New to bikes, and looking to possiably buy a xj650 maxim

I found a decent looking xj650 yamaha maxim with just at 20k miles, 2nd onwer of the bike, hes owned it for 5 years now and is selling for 1k, I have managed to get him down to 700 and plan to go look at it tomorrow evening, It has a mac 4 into 1 exhaust, air windshield included, and lugage rack on back, Newer tires on front and rear, and new front breaks, and a new batter. he said hes not replaced the back so im aware that it probably will need rear breaks eventualy , but my main question is what should i look for when it comes to these bikes?
I have read there known for electrical issues but if the bike starts up and runs, i assume there would be no electrical issues, But my main question i should look at is, What do i need to look at when i go inspect the bike?
Anything these bikes are known to be weak at (example , leaking front fork)

I Do love the idea of this being shaft driven instead of chain or belt , as i know maintance on them is alot less and more durable then the others, which is a plus.

Thanks for all the advise ahead of time !
and if i do purchase ill get some pics posted asap .

 

If he's owned it for 5 years and drove it regurlaly, ask him for his valve shim chart (look up valve clearances in this forum, it's a big element to having these bikes run right and last a long time). If he doesn't have it or doesn't know what your are talking about, expect to catch up on some overdue maintenance. I'd be thinking, if he didn't do valves, what else didn't he do? Also, even though he says he redid them, check the date codes on the tires and brake line. (If the front brake lines are rubber with DOT date codes that are old, expect to redo the lines, caliper, & master cylinder.)
Look at the carb-to-engine boots, no cracks would be good.
Take a compression tester and possibly a buddy who knows bikes.

 

It's not an old car. EXPECT to have to re-do a lot of things if you want it to be truly safe and reliable. Things like brakes and tires aren't (or shouldn't be) deal breakers.

It worries me about the rear brake; that's one common point of failure on drum-brake '80s Yamahas: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html Just be aware it will need to be checked; don't let it stop you from buying the bike.

DO A COMPRESSION TEST. I can't stress that enough; these four-cylinder bikes can seemingly be fine with one (or more) really bad cylinders. Be sure to unplug both plugs on the TCI unit when doing the test, to prevent damage. If you're not familiar with the procedure, do a forum search and then find a mechanically-knowledgeable person to go along.

But DO a compression test. Otherwise you could be about to buy a whole lot of heartache and expense, otherwise known as a top-end rebuild.

 

Thanks for the info and i did go ahead and purchase the bike, and took into consideration of my decent mechanical abilties, and this forum for knowhow. I think ill be comfortable doing maintance on this when needed, first thing i plan to do is oil change and rear breaks.


It did come with a front windshield, a king/queen seat made in 09 that looks brand new and 2 oil fillters, has a 3 point crash barn with foot pegs on the bike as well, and the factory 2 point bars. tires still had the nipples on the tires on the edge of them. I did not look at the dates of the lines or tires, but i will address that in the near future too.
just take it slow, while still enjoy driving it around town.

I did put about 30 miles on it driving around our neighborhood yesterday, learning how to ride the bike , slowly getting aquired to diving a bike on road as all ive done is been dirt till now.

 

forgot to also mention, he put about 3k miles on it during the time he owned the bike, he upgraded to a larger suzukie intruder.

 

Like fits said.... this isn't a car.... just cause the tires have nipples on them don't mean s**t. That bike coulda been sitting for 5 years. Don't take the po's word... he wants to sell a bike. Just plan on at least dropping 500 to a grand. My bike was driven into my garage by the po... I sunk over a grand in it. None of that was cosmetic.

 

Welcome to the site !!
Get the RIGHT oil - - the WRONG oil is regular CAR oil and anything that says "energy conserving"
See below for tire date code check \/

 

Oh yea.... here's what I would suggest:

Tire + brake line date codes
Rear brake for delamination
Valve clearances (sounds hard but it's not)
carbs clean?
Petcock good?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check this stuff!!!!!!! You are a new rider.... what ya gonna do if your rear brake locks up or a tire blows? I know the call to ride is strong. But we all want to see you (and any other new rider) be safe. We've been there.

Also personal preference.... but please ATGATT (all the gear all the time!)

