Here's my impersonation of a motorcycle mechanic...

So a couple months ago my girlfriend and I thought it would be fun to buy a little moped or scooter or some such nonsense to tool around town in. You know, something to jump on and run some errands or something...a cheap 2nd vehicle. So off to craigslist I went to peruse the motorized 2 wheel offerings for sale.

But, as one thing always leads to another, I now have in my garage, not a little moped or scooter or some such nonsense, but a beautiful 1982 XJ650 Maxim (plus my man-card still intact for not buying a moped). Picked it up off the nicest guy for $500. He had it for a while and then put it in storage for a year after a close call scared him on it. The owner before that (his father-in-law) did basically the same thing and he had it stored in a garage for years and years. Just under 9,000 miles on it. The pics below are what it looked like the day after I got it home. It was such an awesome find.

I just wanted to say thanks for all the folks on this board that post as thoroughly, and as prolifically as you do (you know who you are!). With all the information on here, you have given a complete and total novice biker like me an actual fighting chance to get one of these bad *ss rides up and running properly....












Here's a list of the work that I've managed to not completely screw up on the bike with you folk's help:

-Removed all the rust from the inside of the tank with Evaporust.
-Rebuilt petcock with all new gaskets (thanks Fitz!).
-Installed new Motobatt battery.
-Installed inline fuel filter.
-Changed oil and final drive oil.
-Cleaned out air filter.
-Removed rear tire and inspect drum brakes.
-Inspect brushes.
-Adjusted brake pedal free play.
-Adjusted brake lever free play.
-Adjusted clutch lever free play.
-Inspect fork seals. PO has apparently replaced these.
-Inspected valve clearances and install some new shims (thanks again Fitz!)
-Replaced valve cover gasket and donuts.
-Inspect front disc and caliper. Hose appears ok, but I think it might be original and needs to be replaced.
-Did a compression test:
#1-128 #2-128 #3-122 #4-125.
At first I was worried about these numbers since they're at the lower limit for yamaha spec, but then I remembered I'm at altitude here in sunny Boulder, CO. 5,430 ft to be exact. Does anyone have any idea what these numbers would correspond to at sea level?

Things I plan to do this winter:

-Replace front brake hose with stainless steel.
-Replace master cylinder maybe? The handlebars were replaced by the PO with some flatter bars, but the original MC is still on there. It's now at an odd angle because of the new bars. Don't know how much of an issue this is. I've tried turning and angling the bike and handlebars as much as possible to see if it's possible to get air in the hose, but I cannot.
-Replace the tires. On close inspection they look to be nearly brand new, tons of tread and zero signs of checks or cracks or anything like that. But the date code reveals the front tire to be 7 years old and the rear almost 10.
-Remove the carbs for top to bottom cleaning (god help me).
-Sync and tune carbs.
-Replace fuel line.
-Repack steering and pivot arm bearing.
-Maybe replace wheel bearings if I'm not broke yet.

I'm sure there's a ton I'm forgetting. Please let me know if you think there's anything major I'm missing.

I have absolutely nothing to compare it to (that's a lie, I rode a Honda Rebel for two days at the MSF course), but it certainly seems to run very well. Idles nice and smooth, fires up pretty much every single time, runs through the gears very smoothly. I freaking love this thing. Riding this bike up and down and in and out of the Colorado Rocky foothills where I live is amazing. For a beginner like me, it feels like having your own personal roller coaster to get from point A to point B.

Thanks to all here for the help and info.

 

Nice bike!! GREAT find for 500 bucks!!!

 

Very nice indeed!

 

I'm looking for all the places there's supposed to be rust, corrosion, tarnish, peeling, fading -

I think you have the nicest find - EVER !
Go on Craigslist and see what's available for $500

 

+1, holy moly man you'll make a lot of people jealous, has!

Good luck with the winter work, make sure you replace the tires like you mentioned. 10 hear old tires on a bike is slightly more dangerous than 10 year old car tires .

Man, those yics covers alone.... Drool... Lol

 

Good job so far! (Somebody's been paying attention.)

You can use a 650 Seca, 900 Seca or XJ700 master cylinder (flat orientation.) And if you're happy with the choice of handlebar, get a custom-length upper hose when you get your stainless lines for that "factory" look.

 

Nardiggity,

No Diggity! $500 w/9k on the speedo in THAT shape. Okay, I'm jealous! I've done everything you've done except the handlebars (I have '81 stock on mine) and yours still looks better than mine. I still have lots to do. I love it when members strike GOLD. You have GOLD!

Gary

 

ALL I CAN SAY IS....



:lol: :lol:



Did you hear any sirens following you home?? The only time I find 'deals' like that is... when... well... I NEVER find deals like that....by the way..did I mention... YOU SUCK!!!! lolol

Nice score!!! You could easily flip that for 3 times that...or just ride the wheels of it! Nice clean bike! Don't find many that clean and pretty much all stock. WTG!

 

Thanks folks! I was just about to go check out a well used 550 Maxim for 500 bucks that had 60,000+ miles on it when I spotted this 650 on craigslist. It seemed too good to be true. As far as I'm concerned, about 96% of the folks on craigslist are total flakes or worse, so I consider it a small miracle that I actually connected with a normal person and ended up getting a deal like this. I feel like I should sacrifice a chicken or something to the craigslist gods that made the planets align properly and allowed this to happen.

I hear that. I gotta say, the scariest part of all this for me isn't tearing into the bike for fear of screwing it up, it's actually taking the thing out for a ride and trusting that you put it all back together right. The biggest thing for me is finding the right balance between being super vigilant and paranoid of any dangers on the road, while still being relaxed and comfortable enough to ride properly. Taking the MSF course helped tons. It was probably the best move I've made so far. I can't recommend it enough.

Oh and thanks for the master cylinder tips, Fitz! I gotta do a bit of reading and figure out what way I want to go there.

 

Ha! Yeah, I told my girlfriend that I thought it could be flipped for a lot more, and that made the idea of me buying a motorcycle easier for her to swallow. Little does she know I plan on being buried with it.

 

Did you fit a new oil filter ?

 

Oh yeah, yep. Forgot to mention that as well. Picked up a couple filters at the local Napa for 6 bucks each. I think they are badged as NAPA Power Sports filters, but are actually made by Wix. They look decent and come with both O-rings, too.