85' XJ700, just taken home. what do ya think?

Just picked up my 1985 XJ700 Maxim! Love the bike with only 22K miles.
But Id like advice on what kind of products to use for the beast;

Brake Fluid:
pretty much none left in the dam thing

Oil:
pretty dark but still usable but will replace this weekend

Spark Plugs:
dont know if they are new, but whats a good brand?

Gas:
was on reserve when I took her to the pump, out $10.00 of 91 in her and filled her a little bit more than half way

Tires:
She came with brand new tires, so I wouldn't need any for a bit, but what kind do you guys use for your machines?

Now for replacing;
1.) My clutch has good tension and the cable is fine but the actual clutch handle moves up and down a bit, not to the point where it hangs off but, it is movable.

 

Brake Fluid:
Dot 3 or 4 is what you want

Oil:
Buy MOTORCYCLE oil - Lots of posts here about it - We have wet clutches and car oil is not proper for us

Spark Plugs:
ngk is what yamaha used - I think many autostores sell them - but any proper sized/spaced plugs should work

Gas:
you don't NEED 91

Tires:
plenty of posts about tires - ask again in a year or 2

Looks nice in that pictures

 

Nice looking Maxie, welcome to the site!

What exactly do you mean by "handle moves up and down a bit"? Do you mean the end of the handle moves a few millimeters, or moves an inch? A little bit of "wiggle" is normal, but if it moves (at the end of the lever) more than 5 or 6 millimeters, replace it. A new handle will cost ya less than what you have in the tank already.

As far as the other questions, Bob pretty much answered them all.

For the tires, looks like in the pic that they are Michelins, those will run you a few miles. When it does come time for new, the only advice I will give is that I don't buy tires with a continuous center groove. They don't ride well for me.

 

welcome to the club nice looking bike. check the rear shoes make sure they are not separating. I am sure someone will tell you about it

 

Nice looking bike. Good find

 

Very pretty bike! Congratulations! Now just read and ask questions and you'll be in good hands! Welcome to the site!

 

fluid-DOT3 or 4
Oil-any 20w50 auto or diesel 15w40 is MORE than sufficient and will cause NO issues
Gas-use 87 octane
Plugs-NGK only
Tires-Kenda Challengers-are around $100 shipped for a pair at Chapparal Racing, I love mine

 

Sweet, thanks for the info. The bike dosent run diffirently is using 87 on it?
So when I start the bike, it idels for 10 seconds and then starts to sound weird. Then dies off. Do you start it with the choke full open? Or half way?
But then after trying to start the bike 3-4 times it runs fine and normal.

Im switching the oil n plugs. That should make it start first try I think its just the oil oil that isnt circulating well.

 

As in, I the clutch you can lift up and down vertically, it moves no more than 1 inch. but I think im just going to replace it, since its cheap as you say.

 

Are you using prime for several seconds before you try to start? Full choke works for me and lasts about 30 seconds, then half, 30 seconds to a minute, then I'm good, but different bike. Maybe another 700 owner can elaborate more for that specific bike. BTW, Congrats!

 

lever is fine. Don't worry about that.

Dave

 

I am on Prime the whole time, and ok ima try diff choke placements.
I usually do half the whole time. Ill mess around with it.
And thank, cant wait to get her cleaned up to start my chapters of her life.
haha

and ok, I guess thats normal for the clutch. cool thanks.

 

Hey!....That looks just like my bike, just a little cleaner.

 

good buy, looks new!

 

thanks thanks,
wish It ran like new haha, I need to get a new battery for her.
then it should be perfect with the routine changes, oil n such.
anyone know where to buy a new BOOK service manual for these?
All I can find is CD ones...
I have a PDF of the whole manual. I think ima just print it out somewhere.
haha

 

It's NOT a Choke.
It's an Enrichment System.

If you NEED it to keep the Bike running, ... you have a Fuel Delivery problem.

When a Member gets a new Bike; we usually recommend doing some important maintenance.
> Check Rear Brakes
> Check Valve Clearances

> IF you don't KNOW exactly when those Carbs were last Cleaned. Clean them!

Several Members have found Rear Brake Shoe Friction Material becoming De-laminated.
Tight Valves will cost you if neglected.
The Bike will Run like a TOP with a Carb Cleaning and Tuning.

Running on Choke is a sign you need the Carbs Cleaned.

 

Ok im going to have to get a carb cleaning and ok so this is the current status of the bike, just jumped the bike and road it around the street for 10 mins to see if the battery would charge, it did.
So I switched out the old spark plugs and topped the oil off with a little
Bit of new oil.
The bike now starts up perfectly fine and works good.
Also the tires are new as so the previous owner says, and they still do look good and have great tread on them.
How would you inspect ths brakes?

 

As far as the tires go the P.O. could be telling the truth but you should look on the tire for the date code, here's a link that shows you what to look for:
http://kydrives.net/2006/11/13/tire-dot ... our-tires/
I took my Maxim-X off the road in 2003, literally months after I had brand new tires put on the bike. If you were to look at them now you would swear that they "LOOK" brand new, they even have the little rubber tits on them. When I do get my bike bike ready for the road, that set of new looking tires will be history.
As a heads up, check the date codes when you buy new tires at a bike show, dealer or on something like Craigslist, just because they "look" new doesn't mean they are. Just sayin'.

 

ahh ok, im gonna check the date on my shoes. Thanks!
that link should help me out on my tires health. very useful thanks
SO heres a video of my bike after getting her running again after a 3 day no run drought. She just need to get jumped and to be ran a bit to get the oils going in her.
Ima check the shoes, and brakes before I take her out to the street to cruise on !
HERES A VIDEO OF MY BIKE, leave me sum comments on what ya think on its page

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFT5_aHzj70