Slightly altered 83 XJ750 Maxim

I dig it.

 

Looks good! Maybe a little more rearward rake, depends on what it does at speed that bike is all about performance.

 

Wore ear plugs today while riding for the first time ever in my life. What a game changer I must say! Absolutely no wind noise and I feel like I can now ride for hours and hours.

Before wind noise was really annoying and I was even considering buying new helmet to help me cope with it but really didn’t want to go that route since that would require spending another $1000 “on this bike”. Ear plugs work amazing!

 

would not ride with out them,

 

always use them, you hear the engine run not the wind
a must for cutting grass
https://www.earplugstore.com/no-roll-earplugs-small-quantities.html

 

I can not believe how much better it is to ride with plugs. I been meaning to do longish trip on my bike (300-500 miles) but been turned off by having to listen to wind noise and exhaust for that long. After riding 175 miles today, I feel I can EASYLY do twice as much and feel comfortable. Even when encountering gusts of side wind it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Before, it used to get crazy loud and I would try to either slow down and hide behind larger trucks just so the wind wouldn’t be as loud.

 

I can't ride without them. I work in a loud job so I'm used to them but they drive some people crazy.

 

Just for the record, what style and type of helmet do you use"?
Cheers, 50gary

 

bell qualifier full face quite helmet just need a little more quite with ear plugs mac 4 to 1 exhaust screams a little

 

Helmets can increase wind noise if they have too many protruisions or have gaps at the faceshield. IMO the ADV/ MX type helmets are the worst because of the external sunshade. Even the quietest helmet will not protect your ears from wind noise. Earplugs should be considered mandatory equipment.

Try out several types of earplugs. Fit and material type plays a huge role in being able to wear them all day. As an example, I love my ceramc-filter plugs for concerts, but can't wear them for even a few minutes with my helmet on. For Motorcycling I prefer Hearos Ultimate Softness. 32 DB of noise reduction that is nearly 24 hour comfortable for me (stress on the for-me part. Try out several different brands to find what's best for you).

 

I have Arai Quantum F, was looking to get Arai Corsair X or AGV X3000 with 70/30 towards Arai.

 

Those helmets do look cool. But I was also looking at AGV X3000.

 

I have the Bell Qualifier in 2xl one of the few helmets to fit a big melon like mine. I find it loud but I think cheek pads and the shield fitment have lots to do with sound deadening along with aerodynamics. I found when I rode years ago the helmet I had was quite but was also way heavier could be denser/heavier = quieter

 

These are the two particular helmets and graphics I was looking at.

 

Holy large pictures batman!

 

I post from my phone and I it’s normal. My apologies.

On another note. I think I really need to look into rear sets. Went for a ride on a mountain road and was going through a semi tight section of switchbacks. It was very fluidly flowing road, smooth asphalt, 4th-5th gear mid range RPM and then once again I I scrapped a peg. However this time it was a lot more violent than ever before!
Rear wheel got slight air right at the beginning of apex, my butt got kicked off the seat, let’s just say it wasn't fun and I got lucky that I was able to save it.

Anyone has suggestions on aftermarket rear sets?

 

http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/universal-rearsets.html

 

Need to take my stock pegs off and see where I can mount new rear sets! Thank you XJ550H!

 

On the helmets, your in CA? I think vents would be missed if you went with the AGV. The Arai if the red is a match would look sweet with your bike.

 

I am in California (Bay Area). Completely agree with you!
Was also looking at Nicky Hayden graphics but blue doesn’t really match anything on my bike however I do like stars. Lol

 

Being Canadian if there was a helmet that looked as good as that Nicky Hayden lid with Maple leafs I might consider buying it in any colour. You do get one star on the other lid but Nicky was a "god" on a motorcycle. You have some good helmets on your radar. I see you already wear an Arai, if it ain't broke.....

 

Rode out to Drive through tree in Legget CA today. 402 miles round trip in temps ranging from 72* to 102* and this air cooled “beast” didn’t skip a bit! Also got a milestone of 2000 miles on the bike since completing it.

 

Went to Radwood show today and on the way back stopped by my favorite place in the city.

 

i looked at that seat and it made my ass hurt

 

he doesn't use the seat

 

Picked up another bike yesterday. Wasn’t particularly looking for a sport bike but deal was too good to pass up on. It’s most definitely not perfect cosmetically but after spending $7 on it today it’s in 100% perfect functional condition.
I been wanting to do a street fighter build for last 15+ years but never had an opportunity.
Ideally I would want to start with a liter bike but I guess this 600 will do. Btw, it’s 2008 CBR600RR.

