Wisco Intro & Questions

Hi there!

New member, new to old bikes, new to working on them, and newish to riding, located in Wisconsin.

I picked up a new lady last night, she's a 82' XJ550 Maxim, and I'm calling her my third "first bike". 9 years ago I got a 125cc scooter, then a brand new 2008 Ninja250R, but I was a dumb kid and it was a dumb purchase. After dropping it several times, it ended up sitting a lot, getting gunked up, and eventually sold to someone who would actually ride and take care of it.

Over the last year I've spent some 3500+ miles on the back of my partner's bike. After riding through some incredible mountain roads on a Southwest motorcycle camping trip, I was itching to get back into the drivers seat. So, 9 years wiser, I took the MSF class again, did a lot of research, and ended up with the Maxim. It's got 9600-some miles on it, carbs and front forks have been rebuilt, cylinder head (?) was replaced when it cracked, tires are ~two years old and look new. I forget what else the PO said he had done with it. The partner checked it over before he rode it 90 miles home, and we'll be going through it more as I learn how to work on it. PO included the Clymer manual and the Yamaha service manual for the XJ550RH, which he said it's the same. Is that right?

Some questions/issues that came up. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Sorry if these have been covered, still working through everything on this site. (And please let me know if I should be posting these in the technical thread):
1. Around 60mph the bike was hanging out at ~6k rmps. Normal or a problem? Also, would it be safe to climb to 70 mph and cruise at even higher rmps for a length of time?
2. The tach starts to flutter around 5-6k rmps. Found a thread that recommended checking all the electrical, including alternator, regulator and tach connections. Any other ideas to check out?
3. The brake light only works with the front brake, not the rear brake. Gonna start by checking those electrical connections too.
4. It's ridiculously easy to find neutral when the bike is off, but damn near impossible to find it when stopped and running. Just an old bike thing? Anything to worry about?
5. The seat has a rip in it that we discovered after buying it. You can only see it when pulling at the leather. (Very possible my bf did it while trying to stretch out on the little Maxim). How does one go about fixing these things? Hoping to avoid having to buy a new seat cover for now.

Beyond general maintenance and tuning, plans include new brake shoes, for peace of mind, engine guards, for when I inevitably drop it, getting a replacement grab bar, and maybe someday replacing the original exhausts because the center stand can't fit with the current 4-to-1..

Onto the pictures!

 

1. - 6000 rpm's is where the power band is. the bike should be able to run at 70 mph all day
2. - check the electrical connections or clean the tack (I believe there is a write up on that in the How to's)
3. - Make sure the rear switch is working. I had one that rusted and the switch no longer moved it just pulled on the spring.
4. - My XJ750 was the same way. Rode it for years like that never found what was the issue.
5. - Vinyl repair, it can make it last longer especially if you can put a patch behind it.

Nice looking bike. My wife started on a Suzuki GN125 and moved to an XJ750 and now to an XJ1100. She didn't mind riding with me on my bike but decided she wanted to move to the drivers seat. she complains if I take her bike to work because mine is being serviced (by me)

 

Nice looking bike and welcome aboard.

JB

 

check your inbox

check your inbox gave you a link to fsm which has a maxim supplement very few differances betweem maxim and seca
front fork axle location brake disc on oppisite side , cam is hotter on seca carbs are jetted different, directional indicator max has 1 seca has 2, in max it grounds through oppsite light bulb, seca directly to ground. seca has larger rear tire fuel and voltage gauge gas tank and seat are different

60 mph in 6th gear should be 5500rpm
you can redline the maxim in all gears safely 9500rpm is redline with redline speed max of 110 mph

lube cable remove it and pull it out of case to check it it may be broke.

rear brake switch is below regulator above brake lever connects to lever with spring and is adjustable
check your inbox

check your inbox gave you a link to fsm which has a maxim supplement very few differances betweem maxim and seca
front fork axle location brake disc on oppisite side , cam is hotter on seca carbs are jetted different, directional indicator max has 1 seca has 2, in max it grounds through oppsite light bulb, seca directly to ground. seca has larger rear tire fuel and voltage gauge gas tank and seat are different

60 mph in 6th gear should be 5500rpm
you can redline the maxim in all gears safely 9500rpm is redline with redline speed max of 110 mph
70 to 80 mph is not a problem for the motor
in on of bigfitz52 thread he recomends a taller back tire to allow crusing speed with lower rpms

lube cable remove it and pull it out of case to check it it may be broke.

