First Bike 1982 Seca 750

Hey guys, some of you may have noticed me lurking around the sight for a couple months. I'm 19 and just got my first bike a 1982 Yamaha Seca 750 for free! I'm going to be working on getting it ready for the road this winter and changing some cosmetic stuff. This is the first time I've attempted anything like this so we'll see how it goes.

Here she is



My dad hopped on my brothers bike and went for a ride with me haha

 

Shes naked!

 

o.k. Dude... She's naked now! I know when I was your age I knew what I wanted to do when I got them naked....

Just messing with ya. But seriously what are U planning for it? Cafe? Bar Hopper? Street Fighter?. Looks like its already in pretty good shape.

 

First off congrats. You look pretty stoked to be riding with your dad in that picture. Also how the hell did you get a free SECA? And lastly I have the same bike, as do others on here, so feel free to ask even the dumbest of questions. This site is the only reason I now know my bike from the inside out.

 

jgkedd,

welcome....annnnnnnnd another generation hits the trail. congrats on the bike.

gary

 

Thanks for the welcome guys! I've always liked the look of cruiser bikes as opposed to sportier ones so I'm going to go more in that direction. Im picking up the tins from a Maxim tomorrow. Basically my goals are to: put new tires on, run through the breaks, swap headlight for a round one, new round gauges, 4 into 1 exhaust, new directionals (that dont stick out so damn far!), smaller sleeker looking seat, possibly new shocks to lower the stance, different tank/ fender, etc. Its a long ass list but its my first bike so I figure Ill have fun and learn the ropes with it. Don't know how fast my progress will be because I'm a full-time student and I'm working but I'll try and keep up with some pictures!

 

new round headlight, good idea...
new signals, good idea... (bullet style looks cool but best of all they are visible to cage drivers. I know when I was in college the I threw on a set of saddle bags to carry crap in. Keep in mind it'll help to plan it in now if you think about saddle bags as you may have to install the rear signals an extra few inches more to the rear to open and close even the leather saddle bags.)
New round gauges, good idea
New tires, maybe new brakes, good idea (especially check the back one to see if it has or may split away and separate the pad from the metle mount.)
New Seat, good idea (Since the Secs seat is the opposite effect of a cruiser,does that mean you'll give someone her e they first shot at buying that seat of you. If so even I might be interested. It is in pretty good shape right?)

Now about he 4 into 1.... With the added complications of the YICS you may want to save that for the of part of the project. You'll get little to no complication out of the other changes you plan. However change to an exhaust can depend on where you live like altitude and even how you ride. Some people have done their homework prior to tackling the exhaust and/or intake. Some have even had just good luck. I'm even about to do this to a Seca that is to have a cafe look. Now a cruiser look doesn't look so bad with pipes on each side. Ironically I always liked the Seca slash cut pipe better than thee Maxims flat pipe. Looks like a PO put the flat Maxim exhaust on your Seca.

Just another thought but take a look at the handle bars on the bike behind your stripped down Seca. T Bars would be cool on that with a Maxim tank.

 

new round headlight, good idea...
new signals, good idea... (bullet style looks cool but best of all they are visible to cage drivers. I know when I was in college the I threw on a set of saddle bags to carry crap in. Keep in mind it'll help to plan it in now if you think about saddle bags as you may have to install the rear signals an extra few inches more to the rear to open and close even the leather saddle bags.)
New round gauges, good idea
New tires, maybe new brakes, good idea (especially check the back one to see if it has or may split away and separate the pad from the metle mount.)
New Seat, good idea (Since the Secs seat is the opposite effect of a cruiser,does that mean you'll give someone her e they first shot at buying that seat of you. If so even I might be interested. It is in pretty good shape right?)

Now about he 4 into 1.... With the added complications of the YICS you may want to save that for the of part of the project. You'll get little to no complication out of the other changes you plan. This can depend on where you live like altitude and even how you ride. Some people have done their homework prior to tackling the exhaust and/or intake. Some have even had just good luck. I'm even about to do this to a Seca that is to have a cafe look. Now a cruiser look doesn't look so bad with pipes on each side. Ironically I always liked the Seca slash cut pipe better than thee Maxims flat pipe. Looks like a PO put the flat Maxim exhaust on your Secs.

