Hello, new owner and first time motorcycler here looking for advice

I purchased a 1981 XJ650 yesterday. The price was right due to the prior owner not being able to get it to start. He had owned it for 20 years. It cranks and cranks but won't start. Before I start asking a lot of questions is there a post or resource that outlines the most common issues , suggested maintenance, etc? It has 31500 and looks to have been stored indoors.

 

first and most obvious things to check, before you start taking things apart are,-----
check the kill switch on the handlebars , is it in the "RUN" position
make sure the side stand is up
is the neutral "green" light on the dash
is it a good battery? if the voltage drops below 10 volts on cranking , the plugs will not spark, (you could jump it with a car battery)
next to check is it sparking? ( take out one of the outside plugs , replace it in the plug cap , and hold the threaded part on the engine case) does it spark then whilst cranking?

let us know how you get on with those checks first

 

When was the last time the previous owner had it running? Assuming it's not one of the things @bensalf already mentioned, the next most logical place to look is carburetors--especially if it's sat for a long period with fuel in them. Carb cleaning is something of an adventure on these bikes (look up "church of clean," and don't forget the starter jets that are buried in the float bowls; they are permanently installed so you have no choice but to clean them), but it can be done and the reward is a surprisingly modern "antique" bike.

 

They said it last ran in october, before him and his neighbor started to monkey with it. It looks like it is in good shape and I know it was a gamble. But I also know to start with the obvious. Raining here today and I don't have a garage so I havent started to look at it yet.

 

Interesting. I thought as long as it was cranking the sparks would fire, but that is a good thing to check. Do you know if these bikes have to have the kickstand up to start?

 

Highly recommend you go the top right corner of the page click on xj4ever, Chacal has several pages that are a must read . He also has most parts OEM and patter parts great service to boot.

 

No, not with a working system

The starter is enabled by either the neutral switch OR side stand up AND clutch pulled in. If in neutral it should crank and have spark so it should start

The ignition is enabled by either the neutral switch OR the side stand switch, so in neutral and cranking the ignition should be enabled and spark if all is well - testing spark as bensalf suggested as well as battery voltage during cranking is a good place to start

 

Another new member here with a one owner 1981 SECA that had been sitting around for several years with 36,021 miles on the clock. Picked it up last week from a classic car dealer who got it from a charity auction where the owner had donated the bike to. Not in bad condition however the carbs are soaking in cleaning solvent, been working out some of the kinks with the electrical system and frozen front caliper. Starter motor has a burnt bar on the commutator from the brush hitting the bottom limit so I'm waiting for the replacement.
Anyway thought I'd share this with the forum and say hi to everyone.
Brhat

 

Frank, welcome to the forum and good luck on your project. These are great bikes and will give you yrs of smiles while riding them. Do a lot of reading on the forum and take your time with the carbs. Really take your time with the carbs. Do them right the first time. Did I mention taking your time with the carbs and get them right the first time???

The carbs will need to be cleaned, they are more or less the heart of a good running XJ bike. Once you get them cleaned and go over the normal maint that needs to be done. Good safety check to brakes, fluids, wheel bearing (check for any wobble they may have) and please take off the rear tire and make sure the back brakes didn't come unglued from the metal portion of the brakes. It happens and it is a bad thing if you are moving.

Good luck on the project, take lots of pics as you go and share your adventure with us please.

 

Thanks for the thumbs up. I will post my progress in the What Have You Done column. I've had several bikes over the years and they include a 1980 Honda CBX plus numerous dirt bikes but this is my first Yamaha and I'm on a serious learning curve.

Do have a question regarding starter motor interchange. Mine has a bad bar on the commutator from a weak brush, what other motors are similar to this one?

Again thanks

 

looks like you are mixing up two threads, under one heading,
Brhatweed, you ought to start your own thread, then we can reply to you specificaly. (nice looking bike though)

 

I'd have to consult the wiring diagram to be sure, but I know of several bikes that will happily empty the battery cranking with the kill switch off and no spark. Buy me a beer and I'll tell you a long story about a smokin' hot babe in skin-tight leathers, a whole bunch of Harley riders with their tongues dragging on the ground, and an airhead BMW's kill switch...

 

Its' Motorcyclist' by the way

 

Welcome to the forum Frank. Did the previous owner say it was in running condition, or just couldn't get it started? A bit of history would aid in where to start.....