Range on 82 XJ750?

Hi again. Today was gorgeous and I decided to take my 82 XJ750 up to Gettysburg and do the scenic tour, which I always enjoy. I loaded up (2) one half liter camping fuel storage aluminum containers (one in each side bag) with treated gas and decided once and for all to see what kind of range I could get from this motorcycle. (Confusing the matter is that, invariably, the FUEL starts flashing, along with the RED WARNING LIGHT, at 100 miles, regardless.) I made sure I had the petcock pointing in the right direction ("On", vs "Reserve") and off I went. I got to 125 miles on the trip meter and the bike stopped running. I switched to reserve and it started right up. From there, I went straight to a gas station and it took 3.5 gallons. I switched the petcock back to "On" and off I went. I don't know what size reserve the XJ750 has but I figured I had at least 15 miles or maybe a little more to go before I was totally out of gas. I can live with 140 on back roads with an average speed of around 40-55, +/-. And I learned to just ignore the "warning" lights because they're clearly inaccurate.

I was wondering what sort of range you all were getting. I've read so many contrasting posts on the size of the XJ750 gas tanks but there's NO WAY I have a 5 gallon tank unless the reserve is 1.5 gallons, which is pretty much unheard of. Thanks in advance.

NOTE: When I got back I enjoyed the ride so much I decided to check out that place in Iowa, Brenny's, that has the 1982 XJ650 (27,369, asking price $1,895), a 1983 Maroon XJ750 (29,182, asking price $1,995) , and a 1980 XS1100 (22,642 miles, asking price $2,495). Shipping to my door is around $500 -- Iowa to Maryland. I'm tempted to get one of those and just make that my main bike, now that I know I'm not pushing the range envelope every time I hit 100 miles. And make my 1998 Honda Magna VF750C my backup/longer range touring bike. I was just totally settled into the Maxim today. But my gas tank is rusty and I feel like it's just a ride away from needing major work. Since parts are hard to come by one of the 3 bikes at Brenny's seems like a sound investment, and if need be I can then scavenge (at least if I get the XJ750) some stuff from my bike to the new/old XJ -- like stainless steel brake lines, wind screen, engine guard/highway pegs, etc.

 

Brennys is like 20 minutes down the road from me. I was there last week getting spark plugs and searching for a new helmet.
If there is one you want better information on lmk. I can make a trip there and get better pics. IMO tho, they’re overpriced at brennys. Then you have TTL and shipping on top of the price.

 

WOW! Small world. Thanks so much. Is TTL tax, title, license? When I asked Mike a few weeks ago about taxes he said there's no sales tax; that Maryland would be the one to apply the tax. I didn't ask him about title and/or license. I'll have to register it here in Maryland and get tags and registration, at which point I'd pay the tax.

And is it your experience that they will negotiate on their prices? And do they do good work and really know vintage motorcycles? That's the issue here when it comes to vintage bikes like the XJ's. Very few folks around here even work on older bikes. And getting parts is always an adventure.

As far as which one of the three, I'd love to hear folks' opinions between the 650, 750 and 1100. (Known issues, etc.) Right now I'm leaning towards the XJ750 because that's the bike I have and I know (and really like) that bike (except the one in the photo from Brenny's shows a traditional round headlight and not the boxy module that mine has that looks like it was ripped from a K car, which for me is a plus, not a minus). I like the rear rack of the 650 but that shouldn't be a reason to buy one bike over another. I like the power of the 1100, but the 750 is no slouch. So many choices...

At this point I'd go with the 750. If possible, I'd like for you to at least be able to hear the bike running, look for any rust on the headers/exhaust, and just get a sense if the bike sounds right (no loud ticking of the valves, steady idle at around 1k, no rust on/in the gas tank, etc.) and is ready to ride. Again...thanks a lot. It's hard trying to buy something long distance.

