New member, new bike

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to get acquainted and say hello. I've never really participated in a forum of any kind before, but it seemed like this one is pretty fitting for starting out!
I just bought my first motorcycle. It's a 1980 XJ650 Maxim that I picked up from craigslist. It caught my eye, because it was in such nice shape and ran great for an older bike.

I don't really know what I'm talking about though. I just trusted advice from my knowledgeable friends. I had a couple of them test drive it and ask the seller questions before giving me the OK to buy it. I have zero experience with motorcycles. I just got my instructional permit a few days ago. I've always done my own car maintenance and projects, so I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and learn as I go. I'm sure there is going to be a lot of stuff I need to do to keep it running well as time passes.

I couldn't help myself today, and I just had to start taking stuff apart. The bike currently runs perfectly (supposedly), so I've been looking into aesthetic changes that can be easily done.

The current headlight is square, which seems to be uncommon when I've searched pictures of this type of bike. I prefer a round headlight, but I don't really know what to look for. When I search online for this, a lot of things pop up that I didn't expect. There seems to be a bracket mount, metal housing for the light, the big glass part of the light, and smaller bulbs. I haven't seen it all sold as a package.

I'm not really digging the look of the windshield and fairing, and it was always something I knew I'd take off when I was considering buying this bike. I thought I could just take these pieces off, and it would leave the headlight, but obviously I was ignorant to the fact that the headlight is attached to the fairing! Now I don't have a headlight on the bike. As I mentioned before, I wanted to change the light anyway, so it's not all bad.

It seems like there's an excessive length and mess of wires all tangled up, and I'm not sure where they will get tucked in after a new light is attached. A couple wires were never even plugged into anything. I know I'm in over my head already, so I'm trying to find a good source to get started toward a solution. Lots of internet surfing brought me here.

I'm trying to find out where to shop for a round headlight, and what size/kind I need for my bike. Since I want to keep the fairing off, I'll need to buy a mount for the light as well, right?

I'm sure many of you are shaking your heads at my novice antics and blubbering, but if there's any information you can pass along I'd appreciate it! I'm excited to learn about my new bike!

I found an old nest in here. Luckily, no one was home.
Awaiting the new headlight...

 

Welcome to the "Collective" nice to see ladies riding and wrenching there own bikes.
Yes there are lots of wires as per standard Yamaha practice but it will fit in an original bucket. The bike itself looks good in the pics and that Vetter fairing will fetch a buck or two to pay for other things.
There is Bob's in Phoenix that has zillions of parts if its not to far to go. Or post in sale/wanted forum and lots of ppl with massive stock of original parts to sell at very reasonable prices. Also go to "hotspots "and look for other members nearby. All of us here to offer advice and there are no silly questions !
If you up for lots of reading it's all here in forums
RB

 

Hi vagabond!

I'm Clay (Ky13harbor9 is just my generic username,) and while I'm still pretty new here, I can assure you that even though it's a little quiet past midnight, you definitely will get all the help and answered questions you could ever need or even possibly wish for from members of the site. Many of them have exceptional knowledge about Yamaha's older bikes, and excellent communication skills to convey their ideas and thoughts very effectively, and even quickly during daytime hours. The rest of us are learners.

Now, as you might have inferred from my phrasing in the above paragraph, I'm no expert on bike repair. In fact, I'm just 18, in college, and still getting into bike repair and restoration myself, making plenty of mistakes and exposing myself to unnecessary hazards in all my bipolar mania along the way, but the most important thing I've learned is that working on your own bike can be an absolute blast! (And when it goes right, it's especially fulfilling!)

It seems like you have good common sense to reach out for help before taking everything apart, unlike myself , and while I may not have much experience with actually repairing old motorcycles, I have been sent many great resources about my bike (as featured in my grey signature below this text) that are located right here within the forum or close by on chacal's site, XJ4Ever.com. There's also a forum post for every part of the website, but I prefer to use the website as it is organized by category and then subcategory instead of broad category like on the forum.