Just another thought but take a look at the handle bars on the bike behind your stripped down Seca. T Bars would be cool on that with a Maxim tank.

 

new round headlight, good idea...
new signals, good idea... (bullet style looks cool but best of all they are visible to cage drivers. I know when I was in college the I threw on a set of saddle bags to carry crap in. Keep in mind it'll help to plan it in now if you think about saddle bags as you may have to install the rear signals an extra few inches more to the rear to open and close even the leather saddle bags.)
New round gauges, good idea
New tires, maybe new brakes, good idea (especially check the back one to see if it has or may split away and separate the pad from the metle mount.)
New Seat, good idea (Since the Secs seat is the opposite effect of a cruiser,does that mean you'll give someone her e they first shot at buying that seat of you. If so even I might be interested. It is in pretty good shape right?)

Now about he 4 into 1.... With the added complications of the YICS you may want to save that for the of part of the project. You'll get little to no complication out of the other changes you plan. This can depend on where you live like altitude and even how you ride. Some people have done their homework prior to tackling the exhaust and/or intake. Some have even had just good luck. I'm even about to do this to a Seca that is to have a cafe look. Now a cruiser look doesn't look so bad with pipes on each side. Ironically I always liked the Seca slash cut pipe better than thee Maxims flat pipe. Looks like a PO put the flat Maxim exhaust on your Secs.

Just another thought but take a look at the handle bars on the bike behind your stripped down Seca. T Bars would be cool on that with a Maxim tank.

 

Love the first bike rush and the enjoyment that shows in the pictures.

Congrats....

Time to enjoy, the fun and then the hard work getting to know and maintain an older bike.

 

I don't think maxim tank/fenders/plastics "fit" on a seca. The frames are different, and have different mounting tabs welded on.

Not that you can't change the frame yourself, just be aware it might not be an easy swap.

Also, the forks on the seca are kind of unique with the whole anti-dive wizardry. Things like fenders don't necessarily fit between models, so check the fit first if you can.

You also have to be careful with the headlight, the front master cylinder is behind the headlight (notice how far forward the box mounts). Many round headlights mount right through the center, and end up contacting the master cylinder. Also, there's a real rat's nest of cables inside that big box. Again, do-able, but it'll be some work.

Realize too with gauges that you will likely need some wiring work as a lot of things go through them. If you alter the wiring significantly, might I suggest a set of proper connectors/crimper/wire strippers/pins, to make the job look AND function like OEM. The tools will run you up to $100, and I spend another $80 on the connector/pin sets here: http://vintageconnections.com/ , but after 2 years of hacking my harness with home depot connectors every time I found a problem, the difference is night and day.

Also, you've got a nice example of a 750 seca, so if you aren't missing any pieces, sell things like fenders, tanks, and plastics, or trade for them. It'll help to fund your project.

 

I believe the Maxim 650/750 tanks are a direct fit as well as the front fenders, but not sure about the corresponding side covers nor seats. The odd cable-actuated master cylinder does interfere with most headlight swaps, however many have elected to replace theirs with handlebar-mounted units (need to also swap (or cut down) the 750 Seca right-side handlebar controls and swap the dual disk brake "log") for better braking control. Maybe the more "streamlined" remote MC is more desirable for this build? If so, you will probably need to mount the headlight further in front of the MC. Also - there is a practical limit as to how low the rear end can go with the shaft drive (it's not that far). FWIW you can replace the Seca rear wheel with a Maxim rear wheel and lower the rear that way. Look up all the model differences at Chacal's place here.

 

I picked up a 85 Maxim 700 for really cheap as a parts bike because the motor was gone. None of the fenders or tank seems to line up. Would a 82 Maxim 750 be an easy bolt on? If so I'd definitely look into doing that instead.

 

Only maybe the tank. The reason the fenders don't "sit" correctly is because the Maxims and Secas have different style forks. The seat and other bodywork don't fit because of differences in the frames.

Nothing off the 700 will fit "gracefully."

 

Actually, the front wheels are the same for the USA 550/650/750 Maxims and 650/750 Secas, and the Maxims and the 750 Seca use leading-axle forks (not the 650 Seca) which means all the front fenders (except for the 650 Seca) should be interchangeable. The 700/750X Maxim is a different beast altogether.

 

Wish I knew that before I picked up the parts bike I got, but such is life. Im sure I can get my money back by parting it out. Anyone know anyone selling a 750 maxim tank?

