new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any ideas?

ok , so im new to this site and have seen some amazing bikes and amazing customs. trying to figure out where to start so that im not wasting my time doing the same thing over and over. the engine is complete and free , bike is not missing anything other than the left side electrical cover. when i purchased it , original owner said that it was running and driving back in 2000 but was stored away and never brought back out. so far ive taken out the carbs and cleaned them back to working order. has no battery and weve lost the keys but are getting some made.

any ideas on where to go from here? i figured i would ask all of the experienced owners for the tips and tricks to these bikes as i have never owned a maxim. thanks and deepest appreciation!

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

Welcome, those Maxim X's are nice. These bikes look nice just the way they are, Bobbed or Customized. Get it running and checked out first, learn to ride if you don't already know how, then you'll know just what to do to it to make it your own. :wink:

 

your going to have to change fluids. I would adjust the valves or ad least check them make sure they are in specs. Check the rear brakes make sure the shoes are not falling off. That will be enough to get started with . Then you can sync the carbs properly tires repack bearings ect. You started out with a much nicer bike then i did. I am down to the carbs and mine will be done here are before and after pics. You can get a cover for your seat most people just replace the seat with a non x seat. Mine came with one i bought another with no rips then ran across the proper seat and went with that one I think you will really like it when your finishes

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

is there anyone out there that makes a slip on cover for the x's or does everyone just make their own replacements? i like the look of the seats that are on it and dont want to change the style. also , would just plain marine grade vinyl be ok if i have to do it myself?

 

maxim x seat covers are hard to find the 700s are not the 700 only has 1 or 2 buttons. If you want i will take a pic of what they look like. if you dont mind the looks i have several of them will sell you one cheap. You can also check on ebay sometimes you can catch an x seat cheap like i did i think i paid like 50 bucks for the one on mine

 

Hey cutlass, do you have the Radian rotors on your bike? If so, are they a straight swap for the stock Maxim X rotors?


Cheers, Graham

 

I had my seat covered by a Portuguese "Tailor".

If you live near a City that has a Portuguese, Latin, or Hispanic neighborhood, ... you should be able to find someone who will do an exceptionally fine "Custom" reupholstering of your seat for less than $100.00

Rolls, pleats, welds, colored piping and even an embroidered decal or design.

Don't let a language barrier stand between you and a craftsman with superb skills willing to create something special for you.

If you can draw it, ... they can make it.

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

I got a nice seat cover from these guys
http://www.motorcycleseatcovers.com/index.htm

Fairly easy to put it on. I went for the "premium long grain" option putting it at something like $110 for the two covers.

Here's a photo on my first restoration:
http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll16 ... =Seat1.jpg

How many miles on it?

Check the rear brake for delamination. Make sure the tires aren't dry rotted, but if it hasn't been on the road since 2000 I'm sure they are too old to trust at speed. You do NOT want the rear brake locking up or blowing a tire.
Make sure the front calipers move easily. I prefer to pop them off, and use a pry-bar to push the calipers apart (after I take the pads out) and make sure they move freely. Then clean the crud off the pads and a tiny bit of never-seeze on the pins to keep them free but be careful and don't get it on the pads!!!
Watch the fluid level and check for cleanliness. The front brakes are a bear to bleed so if you need to change the brake fluid I suggest you get a vacuum bleeder pump to make it a 3 minute job.

New pads are pretty cheap (like $30) and you kind of need to be able to stop. (a good investment)

There are a lot of other upgrades that you can do, but priority is getting it running on decent tires and make sure the brakes work.

 

Hy graham i think they are the same as radian rotors they are virago rotors straight swap. The centers were gold just a little paint and your ready to go

 

DO the gauges have a black background Jfetter?
If so, I believe that you have virago speedo/tach on it. Not a big deal, but the redline on the tach will be incorrect. The X redlines at 10K and the virago is quite a bit less.

 

virago speedos and tach 87- white faced also redline on the tach is 7k her are the guages off my virago i believe the tach will be off on calibration

 

This is the first time I can recall seeing a Maxim-X with a chromed front fender. Wonder if it's the original fender?

 

i have seen a few. I am thinking its off a older virago the whole front end interchanges even the forks but the forks don't have air assist on viragos

 

I've seen a couple of black virago gauges but never an XJ700.
I wonder what year they were??? Mr. Fox?

and redline was only 7K. Interesting

 

86- 700-750-1100 were all white faced my 1100s were identical to them
earlier ones look identical except with black faces

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

here is a pic of the tach and speedo that i took last night. after seeing some of you guys pictures i noticed that it should be white.

the other issue that i am having now is that i cannot get the solenoid to engage for the starter. there are no shorts that i have found and all of the fuses are still good. has no trouble engaging if i just jump the solenoid across the points with a screwdriver. anyone else had this problem?

 

looks like early virago guages to me. Sounds like 1 of the safety's is acting up. Is the green neutral light on. Do you have the clutch pulled in when trying to start it

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

the green neutral light is on but i did not know there was a safety on the clutch. i know that there was one on the kick stand but not the clutch. had to remove the clutch cable due to it being completely seized up.

the other issue that i have run into is on the carbs. i dont have a pic right now but im going to try and describe it. in the center between carb #2 and #3 , there is an aluminum hose barb on a swivel for the main fuel. what i cant figure out is that there is a black one between #1 and #2 , then another between #3 and #4. they look to be made of plastic but swivel just the same and fit the same size rubber line. is it some kind vacume tube?

 

Re: new here , trying to resurrect the maxim x....... any id

Overflow tubes.

 

yea try to bring the clutch lever to the grip. I couldnt figure that out on mine finally noticed the wire was unplugged. When you push the button now the headlight goes out and nothing happens right? schmuckaholic is correct 2 black plastic tees with a hose on the end run behind the motor and down towards the ground

 

Once you check that the valves have lash it would be a good idea to do a compression check with an accurate guage. Somewhere on the site is a list of good vs bad readings. Consistancy is important and anything over 120 is good if I remember correctly. 150-160 is like new.
That front fender is from a virago (just like the speedo and tach), X's never had them.