What do you think of this deal?

1986 XJ700 30k miles, needs a thermostat for $975?

Hit it or quit it?

 

If you can do the work yourself and have some cash, HELL YES -- damn good deal.

 

After some searching here......all I could find was "changing the thermostat is tricky".

I've currently got my XJ650 cracked open, waiting for valve shims and carb jets.
So I'm fairly handy. Usually have no problem doing the work.

How does the XJ700 differ from the XJ650?
(obviously the cooling system.....)

Do I really want 2 times the work? Do I really need 2 motorcycles?

 

Well with 2 bikes...there should always be one to ride while the other is being worked on.....

 

And if that is the original seat and backrest (highly coveted) then you could recoupe half the cost right there..
But for that price I'd jump on it. The thermostat isn't that tricky.

 

Now, to figure out where that money is going to come from......

 

IF THAT PART WASNT WORKED OUT WHY BOTHER WITH THE REST?
Fantasizin?

 

I agree with NCAVANAU. I am a two bike guy and I feel like a rock star. LOL

 

Nobody should have just one XJ.

 

That bike looks really nice for $975. Does it run?

You can start it and run it for a few seconds without a thermo.

I agree, how many is too many bikes? I am at 3 bikes and SWMBO is buying herself a new one in January to bring the stabe to 4!

Man, you better get that bike.

 

Yep. He says it runs great.

Drove it to the mechanic (25 mins and back), who told him the thermostat was shot.....just from talking about it.

The Owner says it's okay while you're riding, but gets hot if you're sitting at a light. The cooling fan doesn't kick on. So yeah, dead thermostat.

Should be an easy fix?

My garage is pretty small. How do you deal with lack of space?
I'd have room to park two side by side.....but would have a hard time getting them out....with the car in there....and my work area would be gone.

I saw some center stands on wheels?

 

One other good thing, is that now that I have experience with my bike, I know what to look for in a new bike.

CHECK BOLT HEADS for stripping!
Check EVERYTHING!

 

Oh Josh....

The cage goes outside and stays outside!

I have a 2 "car" garage, or a 4 bike garage! :wink:

There is a company that sells, for about $215, a centerstand dolly.

Do a search for "Park-n-Move" motorcycle dolly. There is YouTube video that is really good.

I am looking into buying a few of those dollies. I am also looking into a trailer in a bag to pull 2 bikes.

Good thing this bike hobby is not expensive!

 

I only have a one car garage.....which would force my car to the street.

I could always pull the car as far forward as it'll go, and park the bikes behind it. Only sucky part is that I'd have to move them around if the weather was bad.

I just thought the XJ700 would be perfect contrast to my XJ650.
More of a cruiser, more room for my wife, saddle bags, and windsheild.
My 650 is a plain old vanilla bike.

Sounds like the guy has only had it for a year.....and the guy before that only a year too......:?
He says as far as he knows the bike is stock.

One thing I've learned in buying any automobile....is that it may appear to be in great condition, but little things start to rear their little heads once you get it home. :twisted:

 

Hey JoshuaTSP,
I would be checking the thermal switch first, or the fan itself. Easy check with a multimeter.
The Maxim-X's always run hot when they are sitting in traffic. The fan won't kick in till the temperature gauage is almost in the red. That's normal.
Even if it is the thermostat, you have a second ride, and all winter to fix it
If I lived closer, that baby would be gone..

 

Hmmm....no idea how to check those things, or where they are?
My SECA is barbaric compared to those sorts of things.

Maybe he's thinking the coolant gauge shouldn't be going up so high?
Thus thinking it doesn't work?
Maybe it works just fine?

For that price I can't go wrong. I think I may do it. :twisted:

My 650 is down right now.......awaiting parts. :cry:

 

Just find an exploded view and locate the switch. In one of the replies you mentioned

"The Owner says it's okay while you're riding, but gets hot if you're sitting at a light. The cooling fan doesn't kick on. So yeah, dead thermostat."

The thermostat has nothing to do with the fan kicking in. It is operated by the thermal switch. If it runs at normal temp when highway driving, the thermostat is probably OK. Stuck open or closed should be evident. Just disconnect the fan and then feed 12 volts directly to it and see if it works. If it does, then wire a manual switch in parallel with the exiting wiring, and turn it on when needed. Wiring it in parallel will also save the battery if you forget to turn it off.
If the fan doesn't turn on with the 12 volt feed, then E-bay for a replacement.
Good luck with it. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm jealous

 

This is from a post back in March. Same basic issue:

Posted by:
JoeFriday77 Mar 01, 2009 7:50 pm

Just in case anyone else runs across this later, the problem was a bad thermal unit. I followed the service manual troubleshooting, but in case someone does not have the service manual, here is what you do.

