Does a seca 8 inch bucket go onto a maxim bracket ok?

it looks like this might work - with a little pulling out of the "ears"...
Anyone know for sure?

 

I don't know if anyone has ever done that swap without also using the bracket.
1/2" on each side is a pretty big bend. I think you'd lose the clearance needed at the back of the bucket.

 

I'll find 0ut

 

Ok, so the upshot is that basically it doesn't go on ok. Of course, money can make anything fit.
As far as bolt-on and go, ain't gonna work too well. If you have something that you can bend the ears out enough, you may get the bucket to bolt thr0ugh, but the ears are going to be at a wide angle to the bucket. I could not find my extra bucket tonight, i'll look more tomorrow. BUT--I did get the trim ring which give the outside diameter of the bucket at the lip. I put it around the 650 bucket-and-mount so you can get a good idea of how far you're gonna have to try and bend things if you do it.

Here's the pic:


If I can find my junk bucket, and a junk mount, I'll do whatever I can to get it to bolt up. I wouldn't hold my breath though

 

Like @k-moe stated, by the time you get the ears out far enough you may find the bucket is crammed against the gauges.
If I hauled on your ears like that there would be a bunch of kicking and screaming.
Is this Just for the big headlight or can’t find the bracket you need or the bucket?

 

I can't find a maxim headlight and rim, and I do like the big headlight, it will look good on the high fronted maxim.
I have a bucket and lense from a seca, so...
I think the ears will bend out ok without looking out of place, but there is the adjuster and gauges to think about.

 

The top where the gauges bolt on is the same, that's not an issue. For the vertical adjuster, be ready to to make an adapter/spacer/bushing if needed.

It's a matter of how far out do you need to bend the ears---

The outside of the bucket is only about half an inch or so, each side. BUT-- there are the guides ands stuf that the bolts go through that add more distance. You realistically need to bend the out about 3/4" each side. Then, realistically you should bend the ends back in so they don't stick out like little Dumbo ears. This would make the holes themselves bolt easy. Next issue is- how far in does that pull the bucket? Will the back of the bucket still have clearance---- that I don't know yet, as I have had the chance to try that yet.

 

I so have a complete headlight for a maxim if you want to save the grief.

 

It DOES work!! I'll explain why shortly. Stand by for pics---

As it turns out... I found my dented, damaged, and rusted out 650rj bucket (and people wonder why I don't throw parts away....). Here's why it works----

The 650rj headlight is much bigger around, as we know. The trim ring and mount is bigger, and the bucket lip is bigger around, too. BUT-- the landing where the mounting holes are, are RECESSED a little. The 650 maxim holes are on the same plane as the lip. So that bring the holes back in closer.

But by how much closer? Hmmm--- THIS close!
Left wing


Right wing


I stretched them wide enough BY hand to allow the wings to slide over the sides of the bucket AND the inserts for the mounts----AND installed the bolts. No visible bends or kinks to the wings. Some slight finessing at the top for the gauge mounting hole may be needed.... I don't know if that changed a bit when I expanded the wings. But a clamp strap or careful prying will line the holes right back up.

The bucket appears to be a little shallower, too, so there is NO Clearance issue. (I did not put this on a 650 maxim but my expectation is that the top of the bucket WILL interfere with the gauges. HOWEVER--(seems every time I try some thing that shouldn't fit, I get to say that because something else can be adjusted to make it work!!...,lol), from past experience, the gauge cluster mounts can be moved to on TOP of the Crown rather than stay underneath, and the ONLY thing that won't look quite right will now be the gap between the cluster and the ignition key switch.

The ONLY fabricating will be to make a spacer/bushing for the vertical adjusting mount. They are nowhere close, as seen. But, a pair of pliers to twist the welded nut part of the bottom of the mount-- a bushing, and maybe a rubber grommet or two, a longer bolt with a flat washer and split washer will do the trick.

Here are the pics all the way around.














So, there you have it. Thanks to minimutly for the idea.

Dave Fox

 

To be clear, this is to fit a 650 Seca lamp on to a 650 Max?

 

Exactly. You are looking at a headlight assembly from an '82 xj650rj mounted in the headlight mounting bracket from an '83 xj650 maxim.

Dave

 

Since you have everything out, how about trying that RJ bucket onto a 750 Seca......and maybe a 550 Seca, too? That big headlight really adds to the style of these bikes IMO.

 

I'll see what I can do

 

Wow, impressed. Thanks for taking the time to look. Now here's a spanner in the works, my maxim is a midnight - black lamp bracket. Are they otherwise the same?
Hopefully the answer is yes, and that's the next job. I think the seca lamp and bars on the maxim will look spot on, allong with a short, single seat. (The po had cut the frame, don't blame me).

