finally picked up my xj!!

I put a deposit on it a few months back and after much anticipation, I picked her up yesterday...

a few shots of my 85. The bike has roughly 14k on it.



loading it up on the truck to haul over to the rents garage...


and a few of me sitting on it with my new leather jacket (thank you santa!!)




and finally a pic of me and my gf (who lets me have toys!!)


it needs a bit of work (front forks are spongy and need rebuilt, fluids need changed, tune-up, and the like) but i've got a few months yet to get her sorted out and ready for spring!

 

Take the time to take a Motorcycle safety course unless you did all ready.

 

I have not yet but it is one of the first things I plan to do once they start running them in the spring!

 

Sign up now they fill up quick. Check your local Community College Adult Education programs, they sometimes offer them CHEEP.

Really clean bike! Take your time, do it right. Get a manual, go thru the bike from front to back and perform ALL required maintenance leaving nothing out. Once done, you will have a brand-new 24 year old bike. It's truly a gas.

 

Nice and clean, including the "rear seat accessory". I just brough mine home as well.

 

Don't forget the Helmet !! and one for your gf

 

She's a beaut! (the bikes nice too....)

I like those 700 Maxims. I have an 81 Seca but someday when I can start adding to my collection....

I used to have a 85 Virago and the frame, headlight, gauges, controls and tank were pretty much the same as you maxim. But the virago had the pull back bars and I always liked the flatter style bars that the Maxim had.

The PA MSF courses are great. I took mine abut 20 years ago and then about 4 years ago after I got back into riding I took an experienced rider course. I plan on taking one with my son this summer as well

ken "Fellow Pennsyltuckian" k

 

i'm gonna get the gf to take the msf course with me as she's interested in getting a bike eventually as well.

we will DEFINETELY be wearing helmets.

glad you guys like the bike!

 

nice bike..... im picking mine up tomorrow too.

 

nice bike, looks clean should be fun

 

Helmet, gloves, boots. I got a decent helmet for about $90, a great pair of gloves for $30, and spent $200 on my boots. The boots were worth every penny in the nasty crash I had a couple of years ago. Your hands sit out front and stay there... where rocks hit them. I'm glad you got a good jacket. Rocks hurt your chest, too.

Bike is very pretty. It looks like it's in great shape compared to the pair I'm restoring.

I'm glad your g/f is getting her own bike. Tandem riding is fun and all, but one-up is safer, and you'll have more to share about the whole experience that way. Plus, it means that she isn't just "letting you have one" if she is serious enough to learn to do it herself. You'd better get her a ring before she gets away!

Good luck, and let us know if you need help with it. Lotsa experienced people on here.

 

thanks guys!

i do plan on helmet, gloves, and boots. was even looking at some of the kevlar woven jeans as a possibility.

she'll probably ride with me this year and hopefully we'll be able to find her a bike for next year. i'm thinking something in the 250-500 range for her but we'll have to see what she feels comfortable on.

i'm actually amazed how nice the bike is considering it wasn't garage kept...

so is it spring yet?

 

I recommend the Kawasaki Ninja 250 as a learner bike. They're light and nimble, get awesome mileage, but you can crack the throttle ALL the way open and not accidentally do a wheelie.

It's still a motorcycle, which is to say, you still have to respect it, but when I think about my 600s and the power they command, I'm REALLY glad I learned on the 250.

Plus, they tend to retain their value. I'm selling my '02 250 and will probably be able to get my $1500 asking price pretty easily, despite the fact that it has been laid down once. Too bad I don't live closer to you. I'd let her ride it for free.

 

strat

You are in PA and it has to be as freezing as it is in MD here. Brrrr
Looking forward to spring for sure.

I took the MSF course and they use 250s.
I started riding my 650 soon after and was intimidated by the size for a few weeks until I became used to the 650 size and weight.

Make sure she learns how to put a bike on its center stand.

 

it's around 5 degrees last i saw a thermometer around here.

she's looked a bit at bikes and i can tell you she wants nothing to do with a 250 ninja. (a friend of her's has a brand new ninja 250 and she really didn't care for it... keep in mind though that was without riding it) she's all about a cruiser. i think she has something along the lines of a virago 250 in mind.

my grandfather had a route 66 edition 250 virago when i was younger and I LOVED that bike. (got to ride it around the backyard a few times before he sold it) we'll have to check out some of the local bike shops though and let her sit on some to see what she wants.

 

Interesting. Personally, I've learned that you can't judge a bike until you've ridden it. I didn't think the 650 was going to be that much fun, but it's become one of my favorite bikes. Technically, not a cruiser, but a "performance cruiser". Sit straight up like a sport bike, but low-slung and comfy on long trips like a cruiser. Not many inline fours on cruisers either.

The Ninja 250 is a lot of fun as well, but for different reasons. It stops quicker and turns easier than the Maxim, but it doesn't accelerate nearly as well (of course). It also has the advantage of being fairly cheap and it's easier to find parts, in case it gets laid over. When you drop a Maxim, you cringe at having to find unbent blinker mounts (unless you make your own).

I have never sat on a Rebel 250 or a Virago 250. I'm told they are very underpowered bikes and not much fun to ride. But as I said, I've learned to judge for myself. If the opinion came from someone who's used to an R1...

I've been on a CBR 600 that I LOVED, a CBR 600 that I HATED, and *my* CBR that I'm kinda ambivalent about. I've also been on a Shadow 1100 that I *despised*. Big hulking beast of a machine. I'll never get on a bike with running boards again. Tried and hated the Buell Blast (500cc).

Anyway, my point is that she shouldn't buy - or rule out - any bike that she hasn't tried out, at least around the parking lot. The bike that catches your eye will make you nuts, and the one that looks like a pile of junk will carry you all day long.