 

Right - that's why I had the previous link to Chacal's huge info source (it has the info about the wheels etc.) Maybe the XJ700 was already in the pipeline when I responded... You should still read his info. It may answer further questions.

 

Before you go ditiching that 700. Here are some parts that will interchange on to your seca.

Rear Wheel: This will be a direct swap.
Front end: The complete fork assembly, wheel, fender, triple tree can be swapped with the use of the tapered roller bearing steering stem bearing upgrade. This will also give the benefit of a larger diameter fork, Fork Brace, Better quality brakes

Ghost

 

Thanks for the info Ghost!

 

What would that front end swap require as far as modding?

On a totally different subject. Are there any bolt on round headlight assemblies for my Seca?

 

Now you've done it Ghost - the price of XJ700s is going up!

RE: headlights - the OEM 750 Seca headlight mount is about 8 1/4" or so; most of the single round headlights I've seen have a 6.5" or 7.5" mount dimension. You could use fork clips to narrow the mounting space or a mount off the lower triple tree for a pedestal mount. Or you could get a set of these.

 

Alright so I'm going to swap the front ends I think and then the round light off the Maxim will bolt on to the new front end. Anyone interested in buying a Seca front end? :lol:

 

Are you sure you're gonna let the whole front end go? Cause as long as the forks aren't leaking you've got me interested. How much of the front end are you actually talking about and how much do you want?

PM me with the details...

Now if your just talking the headlight... I'll have to pass as I'm getting rid of that square one too.

 

Are you sure you're gonna let the whole front end go? Cause as long as the forks aren't leaking you've got me interested. How much of the front end are you actually talking about and how much do you want?

PM me with the details...

 

Haven't gotten started taking anything apart because of the hurricane but if I do end up selling my Seca front end you'll be the first to know Huck

 

Been busy with school and work so I haven't been able to work on the bike as much as I like but I figured I'd throw up some more pictures of what has been done.

So far I've just stripped it down a little more, took the headlight and Atari off, and I also got around to removing the front end from the Maxim X that I picked up..




Made sure I labeled every wire with a number and then whatever it was plugged into with the same number. That way even if I can't figure out what it goes to I know where it goes. Quickly learning that the key to success is labeling EVERYTHING. Masking tape, zip-lock bags, and a sharpie cost about 10 bucks altogether and I'm sure I'll be thanking myself when I put this thing back together.


Maxim X front end needs a little cleaning up but the tire is good and the circular headlight assembly will mount stock which will look a lot cleaner I think. Definitely gonna go through the front brakes and make sure they're good to go. Just waiting for the bearings to come in and I'll slap it on there.

 

nice nice. why ya swapping front ends?

 

Pretty much just swapping the front ends for the experience. This is my first bike and I want to learn as much as I can with the build. May not end up swapping, we'll see!

 

Quick update: Haven't been making much progress with school and work. This will be a reoccurring theme because I never have any free time! But, I did get the new tank off of a Maxim 650.

Tank was sent to me by fellow member skillet. Big shout out to him. All the info he gave me was spot on, the tank was exactly how described and I received it very quickly. Really excited by how much it changes the look of the bike.

 

Was glad a member got it. Felt the same way when i got my Maxim tank...

skillet

 

Ok guys, Im doing the front brakes over. My two goals are to switch to handlebar mounted MC and use SS brake lines. Could I use the MC off the Maxim 700 if I rebuild it or should I buy a new one?

 

The XJ700 MC might work if the handlebar you are going to use is at the same position, otherwise it may be tilted too far forward. If you are planning to use a "flatter" (i.e., non-cruiser) handlebar then you could use any non-tilted MC that fits a 7/8" bar, has a built-in mechanical brake light switch and has a large enough capacity to supply fluid to 2 calipers.

Also - you need to consider what you want to do with the front fork "log" where the OEM MC used to connect. You can get an adapter hose from Chacal to go from the OEM log to the new MC, get a different log that uses conventional 10mm banjo connections, or get extra-long SS hoses that go directly from the MC to the calipers, eliminating the log altogether.

 

Alright so it has been awhile since I've posted here, but I've been lurking. Progress on the bike has been slow just like I promised! Just thought I'd throw some pictures up and let everyone see where I'm at.

