Late 81 xj650 Maxim hard tail?

I have this bike that cannot be restored to original, so I wanted to weld on a hard tail. I noticed in alot of pics of other Maxim's that the swing arm is welded on and is the bottom support for the rear. Is there some reason why no one wants to cut that arm off and have a normal hard tail frame in the back. It looks possible with the shaft driven bikes. Also, can I use a hard tail kit for this bike? I heard the XS has a similar kit with a few modifications. I can't find any kits for this frame.

 

Hi Sal - Welcome to the site.
Your bike your rules.
What is stopping the bike from being restored to original condition?
I have no idea about your question - most members here opt for stock, doesn't mean someone won't know and give you an answer.

Being a transplant from Milwaukee I would be remiss if I did not mention Tim at The Shop in Bay View. They specialize in older Japanese bikes and he could be a good resource for you.

 

It is possible to do but the shaft drive throws a wrench in there. I found it far easier to simply strut my maxim rather than go full hard tail and try to get the driveshaft geometry so that it won't self destruct. Buddy of mine has a nice xs1100 hard tail chop and every couple years depending how much he rides it, he is replacing the driveshaft. My personal opinion is I'm going to leave my maxim strutted the way it is and find an xs to do a full hard tail. Like I said it can be done but much more difficult that chain drive.

 

http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/ sells a hard tailkit that bolts onto the swingarm and welds to frame no need to weld swingarm

can not find it .
but all it was was a set of tubes that bolted onto the swingarm then you welded the other end to frame at a point of your choosing. I posted a link in another hard tail thread.
strut went from shock mount on swing arm to frame follow the red line. or you could just go up to some point on frame

with the low angle I drew I think you would have to weld swing arm I would think about mounting it to the top of the arc just ahead of the shock for better support.

did you break off the shock bolt?

 

I think there is a thread on shock mount fix

 

hardtail
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj750-hardtail-kit.97921/

http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/hardtail-xj750.24343/

http://www.cheapchopperz.com/pictures.html

http://www.usabobbers.com/yamaha-xj-bobber-hardtail-motorcycle-1981-xj650.html

 

see this site
http://barebonerides.com/1981-yamaha-xj650-ratbobber.html

 

Like Stumplifter said, your bike, your rules. That being said, I once firmed up my rear shocks to the tightest they could be and found it unacceptably uncomfortable. I can't imagine it with no give at all.

 

The reason that the swingam gets left in place is that by eliminating it you'd need to fabricate frame members that are (here's the imporant bit) exactly like the swing arm. That's a lot of work to just eliminate two bearings and their housings.

BTW, the only thing that ever keeps a bike from being able to be restored to original is a lack of desire (and occasionally a mangled frame).

 

@k-moe in one of the threads i posted above where you suggest making struts you mention 1/4 inch bars (i assume thick) but not the local hardware store type.
do you have grade info on what someone should order?

 

Rear shock stud end repair

 

1/4" thick flat bar, A36 or better.
Keep in mind that is a recommendation for trying things out; quick and easy to make. A final product for more permanent use should be made of a more "pretty" shape of stock (preferably suctural grade tubing).

 

I still haven't cut anything and I'm doing a new harness tomorrow. I got the bike for free as is and I don t really like the original look of this model. So I desire to do with it as I please.
I would rather hard tail a 650 XS cause that frame works better. What else can I do to the tail to keep it from looking like a cafe racer?

 

Or keep the tail mostly stock (the seat portion), since it's a cruiser frame.
Have a look at the 'Frisco style choppers from the late 60's and early 70's (particularly the ones built on CB750 frames). The XJ frame lends itself to that style.

 

Where did you buy your struts at? I'm looking to do the same with my 750

 

I didn't buy them. They are home built. Thick wall round tubing basically. Left side has brake/tail, license plate, and license plate light added onto it. Easy to do with proper materials, just don't make them too short which would lower the rear too much and put the driveshaft and ujoint into a bad bind.

 

I chopped it all yesterday instead. Going to try to hardtail it.

 

The other reason I strutted as opposed to full hard tail was that I could retain the stock airbox as I have little desire to mess with my carbs enough to still likely not have pod filters work correctly. When I get my 750 roadworthy I plan to take the 650 to a hard tail once I have another bike to ride and can spend time designing and building an airbox that will hopefully work much better than pods. Post some pics though I'd be interested to see your progress