Is it worth it

I bought an 83 XJ 750 Maxim last year as a beginner bike and a project, one hell of a project it was. I rebuilt parts, replaced parts broke more parts fixed those. Fabricated tools chased out electric problems... the list goes on and on. Through out the whole process I was able to use this forum and your help has been immeasurable. But now, comes the time when I'm yearning for more, and I have to make a decision.

The bike is 30 years old and has 45K miles on it. If I am going to put money into her to customize and "attempt" to improve, I need to know that there is still plenty of life left inside. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars and end up with a pretty looking parts bike.

I guess my question is, how long can these bikes be expected to live and still be pushed? Can it only ever be a gentle ride?

 

im a few miles shy of 64000 on my 650 and she still runs to red line on occasion.

 

you can always swap the engine

 

There are two things you need to keep in mind:

The "primary" chain tensioner (the one that tends to disintegrate at some point, or not, for no discernible reasons.) That's a case-splitter.

As is the starter clutch. If you haven't had any problems whatsoever with it, then it's fine and probably will be forever.

At 45K or 50K miles, I'd be thinking cam chain before I spent too much time at high RPMs. But that one's relatively easy.

And that's pretty much it.

The bottom end is essentially bulletproof as is the rest of the drive train. Properly maintained, the bike could last a good long time. If you've brought it back to as-new (or better) mechanically then you shouldn't have anything to really worry about as long as you keep up on maintenance.

 

haha that thought had crossed my mind, though seems a whee bit overkill

 

For perspective. Up until last year (maybe the year before?) The Motorcycle cannonball was open only to machines built before 1916. This is a coast-to-coast rally. Usually somewhere around 1/2 of the entrants finish the journey. Most of the failures have to do with pushing those machines beyond what was expected of them when they were new. The reliability of all vehicles has improved vastly since 1916. Keeping up on maintenance, and doing so preventatively, will very likely keep your (and my, and Fitz's) XJ(s) running reliably well into the next century.

 

Thanks I'll look into those. Does it pay to disassemble the engine and try and remove all the carbon build-up?

 

It don't pay.
It costs.

De-carboning (De-coking) the Engine is a High-mileage service.

IF you need to pull the Head for decarboning, ...
Do the Full Monte'
Valve job
Valve Seals
Clean-out the Exhaust Ports
Decarbon the Piston Crowns

When I Decarbon Piston Crowns ... I thoroughly MASK any openings where the Dust might penetrate.
I use a Wire Wheel attached to my Electric Drill for the "Heavy" stuff.
A BRASS Wire Wheel once the heavy-stuff gets brushed away.

While attacking the Carbon with the Wire Wheel ... I have an assistant Vacuuming the particulate with my Shop-Vac Hose ... like the cutie does when the Dentist is doing a filling.

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/coppermine/displ ... pos=3.html

 

Not really. A healthy motor won't have a lot of carbon built up.

The key will be to stay current on maintenance (valve checks every 5K miles, carb service every 10K, etc.,) and keep an eye on the overall health of the mill with regular compression tests. I do one every fall as part of my winterization routine and record the results.