 

That will look good. Can't wait to see.

 

Yes, they are.

 

I believe they are, just that the midnight ones are black, and the midnight headlight would have had a gold trim ring rather than chrome.

THAT said.......I have to go look at something--I think the xs1100 midnight DID have the same 8" headlight. Don't quote me, but I'll go check!

 

I sold a few new xs1100 midnights and don’t recall 8” headlight

 

No. No XS1100 has the big headlight. I'm pretty sure the XV920R shares the big headlight with the '82 Seca. (That is the chain drive Virago engine standard)

 

Correct!

 

Ok, for the 550 Seca---the headlight bucket for the 650 Maxim is the same thing---JYA-146. So, that's an easy one to say yes for---
I'll check the 750r after supper

 

I know the 920r does.....it also shares the gauge cluster.

 

So, for the 750r--- not a chance, unless someone really REALLY wants to either do a lot of work or spend a lot of money. That said, it may be possible to swap mount ar0und, too, but I didn't go that route. Here is the pic of the 750r mount with the 650rj bucket in front of it.



3/4" or so on each side is a long way to go.

 

Actually, the 550 and 650 Maxim buckets are different, even though they are both stamped YHA-146 (the 650 Maxim and the 1983 XJ750 Maxim are the same, though). Also, the XJ550 Maxim uses a "integrated" headlight bucket support bracket (similar in design but different in shape) like the 650 Maxim does), whereas the 550 Seca uses a separate LH and RH headlight brackets that bolt together at the bottom to form a single "bracket".............so it may be possible to add a spacer to the 550 Seca "brackets" to space them further apart from each other to more easily accept the 650RJ headlight bucket.

 

You want me to try it a different way? Let me know what you want me to try

 

Dave, on the next to last picture. are you saying the locator bracket on the chrome headlight "stay" needs to be bent, or just the sheetmetal tab bracket that is welded to the bottom of the RJ headlight bucket? If just the sheetmetal bracket on the bucket needs to be bent, that's pretty easy. The much thicker bracket (with the welded nut) on the stay is a much tougher item to bend........

 

I believe the locator bracket where the nut is welded on needs to be bent (twisted would probably be a better word) so that the bolt from the sheetmetal tab will go straight into the nut. Otherwise the bolt will go straight TO the nut but not be lined up to go straight INto the nut. It does show well, but basically the problem is that on the bracket the nut is lined up for a sheetmetal tab at 6:00 position. But the sheetmetal tab on the 650rj bucket is at a 5:00 position. So, the nut just has to be twisted a bit to account for the new angle. It's NOT DIFFICULT. Bolt the bracket in place, and then use a pair of pliers. Slip it over the nut vertically and twist just a bit. Basically trust the splicers from 12:00 to 11:00 positions. That's all. Tweak a bit more as needed.

 

Do you have a 550 Seca there, or a 550 Maxim?

The 550 Seca "stay" is a 2-piece version; the 550 Maxim is a 1-piece version (just like the 650 Maxim stay). The housings (the "buckets") are different between the 550's (both the 550 Maxim and 550 Seca share the same chrome bucket) and the 650 Maxim.

So here's the scorecard:

550's vs. 650 Maxim buckets: different (BTW, the XJ1100 bucket is also very similar to the 550/650 design bucket)
550 Seca stay bracket: unique, 2-piece
550 Maxim stay bracket: 1-piece, similar but different than 650 Maxim
650 Maxim stay bracket: 1-piece, similar but different than 550 Maxim
BTW, the 1983 XJ750 Maxim and Mid Maxim use the same bucket and stay bracket as the 650 Maxim/Mid Maxim

I think what you'll find is that the difference in the buckets and stay brackets (besides the obvious 1-piece vs. 2-piece designs) is the location of the anti-rotation welded-on tab (on the bucket) and it's corresponding locator on the headlight stay.....AND, on the other end of that locator on the stay, is the position where the stay is attached to the lower steering bracket.....I believe that may also be different between the different stay brackets.........


Thus, to make a complete and exhaustingly thorough evaluation, you'd have to look at the stay brackets for all of the different models (550 Seca, 550 Maxim, and 650 Maxim/1983 750 Maxim, and 1100 for gits and shiggles) to make sure that the 650RJ headlight bucket will actually "fit" and what needs to be done to adapt the 65-RJ bucket to each unique stay bracket(s)........

Obviously (I think.......) what everyone wants to do is to adapt the large 650RJ bucket/headlight to the other bikes....the 8" headlight really gives the front end of these bikes a very distinctive look (especially on the Seca models w/o a fairing). Why Yamaha gave up on the 8" headlight is beyond me, perhaps their designers were drinking too much or ??? BTW, some Kawa models also used an 8" headlight in this era, but it's different from the Yamaha version.


