Engine rebuild XJ650

I have a 81 XJ650.So far I'm in the bike $480.00.I've replaced the front end.And a few other parts.Added a sissy bar,and a new seat.Runs good.But has around 30,000 miles on it.How expensive is it rebuild the engines on these bikes?And is there any after market performance parts for these engines.

 

What makes you think it needs to be rebuilt? My 1980 Maxim has 45K miles on it but all from one owner who rode is regulalry and took nice care of it. It looks better than a lot of older bikes I've seen with 4500 miles.!

Like airplanes, mootorcycles should be driven, and thus, seals don't dry out and oil is being changed and circulated, fuel is flowing through the carbs and parts are replaced. Like airplanes you have have more problems when they sit for a long time.

Unles yours was mistreated (burning oil, making bad noises or has no compression) I would think you should get many more miles out of that engine.

 

At 30,000 ... you still got over 20,000 to go ... before the recommended Cam Chain replacement is due.

What's the matter?

Something wrong with the transmission?

 

I got 130,000 km out of my motor and only did a rebuild as the bottom end (primary chain and clunky gears) was on it's way out due to PO never changing the oil in ten years of daily riding. Rings etc. were fine even with 130,000 on her. 250,000 is not unheard of with regular oil and filter changes!

 

Nothing wrong with the motor,but every once in a while if you get on hard will slip out of 2 nd gear.Only done a couple of times at full throttle around 7500 rpm.this bike was treated very badly.And this winter I plan on a complete restoration.And since I'll have it apart figured if it was worth it rebuild the engine and tranny.

 

That explains it!

You GO, A-J!

"If you're gonna be Bear ... be a Grizzly!

 

Yeah but how much??? My bike needs a rebuild. Blowin oil all over the place back firing. I need it

 

the most expensive part is the machine shop work..

 

This is not the deciding factor for an engine rebuild.

"Blowing oil all over the place and backfiring" sounds like a combination of issues, mostly carb related.

As alluded to above, these engines rarely need "rebuilding" before a minimum of 50,000~60,000 miles. What they DO need is the 30+ years of neglected maintenance reversed.

 

Back to the original question...and a couple more for clarification.

1. Under what circumstances is a engine rebuild appropriate?
2. Are there different "levels" of engine rebuild?
3. What parts are required and what are the approximate costs for the rebuild?
4. What resources are recommended, at a minimum, to perform a rebuild yourself, assuming you have the technical knowledge and basic skills?