Heres a picture after I got the new exhaust and shocks mounted. The exhaust is the MAC 4into1 in all black. Installation was pretty easy and I made sure I replaced all the ring gaskets in between the engine and the headers. The shocks are Burly Brand Slammer 10.5 inch shocks for a Harley Sportster. Fitting these on the bike was a pain in the ass as they aren't made for metric bikes.



Managed to knick my finger with the angle grinder as I was making the sleeves to fit the shocks. Like I said a pain in the ass. Needless to say I'm a little more careful now.



Took me a little while to gather up the courage, but I chopped off the tail with the grinder one day on a whim.



Also threw on a side hack license plate mount and taillight from tcbros.com. The fender on the right is a trailer fender that I'm using for a rear fender. Picked that up at the local tractor supply store.



Next step was to ditch the Atari and square headlight. Not going to say they were ugly but they were too 80's for me and they had to go. My buddy is an electrician and helped me out with some soldering in exchange for some beers. He does good work and we definitely had a fun night.



Got everything hooked up and inside the bucket. Headlight is from an XJ550. I had to cut the back to fit around the MC on my 750. Handlebars are a spare pair of Renthals my buddy had from his dirtbike. Not picture is the speedo I purchased off Mikesxs.com

 

I wanted to make a mount that would allow me to put my solo seat off and on easily without welding anything to the frame. Came up with this. First thing I've actually fabbed entirely myself so it isn't perfect but it gets the job done.



The bolt that secures the back of the tank will bolt through the front of this and the back will rest on the frame rails. Gives me a platform to bolt the seat to and also hides the electrical underneath.



This is how the bike sits now.



Still left to do:

-Fit and mount new rear fender
-Shave front fender
-Possibly relocate battery and fusebox to a hidden location
-Blinkers?
-Pods?
-Rejet carbs
-Paint

 

Also big shout out to Chacal at XJ4ever. Hooked me up with a new oil filter, exhaust gaskets, fusebox, and valve cover gaskets. Just recently ordered a throttle cable and a tool for lubricating cables. Quick to respond and knowledgable to boot. Solid service all around.

 

fun looking project. a bobber was my first thought for my 83 maxim, but I am still on the fence. I will be anxious to see how your project progresses.

CN

 

OK - looks like you reconsidered moving the master cylinder and decided to use a Maxim 650 tank. Are you also going to weld on a hoop on the back to reconnect the frame rails? If you don't you will have a very flexy frame bike. Not a fan personally of the bobber seating position and I would have kept the original-length shock (but new/better quality) to keep the same suspension travel, but to each his own. I do like using the Seca rear wheel rather than the 16" Maxim rear wheel.

RE shaving the front fender - either the 650 or 750 Maxim front fenders will fit the 750 Seca directly, and all have a quasi fork brace welded underneath the fender so if you just want the minimum you can cut the fork brace section free and use it alone.

As for pods, huge amount of comments on this with most being leave the stock air cleaner box alone. Plus it is much easier to construct custom side panels to cover the battery/electronics than trying to remap (rejet) all the carb circuits so they work as well as stock when using pods.

Have you decided anything about mirrors? I've seen some new black oval ones on fleabay that are sold with universal mount systems (for either the Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki mounts or the Yamaha) around $25 a pair and have a nice rounded-oval shape (looks good with the Maxim tank IMO) similar to the OEM Triumph Street Triple. Listed for a variety of bikes but all the listings are the same mirror set. Here's one: black oval mirrors

 

Zap, the Seca front fender also has the seperate fork brace piece. Just figured I'd try and make a smaller fender first as you can remove more but adding the cut pieces back would probably be counterproductive haha.

Definitely looking into further bracing the rear section of the tail, just trying to figure out how I''l be mounting the rear fender first.

Totally aware of the pod debate on this site, which is why I'm on the fence about that, but with my 4-1 exhaust I'll likely need to rejet anyways.

Haven't even thought about mirrors yet, but will look into the ones you posted.

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

what do you mean? his seca rear wheel looks exactly like my maxim "16 inch" wheel. I am confused. is the seca wheel larger?

CN

 

The 750 Seca has an 18" rear wheel with a narrower-profile tire (120/90-18) than the Maxim. [But they can be interchanged if you also interchange the rear brake assemblies IIRC.]