On a safety note, I really hope that you wear proper gear when riding. If you don't have any yet (I read that you just got your permit,) it can be pretty expensive, but many members of the forum (myself included) will insist on wearing "all the gear all the time."

Here's where I came back and edited this post to make it even longer , often notated as "EDIT:"
I just realized, as you may have been able to tell, that I can't really answer your questions about the headlight that well, considering I own a completely different machine. However, I can bring up some more questions that may help you in the future or to decide what you want to do with your bike.

What kind of owner was the previous owner?
Did they love the bike and care for it intensely?
Or did they not care and never change the oil?
Is the previous owner friendly enough to talk to you and tell you about your new purchase (it's great to be able to communicate about your bike with the Previous Owner (PO), as he or she can probably answer a lot of questions if they knew what they performed DIY work or had the bike for a long time. I have texted back and forth between the last owner of my motorcycle and it has been 10 times easier than figuring things out by the scrapes in the metal or scratches in the plastic or paint)
What other modifications do you want to make?
Will you have enough money to spare on the motorcycle to get the job done right the first time? Remember, I'm a college student.
Do you have a specific goal or type of custom motorcycle you want to get out of your Maxim? (e.g. bobber, chopped, cafe racer, etc.)
And lastly, do you feel safe on your new bike?

If not, please read the following paragraph:
A 650 is on the large end for a"starter bike." I learned to ride on a 200 cc scooter, which was even automatic. Then I jumped to a CB750 Nighthawk. Pretty big leap, but I managed it well enough, considering I already knew how to shift gears and was already familiar with the basic controls of a motorcycle, thanks to a few underage parking lot rides with my mechanic uncle. I'm just a little worried you may have bought too big, which can be dangerous in may situations. Bigger bikes are slower to lean, and even though a 650 may not look a whole lot bigger than a scooter or 250 cc, it could weight up to 200 lbs more, or 1 & 2/3 the weight, making it much heavier to hold up, dramatically slower to lean and therefore turn, take several feet longer to stop, and be much more difficult in general as a "starter bike." That being said, you will learn how to ride a big bike if you ride a big bike. Starting on a 650 or 750 is not always a terrible idea. My father started out on the aforementioned CB750 Nighthawk, and he's done alright. But if you are reading this paragraph, you may wish to find and purchase an old, but reliable and well maintained motorcycle or scooter to tip over and crash into things with. It will probably happen a lot at first, and I doubt that you want to be damaging your Maxim during your learning-to-ride days. I've dropped (or tipped over) my dad's Nighthawk 5 times, and even my new one (which I acquired Saturday) once already. I've even dropped the feather-light scooter on a gravel road and couldn't get it back up by myself. Luckily I was with my dad. Which brings me to my next point.

Ride with friends while you're learning to ride. If you tip over, they can help you back up. And god forbid I mention this, but in reality you may get injured. It's important to have somebody there for you to call for help if needed, especially if a matter of minutes could be the difference between life and death.

Sorry to go so dark within the first few days of becoming a rider, but it's important to understand and feel for the gravity of riding. As Chacal has said, "you're outnumbered, outweighed, and under-protected, ... [on even the safest of motorcycles]"

END EDIT

I'll be following this thread by email alerts, so if for some reason you are interested in hearing from me again, just say my name or hit "reply" to quote this post. And seeing that this is your first time posting on a forum, just google "internet forum etiquette." and it will really help you establish a clean structure, prevent you from accidentally posting in the wrong forum, or making other little mistakes that are often considered "impolite" or "obnoxious." Not saying that you have done anything wrong, just trying to help you figure out how the forum works!

I wish you the best of luck in the months and years to come as you repair, restore, fix, ride, modify, explore, and maybe even damage (as an inevitable part of learning) your new motorcycle. You're in for a really great experience.

And just one more piece of genuinely friendly advice:
Try to stay positive with your restoration or build or even just repairs. Learning to work on and ride motorcycles has a very steep learning curve in my opinion, so even though it may seem overwhelming to learn all the parts and functions of a motorcycle, and then on top of that how to diagnose and repair or make modifications to them, it's really worth it to master the subject, and have a healthy knowledge of how your machine works, why it works that way, and what you can do to improve upon it, and ride it safer!

