Thanks alot yamaha.......

Ok so my starter completely died...called the local bike shop to see if they could order me a new one...and its been discontinued by Yamaha...thanks for nothing yamaha...i am starting to find that more and more of the parts for my bike are being discontinued...how can i get around this other than using ebay?...i dont matter used parts but you dont always know what you are getting when you buy a used part...has anyone else run into this problem when trying to get parts for your bike? i ended up just having the starter rebuilt...but with just over 12,000 miles on her i think my bike still has a nice long life ahead of her...

 

The bikes are over 20 years old. They can't make the parts forever. Try and find parts for a 5 year old computer.

I have found most of the component parts for the bikes are available new but items like carb bodies, starters, cover plates etc are going to be used parts mostly.

 

Yep, set aside a spot in the shed for spare parts. Now that you've got an XJ, you'll develop a radar for used XJ parts. A lot of times, these spare parts will pop up unexpectedly. You've just got to snatch 'em up when they do. After awhile, you'll find that you've got most of the hard-to-find parts in a nice stash. And, if a buddy needs help, you just may be able to hook him up or use the parts to barter with. Heck, right now I've got an extra non-running engine, both side covers, a complete headlight bucket, TCI, turn signals, and some other stuff in my stash. I'm damned near ready for anything that can happen, short of getting completely squished.

 

Agreed. In addition to eBay, I have had a great deal of luck with a couple of honest salvage yards. There are a number of sites that can get your parts need posted up on the "junkyard locator" and then if someone has it they email you. So far I've dealt with 5 different salvage dealers, only one (Caldwell's Motor Toys, see my post in the "rate a shop" forum) turned out to be a complete jackass, the others have been great. I have located mufflers, a fuel tank, an exhaust collector, turn signals, etc., from these folks, and also a lot of stuff from eBay. I was able to completely restore my '81 550 (well thanks to the XJBikes gang and Chacal too) and am making real good progress on my '83. Get used to the "used parts" idea for large components, there are bargains to be had, you just have to look. And check with Chacal, he has "good-preowned" parts too.

 

Welcome to Chacal's Wonderful World of Starters (and everything else)!

HCP4155 Aftermarket rebuilt/re-wound STARTER MOTOR, fits all XJ550 models. A $ 35.00 core charge applies to this item, and a re-usable, same-model rotor must be returned for the core charge to be refunded. NOTE: "re-usable" means it is complete and has not been physically damaged in any way, in particular the end caps and case, and all of the gears cannot be damaged or chewed up in any way.

$ 169.00 + $ 35.00 core charge

 

I was going to say you should be able to get them re-built.

 

You'll be happy to know that the Starter Motor used on the XJ-Series Bikes is the same Starter Motor used right across the whole line.

You need a Starter.
You should have no trouble finding a used one.
Stick a new set of Brushes in the used one and go.

Or, ...

Take the used one you get and bring it to an Auto Electric Shop.
Say, "A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!" to prove you know the Magic Phrase!
Bring some New Brushes
They'll make the used one good as new.
It's Magic.

 

Take the used one you get and bring it to an Auto Electric Shop.
Say, "A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!" to prove you know the Magic Phrase!
Bring some New Brushes
They'll make the used one good as new.
It's Magic.

Rick, that has gone right over my sad cabbage.

 

wiz that was on an American kids show, I think with puppets or something. Just smile and nod, smile and nod...

 

It's the Magic Phrase from Sesame Street!

Seriously, though. Starters are a Hard Kill. Usually a set of new Brushes, along with a Clean and Lube is all that is necessary to rehab a Starter Motor that has quit.

And, ... it's quite true that the identical Motor is used on a wide variety of Yamaha Models. So, you don't have to find one that came off a Midnight Maxim to fit any Maxim 650, 750 or 900. They are all the very same unit.

 

You'll have to forgive Rick; he has obviously been afflicted with children somewhere along the way...

 

I would agree that the larger parts are becoming discontinued but i am amazed at the amount of parts that are available from dealers. personally i`ve had no real problem getting new parts when needed, but stuff like starters will cost more than the bikes worth.

I use this site http://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha_model8287/ to see if its still available and its price, take the part number to the dealer, 3 days later its mine. Just type XJ in the model search box and it will list them all, it even gives you any other models that used that part so it can help in the search for used parts also.

 

I believe somebody said the same starter motor is used in the KZ700/750.