Take the blue and brown wire off of the thermal unit. Jump the two terminals with the key on. If the fan kicks on, then you are probably looking at the thermal unit as the failure point. If the fan does not kick on, then the fan motor is probably bad.

One last step to verify the thermal unit, take the brown wire, turn the key on, and connect a voltmeter. If you are getting voltage to the brown wire, then you have narrowed it down to the thermal unit.

You can purchase a new thermal unit or take a gamble with fleabay which is what I did. I picked up a complete thermal housing including the thermostat. I now have a spare thermostat and sensor for the temp gauge.

On the subject of thermostats, you can pick up the MotoRad unit that the maxim-x.com site recommends at Oreilly. The name on the box is Murray Ultra, but it is a MotoRad thermostat. The part number is 15868 and should cross reference to the maxim-x.com MotoRad part number.

 

^Thanks for the info!

So, I can just tell the guy I'm going to yank some wires out of his ignition and test them?

Oh, good to know.....I was definitely just assuming the thermostat controlled the fan. Thanks for the correct info.

Fans appear to be $40 - $80.....no biggie!

I should be able to ride the bike home right?
It's about 40 degrees here, and there aren't many lights on the way.

 

Yeah, just keep it under 100MPH!

Seriously, just watch the temp gauge. If it get's too hot for your taste, pull over and shut her down for 15 minutes. Then continue on.

At 40 °, the engine should cool enough in the ambient air.

I'm jealous too! I like the looks of that bike!

Good luck and let us know when you get it home, safely!!

 

HA!

I have yet to even have my SECA up over 75mph.

Sounds like the guy is in college....so he can't afford to fix it.
If anything is even wrong?

I'm going to check it out tomorrow for sure.
I will be carrying cash.

 

More pics!
*jaw drops*

 

Well....I bought it! :idea:

The bike is in amazing shape. Runs great. Smooth and zippy.

Puts my SECA to shame.
My Seca feels like a tank compared to it.

So much more acceleration, power and speed.
A lot of nice feature touches too.

I drove it home.....nearly froze....no symptoms of overheating at all.
I have a feeling the guy saw the temp gauge go up to the red zone, and freaked out.

The bike is an amazing runner.

 

Nice Score

MN

 

Thanks.
the back end slid out when I hit the gas taking a corner on the test ride. That much power. I was surprised.
My Seca has zero power compared to the Maxim.
(The Seca is way out of wack)

The season is practically over too.

The Maxim X is really quiet and smooth sounding too. Man, I love the bike!

 

Are you out riding today?? Man you must freezing your nads off.


MN

 

Awsome deal. Believe me, you won't regret it. Now, if the seat is original, and the backrest says Maxim X on it, have it vacume sealed and put it in a safe
Congratulations, and keep us up to date on the cooling siuation..

 

I had to ride it home 40 mins!

My hands and legs got fairly cold, but overall it wasn't too bad.
It was around 40 degrees today.

I plan on riding until it gets down to 30 degrees mid-day!

 

I already like it more then my SECA..... :lol:

It is? why?
Rare?
:?:

I'm pretty sure the bike is pure stock.

 

Here in St. Paul I don't think it get to 35 today. I was out on a few service calls and I was cold. I didn't see any bikes out but I'm sure there were a few brave souls out there after the frost was off the roads

MN

 

I saw bikes everywhere.....I think people were trying to get in their last rides.

 

LOL Nkavanau!

Congrats, Josh! I am so glad you decided to get that bike.

That bike is awesome! Many miles need to be put on it!

Good job,

 

86 hp too.....man, I can feel the difference.

The ride is a lot more upright with the X too.
Sits a lot lower to the ground then the SECA.

I'm going to eat some breakfast, bundle up and take it for a nice long ride.

 

Sweet find. Enjoy that bike.

 

Great score !! That bike looks really clean !
You still should check and go thru everything, since the PO's were non-mechanics, starting with drum brake delamination, inspect the tires for plugs, new brake fluid, ETC.

 

Good call. I'll probably check all of that tomorrow.

Gotta check the plugs.....I'm afraid what I'll see.
It runs really well, but when I left off the throttle....it slows down quickly....and gurgles/bubbles upon deceleration.
Can't remember is that's a little lean or a little rich?

Of course, I'm going to start at the beginning once the riding season is over....valves, carbs, etc.....

 

Probably a little lean. I imagine the carbs need cleaning. Don't they always??

Carbtune and colortune are definitely in order!

 

Post some pictures JOSH, will you..?

 

Yep....Suppose to rain 3 days this week.....I should be able to dig into them and get them spotless in a day. They don't appear to be all that dirty....hell the RPMs don't even hang!

I'll have to take some of my own the next nicer day!
(suppose to snow 1" worth today.)

 

You might want to lift the valve cover and make sure you aren't running a tight valve- - boy you'd hate to mess up a good thing, right?

 

That's true.

:wink: