Name That Seca! UPDATED pics&info

So, last week I seen a road side sign for a rental property. This sign was, at an intersection, in the shape of an arrow directing people towards the house. Since my current lease it up in March, my interest was peaked.

I was just off work and only a few blocks from home so I made the turn and looked for the house. As I looked for more signs, I came upon a poorly tarped bike. Again, my interests peak! As I approach the bike, I suddenly recognized the rear rim. You guessed it . . . its an XJ!



What you see is what I saw. I was able to see the last inspection was '06. This both worries and excites me. I may be able to strike a deal yet it may need some work. The front tire is only at half mass and the rotor appears to carry some rust....

Clearly it is a Seca. We can see that the seat rides up on the tank so I'm thinking it is a 750 Seca. What do you think?

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Looks like 750 seca to me..original bars?, black fork leg with faded sticker, the shape of rear footpeg/muffler mount, the shape of the side cover.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

diddnt you just buy another maxim? lol

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

The seat, side covers, and pegs all say that it is a 750 Seca just as you suspect.

Ghost

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Well, we did agree on a deal. However, he had a larger cash offer that is supposed to take place tomorrow. Of course, he had to go with the money but did say he would let me know either way.

Thus the interest in this particular bike. I wanna know the story. Gotta be a reason it is sitting there.... I was going to stop today after work but had something come up. I want to find out about this bike before I here from the other guy so I know what's better....

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

I can see that the rear brake is delaminated, the carbs are all gunked up, the tires are out of date, the brake lines are OEM, the battery is dead and the fuse box is a disaster.

You just HAVE to buy it !!

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Haha. That made me laugh a little!

rear pads=$40
carbs=$10
tires=$120
battery=$50
fuse box=$12
time for repairs=3-4hrs

$232+a few hours.

Good stuff. Thanks for the thought Time. Ha, now I know where to start, if it is available.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Yr dreamin' ..carbs ,fuse box, rear brakes + many other points to cover for safe and running : time 3-4 hours..from that pic you've got a week if you've got all the bits. Nothing against reviving..just sayin.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

you forgot to replace the brake lines :-D

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

My buddy has it's twin;





Great riding bike.
I'd buy it.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Oh yea, new front brake lines $60+30mins. An additional hour for unforeseen hang-ups too.

New total: $292
Time: 5:15

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Those must be Metric figures - - double it and add 30 :lol:

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Look at the size of that dent, and the rust holes in the tank! I've never seen anything that bad.

Dave f

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

no i think he needs to multiply those by 25.4.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

I stopped the other day, on my way to work, at what I believe was the owner's house. Unfortunately, no one answered... hopefully next time.

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

I was finally able to speak to him today. Jason, owns the place where it is parked but it is his friend's bike.

Jason, did say that he was looking to sell it. As the story goes, the owner Scott did have it on the road 2 years ago. It supposedly had a fresh rebuild then. Jason said Scott parked it cause he got a girlfriend who didn't like him riding... He thinks Scott was wanting like $500 for it and may have an extra engine and spare parts too.

He let me go look it over so of course I was obligated to snap some pics for my friends here.

From my quick preview:

-FR turn signal was broken off
-Damage to right side of tank
-scuffed right crash bar
-brake hand lever is broken .....these 4 lead me to believe it was laid down.
-right fork seal is shot(see pic)
-head gasket leaking(see pic)
-brake discs need machined













Now, my concern is the damage from neglect. Odometer is reading 22,xxx. When I uncovered it I found the petcock on prime! I switched it to ON, ha. A knock on the tank would suggest that it has emptied itself into the engine. So now there is that and the concern of the tank rust. Although the front tire is extremely low, both tires do have decent tread.

Oh, I also squeezed both levers too. Clutch seemed ok but there was no resistance in the brake lever...

Anyhow, what do you guys think? I'm not sure what he has in extras as I have not spoken to him yet. I want to clear it with the Mrs. first, ha! Clearly I will have my work cut out for me but I am ok with that. I actually like the idea. Considering the neglect I'm thinking I could get a pretty good deal...

 

Re: Let's play . . . Name That Seca!

Forgot to mention, the last state inspection was in '06 but the license plate had a registration sticker of "3-12". Just thought it was weird.

