This thing's gonna nickel and dime me to death...

Just bought two rebuild kits for Mikuni BS34s, two floats, two needle valves, petcock rebuild kit and fork seals.

That should take care of everything I know of that's currently wrong with it...

Meh... Just gives me more time to find a nice XJ700 or XJ700X for sale once I've got the money, right? :lol:

 

lol....I am just hoping that the elation that I feel once I finally get mine running will be as intense as I think it is. Hopefully I should be able to get mine started for the first time in 14 years this weekend. =)

 

I hear you wraith.
I picked mine up last weekend for $600, but have already sunk about $130 in parts and stuff, needed new tires right away and its not starting without ether.
Just think though, a nice new bike with as much character would easily land you in the $7000 range, and just think how much that nickles and dimes you on depreciation and insurance and taxes.

 

It wouldn't irritate me quite so bad if this wasn't just my beginner bike and I want to save the money to get something bigger. Preferably the aforementioned XJ700 or XJ700x.

 

I had a great 750 for a week, then it broke. Then I fixed it, it ran for a while, then it broke. Then I fixed it again. Then it ran for a year. Now I'm finishing up cleaning the carb.s. What I'm trying to say, is I suspect you can run into just as much (almost as much? More? Equal?) trouble on a bigger bike.

 

Yeah, tell me about it.

Paid $1450 for the bike. (WAY more than I should have)
Immediately put new tires on it for $220.00
Then the new brake light switch, mirrors, bulbs. Don't remember what those cost.
Saddlebags and tank bag. (Didn't really need them...)
Blinker relocation kit so I could put the saddlebags on.
Now this.

But, this thing is the most fun I've had with my clothes on and I want it in good working order when I get rid of it anyway.

 

Well, I paid 7 bills for my 83 XJ750 Maxim. Just spent 500 in brakes, seals and cables. Not to mention countless hours of removing the carb rack and rejetting to suit the intake and exhaust mods.

It just happens....

WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY! 8O

 

JUST GET IT AN EXORCISIM.. YOULL SAVE ALOT OF MONEY ....

 

What's the problem? You'll just blow the money on food, rent or a woman anyway!! My free bikes have cost me about $600 so far and I'll probably spend another $1000 before I'm done. Have fun and make lots of memories,
you'll live a long time on them.

 

Do you know the only sure thing about a 25 year old bike?
That you will put money into it.

Having a ride this old is not for the guy who doesn't turn a wrench.

When I first got mine I played hell trying to get the carbs right.
Just kept at it until there was no metal left inside those bastards, just kidding.
Now I've ridin' 8 months trouble free, knock wood.
It will be worth it.

 

If you bought an old horse you wouldn't begrudge it some hay would you?

 

Site is being screwy.
It double posted both wizard an I.
The whole site just died for about 5 minutes.

 

If you bought an old horse you wouldn't begrudge it some hay would you?

 

I hear you about the extras Wraith.

I realized I paid too much for mine after I got it home - $1000
New tires - $115
Chain & sprockets - $125
Used carbs + rebuild - $200
Labor for said items installed - $100

My enjoyment of riding to work 60 miles a day round trip - worth every penny.
By my calculations I've already saved ~ $1200 in gas.

 

As mentioned, it's an older bike and things wear out and break. However, there was another bike that I was considering purchasing before I bought this one and pricing stuff for it was a heck of a lot more expensive. We're talking like $500 for a starter.

My story. Bought the bike for $150 around two and a half weeks ago. She was dead, not running and had been sitting for two years or so. Tore down the engine, new set of gaskets, and many hours cleaning and buffing and sanding and etc... lots of scrapes, bruises and choice words later she fired up for the first time night before last. Fine tuned yesterday after work. Had my first ride on it last night.

Total in the bike now is probably around $350-400. I'd pay that many times over for as great a feeling as I had after I pulled into my garage on the bike with it running for the first time. Going to get a few more rides in before the cold weather hits over the next few weeks and then after that, this winter she's going to get restored to darn near new status.