 

Looks like a fun project and it looks like it has already been in a fight of two . You said earlier a litre bike can get you in trouble with tickets when your done with this one keep that right hand in check with how you built the xj this one probably will be fast and light as hell.

 

Finally received new plate for the bike. Waited almost 5 months thanks to California DMV.

 

No updates on the bike besides that I been riding it and enjoying every second of it but day marks 1 year since the day I bought it.

 

Hey Pavel, Just read your entire thread and it was extremely helpful to me! I'm in the process of building my own XJ650RJ and had a few questions about the rear suspension you had made! By chance do you have any measurements or plans for it? I am looking to perhaps make a copy with light alterations due to some mods I'm adding, but I wanted to have a bit more insight into the manufacturing and the results of the hoop. I bought an R1 rear shock from a 2006 model if I'm not mistaken, could you point me in the direction of where/what orientation to mount it on the chassis? I know it would be where the spine ends, but I've had some issues with it being too stiff and not moving much at all. Any help would be appreciated!!!

 

Hi. I didn’t take any measurements since everything was eyeballed. Shock hoop is asymmetrical for esthetics because I wanted it to flow with stock swing arm, also, hoop had to be clocked (you might notice it if you look really close at the pictures). Angle of the shock should be in line with shock mounts and rear axle (idk if it’s right or wrong but that’s how it is on my bike and it handles great after fine tuning front and rear suspension). I don’t remember exactly but I want to say rear got raised by about 1/2” from stock. Hope any of this makes sense.

 

Took an old girl out for the first time in a long while due to traveling and rain.

 

I'm a bit surprised that you don't have Stainless steel braided brake lines on those nice calipers?
Cheers, 50gary

 

bike is not finished yet. I was impatient to ride in the summer of 2019, then got distracted by buying more bikes and now we are looking to buy a house, due to this I don’t want to take it apart and having to move with bike in pieces. once we find new house with hopefully bigger garage, bike will be stripped down and finished.

 

Quick update

My seat that has suede on the top got extremely faded during the year that I had it. Bought Firbin’s suede dye and refinished it, after dye dried and I brushed it with suede brush it looks & feels as good as the day the seat was made. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to bring their faded suede back to life.

 

Cool, I've got Alcantara on three bikes so far I'll do the XJ seat in black Alcantara when the time comes (soon) Suede grips well.
Cheers, 50gary

 

Snapped a picture of the bike today after coming home from a ride.

 

Whoa!
That’s a sweet modification on the rear suspension!
How does it handle?

 

Great! People get surprised on canyon runs.

 

I like it a lot! Where did you hide all the electronic stuff and battery?

 

Fuse box, ignition and turn signal relay is in the seat section, battery & starter relay & all plugs from controls are in the frame under the tank, rectifier is actually visible in most pictures and is mounted at the front of the frame and “looks like” mini oil cooler. I really wanted to hide rectifier under the seat but i only have 1.25” of space in there and didn’t feel comfortable shaving fins nor not having air flow to it for cooling. Also, had to use stock fuse box as I couldn’t find new fuse box that was thin enough to fit in the tail section.

 

Wow, after trimming back wiring and having all my connectors tucked under the tank, there’s very little room left for me under there!

hopefully once I tackle the seat portion I can easily hide a few thing s or just keep stock air box and cover it all up again.
With custom covers with/or tools bags

 

If you look at the side view picture of my bike you will notice that tank and tail is in a straight line, I elevated rear tank mounting point by 2” and it gave me nice (in my opinion) appearance and enough space to hide everything in there. I did go with smallest battery I could find that’s appropriate for the bike.

 

Lithium?

 

Correct, Antigravity 8 Cell mounted upside down

 

You do have some clean lines that pulls everything together. very nice work

 

Thank you!

There are couple of things that really bother me with my bike styling wise, but in order to correct them I would have to completely rebuild the frame which I don’t really feel like doing.

It’s my very first bike that I built from scratch, so lesson learned.

 

these bikes are never done and there is always something to fix.

you can always buy another xj and build new.

 

My next build will be BMW R100.
I bought R11ooRS oilhead to build last year but after looking over the bike and what’s been done to them I realized it wasn’t the best platform to start with, so I put few thousands miles on it and sold it. Now on the lookout for R100. In my eyes it’s by far the most perfect bike to start with.

I still love my XJ and not sure I’ll ever sell it!

 

flying bricks are great, lots of kits for them. I debated a k series, but I feel I am getting too old for this stuff.