 

Kinda crusty, 500 would be a stretch for me on that one, depending on the extras. I was looking around here and can get a decent running similar bike for 650-800

 

I agree street. It's been sitting there for a while so he obviously does not hold in high regards. I hoping for $300 or close. Maybe he'll even take a Nordic Track Elliptical I'm trying to unload? Hell, its an $800 machine...

 

83 750 seca...just like mine.

 

First order of business. Turn those engine guards around and mount properly.
In that condition it would have to run to be a $300 bike.

Ghost

 

Yeah, that's funny.....the engine guards are on the wrong sides of the bike.

I would be cautious about the tires.....if it's been sitting that long, they can be dryrotted even though they may look ok.........

You'd have your work cut out for you, but it IS a diamond in the rough. I've started with worse............my intruder 1500 was a smashed up wreck when I got that--

dave Fox

 

Ha, I did notice the engine guards when I was looking at it too, I snickered.

My main concern is where all the gas ended up, the damage it has caused, and what its gonna cost me? Give it to me straight?

So up front I've got fork seals, brakes, head gasket, carbs, signal, tires?

I reckon I'll give him a call tomorrow...

 

Have you looked at anything else? That thing is CRUSTY. Looks like a lot of work. Probably comes with a lot of nasty surprises that you can't see from the "outside" as well. Kinda seems like there is some info that they are with-holding from you. Not trying to be a downer, but I've bought bikes that looked viable and turned out to be more headache than they were worth... If you do get it, I'd add rear suspension to the list, those shocks don't even look close to salvageable...

 

Thanks. I understand and agree. I am interested in a project though. The info IS only partial at best. I talked to the guy who was storing the bike, not the actual owner.

The shocks are on the unmentioned list. I didn't even mention them since they are readily available to me at the local bike yard, no biggie.

thanks for the heads up. Its deff gotta run for there to be any chance of talking the wife into it!

 

First off, it's highly unlikely that you'll get it running.

Do a compression test, if it makes good numbers, it's worth MAYBE $200. Certainly not more than $300.

If it won't run, the most I'd give the guy would be $100, and I'd point out that HE should be paying YOU to haul it away.

Don't try to start it; just see if you can do a compression test. If a whole tank of gas went into the sump, you don't want to try to fire it up anyway.

In the condition it's in, it's going to be a major project and cost WAY more than what you'd ever hope get for it, so you'd better love 750 Secas going in.

 

Well, you'll probably get the it ran fine when it was parked po response. My bike was much worse and didn't run. I got it for $100 just because it had a good title. The po said he could not get it to fire and replaced the TCI, etc. Took a compression gauge with me, and when I saw 145's to 147's across the cylinders, I knew I had a decent plant to work with as well. Found the no spark was sidestand safety switch, and had it running for less than $200. Everything else can easily be repaired/replaced.

My advise, take some jumper cables with you. Unplug the TCI before you try to spin the engine, spray WD-40 in the spark plug holes generously, and check compression. If you get decent compression, look really disappointed and offer him $100 bucks to get it out of his way and go from there.

 

Bring a charged battery and a compression tester - see if the plugs fire while cranking, as they lay on the valve cover. Then there will be no surprises.

Have someone slowly lean the bike left from upright, and see when the "window" comes clear, that'll help tell you how much gas is in there.

Machining rotors?? Buy new pads, but "burn-in" these old ones first and see what you got. Maybe clean off the discs first with 240 grit.

I see a valve cover leak, most likely not a head gasket, which rarely fail.

 

easy way to tell if the gas is in the crank case.....open the oil filler and take a sniff------

smells like gas, now you know where it is

doesn't smell like gas, now you know that it's not there

I wouldn't worry about the shocks...they were dead thousands of miles ago anyway. They are easy to get.

Don't worry about spark, those parts are easy to replace. Compression is gonna be your best indicator. Let us know what you find..........

Dave Fox

 

Go back and ask if by "had it on the road a couple of years ago" really means "when the tow truck dropped it off".

Not try'in to be a dick but THAT bike has not seen ANY riding for a lot more then two years.

We have a bone yard in the area where the owner will happily tell you how long a bike has been in the weather. He has a few two years and a little less that don't look even close to this one.

And that's without tarps over them.

 

Never thought I would say this but that’s actually worst than some of the stuff you find here in the UK.
Al

 

Honestly, it looks like a money pit to me, but then maybe you've got the cash to fill the pit. I'm rarely a fan of crashed bikes though.

