and choke cables. He has dropped from $1100 down to $750 in the little bit of time I have talked to him.

 

Just be aware that doing all the maintenance and probable replacement items needed (brakes, etc.) is going to run you at least $500, and that's if you do the work yourself. Double that if you farm out the work. Old bikes (no matter how low the mileage) that have not been properly maintained are, at this age, due for a "mini-overhaul" mechanically-speaking. Not trying to run you off, just giving you a heads-up. If you can't bite that big of a bullet, I would shy away, as you might end up with something poorly maintained that's about to break (or break you!).

BTW, 1983 is a pretty rare year for that model.

 

Thank you, chacal.

Rare can be both good and bad.

Is it so rare that I should worry about parts drying up soon?

 

Glad to hear,

If the PO says that he has not done much he can't vouch for the PO owner to him. Listen to Len's advise as well. Since there is no proof of any maintenance done a lot of catching up will be required.

I am glad to hear that now you can make a more educated offer if you decide to pull the trigger and to do the job yourself. Between all the knowledge in this forum and Len providing parts and instructions you could be on the way to having a great bike if you are methodical and willing to wrench a LOT!

 

I am willing, but I am extremely nervous about my ability (I lack confidence). I have a set of metric sockets and wrenches, but I am worried more about specialized tools that I will need to get some of these jobs done. I have changed my own oil in my last two motorcycles. I wish I could say that I did more. I have a really great group of older friends that (fortunately and unfortunately) did the work to my other motorcycles when I really just wanted their help and guidance. It was always an extremely nice gesture and I was extremely appreciative, but I sure as hell would have loved the experience.

 

The 81-83 are mechanically identical at least according to the manual. Parts are cheap and easy to find, relatively speaking. Maintenance is simple even for a novice mechanic. Anything requiring specialty tools can usually be farmed out to a shop but you'll save some money doing everything but the specialty work. I bought my 550 around 6 years ago and my heart has seldom strayed. It is a small bike but it packs a lot of power into such a small frame. I can only imagine how it'll perform with a proper tune up. Best of luck.

 

Thank you, ImmPoser.

 

I was able to go look at the motorcycle today. Honestly, the owner would either have to give it to me or pay me to take it. I couldn't get the clutch to pull in and even tried moving the arm and it would not budge. I also could not get the rear brake lever to budge. The bike was not running correctly at the time I looked at the motorcycle and the owner could not get it to run continuously. I think the motorcycle has some carb and vacuum problems. He put Sea Foam in the gas before I got there to try to "fix" the problems he was having. The frame seemed to be pretty solid for its age. He also kept telling me how he was not mechanically inclined, but how he rebuilt trucks and ATVs.

So, I am not part of the XJ family, but still hoping to be.