 

I believe the Seca 650 had the largest tank, I used to be able to push almost 205 miles, to dead empty, Seca 650 (UK), the 750, only about 180.....the Maxim 750 only about 150/160 miles (All UK,all UK gallons except for the Maxim, obviously)....I'm still unsure of the 750 Seca , because I have a problem, so my Main tank (3 US gallons?) is getting me about 145-150 miles (Res/Prime still not working properly)

 

Thanks. I think some of the confusion arises over the difference between the US bikes and the non-US bikes as far as gas tank size. And also the Seca was different than the non-Seca models. I was just panicked because at 100 mile on the trip meter the warning lights always flash. That's why today I decided, come hell or high water, to run it until it stopped (hence the fuel cans in the side bags). As it turned out, I only ran it until I switched to reserve, at which point it took 3.5 gallons to max full.

 

I always thought they (Yamaha) could have made ALL the XJ's slightly larger, tank size....it's a very nice tank shape, but there's room? for it to be .....1/2"-3/4" higher v seat height, maybe that would have given an extra 1/2-3/4 gallon?? The comparable Gt550/750 Kawasakis we used to courier on, had a very high tank height, v seat, and i believe carried a good 1/2 gallon more...?

 

On my 750 the limited range was always a deal breaker. I have a 750 Nighthawk (1997) and that thing runs over 200 miles without breaking a sweat. The tank on my Magna looks huge but the middle is all taken up by the frame and it is not as big on the inside as it looks. The tank on my Maxim looks huge, but clearly is not. I wish they'd put a bigger tank on it as well. Then it would really be ideal. But as long as the warnings at 100 miles were false I can live with 125 or 140 range. (And if anyone knows how to get a rack on the back other than fabricating it from scratch I'd love to find some bracket or something to give me that option. The 650 they have for sale at Brenny's does have a rear rack. But not the 750.)

 

I live about 20 miles from Brenny's also. I bought a 2007 Yamaha from him a couple years ago. I got a pretty good deal on it, but Brenny is a tough negotiator.

 

Hahaha, true dat!

 

My only thought is that because it's a bit of an oddball bike, they might just want to get rid of it. But who knows. The price isn't totally out of line to begin with, if the bike is turn key and ready to ride.

 

XJ750J (Maxim)
4.49 gallons total with 1.08 as reserve



XJ750RK (Seca)
5 gallons total with 1.8 gallons as reserve

 

US gallons, or Brit???

 

Thank you very much. That makes prefect sense, because when I was totally out on the regular petcock setting, it took just about 3.5 gallons. That meant I had about 1 gallon left in the tank/reserve. At around 35 mpg, I had a good range left if I'd needed to get to a gas station. That puts me at around 150/160 mile range, and that's fine. 100 mile range was a little light, especially on club rides. So now I'm satisfied and went ahead and told Brenny's I wanted the 750 and wanted it for $1,800 ($200 less than the asking price). They agreed. And there is no TTL for out of state buyers; that'll be paid here on my end in Maryland when I register it.

So...if either of you guys who live within 20 minutes of Brenny's cares to go take a look/listen to the 750...

 

us gallons do you want the imperial gallons?

750 maxim
3.74 imperial total, 0.9 Imperial reserve, gallons

750 seca 19 liters total 4.1 liters reservr
4.2 imperial total 0.9 imperial reserve

 

it you listen to your motor or are in tune with it you will feel a shudder or skip as you get near the "time to go reserve" point

 

Exactly. It's similar to my Magna. However, if I miss it...then there's the inevitable S.....L.....O..........W...............I................N.........................G down. And you roll on the throttle and...nothing.

Side Note: I know exactly where the petcock is on the Magna. I did not know where it was on the Maxim. I pulled over, saw it, and then it registered in my memory. Very important to know the location of that little device.

 

Just an FYI...I went ahead and ordered the 83 XJ750 from Brenny's. It'll be here in around 5 days, +/-. I'm really stoked. I've already made an appointment at Longo's to have John make me a custom seat and I've ordered Galfer stainless steel brake lines (which I have on my 82), Michelin Commander II tires, a windscreen, and I got a 24 month battery. I should be good to go. After I get the bike all together I'll post pics.