Good Deal?

Paid $650 for an 82 Maxim, stock everything, 2 tires with only 1k miles on them. Inspected and ready for inspection this year. Everything works perfect, motor feels strong and sounds good. Paint/everything else is very good condition. Light old leak out of one corner of left front head cover. 19k miles. Drove it home 1.5 hrs from where I bought it. Came with sissy bar/luggage rack and a fake leather pouch on back.
And a windshield!
Good deal?

 

Yes, it does. Hopefully whoever put the tires on it checked the rear brake shoes.

Nineteen K is young yet. Regardless, it's still 27 years old, and you need to get a manual, and go through the ENTIRE "maintenance" section leaving nothing out. A lot of the more "complex" maintenance items on these classics (such as valve clearances) have simply been ignored by previous owners. Don't assume anything, your life could depend on it.

 

yes real good deal

congrats on the big score . gonna be a fun summer

 

The speedo glass is terrible.
Can this be removed easily and cleaned?
I have an 82 SECA 650... piece of you know what.
Everything on it is trash really. But the speedo glass is clear!
Possible swap? I don't think they are the same speedos though...

 

Don't know about the swap from the seca, but there are plenty of sites out there with new lenses available.

 

it is a pretty good deal - best part being that you can drive it home

 

Sounds like a good deal to me for a bike you could drive home.

 

It's idling ~2000 to 2100.
Way too high right?
I can't remember - 1500 or 1800RPM idle for these bikes?
Or was it 1300?

It's a little grindy going into 2nd sometimes, but I think that's the idle.

 

The grindy 2nd probably means that it is on its way out. Mine pops out under load, and what I hear is that it is not too uncommon.

Bookmark this link. You may need it before too long.

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.ph ... eadid=5090

 

Did you change the oil? My shifting was squirrely until I changed the oil.
Make sure the oil level is correct.

Take it easy shifting. Baby the trans and clutch.

Fresh oil and lots of easy miles can allow the bike to get back into top riding condition.

You got a good deal. I paid $900 for my bike and it needs a lot of work to get into top shape.

 

great deal I paid $600 for mine and it didn't run
Shaun

 

Really I hope to god it's not second going out.
It's only 19k miles.
I did change the oil, used Castrol GTX 10w40. Is that ok?
Also, as far as the oil level - in the sight glass it is nearly @ the top when cold and off. I start it up and it runs down to about 1/2 the sight glass. Is that correct?

 

Number of miles is not as critical as how it was treated. Keep an eye on it and see how it continues to do.

Make sure you are using special motorcycle oil for wet clutches.

The oil level should be to the top of the sight glass on center stand. If you take it off the center stand and start leaning it toward the side stand, you will notice the oil go away. That is normal and a good way to make sure it is not overfilled.

 

No, I tend to agree with you that the crunch shifting is caused by the incorrect idle RPM's. The owner's manual (or was it the Haynes?) even says, "expensive noises will result" when shifting gears at the wrong RPM. Especially going into 1st.

Check for vacuum leaks and adjust the master star wheel in the center of the carbs. You'll probably end up performing a carb sync and adjusting the idle mixture screws as well.

 

Hoping Rick shows up and I can take it down to him to get it fully tuned.

The grinding I had is more like a 'clunk' and since the idle has been dropped and I changed the oil, it seems better. It does seem to slip the clutch a bit when I am really on it.

Is the Gastrol GTX I got no good? I do need to change it again soon, did not have an oil filter for it. So what should I get? (oil)

 

Alot of people on these boards use the Castrol GTX with no issues, myself included.
You could try going to the 20w50, as Yamaha calls for 20w40.

 

I thought I had to use non-friction modified or what not?
Because of the wet clutch?
It seems to slip more now than it did when I got it.
It's only when I am hard on it.
But maybe it just needs adjustment? I just thought I had to get oil for a wet clutch system specifically and I didn't think Castrol GTX 10w40 was one.
I have to change the oil to get the filter changed anyway, so I really need to know what to use now. Otherwise I'll have to just pay up and get Yamalube.

 

Don't give up the ship yet. It may not be the oil. You need to use a non energy saving oil, you will note a star on the container that says energy saving/conserving. You may be experiencing slippage as a result of clean oil being in the system. I wouldn't discount that you need to adjust the clutch as well. You may also want to save up for new clutch plates if you are not certain as to the age/condition of the existing clutch.

 

The guy took care of it really well, did the servicing every spring/fall.
Kept it indoors.

So maybe it is just the clutch adjustment?
I used regular Castrol GTX 10w40 (which now I think I should have gone 20w40?))

What oil can I get that is specifically made for wet clutches?

 

The commercial diesel oils- - Rotella T and Delo have compounds that have been severely reduced in all "auto" oils but our XJ's love this stuff, and (I'm a big fan of synthetic oils) some XJ's are "allergic" to synthetic oil.
The starter clutch needs some friction to work properly.
The wet clutch needs friction. The cams need cushioning.
The various gears shear the oil chains into smaller pieces.
If you start with a 10W40, you end up with a 5W20.
If you start with a 20W50, you end up with a 15W35 after 3,000 miles.
Go for the thicker oil for protection- - just my opinion !!

 

I just use the old 10w-40 oil at the motorcycle dealer. Runs fine.

 

So, TIMEtoRIDE, are you telling me to go with RotellaT?
Haven't seen DELO but they have RotellaT @ Walmart.
Should I get that? And heaviest weight I can find?

 

Rotella-T 15W40 available by the gallon at Wally World.
More important- - frequent oil changes. So frequent you only need to change the filter every other oil change.
I live in Florida, and I feel a "10" weight on the first number is just too thin for anything I own.

 

I believe it's a 5 quart bottle lol

I will do that when I get my filter in. Probably buy 3 or 4 filters too.
Is the $5 filter on Dennis Kirk's site, ok?

 

I tried Castrol 10w40 for the first oil change on mine after buying the thing with 9200 miles on it, and the clutch was slipping real bad. I know many people here have used it successfully, but I think after 28 years, each bike gets a bit of personality. On the next change, I tried Valvoline 20w50 4-cycle motorcycle oil, and the change was very noticeable. It felt like a new transmission, and the bike seems easier to start. I'm getting ready to roll over 12,000, and only use the Valvoline. Don't underestimate a change in oil.

 

Wet clutches use the oil primarily as a coolant, not as a lubricant. A clutch works by friction, and anything that reduces the friction too much causes the clutch to perform poorly. Many automotive brands have "friction reducers" that, well, reduce the friction, and thus the effectiveness of the clutch system. Cide1, your improvement in clutch performance was most probably due to the change to a "motorcycle oil" (no friction reducers) rather than the change in the viscosity of the oil......

 

DPawl31

I think you got a bad deal. And, to ease your pain, I will take the bike of your hands for what you paid for it.

I just don't want you to be sour about the XJ bikes.

Yeah, that's it.

(Do you think he will fall for it? Man, a running XJ for only $650? WHAT A STEAL!!!)

I can't remember who made the comment about changing the oil frequently in these bikes but, they were right. I think I changed mine about 5 times last summer.

The oil I settled on in my bike is a Castrol 10w-40 and for the really hot weather, a 20w-50. It is a synthetic blend and seems to work fine.

Good luck with your bike, you did get a really good deal.

Dan

 

I meant to say $66,000.... not $660.

Paypal me the cash and I'll drive it out to ya.

haha....

I think I am going to try the motorcycle oil next change... in a few weeks.