its a fine half shift you will get used to it

vinal seat repair compound walmart or parts store. there is a guy on ebay selling nice cover for 30$ duct tape is an option

mac 4 to 1 allows for center stand. you can find stock for same price
nice looking bike
this link has many threads by Bigfitz52 including one on repair to tach and speedo
well worth the read
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/search/663739/?q=Bigfitz52&o=date&c[node]=21&c[user][0]=3404

 

Welcome aboard cheesehead!
This forum is the WWW's best kept secret, there are some brilliant mechanical and electrical people here who know these bikes inside out.
Being a former brew town resident I would like to inform you of this place:
http://www.theshopmilwaukee.com
Not so much for ordering parts (see below) or fixing things (cause you can do it yourself with the help of Wizards here) but they do have valve shims for cheap and I bring my rims to them to have new rubber put on. They specialize in old bikes.

Parts: you really want to get your stuff from XJ4Ever, Len's customer service is second to none. Seriously ask around, there are tons of horror stories of ordering off eBay and getting the wrong parts but saving a few dollars. . . Click on the icon in the upper right hand corner and get the parts you need, get them fast, and often get instructions for time saving tips when installing said parts.

 

if you take that seat cover off and sew it from the back side it'll be like it never happened. soapy water on the needle and it goes right through that seat covering

 

Welcome aboard. It's a good looking bike.

Gary H.

 

Wow! Thank you all for the warm welcome.

That wiring diagram is amazing. Checked the wires running to the tail light, all connected. Found the brake switch, pressing on the brake the spring doesn't engage the switch, manually pulling the spring doesn't work either. Safe to say the switch needs to be replaced?

 

Hey fellow cheesehead! Thanks for the tip. Think I'll bring it into the shop for a once over/safety check.

Seems like a good option. I was just out there and forgot to look. Are the seat covers stapled on?

 

Vika, your best option is to get a manual and go through the scheduled maintenance items, which will also allow for a safety check.

The Shop does good work, however, no one absolutely NO ONE will be as thorough and meticulous about inspection/ repair on your motorcycle other than yourself.

Trust and believe that the people here can talk you through any issue you need help with. You then understand your machine better and your confidence will blossom.

 

Scratch that. I went out and messed with it some more, the switch is fine. I had to pull the spring pretty hard to get the pin in the brake switch to come out enough, but the tail light came on! Pushing the brake pedal doesn't pull the spring enough to activate the brake switch. Should I just adjust the spring, or should I be looking in the manual for adjusting the lever? Sorry for all the questions

 

Finding neutral when the engine is running is going to require a fair bit of practice for you. You had a Ninga 250, which has a positive neutral finder. The XJ does not have that feature, so you'll need to practice being "soft and easy" when making the half-shift to neutral.

The brake lever adjustment is for setting it to suit your foot and the anount of wear on the brake shoes. For the brake light you will want to adjust the throwout of the spring via the locknuts that are on the brake switch body. If the spring has stretched you can get a replacement from Chacal. You might just need to clean and lube the brake switch pin though.

 

Thanks, I'll check the adjustment nut on the switch. Here's the spring, doesn't seem stretched. Super newbie dumb question.. What should I use to clean and lube the switch pin?

 

cover stapled on I used 1/4 "staples and had to fully set them with a tack hammer, I have a arrow stapler.
yes new brake switch is needed you can try spraying in electrical cleaner and clean connectors as well then some spray silicon in the switch and dielectric grease in the connectors,

 

I use electrical contact cleaner to clean them, and a dry-film silicon lube to, well, lube.

 

if the clutch needs adjustment, neutral is really hard to find. I think it's easier to go from second down then first up.
those brake switches are kind of cheap and universal fit

 

do not buy used from ebay typicaly cost as much as dealer new or more

my switch was a fine adjustment to make work too loose and it did not come on until pedal was way down it seemed to all happen with less than a half turn on the nut.

 

Turns out the switch was fine, the adjustment nut was set to where the spring was completely let out. Definitely not a fine adjustment here. I cleaned and lubed the pin in the switch and adjusted the nut to almost as far as possible to get it to work. It now comes on once the pedal it pressed about 1 cm. Any more adjustment and there wasn't enough recoil, after pressing the pedal and releasing, the brake light just stayed on.