 

thanks a lot guys. I've got my notes and even went and got a compression tester.

 

I was looking at the pics again. You what's really tragic? Those aren't the original rear shocks; those are Progressive 12-series replacements.

Somebody cared about that bike at one point (not too recently though.)

In the shape it's in, I wouldn't go over $200 at all; and I wouldn't even touch it if it doesn't make good compression numbers. Not enough else on it is worth anything.

Unless the motor's worth saving, that poor thing isn't even a good 'parts bike.'

 

I've been looking over the pics too. I agree with you, theres really no value unless the compression numbers are good.

After examining the bike and the pics, I think that the RS damage is just from it falling over. The stuff that is damaged is broken or dented but there is not evidence of it sliding, no scrapes or any parts ground down. That leaves a little hope. I am interested in the "parts" that were mentioned as well. Ha, I kind of get the feeling the guy wasn't too in to the bike since he failed to even mount the engine guards properly...

Like I said, I purchased a decent compression tester today. I will check everything you guys have mentioned. I am currently at work but hopefully I will be able to get ahold of him tonight. I haven't had enoguh time to inspect the bike, make a deal and swap the tittle so I haven't called him yet. I don't want to work another deal and have it fall through.

Anyone have idea of what a pair of fork seals will run me. I checked the XJforever thread. They were listed but didn't have a price?

 

You're worried about FORK SEALS???

Dude. Seriously? The whole kit (seals, clips, dust seals, cap clips) should run around $30~$40.

You're looking at around $600~$800 if you want that bike safely back on the road; and that doesn't include cosmetics like the dented tank.

Do you honestly want/need a list? Actually as sorry as that bike is, half the stuff on the "basic list" can get crossed off since "replace" is going to be the only option.

If it blows good numbers, it's do-able. But it won't be cheap or easy.

You're right about the damage; it's only a tip-over. ("ONLY" he says; I bought into a bent clutch basket from a "tipover.")

 

That looks like the sort of bike that will cost $1,500 to bring it up to the condition of a bike that is worth $1,000.

 

Sometimes, though, it isn't the cost of what it will take to restore it.....nor is it the 'value' of what it will be when it's done. It can be more a matter of " I found this bike, I fell in love with it.....I saw a diamond in the rough (real rough), it took me a lot of time, care, love, and yes it took $, too........ but look at it NOW! "

Again, my 650 maxim was a non running bike, sat for two years, lots of rusty chrome-less metal, dirty, torn seat, etc.... bike. But with a new battery, new brakes, cleaned carbs, new tires, rebuilt caliper and master-cylinder, it went onto the road and was stone-cold reliable. 8 yrs and lots of new parts, cleaning, work, detailing, etc..... I received a 2nd Place trophy for it. Worth the price dollar-wise? No. Worth the price satisfaction-wise? Oh, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus, that's the bike that got me hooked on all of the XJ's. Some are an investment, some are purely for the "let's see what I can do with this one" factor.

dave

 

Thanks Hog, thats kind of where I'm at with it. Maybe I'm just entirely too excited for a second bike or perhaps I have a soft spot for taking in strays.

I understand that the likely hood of seeing a return on my investments is highly unlikely. Sure, I'll lose my patients with it a few times. Hell, you guys may even become sick of it too. I better leave it alone untill I know more...

 

No arguments as I have done the same, but I still like to point out the pitfalls.

This is what I started with;



By the time the project is finished, I would have almost been able to buy a new bike.

 

Right on. That muffler can looks like a cannon mounted back there. I love it!

 

That picture was 2.5 years ago.

But on a serious note, pretty much the only parts still used from the original picture is the frame, swingarm, engine and seat frame. In the next few months the even the engine will be replaced.

 

Yeah.... taking in strays can become a problem. At least the bikes don't pee on the walls like cat collectors have to deal with.

I don't have a problem with taking in strays.................oh, wait...........eighteen different bikes here now in various stages of stray-dom.

"Uh, doctor....I think I have a case of MAS -- Motorcycle Acquistion Syndrome."

"I'd suggest you go find another bike, and do it quickly".

Thanks doc..! Hey, you know anyone that's got a bike laying around?"

