My first bike, scared as hell!

Pretty excited too. I figure i'll keep it under 50mph for awhile.
I picked this 82 Maxim 650 up from a local guy who is moving to Norway. Original paint, all the decals, good seat, manual, helmet, 31,xxx, started right up- even in the MN winter! Needs a new rear tire, the speedo stopped working in october and there is an oil leak. Once i learn where the oil is coming from then i'll know whether $400 was a good deal or not.

Psyched to join the community, share some adventure stories, and gain some of the collected knowledge.

 

you've come to the right place, if there is anyone in the world who knows how to help you with an XJ i believe this is the place.

 

400$ is a good deal even if you need to put 500$ in to it good luck together we can help. The xj is a very stable bike and a good starter unlike a 400cc you wount want to upgrade in a year.

 

Welcome aboard.

Looks like a decent deal.

Now click HERE, click on Minnesota and enroll in a Beginning Rider Course so you'll be even more scared but a lot safer.

 

scared is no way to ride a motorcycle, take the safety course
isn't it a bit cold for 50 mph ?
when my tears freeze in my ears i get scared too

 

Welcome! Thats a nice lookin bike there!

Learn the controls (shifting, blinkers, brakes, ect ect) so well that you don't need to think about them...Then you can focus more on the road/traffic.

My father gave me the best advice when he taught me to drive.

1. Do as others expect of you.
2. Expect others to do the unexpected.

In other words, count on other people Effin up. Stay out of blind spots, check yours often.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome! Sounds like you all know what you're talking about. I will look into the safety course right away. I know it's still winter, but i'm really excited to get the bike in good shape for the spring.

The previous owner suggested a new rear tire but said the front was fine.
I was thinking i should chang the engine oil and maybe the shaft drive oil, is there other standard new "old-bike" work is should do? spark plugs and wires? brake fluid?

I also read a great thread on engine cleaning techniques that i will definetely use.

thanks again!
kasper

 

Welcome. Last summer was *my* "motorcycle summer": got a bike, took a safety course, got my licence, started riding with my buddy. Lots of fun.

I'd recommend you get at least one manual. I like the Haynes one. But beware of misprints. Search posts for these.

 

Welcome! As others have said, you have definitely found a community of riders that can help you do just about anything to that bike, and have many years of knowledge to share.

Good choice as far as enrolling in a MSF course or your local equivalent. If you want to ride before the course take some time and find an empty parking lot. Practice starting, stopping, and slower speed manouvering. It does seem silly, but the slower you go, the less balance your bike has, and that is often when problems show up. Better in an empt lot than in front of a line of impatient cagers.

Good luck and Happy Riding!

 

Me too... And the MSF course was easily the thing that made it successful... more than the awesome XJ, more then the freedom from the cage, more than the whole new community of people, the class really made it work for me.

Take the class and scared is one thing you won't be.

 

I'll second what xj750guy says. Do some slow speed practice. I did a bunch in my driveway before taking my rider's course. It was great to have even that practice under my belt. The whole slip-the-clutch while applying power *and* rear brake was a confusing concept for me. It just seemed to go against everything I had been taught about driving a standard transmission vehicle. I know now that motorcycles are different and it's OK.

 

ya you'll pick it up quick i'm sure... just don't get overconfident... thats what kills people. greatest article i ever read when i was just getting a bike, i'd give it a look if you get a moment.... http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto ... index.html

 

I remember my first real road ride on a bike. It was after I had finished motorcycle training on their little Yamaha xt225's in the parking lot course. I took my brother's '84 Virago 500 for a ride out in the country. I had my knees squeezing against the tank so hard its a bloody wonder I didn't squash the gas tank. I only went for a ride of about 10km out in the country and tried to look like a man about it when I came back.

I can't believe that some people start off with a sport bike as their first. Insanity!

 

hahaha sportbikes are for the stupid... and those who are 18... like i was.

 

Make sure you use gear oil, not engine oil, for the driveshaft.

Make sure anything that needs to be lubed is lube. Hell, lube it again. Theres really no such thing as too much lube. (har har)

 

Check your brakes (pads and shoes). Also make sure the brake fluid is clean and clear, oftentimes these older bikes have gunk in there. If there is any sign of cloudiness or gunk clean and flush.

Check steering bearings. Put bike on center stand, have someone sit on the back of the seat to lift front wheel. Move bars side to side, there should be smooth travel with very light resistance. Grab the front wheel and try to rattle it up and down, should be tight.

Go over every inch of the bike and make sure everything is tight. Make sure there are cotter pins in all the castle nuts.

Put some fuel stabilizer in the tank and top off with fuel. Run for a few minutes to get into the carbs. It'll be awhile until you ride so you don't want varnish to form in the carbs or rust in the tank.

Better get busy. You only got 5 months of winter left :wink:

 

Kasper,
Get that thing running good and we'll go for a ride this summer. I am up here in St. Cloud and ride with a bunch from Mendota Heights every month during the summer months. Keep in touch! >PD<

 

Get yourself a Copy of the Yamaha Factory Workshop Manual.
$60.00 -- worth every penny!
The book pays for itself the very first time you spend an hour doing something you learn from reading how-to from its pages rather than having to pay for getting it done.

There's a complete section on periodic maintenance,
Bring the bike up-to-date on all the maintenance.

If it does need a rear tire ...
Don't get a cheap tire!
Spend the dough for good rubber ... you'll be glad you did!

 

Here ya' go! In stock. Guaranteed to make your life better:


MANUALS:

lm1) Although it's fun to be adventurous, creative, and daring at times, wrenching on the bike is not one of those times......

