Hello from Ontario....and looking for some suggestions....

Hi there,

Just introducing myself here. I have a 1985 Yamaha Maxim 700 that I've owned for almost 20 years. I rode it for three, put it away for a long time, and started riding again last year....which made me realize I never should've stopped! In my first 10 minutes of being back on the road, while waiting at a red light, had someone enthusiastically shared their story of owning the same bike in years past...what a great bike.

Considering I didn't do much to prepare to store it for so long, it took surprisingly little to get back on the road...cleaned/unstuck the carbs, fixed the fork seals, and changed a tire, and we were pretty much good to go! I've had to play around to get it to start right off and run smoothly from the start....but this seems to have worked itself out. It runs better and better the more I use it.

Two things I'm looking for ideas on....the mufflers are not in good shape. While the bike sounds great, there are holes on the underside of both mufflers. I love the shape of the ones I have, and haven't been able to find a suitable replacement. Any suggestions, anyone?

Also, the tank is rusty. While it looks better now than it did last spring, there's still a lot of rust in the tank. What have people done to fix this issue?

 

STOP riding the bike until you've visually inspected the rear brake shoes for delamination (it matters not what conditions it was stored under) and rebuilt the front brakes. The front brake lines had a recommended life span of 4 years, and the caliper and master cylinder seals, two years. An old bike is still an old bike, even if it sat in your garage for 20 years. READ: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

How many miles are on it, and did you ever have the valve clearances checked at 3000 miles like was supposed to have happened?

A TIRE??? I would hope you replaced them both-- they're tubeless. If they're over 6 years old, you're a blowout looking for a place to happen.

Whether you buy an old bike or drag it out of the back of the garage, the items that will need to be attended to are still the same. You can't just start riding it, you could get hurt.

Don't trust your life to 30-year old brakes.

 

Re: Hello from Ontario....and looking for some suggestions..

Fitz is dead on. Take the time and go through your ride to insure it is safe for the road and can stop when needed! Glad to have you here. Welcome from VA!.