Dave

 

I finally talked to Scott today. Says he has owned the bike for 6 years and has rebuilt it twice, last being 3yrs ago. Evidently he's got nearly any entire parts bike too. Turns out he wanted $700 for it all. ...no thanks

He did however give me a lead on his buddy's bike. He said it was a '96 Yamaha Route 66. Recently inspected and only needs front tire and back brakes. Guy wants $300. He said the dude was in a hard spot and just wanted rid of it for some quick cash. Google says its actually a 250cc virago.

Anyone familiar with these little bikes? Sounds great for the Mrs. and if she can't hang I'd love to make a wicked little hardtail bobber!

 

get us some pics of the parts bike, too, and possibly try offering him 500

dave

 

My 2 cents...

Any used bike is just that, used. Unless you buy it from a dealer restorer, you will have to replace some things on it. No bike or auto for that matter is buy it and drive it without some upkeep costs. So, I will explain my position on the matter.

The bike I "really" wanted was a 2007 Yamaha Warrior. Best deal I could find was $7000 for low miles and blue/silver flames paint. Disappointed there, I also really want a Harley Softail custom, but I refuse to pay 20 grand for a bike. Then, I got interested in the Yamaha Vmax. Now the Vmax is very similar mechanically to the Maxim. It is 4 cylinder, shaft drive and has the center stand that I almost refuse to not settle for doing without. Best buy I could find on a Vmax was a 2004 for $5500 in need of TLC. Also, cruiser style is a must as I can't stand crotch rockets and would kill myself on a dirt bike.

Note that every bike I was researching was getting compared to the 81 XJ650 Maxim that I fell in love with as a teenager. Now, this finally began to sink in. I was in the market for a "new" 81 XJ650 Maxim and had a price range from $5500 to $7000. As luck would have it, I had been sharing my love for the XJ's with a buddy at work who is a panhead fanatic. He went home to Kentucky over the weekend to visit family and bring some of his bike collection home. When he got to the barn where he had then stored, he shot a pic and sent it to me.

There in the dimly lit dusty decrepit barn sat a 1982 XJ750 Maxim. I really could tell much by the pic other that it was a Maxim. He asked if it was what I was looking for, and I said well, it looks very rough, but it is similar, why do you ask? He said, well, it is mine. I had it in the barn and completely forgot about it even though we have been talking about you looking for one for so long. He said he was going to bring it home and I could come look at it.

So, when he was nearly home he sent me a message, and I drove to his house. There on the back of his Ford sat one of the roughest 82 Maxim's I have ever seen. But something about this one just kinda set a hook in me. I asked him for the history. He it used to run really well. It was fast and reliable. They stored it for a couple of years, and hadn't been able to get it running since. He couldn't get the bike to fire. I asked how much he wanted for it. He said $100. I knew at then I could make ten times my investment in parts if the bike turned out to not be build-able. So, the bike never touched the ground from Kentucky to Talladega Alabama. I backed my truck up to his tailgate to tailgate and brought her home.

So, found the issue with fire to be the safety switch, and dry compression test yielded numbers of 147/142/145/147. I knew at that point I had a good plant and this baby would rise again. Now, some people have invested huge amounts of money in restoring bikes. To sum this up. Just as darkfibre mentioned above, I will have replaced/renewed everything on this bike short of the frame, swingarm, engine, tank, and side=covers. As bad expensive as this sounds, when it is said and done I will have invested less than $3500 in this bike and it will be new from end to end. I will not have a more sound machine if I bought it new from the factory and even well below the afore mentioned $5500 to $7000 budget range. Also, being that I am the one doing all of the work, I will use the attention to detail and meticulous care that you do not always get at shops.

 

Mook, you're gonna turn that into a beauty. I can't wait to see what you do with it.

Dave F

 

And THAT is the "key to the highway." Everything else is just details. LOTS and lots of details, a lot of patient work, and probably not as much money as you might think.

 

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/2891734695.html
think about it, do you really want a 250

 

Thanks guy. HA, no Tim. I wasn't in the market for a tiny bike, haha. I don't know, sounds like it might be worth a look anyhow. I think it could be a fun hardtail project.

As for the link, I emailed that guy on the 8th when the post was made. I have yet to receive any correspondence... Ideally, I'd like to get a 750 or 900. I've never seen any 900s around here though, for sale or otherwise.