The ever-popular Haynes Workshop line of "enhanced" factory service manuals cover all major service, repair, rebuild, and maintenance procedures (sometimes in excruciating detail, and usually with many more pictures and illustrations than the factory service manual does), and also includes wiring diagrams and other useful specifications.


HCP1093 Haynes Service-Repair-Maintenance Workshop Manual, for all 1980-84 XJ650 (except Turbo) and XJ750 models, softcover, over 275 action-packed pages, a must-have manual if you own one of these machines. Each:
$ 25.00



lm2) Original Factory Service Manuals are also available. These full-size manuals covers all aspects of diagnosis, repair, and assembly for specific model bikes. These brand new, official Yamaha manuals are one of those "must-have" tools if you're going to be wrenching on your own bike. Plenty of photographs, diagrams, flowcharts, wiring charts, torque values, etc.

HCP1128 Factory Service Manual covers all XJ550 Maxim and XJ550 Seca models 1981-83.
$ 54.00


http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... t=180.html

 

I put 70000 on my '81 Maxim 650, which I traded in on my '82 Seca 650. Put 115000 on the Seca. They leaked a bit of oil. I added more and rode. You've got yourself a cool old bike. Have fun.

Furyus

 

hey im new to this too 400 hundred bucks is a good deal but you shouldnt need to put 500 into it i got my bike for free and ill ive put into it was 500 hundred and i got mine in a crate bare frame. just shop around and have fun and its good to see another person on a xj!

 

Hey, welcome to the site. I hope you get out and enjoy your new XJ. I'm in the same boat as you, I'm waiting for my course in Apr/May, so I can get out for the first time as well. Like some of the other guys were saying, get used to all of your controls and have fun with it. Just remember that it the other drivers that you need to look out for, you know where your going!

 

Welcome. This is my first bike too, picked it up late last summer. I'd actually taken a MSF class a few years back, but never got the bike. Can't wait for all this damn snow to disappear..

 

By the time the ice and snow are gone; you'll be raring to go.
Just be mindful that all the stuff they pour on the roads all winter turns into Ball Bearings until its swept-up by the Road Crews.
Particularly, if they use sand on the roads. That stuff collects right where you need to be making corners and and taking-the-line on sweeping curves.

By the time Easter gets here; you should have finished doing a whole lot of Bike Maintenance.
Do your Battery.
Pull it and top-it-off to the Line with Distilled Water and place it on charge; overnight.
Get the WD40 going and do all your Switches and Ignition Switch.
Flush-out the old Brake Fluid and bleed the Brakes.
Lube your Cables.

Spend time upgrading the Fuse Panel from the Original which are prone to failure ... to a Modern Fuse Holder that won't fail on you and leave you stranded someplace.
Maybe the Fuse Panel should be Job One!!!

http://wirewerksperformance.com/index.p ... 87ee7829ba

Air Filter
Headlight Bulb Upgrade
Rear Brake Lining Check
Clean and Lube the Sidestand Switch and linkakge.

And, ... Last but not least:

Pull the Cover off the Alternator and check the lengths of the Alternator Brushes for specs.
All these Older Bikes need Fuse Panels and Alternator Brushes.

Get the Factory Book and you'll find-out how to change the Fork Oil and Repack Front Wheel Bearings!

The more you do now ... the more riding time you get by not having to do it during the season.

 

Alright! Thanks for all the great advice-keep it coming! Its good to hear I got into a bike with good history for a lot of folks. Can't wait for some adventures on my own bike. I really appreciate the sage advice on safe driving practices.

Sounds like this weekend in MN it might get above freezing, if so i'll be spending a lot of time in the garage.

The previous owner was nice enough to include a "xj 650 g/h/j/k genuine yamaha service manual". It seems to cover a lot of bases, so i'm doing my best to decipher it contents. From what i hear on this forum this is a good manual.

To the xj owner in st. cloud- yeah! lets get out for a ride when the weather improves.

kasper

 

PD, Nice bike! Looks like you've put some work into it. Do most folks out there modify their xj's or keep them original? I really like the original look as well as one that had been customized.

kasper

 

07spacker: I had a maxim when I was that age... then a maxim/ninja... then just the maxim when I wasn't ready for the ninja... and now I'm on a cbr... I wouldn't get rid of the cbr, but then again, I know I shouldn't have got rid of the maxim either. Nothing wrong with a sportbike, the problem is that the mentality of the visible riders on the road is suspect. In the right hands it is quite the track weapon, back road scratcher... or tourer in my case. Eats up a highway and spits it out...

As for the oil leak - check the usual places. If they reused the oil filter washer for example, it will leak at the bottom front. If the speedocable is loose, it will leak from that port. Gaskgets are another place to leak from... otherwise it's a pretty solid little bike.

Enjoy it - and get some training. You can learn on your own, but what you don't want to do is learn the hard way on your own.

 

Kasper,
Ya, there are some of us who can't leave thing the way they came, and I am one of them!
If you check the "Modification" part of this form, you'll get an idea of what can be done with some knowledge and experimenting. I like the looks of the Maxim, but I hated the sport bike/cafe racer style of my 750 Seca, so I turned it into a kind of bobber of sorts.
My suggestion to you is to get everything in good working condition so your ready for the road when the snow is gone. You can always start customizing as you see fit (there are always rainy days) There may be some things you will want to add or change on your bike after you've put some miles on it. I rode mine stock for 2 years with full fairing and saddlebags on it before I decided to go nuts with my tools.
If you run into problems with it, PM me here and I'll help as much as I can.
Hopefully I will be able to bring my bike down so we can ride some thiis season!! >PD<