How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy way)

I spent a lot of time searching through the forum to figure this one out so I thought this might be helpful to others. Most of what I found suggested that you need to swap out the whole top of the tree with a Seca or something but I think this was just soooo much easier. Not to mention cheaper.

All you need is a couple bar clamps from an '82 Virago (or something similar). I got these off ebay for $15.



You'll need a 5 & 6 mm allen wrench to remove those ugly 2-piece bars. When you have them off it's time to remove that splined bar mount. There should be a small kotter (sp?) pin that you need to remove from below the nut, the simply remove the nut from the bottom and the bolt from the top in front of the splined shaft and slide the bar mount assembly up and out.



The studs from Virago bar clamps are a little long so you'll need a spacer. I picked up these 1/2" bushings and rubber washers from the local hardware store and they worked perfectly.



That's really all there is to it... I finger tightened everything until I had the bars in place, then went back and snugged everything up (The little clamp in the center of the bars is for my Garmin GPS/speedo).





I hope this helps some others out.. feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments.

Just for the record.. those are TC Bros. Lane Splitter bars & I'm not completely sold on them but they kinda' grew on me overnight. The only mounting issue for these bars was the brake line is too short so they're leaned forward until I can get a longer one.

Cheers! 8)

 

Hows that tilted master cylinder workin out? Mine was situated similalry and leaks pretty badly...

 

Re: How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy w

The master cylinder is holding up fine, no leaks. It's actually not far off from the angle it was already at with the factory bars on there. I'm pretty sure I ready somewhere that this model has the master cyinder mounted at a 40 degree angle (Why? I have no idea).

Edit: quoted from Chacal in a different thread:

"The XJ750 Maxim master cylinders are designed to fit the stock handlebars and use a "tilted reservoir" orientation when mounting to the bars.....the tilted reservoir thus compensates for the tilt in the handlebar angle and allows the reservoir (and the fluid in it) to remain more-or-less level. Most other master cylinders (including the Turbo) are designed for much flatter handlebars, and thus have the reservoir parallel to the mounting angle of the master cylinder bore.

The use of "flat bar" mater cylinder/reservoir units on bikes designed for the "tilted reservoir" master cylinders can, under certain situations, cause brake fluid starvation, as well as having your right mirror (which screws into the m/c housing) sit at a very odd angle."

So, with that in mind, I think my original bars were adjusted to a pretty flat position that put the MC at an angle to begin with. I haven't experienced any issues with leakage or brake fluid starvation but it's certainly something to consider.

 

how simular is the 83 virago bar clamps compared to the 82? i found a pair on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... ink:top:en

 

Re: How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy w

Those look identical to what I used, but way too expensive!! I got my for less than $20 bucks with shipping. You could probably find some nice aftermarket clamps that would get you going for that kind of cheddar.

Here's a couple cheaper options - they're selling the full triple tree but you could just buy it and pull the clamps off.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/81-82-83-YAMAHA ... c0&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/81-YAMAHA-VIRAG ... ad&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/81-82-83-YAMAHA ... a9&vxp=mtr

Also, these might work too, depending on which bars you're using.. not sure if these would knock the tank with the little bit of angle but I think they would look pretty sweet if they worked!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Virago-X ... c9&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-1988-XV2 ... 75&vxp=mtr

After looking again I'm pretty sure these would work - especially the longer ones (maybe with some drag bars would be sweet!).

 

Re: How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy w

I'm actually thinking about trying one of these aftermarket sets from ebay to clean up the look a little bit this winter. Not positive, but they look like they'll bolt right up too:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-Bar-Ha ... 4161wt_675

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universial-Moto ... 4161wt_675

I might even shell out a few extra bucks for something like these if/when I get lower and switch to some lower daytona or drag bars:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Bar-Riser-For ... _749wt_913

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Bar-Riser-For ... _775wt_913

Anybody else tried this yet? Let's see some pics!!

 

I used some from a 81 Kawasaki LTD 440 had to cut and shorten them but they worked great. had the bike for parts so no cost just some time.

 

...angle not much off from what it was...........

Then something is wrong, or the picture is screwy, cuz the maxim reservoir was never even close to THAT angled that I know of, based on the pic we're looking at.

Keep an eye on it anyway....................

Dave F

 

I just drilled my top tree to half inch to accommodate HD 1" risers.

 

Good call man.. I might do that someday too if I can find a good deal on a set of 1" bars with controls.

 

I got the bars off craigslist and the controls off amazon, pics on my build thread.

 

Re: How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy w

I also don't like the stock 2-piece bars on my stock XJ750 so I ordered a set of Virago clamps from ebay on your recommendation ($10).

What diameter bars can I use? I'm not looking for something quite as high as you have pictured but I'm more interested in comfort and not having to replace the brake, clutch, or throttle lines. Maybe something flatter but not quite "dirt bike".

I'll keep looking and thanks for the suggestion.

 

Re: How to swap out '82 Maxim XJ750 2 piece bars (the easy w

7/8ths is the diameter. Go to JCWhitney.com and look at the Bikemaster bars. A few people have the Datona's or you could go with drag bars or even a straight pipe without changing cables.

 

All great posts, I was struggling with the same thing, now I'm on a path to success! I'm going to try some aftermarket ones off Amazon, I'll have to make sure it doesn't knock the tank or I may be drilling some new holes, too.

 

personally, I think it's much quicker to swap the top clamp (the crown).

-Loosen the three pinch bolts and remove the center bolt.

-Slide the "2-piece" crown assembly off, slide the "single-bar" crown assembly on and tighten pinch bolts and center bolt

-Swap your handle bar controls etc... To the new bar

- go ride