broken hearted about my bike...

This is a sad story and I don't know what to do.

I have a 85 Maxim X that has run beautifully for decades... something stuck in the carbs and it started running poorly. My neighbor worked on the bike and kinda got it working again, but after a few weeks it started having carb issues again. I took it to a recommended shop and the guy worked on it and said the previous guy messed up the tuning screws and made it very hard to fix. I spent over $600 to get the bike back running. Put a new petcock in it and thought everything was working ok, but still something would stick in the carbs.. brought it back to the shop and now the guy has another $500+ into working on it and still can't get it to reliably run.

At this point I owe more than the bike is worth, and basically can't justify picking it up... I feel screwed and demoralized. I just put brand new tires on it too. The mechanic feels like he's playing whack-a-mole on the bike trying to figure out the fuel system issues - he took apart the brand new petcock which I didn't ask him to do - and that was apparently sticking, but it'll cost me so much money to pick the bike up in not-running condition that I think I have to abandon it.. I don't know what to do.. I can't and don't have the time to mess with it myself.... Is there a way I can look up my license plates and turn them in if I know the VIN number? I know the mechanic will probably make money on my bike and I hate that, but I just don't know what to do.. feeling screwed....

 

It hurts just reading that! I really feel for you. I was lucky I found this site before getting into my XJ. I sent my carbs to @hogfiddles and he did a fantastic job. The situation you're in now is rough, financially and you're going to have to make your own decisions based on how much you like the bike and feel like spending. Sounds to me like that mechanic isn't worth using. A re-build shouldn't have been more than a few hundred bucks.

 

Sorry to hear that, old bikes..like the XJ's are sometimes too much for (modern) mechanics...unless they are both 'old skool' and NOT HD (< Non Metric/Japanese based...not saying their aren't a LOT of damn good HD mechanics out there!) orientated....as a lot over here are

At this point, maybe haggling with the 'mechanic' might get you somewhere, since that amount spent on a carb related? problem, is insane

 

Im gonna guess the something stuck is causing fuel to overflow or fill the crankcase with gas?

 

This is hard to read, sounds like you are being taken advantage of for a little lack of mechanical knowledge. If they took the valve cover off you should be able to tell and that will help decide if they messed up the timing. As for the carbs, yes they have to be done right to get the bike to work the way it should. I would take a look at the bill they provide you, check for hrs and what they worked on. If you have to maybe talk to a manager about them working on things (the petcock) that they should not have.

Bottom line, if you want to work on the bike yourself with the help of this forum the information and exsperiance to do so is here. If you have the time, willingness, tools and place to do so? If you don't I think it is clear cut.

Sad story and best of luck with your bike.

 

Mike, I just sent you a lengthy pm

Dave

 

The bike ran fine for so many years.. it was literally kept in my dining room. Then something started to stick in the carbs. I had everything rebuilt, but it looks like the new petcock got junked up with debris. Now it will cost me a bunch of money just to pick it up in non-running condition. I haven't checked my PMs yet.. I've been trying not to think about the bike because it gets me down. Not sure what to do but it's nice to get a little sympathy from fellow enthusiasts.

 

This is why so many shops won't work on old bikes. First, the techs don't know how. Second, they're stuck with the machine when the bill gets high. If you abandon the bike, they have the right to collect what they can. You lose and they lose. You have to deal with these mechanical issues yourself. The is a cottage industry of antique bike shops, but they aren't always easy to find. There is enough help here to get you through any issues. For now, it's a tough decision for you and I'm sorry about that.

 

Read that PM from Dave...he could have some insight. Again sad issue.