Welcome to the XJBikes forums,
-Clay

 

That will be a mess of wires... Shame on the person that removed the headlight bucket, it would have been fine behind the Vetter Quiksilver fairing...
You will need the bucket and headlight.. And don't just throw the fairing away ... That is valuable ... You may want to keep it if you plan a long trip too.
You came to the right place , members here are very helpful and knowledgable when it comes to these xj bikes.. And you are starting with a great bike.
Alan

 

That is a really clean and good looking bike. Looks like it was will maintained. You can search on ebay for headlights. They have aftermarket lights and oem. A lot of the time you can make any light work with enough time and a little know how. You will need a bracket. Look around your town and see if they have a motorcycle junkyard. We have one in Columbus called *rice paddy* (plug lol). They have a ton of oem used parts as well as some new parts and the guys that work there are very knowledgeable.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/7-motorcycle-headlight

And as stated above you first need to figure which direction you want to take this. You don't have to have a clear image or have I planned 100% but to have a clear direction is what you want. And those wires in the headlight, typically where the gauge, light and what nots meet and hook up.

And If you have not read this READ ASAP!!
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/to-other-newbies-please-listen.30966/

Good information on that thread. And riding gear is a must. And a full face helmet is a great choice if your going to ride in the colder weather or you just don't want bugs in your teeth. 3/4 seems to be the popular choice nowadays.

But remember if possible post pictures with your questions. It helps others to figure out what you mean. Plus it gives you a chance to almost make a time line of your bikes transformation. And we ALL really enjoy being a parts of other members builds.

Well keep it up and keep us posted.

 

As the headlight search goes you will find metal Yamaha headlight buckets have a code stamped in them to indicate what model it is for and I think the one for your Maxim is "4H7" but K-Moe and Chacal or Baldwonder or ...will know for sure.

 

I looked at my title, because I didn't realize there are different models of XJ650's. It looks like it says XJ65G for the model. So would 4K1 be the code I'd see stamped on parts for my bike?
Rainman mentioned that I could make any light fit, but my concern is voltage and size. I don't want to make a costly electrical mistake!

 

It seems like this part in my hand might have been added for length to reach the fairing. It's a lot to fit inside a headlight bucket.

 

Yes , there will be a 6 or 7 wire cable that plugs into the Quiksilver...the cable can be removed if you never want the fairing , or tucked and tied behind the headlight bucket in case you ever want to use it again.......
I personally like a full fairing due to the colder climate where I live, it extends my season by about a month, also it makes the bike more stable when driving in turbulence at interstate speeds.... At city speeds in the heat you will feel much warmer though

 

Great advice! I will keep the fairing for if I end up doing some longer drives on the interstate or for February and March driving. The weather stays so warm in Tucson. With 100 days over 100 degrees, I think I'll enjoy the wind.

 

I'm almost certain there will be a motorcycle salvage yard or more in your area....
Get to know those guys , they will be able to find parts and accessoies that you will need.
And btw there were 2 xj 650 yamaha
The maxim is what you have , the Seca is what I have,
Alan

 

Headlight buckets do have markings on them, but unfortunately they do not have a model ID code (such as 4H7, etc.) that make them easy to identify properly. For instance, the XJ550's and the XJ650 Maxim (which is the same bucket as the 1983 XJ750 Maxim) buckets have the same ID stamped on the buckets (YHA-146 and SAE-M79) but they are physically different buckets (the main difference is where the anti-rotation bracket is welded onto the bottom of the bucket).

So you really want to find a bucket (and associated other hardware) from the same model to save yourself some fabrication headaches. BTW, this is the drawback that most "universal" buckets that you find on eBay, etc. have......they don't have the proper (or any, at all) hook-up features that allows the bucket to be attached to the original mounting ears, etc. in an effortless manner. Although they might be the same size/shape as an original bucket, it then requires you to do modifications to get it to attach properly.

