New to bikes

Hello everyone,

I just bought a 1985 xj700 maxim for $200. It's been sitting for a while and is going to need some love. This is my first motorcycle and it became clear very quick that I have no idea what I'm doing. So far, I know I need to rebuild the petcock and get a new battery. I was also planning on cleaning and syncing the carb as well as replacing the spark plugs to get it able to start up. After that, I was definitely planning on doing the brakes, forks, and possibly the clutch before I start with aesthetics. Any tips, tricks, or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

First. Make sure that motorcycling is for you, before you do any work on the machine. If you hae not taken an MSF course yet, do so as soon as possible. If that goes well, then get a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough. Between the two you'll be prepared for motorcycling (at least well enough to stay out of trouble).


The following link will get you to information about how to proceed from there.
Read This First
Again, do this before doing any work or spending any money.

 

Having bought the same bike and going through it to get it roadworthy and running well I offer the following comments. First, I hope the bike is stock, especially air filter and exhaust. That will make things much easier for you. Before spending a lot of money I would check the compression and electrical system and be sure engine is good and the wiring is good. Check the brakes and confirm they are at least working—you will almost certainly have to replace the rear shoes before putting it on the road. You can use a car battery to check compression and also determine that you have spark at the plugs. Take a close look at the inside of the tank and determine that the tank is free of rust and solid. All of this can be done with little or no cost. If everything is ok then you can start on the carbs, petcock, valves, brakes, etc—the things that will cost to fix. Expect to take a fair amount of time to get the bike roadworthy—and don’t take shortcuts. All the information you need can be found here, lots of how-to links, and a wealth of expertise. It, and they, all helped me get my 700 in really good shape. Ask and somebody here knows the answer.

 

Thank you for your input tabaka ! I will definitely do everything that you have suggested. I know that this bike will take some time and effort before it is ready for the road and I'm willing to take all of the necessary steps to make it safe to ride. I'm sure that I will reach out to you in the future with any hiccups that I encounter along the way. Thanks again and ride safe.

 

Welcome aboard.

Gary H.

 

You may have already, but I’ll second @k-moe‘s suggestion. If not before spending $, at least while getting the bike ready, get on a nice little MSF school bike and see if it’s really ‘in your blood’