Note that the XJ1100's also use 2 individual pieces to make a "stay" bracket, they are chrome tubes that are cinched between the bottom of the crown bracket and the top of the lower bracket, each one with an "ear" that reaches out to the headlight bucket. They are very similar to the aftermarket type of fork-mounted headlight bucket mounting brackets that you see on eBay.

 

I have the 550 Seca. I didn't swap anything around there.....I figured since the bucket is the same as the 650 Maxim bucket, and the 650rj bucket was able to fit in the 650 Maxim mount, then it should fit in the 550r.

Basically following the math:
A - 650rj
B - 650 Maxim
C - 550r
So---if A=B, and B=C, then A=C
If the 650 RJ headlight bucket fits the 650 Maxim mount, and the same bucket fits the 550r, then the 650r bucket will fit where the 650 Maxim bucket fits.

I'll try to get more detailed as I have time

 

Hmmm, not so fast mon amis.
I tried fitting the 8 inch to my 650 maxim tonight. If you open up the ears, it will go in.
But the gauges are fouled. You could raise them to above the top tree, but you would need a seca speedo cable, and possibly tacho cable?
You also have an issue that the lamp points into space (well relatively anyway).
To bring the lamp down you need to remove/modify the adjuster, and by this I mean the one on the mounting, otherwise I suspect it will go up against the bump on the bottom of the bucket.
If, like me you have a rusty black steel bracket, the easy fix is to extend the ears by 1/2 an inch or so, it brings the adjuster back to where it needs to be, (but still not in line together), and removes the need to raise the gauges. (I didn't like them up there, but not the end of the world though).
I'll see if I can post some pics later, but would like to mod the bracket tonight.
The easy alternative would be to bolt on all the seca bits though, I guess.

 

Ok, cut and welded my ears, will try it on the bike tomorrow and report back. I don't know if both the ends of the adjusting tabs need removing, I suspect they might.

 

I've had my gauges on top of the triple tree and didn't need a longer speedo cable to do that.. I'd think the tach cable would be long en0ugh, too...l'll check if i have time, gonna be away for a bit

 

Quick question. I had seen a 650rj light bucket online and they state that its 9" in diameter. Im guessing thats just a misprint or did some years have an even larger headlight.

 

The BUCKET will be close to 9" diameter to accommodate a HEADLIGHT that is 8" in diameter........

Scroll back to the first page where I show quite a few angles of a 650r bucket mounted in a 650 Maxim headlight mount. You'll see what I mean

 

Test fitted the 8 inch this evening, looks ok. So tonight I filled the gap with sheet steel and ground flat. Also cut the end off the adjuster tab. Tomorrow I will fit and fettle, then grit blast, fill , rub down and paint loss black.

 

Pic of the japanese market clocks. Sorry about the reflection from the light. Anyone know what the red light in the tacho is for?

 

Sorry, should have said thanks for the offer. However, there might be a couple of issues - uk is drive on the left, if the lamp kicks up on the right its a test fail. Do yamaha lamps do this or are they flat line dipped beam?
Secondly there is the cost of postage tax etc for import into EU.

 

The red light goes on when you exceed the Japanese national speed limit.


Yamaha should have put that 8" light on everything.

 

Couldn't you rotate the light?

 

UK doesn't accept EU-standard lights? All EU and North American lenses kick the light up to the right.......

 

The light itself is 7” universal fit. Any UK headlight fits in the front ring. And I do have pals that travel to the UK many times a year.

 

I think the secret meaning of the red light means your in the fun zone.

 

Well you lot all drive on the wrong side of the road (auzzies excepted).

 

That's the problem - i don't even have a ring...
Never mind, the next issue will be needing another 8 inch (and ring) for my seca, but no rush for that.

 

i'm diggin it.

 

Perhaps sacrilegious, but would smaller gauges solve the fitment problem?

 

If you read back up you'll see its possible to move the gauges mountings to above the top tree,
I believe this pulls the speedo cable a little tight for my liking, I couldnt confirm the tacho drive cable. At worst, you could remove the rubber guide, or get a seca cable. So you don't need to cut anything really.
I inserted .5 of an inch, I think that could be reduced to .3 inch, maybe less.

 

I did see that. My question has more to do with using a smaller gauge than having to move the originals to a higher mount point.

 

Well, I know a few people who live in Japan. It might be different in other places, but turning that light on isn't any fun there. It can be expensive though.

 

Well smaller gauges would need their own bespoke bracketry and wiring, but hey, why not if that's what you want. The issue is the bottom of the gauges clashing with the top of the bucket. Smaller wouldn't automatically solve that.