Just bought my first bike!

Howdy folks,

I'm the proud new owner of an 81 XJ650H Maxim that i picked up with an additional parts bike (82 Virago 750) 2 weeks ago for a cool 400$ 8)

Brought er' home bought a battery and took the starter relay off the Virago and slapped em both onto the Maxim and she started right up after 4 years of sitting under a tarp.
Of course, fresh oil and plugs didn't hurt either.

So, i just replaced my stock glass fuse box with a new blade style fuse box today, and when i put the main fuse in, my running light comes on and my neutral light come on without the key even in it, so it seems to me it's always getting power? I just don't understand although I'm sure it's only a minor and easy fix.

I'm not very 'wrench savvy' you could say, but i want to learn and do as much as i can on my own with my bike before I have to have someone else do it!

Thanks, and pics will be up soon!

 

well you have come to the right place the guys on this site are the most help full of any of your xj resources. if you look hard enough they will explain how to do just about everything on your bike

 

good one, sounds like your doing fine, once you have it sorted you'll have plenty of fun

 

You have come to the right place for resources when wanting information.....

You may want to purchase the XJCD or a factory service manual or a Hynes manual for your particular bike but you also will get a lot of helpful information here on this site.....& free advice....the best part.....

Welcome to the world of XJ bikers.....

 

It sounds like you may have installed a "modern" fusebox with a common ground buss, which won't work on an XJ without redesigning the electricals. You need a simple "straight across" type fuse box; 1 in 1 out for each fuse.

 

I actually made the same mistake as you described as far as the fuse box goes. I now run the 3 fuses besides the main fuse through a block (that I'm assuming is similar to yours) and the main fuse is on its own. Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the speedy reply and kind words everyone,

Fitz, thank you, i realized this today before i even checked this thread and i fixed the problem very easily

Now to patch/POR15 my gas tank, and fix my FB master cylinder, so i don't have to ride around my yard with just a back brake and a 'water bottle IV'!

 

Yes upload pics! And NO don't have someone else fix your XJ! Unless of course you find a fellow XJ enthusiast that can help-modern shops will take your money and not fix it right most of the time. They just don't come across them often enough. Let the site guide you and 99% of what you will need to do, can be done.

Front brake is critical, and your lines may be original (date stamped on line) so look into replacing them as well. You may already know but the POR15 is great stuff, but you can't shortcut the process. I actually cleaned the tank a little more than they recommended before etching just to be sure I got all the gum/varnish out so the seal was 100%.

BTW welcome to XJBikes!

 

Ditto on the welcome!

 

Hey fellas,

I took some pictures but i can't upload them because they aren't 500x500 and I don't know how to resize images. Can i send them to somebody via email who knows how to resize?

I bought a Haynes manual for my XJ and so far its been helpful.

I've concluded that my OEM master cylinder is too far gone, very rusty/corroded and the damn piston doesn't wanna budge not even a millimeter.

However i took the master cylinder off my 82 Virago parts bike and it seems to be in much much better shape, the piston actually moves freely and smoothly! Now i just need to buy circlip pliers to remove the piston and get a good look in there.

Question.. 82 Virago 750 OEM master cylinder... it seems compatible with my XJ650H so can i use the same rebuild kit for my XJ on the Virago master cylinder? Or would that require a different kit specifically for the Virago? Same with SS brakelines, would i be able to use XJ SS lines with the Virago master cylinder? both fluid outlet ports go in the same direction.

Also, I've been running/riding around the yard with just my gas line hooked up to my 'water bottle IV' with NO vacuum line, bike didn't have one when i purchased it. Where does the vacuum line go from the petcock? To the carbs? And can i use the same type line as fuel line?

Sorry for the rambling long post. Thanks for the help fellas, I REALLY appreciate all you guys do.

 

for pictures I (and most people) use photobucket.com and there should be a resizing option on there for each photo, and then you cna easily load them to the site. you cna even get an app for your smart phone to load pics from your phone directly to photobucket.

sorry i cant help on the brake issue.

 

Thanks Silentraven for that photobucket suggestion, hopefully it will workout for me.

 

pictures coming thru just fine!

yes that little nipple is where the vacumm line would go from the petcock to there, suppling suction for the petcock to feed fuel to the carbs.