 

Thanks Chacal. This really helps makes sense of it. I was really close to buying a light yesterday. After reading this, I'm glad I waited.

 

Alan,
I'll keep looking, but I might need to head up to Phoenix. The only salvage yard I came up with in my area is Dietz, and they don't have any XJ's.

 

In the forums here, there is a "Wanted / For Sale" section. If you post there, chances are, someone has what you need. You'd be amazed by the parts hoard some members have amassed.

 

Yall have been so helpful.
It was good for me to wrench around while taking the fairing off just to get familiar with the new bike. I'm buying a headlight assembly and mount on eBay for my specific model and year.

The more I read the forum, the more I realize the light should be the least of my concerns.
Time to get familiar with brakes, brake lines, tires, etc, etc...

 

you will find some interesting reading on this link near the bottom, It is our supporting vendor Len aka Chacal here in the forums.
nice bike.
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/forums/xj4ever-supporting-vendor.23/

there a guy who posted in this link from AZ may be able to tell you where the yard is
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/access-to-a-yard-full-of-xj-parts.48259/

claims 40k bikes in the yard.
if you start a conversation with him he will get an email alerting him

 

You will be successful since you have the right attitude towards learning! Good luck with your project.

 

Welcome aboard.

Gary H.

 

That harness will have to be unplugged to install headlight and signals as it plugs into factory wires

 

Thanks, Taku! I really tried hard to make the post as informative as possible, while still welcoming and well written. Glad to hear I accomplished this.

 

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to update you guys on my light project. After a long search for original parts, and getting let down by rusted out buckets and burnt out bulbs, I got fed up and just had to make a decision. I went with a universal 7" headlight and a universal bracket. I was able to get rid of a big section of wiring from the fairing that was on there. The light and plastic bucket is not as cool as it could be, but now I can at least ride it! Thanks again for all of the advice!

 

Key word is "ride"
Well done and ride you can in AZ , a little wet and cold up here. Bikes packed away for winter

 

Am about to do the same to my xj900RL
The windscreen is smashed and I'm not really interested to keep the rest of the fairing anyway.
Just looked what's behind it and there looks to be a scary mess of wiring.

So I'll be following in your footsteps shortly and setting up a stand alone headlight and remounting the indicators.


Your bike looks much cooler now. Bravo.
And welcome to the forum

 

That's going to be a great deal of work for you. The 900RL was designed with the fairing; there was never a naked option for it. The 650 Maxim started out as a naked, and the fairing that was on this one was an aftermarket unit, so switching back to naked was easy.

What you have in mind can be done, just weigh the relative difficulty of the task with the relative ease of replacing the windsceen (they are available new).

 

Yeah, I can see an entire subframe arrangement under the fairing. Will need to fabricate mounts for the headlight and the indicators as well. Not to mention the mess of wiring and an ugly underside to the guages.
I can see a respectable amount of effort will be required.

Conversely, so far though I have not come across anyone selling the screens here in Europe, but have not looked too hard yet.

Any tips for this purchase?

 

In Europe; probably not (at least I don't have any info for you). Start a conversation with Chacal. He should have the screen in stock, and does ship internationally.

 

That would be Bobs... near the airport. I have been there and can recommend it, a lot of parts there. Make sure you bring your own tools, and make a wish list with as much info about the parts you might need to aid in identifying them. Great people at Bobs, but you need to know what you want, they only tell you which part of their huge yard to go to for all of the Yamahas, after that, it is like a giant treasure hunt!

 

Vagabond, looking good.... Keep up the good work. A couple things:

The headlight and mounting bracket for your 650 maxim are all the same for 1980-1983 650 maxims. The 650 midnight maxim ;stuff will fit, too, but is black and gold rather than chrome. That gives you plenty of choices.

There are lots of parts here.... New parts through Len Chacal at xj4ever, as well as many of us who are 'parts 'hoarders'....lol. Before hitting Ebay, always check with us!

Dave Fox
Host, Central New York Carb Clinic
Registrar, 1983 xj900rk Seca Database (USA-delivered units)
'East Coast parts hoarder'

 

Nice bike... Look forward to hearing how you go ... Any progress with the light?

