round headlight square headlight?

I have seen pics of 1982 Yamaha 750 models... some with butt ugly square headlights and square instrument panels, and others the nicer more conventional round style? Whats with that? Are they two entirely different models? Or did many people swap out the ugly for the round? Also the same can be seen and said for the weird modular handlebars.... ??? Thanks... I am considering buying a 750 Yamaha and wonder if I might have to swap out the handlebars, headlights and instruments?

Mike...

 

Yes. One is a Seca.



The other a Maxim.

Yes.

Some have also replaced the handlebars.

Gary H.

 

There are two XJ750 models (and two redesigns of one model)

The Maxim 750


And the Seca 750

.. For which there is a touring package


and a later, sportier redesign based on the XJ900




They all have lovely rectangular headlights from the factory.

The later 1984 and on XJ750/700 Maxim has the round headlight.




Embrace the rectangle. Embrace it I say!!

 

Mwahhhaaaaahhahahahah....

 

Mike,

All personal preference......embrace the rectangle and handlebars.......i really like both.....

 

The 83 750 Maxims had round headlights and gauges.

 

Right you are. Let's just call that part of my post a typo and nobody gets lemon juice in the eye

 

Yes, some of the 750 maxims had the same round headlight and gauges that were on the 650 maxim (electrical tach), and some 750's had the buckhorn handle bars instead of the clip-ons. You can either go for the ones you like or buy a 750 and swap parts for the look you want...

 

Go for the 85 or 86 XJ750X
It's a Virago looking bike with the nice 4 cyl 20 valve genesis engine.
Round head lights, chrome round tach speedo and temp. With a billet idiot-light console.
Also has cool rims and goes fast and sounds fantastic... Farrari.

 

Virago looking????
The X looks almost exactly like the non-X Maxim 700/ 750.

 

I have finished rebuilding a Yammi 1983 XJ650j (or was it a 1982...) It had electric tach, and round headlights and gauges... (well a d shaped roundish gauges..) I try and rebuild to stock... But I add Gaiters and I swap out the buck-horn bars for Honda 1982 CM400 bars which are similar to the era but slightly less buck-horn. Because.... I hated those buck-horn bars..... and all bikes should have gaiters.... Also spoke wheels and a kickstart... But I do what I can ... lol

 

The Maxim X bikes sell really cheap here in Vancouver. They all say... "Selling.... runs great.... all it needs is a valve adjustment." lol

 

And that's probably all it does need. For some reason most people find shim-under bucket valve adjustments to be a lot of bother.

 

K-MOE!

Yes Virago looking. Other than the engine, it's a Virago... or at least looking.

My tail light on the x is actually from a Virago, identical! tank is same, so is rake, guages (except temp), front wheel, fenders both, same billet dash lights, triple tree, even the horns are the same!
IMHO enough to warrant me calling it Virago "looking"

J, and seca are far from exactly the same as an X. The non x XJ750's have different tanks, fenders, guages, everything. at least the ones I've seen.. including the two you posted above.

The angle of the rear shocks on the x is different as well, I think the rear wheel is slightly further back.

 

I agree, spokes and kick start should be mandatory.
But I tell you the rims on my XS650 grew on me, and now I really dig the rims on my XJ750X.

White walls would also be nice.

When I had my XS650, I wished it was an XJ650, I just love the sound of these Japanese inline 4 bangers.

 

Though I do miss the rear disk brake..

Wish list; liquid cooled, inline four, shaft drive, spoke/laced rim, white walls, kick start, AND electric start, rear disk brake, round head light, Massive gas tank (for long rides), front fender that goes all the way around the front of the tire (so I don't get wet road bits on my face on wet rides), LED blinkers & tail, bar-end mirrors, perhaps a bit of a fairing for those freezing rides, saddle bags wouldn't hurt, bark-busters to keep my fingers warm (depending on the size of the fairing), maybe smaller cc (500-650) for fuel economy and insurance benefits. Never ride faster than 120km anyway.

 

Ok....

85/86 xj700/750/700x/750x
vs.
84- and up Virago

The front ends interchange, but there are small differences:

-Virago lower triple clamp has a bolt hole on each end to mount the virago fork emblem. Maxim/X have a smaller emblem on the headlight mount.

-Maxim X cluster has a temperature gauge

-virago tach has a lower redline

-virago tank is NOT the same. The tunnel is different, the mounts are different, and the shape is different. Similar, but not the same.

-seats LOOK the same on the bike but they are different; virago is 1-piece, maxim/X is 2-piece

-Fenders interchange but there are some minor contour differences.

- rear rims are different sizes

-tail light assemblies are the same

-turn signals are the same

Yes, the 85/86 maxim/X's look very virago-like. They have the same front and rear parts, the seat looks the same, the tanks are similar, so the "lines" are very much alike. A lot of parts interchange, and there's a lot of parts that don't.

I only have two 700 airheads, building three maximX's, had two virago 700's and one virago 1100. I swapped enough parts around...... Yes, I know what im talking about.

 

^ not to mention the frame of the Virago (all years) being entirely different.

To my eye they only look similar in that all crusiers of the era look simmilar.

 

I figured I didn't need to mention the obvious: but ok---
-The frames are different;
Xj- cradle
Virago - engine is a stressed member

Then the other big obvious:
Xj - inline transverse 4 cyl
Airheads - air cooled engine
X - liquid cooled engine
Virago - v twin

Exhaust - completely different