whats the best shop manual to buy?

I need to buy a shop manual for my 1982 XJ550 and was wondering what people think is the "must have" shop manual? and where did you get yours?

Thanks!

 

Unfortunately, there is no single "must have." Most people here recommend having two manuals for different approaches, photos, descriptions, depth, etc.

Personally, I have the Clymer manual and this site. 90% of info comes from this site (supplemented by the Clymer), 10% from the Clymer alone.

I didn't even change the oil/filter without asking about it here first. That said, I used the Clymer to actually perform the task.

 

http://xjcd.org/

For $10 it's got all the repair manuals for all of the bikes, lots of tips and even a parts cross reference guide, so that you can figure out if that TCI/Alternator/airbox/etc on ebay for a 198x year seca/maxim 550, 650,750 will fit on your 550 (whatever it is). It's digital and if you really want it printed out, you can just send it to an officemax or staples and for $20-30 have a manuals printed and bound for you. It's a GREAT resource.

 

I have a xj1100 maxim I looked online for manuals can't find any for my bike, can find books for xj750 it covers several 4 cyl. XJ, will this book be the "same" in most cases.
Like most members I look here for everything first.
Do I need more than my Yamaha xj100j service manual and this site I have ordered the the "XJCD" it's not here yet but soon
Thankyou for your time.
vb

 

The Hayne's XJ650/750 manual only covers those 650/750 maxim/seca models (i have it)...I wouldn't recommend it for any other models. There are some xj models that do not have aftermarket manuals (XJ650 turbo seca comes to mind). I would think the "official" manual, paired with the knowledge of this sight, will get you through any job you need.

 

Personally, I use a combination of the factory manuals and the applicable aftermarket book. For the 550s that would be the Clymer; for the 650/750, the Haynes.

A factory manual can be got off eBay for usually less than $20 if you're patient, and it will fill in a lot of the gaps in the Clymer.

 

+1 on the XJCD. I have one of those, too, though haven't used it yet.

 

+1 for the XJCDs, original service manuals are the way to go, I've found with other bikes I've owned that the aftermarket Clymer/Haynes type manuals sometimes have mistakes in them (assembly order, tolerance specs, etc) that make them actually quite counterproductive, especially if that's all you have to go by :evil:

However, I also agree that a couple different manuals can be good to have, sometimes only together do they fully explain a procedure.

 

There are also times where the original service manuals are wrong. I think that the aftermark manuals are based on the original service manuals (you see a lot of the same images) and it's usually the wrong images that are the most confusing.

 

That could be. In the cases where I found the aftermarket manual was wrong, I didn't have the factory service manual.

 

+1 on the factory manual. At one time, a buddy of mine worked for a yamaha dealer and scored me a brand new one for $25. I still have to get the XJCD though.

 

You are correct sir! And sometimes not WRONG wrong, but outdated info from a "world market" bike. There are photos in the XJ550 factory book for instance, that are clearly an XJ400 (4 cyl) --same but different.

Then there are some flat out mis-steps, the factory Maxim supplement lists Seca specs for some things that are wrong for the Max.

Don't get me (or chacal) started on the PARTS FICHE. (The source of some of those bad images.)

Factory manual+Clymer/Haynes+XJBikes.com=Git 'er done.I can't believe I actually typed that...

Oh, and one more cool addition, for those TRULY granular details: Factory dealer assembly manuals. The book that came with the bike for the dealer to uncrate and put it together. Created with the exact same production standards as the service manual, they can be found on eBay for around $5-$10. If you're doing a true resto, or just want to know everything you can about your bike, a valuable resource. I love 'em.