 

Do you mean adjusting the clutch free play or is there something more to adjust? I'll be out there today trying to see how much might be user error on my part vs. needing adjustment. Thanks

 

there are 2 places to adjust the clutch one is at lever the other is at bracket on motor.
you adjust either one to give you free play.
the lever adjuster position if it is way out of the lever can be moved into the lever (so it is not at the last few threads) by adjusting at the bracket on the motor.
just be sure that when you turn handle bars from left to right you do not lose all the play
there is a thread on this

Clutch Adjustment & Clutch Cable Replacement Procedure
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/c...-cable-replacement-procedure.2672/#post-21621

 

Welcome, Nice bike, check your RPM at Idle if it is over 1500rpm it will be harder to get that half shift for neutral,try and bring your idle RPM down to 1500 - 1250, if it won't run at that you may have a vacuum leak or need to clean your carbs. otherwise if it is Idling fine it will take a little practice to get that neutral.

 

Well I adjusted the clutch cable, there's was almost no free play in it before. I practiced finding neutral just by feel and started getting better, realized the real problem might be the neutral switch. The light doesn't always come on when in neutral. I can walk the bike forward and it'll eventually come on... It's hard to start without full choke, with choke it idles at 2000, then I can ride a few minutes and take it off, it'll idle around 1250 after that.

 

That sounds normal to me for RPM, Check the wiring to your neutral switch though.

 

Second picture looks like the brake pedal is too low below the foot peg.Two indents should align to locate the brake pedal at rest then re-adjust.Hope this helps.

Gary H.

 

What he said... ignore the damage but I found with the brake pedal at this height I can apply maximum brake pressure without locking the rear tire 99% of the the time. good control level for me. try it out.

 

when you have the choke on how high will the idle go as it warms up? if 2k rpm is top you have a carb issue
also when it is nice outside 60 degrees f plus it should start with out choke.
check the connection for n switch wire could be loose it is behind the shifter sprocket cover, you will have to loosen the foot peg to remove cover

 

lever way to high you should just be able to pivot your foot not lift it to use brake pedal try repositioning the lever at the brake drum by a few teeth clock wise.

you drove it home with that hole in the clutch cover???

 

Yikes. I actually lowered the brake pedal since that picture was taken. I adjusted according to the service manual, which says the pedal should be 0.8 in below the footrest, and there should be 0.8-1.2 in of free play in the lever, in the picture below #51. I didn't adjust the height using the bolt you pictured though, I used the adjuster nut in the picture #52, and then adjusted the free play with the brake rod. Should I adjust the height of the entire pedal using the bolt you pictured, and then go back and refine the adjustments using the measurements in the manual?

 

Not sure how high it would go. As it warms up I slowly turn the choke down to keep the rpms around 2k. But yesterday it was 75 and it did start without the choke.. I think I got the neutral issue dialed in, I followed the thread you linked to before and readjusted the clutch. Shifting is much smoother now and I can find neutral easily, I haven't noticed it being in neutral without the indicator coming on since.

 

Exactly. As 550 stated...

Gary H.

 

here's a brake light switch, they're good things, get a new one somewhere
https://www.z1enterprises.com/store/category/yamaha/electrical/brake-switches

 

adjust it using the photo 52 for pedal height then adjust the brake rod at the arm on drum the brake. arm can also be moved a notch(spline) to give better leverage.
find where it works best for you.

I went through this same issue after installing new shoes, bumped the thread so you could see it
brake plate lever XJ 550 Maxum

 

factory spec is 1200 rpm if you look on the left side cover you may find a tag on the inside with info

 

5 minutes to get home but I use Lucas oil witch gives me a small amount of time to run without oil. first time I have had to test the theory though.

 

Thanks. Guess I was over thinking it. Anyway, the indicators on the pedal were already lined up. Its comfortable for me. I also noticed the brake arm coming off the drum is probably adjusted wrong, the indicator on that nut is about 5 splines to the right, so the brake wear indicator pin at rest is pointed up, rather than all the way to the right. If you look at the original picture you can see the free play adjusting nut has to be threaded on pretty far. I could adjust that brake arm and reduce how far the adjusting nut is threaded, but does that really matter as long as the brake is working? Sorry if these are annoying questions. New to bikes so I'm not really sure what things have to be perfect vs just working to be safe.

 

When things work and adjust as they were designed that is what we collectively call perfect and safe.

Please do so. We want you to have a accurate measure when the shoes are worn to spec limit (safety again). Annoying questions are the same ones that keep getting asked by the same member after the answer has been given and seconded by several other members. You're fine...ask away.

Gary H.

 

Lucas has no lock on that ability. Any engine can be run for a short time without oil. At about the 10 minute mark serious damage begins to occur. At around the 20 minute mark irreperable damage begins to occur. Sometime shortly thereafter the engine finally stops running (or catches fire). (all times drastically shorter for a two-stroke).