 

Hey Alive, thanks! The bulb on the universal light ended up warping and melting, creating a marble-sized protrusion on the side of the bulb itself. This is very bizarre to me, but maybe I accidentally touched it while I was doing the install. I heard the oils from our hands can do weird stuff like that.

I got the bulb replaced and it's been perfect ever since!

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and friendliness!

I'm going to the DMV on Thursday to take the skills test to get my license. I've put at least 1000 miles on the bike with my permit, so I guess it's time! (Not just because it's about to expire.) I feel comfortable on the bike, but I'm so nervous about dropping it while doing those tight turns for the test. I'm sure everyone feels awkward being tested. I haven't dropped it at all so far, so I should probably just stop being a weirdo and go pass the damn test.

Fingers crossed.

 

Welcome and Good luck on Thursday.

 

Rear brake and throttle control. Keep the revs up and let the gyroscopic action of the engine keep you upright; use the rear brake to control your ground speed.
Do some practie runs a few days before the test so you can get used to the technique.

 

How did your test go?

 

Bike looks good in the same boat as you 1st year and first bike. That bike realy looks good for the year .good luck

 

Hello fellow female rider and wrenches. I don't know much and can't give you any answers as I'm learning as I go as well. You're bike looks great! Welcome!

 

oops old thread

 

Yep. I'm still curious about what's going on with her bike though.

 

Hey everyone! It's been a while! I'm still riding and loving my 1980 XJ650 Maxim.
I recently did some work on my bike, so I'm starting to learn a bit more about it. Most recently, I replaced the front brake pads and did an oil and filter change. That went so smoothly that I'm getting a little more confident to tackle some harder stuff on my own.
It's been hard to find time to give up my only transportation between nursing school and work, though. I tried taking it to a mechanic in Tucson, and they were so booked up and busy that I gave up.

On my way home today, first and second gear were sputtering and extremely sluggish, and if I didn't keep it revved, it would stall. It was a pretty nerve-wracking ride in traffic. Once I got into third gear, I had full power. I was thinking the carbs might need to be taken off and thoroughly cleaned. I've had this sputtering issue on a smaller scale before and I added Seafoam to the gas and it cleared it up. I also saw the rubber section attached to the carburetor was dried and cracked so I temporarily patched that up and it seemed to idle better. I need to figure out what these are called and order them.
This current issue is a lot worse, and I think it'll be parked until I can figure it out. I think I'm lucky I could get it home today.
I'm starting to do some research on how to get the carbs off and cleaned without completely messing up the sync. I don't really know what I'm talking about, so more research is needed!

 

Those are the intake boots. Cracks there will cause exactly the problem that you had, a vacuum leak.
The best repair is to thoroughly clean and degrease them, then with gloved hands massage black oil-resistant RTV into the cracks, and slather a layer over the entire outer surface of each boot. That will essentially be a permanant repair. New boots are available, but they can be a bit spendy for a college student. There is also the issue of removing the bolts that hold the boots to the head without breaking any of them off. I'd recommend repairing them in place for now, and tackling the replacement when you can afford both the cost, and the downtime.

 

Does that enrichener plunger look as though it is not seated correctly to you?
Just wondering.
Alan

 

Easily check by gently pushing down on it.

Looked at one of my XJ650's and the plungers all stick up slightly as well.

 

Yep.
The gap between the plunger top and the lifting arm has to be there so that the spring on the plunger can do its job and seat the plunger.

 

I started to pull some parts off today, and I noticed the air filter was pretty gnarly. It looks like there's even old mouse poop embedded in it.

 

Ebay or Amazon. EMGO filter, brand new, less than $17 delivered.


Have a closer look at the brown wire with the white trace. Is the insulation cut?

 

That filter is trashed. No wonder you had to keep it rev'd to stay running!

 

Made some progress today! Now for the real deal cleaning.
Do you guys take off one part and realize all the other things that need to be done? It can't be just me...

 

This is why most of us keep telling people to do all of the things.