 

Yea that is what im doing research on currently, is how much oil and exactly what kind to use. Being i know bikes do use different oils then standard automotives, and there clearly labled at the parts stores localy, but i wasnt sure with these bikes if one was slightly "better" then another or if there all just about the same.

and yea, i dont plan to go over 30 with it till i get it to my parents ole barn to do a complete overhaul on the maintance on it and inspect that all is in good working condition.

 

and how much does it hold? i know to check the fulid lvl with the bike standing up and no on the kick stand as it will affect the lvl of the oil but wasnt sure if someone knew, and more then likely ill be putting in lucus oil's full Synthetic oil. i just need to find out what weight to use.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detai ... &ppt=C1941

 

20W 50 is what an 82 XJ650-J takes. I think last time I did an oil change mine took like 2.5 to 3 quarts. According to the Haynes Guide you only need to change the oil filter every other oil change. However I change mine every time just like a car. Get some stainless steel brake lines. You may want to rebuild the master cylinder because it is due unless the PO has proof he did it. It think it is every two years on these bikes. Unless he can prove to you he had the back brake pads replaced, do this ASAP they could be time bombs waiting to go off.

 

How much does it hold? There is a number cast into the clutch housing adjacent to the filler. Yours probably says "2500CM3" which means 2500cc's. (2.5 Litres.) You'll end up adding another 200cc~300cc to bring the level up above the full marks, but with a "bubble" still showing at the top. Total around 2.8 liters.

Even though it's "motorcycle" oil, I'd stay away from the full synth stuff. The XJs clutch and starter clutch are kinda fussy about what oil you use. I would recommend a good conventional motorcycle oil, like Castrol 4T. You can run 20W50 since 20W40 is hard to find these days.

If you buy the FRAM CH6003 filter, it will come with both of the o-rings needed.

AND QUIT RIDING THE BIKE until you've at least checked the rear brake for delamination. You have to take it apart and visually inspect it; an unexpected rear wheel lockup even at only 30mph will drop you on your butt real quick. This is NO JOKE, READ: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

THIS IS NOT AN OLD CAR. RIDING IT BEFORE IT'S SAFE CAN HURT YOU REAL BAD. Calm down, and start attending to the stuff we've told you about, before something bad happens.

 

Oil capacity is cast into the engine by the filler cap (likely 2300cc or 2.3 L).

 

corrct and that is the game plan. Thanks for all the advise and that is what i plan to do, getting it halled to a barn so i can work on it and get it road ready. And even working on it, i dont plan to rush it, because its a serious thing. wrecking is extremely dangerious.

 

Cool. All this talk of riding it "but taking it easy" had me worried. NO RIDING PERIOD until the rear brake has been disassembled and inspected.

 

Pics from the seller, Enjoy

and yes, the tassels are coming off and the flames are too, and winter time will become a paint job as well

 

Being i live in dayton ohio, im going to run up to competition accessories and get a few parts

http://www.compacc.com

Im not sure if anyone has bought from them or not, but i know here in dayton ohio i have alot of choices and have been told there one of the larger and better companies around, which is a plus.

I think things on my list are as followed for parts
3 quarts of 4t oil
back brakes, (even if im going to inspect them, being hes never touched them, who knows how old or how much longer there going to last even if they Visualy look good)
A bike cover (as for the bike will be stored outside eventualy)
and a updated helmet
and possaibly a new set of bars.

 

Pay a visit to your local Advance Auto Parts or O'Reilly-Murray's and pick up a FRAM CH6003 oil filter. They come with the new o-rings for the bolt and housing. DO NOT get it from the Yamaha dealer; they will charge you 3X what it should cost.

I'm familiar with Competition Cycle; they've been around for years and are good people, I've done business with them before, no complaints.

 

Good to hear, and the bike came with 2 extra oil filters , so im all set there as well.

 

Very nice bike.....Yeah I would lose the tassles and flames also. I also have an 82 which I am still working on. One of the first things I did to mine was take off the Maxim handle bars ( I dont know why but I hate the ram style bars) and put a set of NOS Honda CB750K bars on it and they sit real nice. But it's just a personal preference I guess. I wish you luck, nice bike!