Help a complete motorcycle newbie

I bought a 1983 XJ900 13 months ago. being August when I bought it, I winterized it right away. I got my M1 this April, started riding this April, and got my M2 this June. I have been riding it all summer.

The ONLY maintenance I have done is as follows:

- Before I rode it this summer I changed the oil
- I changed the Speedo/tach to an Acewell combination gauge
- Some faulty wiring work
- Changed the Fuse Box to inline fuses
- Changed the oil again recently

What other regular maintenance am I missing?

The brakes/tires/battery/fork seals were changed just before I bought it. It runs perfectly. More power than I need, idles well, starts fine.

I have noticed pretty terrible gas mileage though. I can go about 10km/L (23MPG) if I drive it easy. Less than that If I ride her rough. I notice if I go WOT a nice black cloud appears in my mirrors.

Do I need the carbs looked at? is it worth making it a winter project or learning how to do them myself? or should I just take it to a shop?

What else should I be looking at?

 

I would pull the spark plugs and take a look at them. That will give you a good indicator on how well the bike is tuned. If they are black your running
rich (too much fuel) and if they white you are running lean (too much air). Running too lean can damage the engine. There are lots of posts with pictures of spark plugs to look at.

I would also ask where your idling at. Idle speed for these engines is 1050. I'm not positive it is the same on the 900 but the 650s and 750s are 1050. If you have to idle much higher than that like 1500-2000 (which is where I'm at right now) you could tune it to run better and probably have a small issue with your carbs.

I'm sure they are plenty more that will jump in and give advice.

Oh don't forget to change the final gear oil.

 

Hey rage
dont know if you tried Seafoam as yet, try if you havent..will help clear carbs and keep it clean like whistle..follow the mixing directions on label..comes in 493ml..about $10 at auto part stores..carquest. etc
Check http://www.maxim-x.com/seafoam.html
Enjoy the rest of the season ..!!

 

How many miles on it?

Get a manual, and go through the "maintenance" section, in order, leaving nothing out. You may be in need of a valve adjustment before you start messing with the carbs. Sounds like you're "dumping" fuel somewhere, could be an out of adjustment float, or way mis-adjusted carbs.