'82 XJ750 Maxim Build Summary + Links to Tech threads

in the summer it's 50/50. I was never there in the winter, probably more like 80/20.
take some tools for the self-serve bargins

 

Will do.

I have some unfortunate news it seems. It looks like a.) my frame has bent from sitting on this jack so long. Or b.) I know the bike had been laid down before I got it but...It's twisted. I feel like I would have noticed it.

New frame?

 

I'm still scratching my head about the frame. I don't really know what to do about it, or how it happened. I hope it's something I just overlooked, because the bike rode well back in September, even at highway speeds. Suggestions welcome. Here's a picture of the tank I'm definitely going with. I need to get the fitment right but I think it's going to look great, and the petcock is on the proper side already!

 

can you get a different angle picture, that seems like a strange place to bend a frame

 

Sure, here's some more. Hopefully these show up better.



Definitely going to keep the fender instead of buying a brace and running without it. Working on shortening it, but wanting to round it off.

I will probably use some sort of semi-circle template at the front and back so that it's rounded.

 

it's been awhile since i had a maxim but there was a strange looking bend in the frame there. if the wheels were on you could try this
http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/sportryderswheelalignmentmethod.shtml
then with a carpenters square check that the wheels are square to the ground. if that all checks out the rest of the frame doesn't matter

 

No, that kink in the tube should not be there..........this is the vertical frame tube, right side, just before it joins into the upper (horizontal) tube at the gusset, correct?

BTW, XJ650 Seca frames are different from Maxim or Turbo frames.

 

Thanks guys, and yes Len you are correct.

I knew the bend shouldn't be there, just don't know if this is going to put a significant kink...in my build. Again I believe it was there when I got the bike and it was fine cruising at interstate speed.

I'd love to bondo it and call it a day but that doesn't seem like the proper thing to do...

 

Waiting on a few things in the mail, so it's back to cosmetics in this post. I have managed to get the front mounts of the cb450 tank to fit onto the stock XJ mounts. I did this by first removing the large rubber bushing thingys, then beating the inside of the CB tank with a hammer to widen the mounting location just a tad. Then I measured and ground off about an 1/8th of an inch on each mount on the cb tank to give me just a weeee bit of wiggle room.


Now I have a fitment issue. The petcock extends pretty far down and if I were to take the pictured tape measure out, the petcock would rest on the carbs, which I do not want. Further, this will make seat fitment an issue as there will be a mighty large gap.

I'm wondering if I can just screw in the petcock to provide more clearance, or If I'll have to cut off some of the tube that it screws onto, then re-thread it.

Lastly, I have started to take a wire wheel to the tank in order to grind off the paint. No idea what color I will go for here. I know for certain that the wheels and frame will be staying black, but everything else is up in the air.

Anyway, still looking for frame solutions if I need them. I don't plan on selling the bike (If I ever get tired of riding it I'll throw it in my mancave as a conversation piece) and if it doesn't affect riding at speed then I probably won't get a new frame. If it does, oh well, I'll purchase one and move everything in the spring.

 

Revisiting the Petcock issue: It will not screw up any higher, so it looks like I'll have to grind off the threaded stump and re-thread if I want a petcock.

What's holding me back from simply removing the petcock and putting a hose directly from that threaded hump, to an in-line fuel shutoff valve, finally to the in-line fuel filter? Seems like an easy enough fix, no?

 

I have two 750 frames and both of them have that same indent. looks like clearance for the battery.

I would cut out the petcock boss and move it forward. that would require purging all the fuel out but it's not impossible.

FU

 

Well CN, that is some great news, thanks!

As for the petcock, the tank is completely drained but I don't own a welder yet so at the moment that's not an option. I wonder if one of the cheap harbor freight welders would work though, because I am going to need a hoop welded and I can't take the bike out of the basement until spring. Further, with the way the tank will be sitting I don't know that it would be the best idea because it would be up to tall. I think I'm going to go with my original idea, as it's cheap and should be effective. I needed new fuel lines/filter anyway.

This is really the only thing "holding me up" because once it's mounted I can work on a battery box, my electronics/wiring, and then fiberglassing a seatpan.

Thanks for the input!

 

Got my shims in the mail tonight, so I'm swapping them out shortly. Big thanks to Mr. Dave Hogfiddles for walking me through the shim pool instructions then sending them my way so quickly.

Pods are almost on. Note that I used the stock carb to airbox boots instead of the tiny boots that came with the pods. This was a very easy swap with a heat gun and I'm hoping that it will make tuning easier as well.

Also note that they just barely fit without touching the frame

 

I can verify--I just went out and checked my 750 and it's got the same bend. My 650 does not have it. Nice build so far, love what you have done with the bike.

 

Excellent, thanks again! It really made my heart drop when I first saw it.

As for the bike...nothing exciting going on at the moment. Doing some bodywork on the tank while I try and find someone to bend me an upswept hoop for the rear frame.

My measurements show that the rear of the frame is 9 inches from OD to OD, but the closest pre-fabbed hoop I can find online is 8 & 7/8ths inches. Not sure if this will fit but I may just bite the bullet and get it to see. Otherwise I'll have to find someone local to do it.

I've also started printing out wiring diagrams...but I'm still trying to find the confidence to do it. It's either that, or I shell out $300 for a SparckMoto harness.

 

Not a ton of progress. Got the fender cut and shaped:


Still needs refined but it's the size I want.

Tank is completely stripped with a wire brush. I'm not sure what to do about the honda badge mounts yet. Unfortunately they take some grinding and then filling.

Apparently people have learned the hard way that it takes a ton of filler and sanding to cover it, so grinding is the better route.

Not too much though, as it will put a
hole in the tank. I also mocked up the headlight with zip ties until I pick a mount.

I used this diagram to get the Atari out of the way, but it's temporary. It does work though, if anyone's looking for a quick way to clean up the front.

 

niiiiiiiiiiiiice!

 

A grinder will cause swirling in the surface that will show up in the paint unless you use a coat of body filler. Paint stripper is a good alternative.
Liking the front fender.

 

Thanks guys. I don't know how to paint so that's something I'll have to learn. So me using the wire brush to strip the tank was a bad idea? I figured several heavy coats of primer would cover up all of the swirling.

Aircraft stripper does work well, but I used the kind in a tub instead of an aerosol can, and since there was some surface rust in the tunnel of the tank I just figured I'd hit the hole think with a brush. It didn't take TOO long.

Edit: to be a little more clear. As they are now, The badge mounts on the tank will protrude from the paint fairly noticeably if I leave them this way (Even with body filler over top). The trick is to take a dremel or small angle grinder and carefully grind it down into a concave, then fill it with body filler.

Primer should take care of the rest of the tank without body filler, no?

 

98% of a "great paint job" is really "great bodywork". If you aren't good at it already, you may want to enlist the services of a bodyshop, etc. who will be good at it, and once you get it back from them (already primered, sanded, etc.) then go to town with painting it.