 

Mine was in pretty good shape over all and I still have about $500 added to it. Mostly parts and oil (I had gas in oil twice) and a few addons/changes.

Worth every penny. As mentioned a bike this old is gonna need maintenance and that costs money. Someone has a tag line "there is no such thing as a free bike" - that says it all.

 

Look at it this way - old Jap bikes are still a cheaper hobby than boats or golf and much more cost-effective than a new Harley.

My Maxim is in many ways a very therapeutic outlet for me when I need to do something with my fingers and the wife isn't interested. I enjoy making something perform better. What's nice about a lot of these old bikes is that many have spent years inside storage under good conditions, so they are in great shape for being 25 years old, and in many cases only have had 1000 miles or so put on them in an average riding season. Here in MN I see a lot of old Jap bikes in great shape. Compared to 25 year old cars here that have seen outside winter weather (and salted winer roads), many bikes don't have a lot to fix, relatively speaking.

 

Wraith, why the push for more displacement?

This is the first 550 I've ever had, my previous bikes were between 620 up to Goldwing size.

I have to say I'm not only please with the handling and zip of the 550, but I don't even feel shorted on the high end. Of course I'm not really a 90 on the highway sort of guy either.

Anyways, I hope things work out for you, but from my experience you do good when you break even on these sort of things, not including your time and patience. The only real value equation is when you realize there is no other way to understand motorcycles than to fix them.

Now that I've got little kids and my dad is gone, I find myself drawn to things that I will want to teach my son. He can't rebuild his first bike unless I learn how first. And trust me, as soon as I start working on the thing he's into my tools being a really big "help"... oh boy.

 

Was out on the golf course one day behind a group of college student aged guys. One guy was lined up for a shot over a small pond that was between him and the green (18th hole). Splash one into the pond. He drops another ball and swings....splash (same spot in the pond). Drops another ball, swing and...splash.

At this point I thought he'd give up, but no...drops yet another ball. Swing and....splash. He walks back to his cart and I thought he'd just head to the green. Nope, he gets out more ammo. Swing and....splash. Not done yet though, he drops another....splash! (How many carb rebuild kits was that?)

When I get to the clubhouse the course manager was talking to the guy and says, "ya know, it would've been a might easier if you'd've just thrown your wallet into the pond and walked away." I hope I never feel that way about my XJ.

 

"Look at it this way - old Jap bikes are still a cheaper hobby than boats or golf and much more cost-effective than a new Harley."


I have two boats I keep up too - I have to agree the bike has been cheaper and I get to use it more...

 

sounds like that guy wanted to learn how to play golf as much as most of us want to ride our xj's!

i just got my baby running after two weeks up on the center stand, rode it all evening yesterday and woke up extra early to take the looooong way to work!

 

Congrats!! I live 5 minutes from the office, yet when I ride to work for some reason it takes me at least half an hour.

 

There is nothing cooler than tooling around on a virtually brand-new 25 or 27 year old motorcycle. These bikes, once properly resurrected, are as bone reliable and thoroughly capable as anything you can buy today for 3 times as much, and still have to spend money to maintain. I paid $800 for my '81, put another $800 into it, and it runs and rides like a brand new bike (except for an occasionally psychotic turn signal self-cancelling circuit.) WELL WORTH every penny. I paid a bit more for the '83 (eBay) and won't have to put as much into it, but when it's done I'll have another virtuallly brand-new bike, for less than half the cost of a modern rocket. I might HAVE BOUGHT a new modern bike, but they just don't make "real" motorcycles any more... As far as the displacement thing goes, these "little" 550's will outrun my 850 Norton so I too do not feel the least bit "short" on zip, even on the freeway. Last but not least, my 8-year old installed and properly torqued the new set of plugs in the '83 and changed the air filer element himself, then informed me that he was sure he got the screws "sufficiently tight." I checked--he had!

 

Amen to both points!

 

It's not the displacement I'm after. I feel a little cramped on the 400 and I want something with a bit more room on it for me.

 

padawan: i know, takes me half an hour to get to work in the morning, but once the sun is out and it's nice and warm, seems to always take me about an hour to get back home! :wink: