Noob alert: Any known problems with 1981 750 Seca?

Hey guys. Going to pull the trigger and probably get a 1981 750 Seca. Are there any known issues with this bike? How is the shaft drive? I seem to be having luck finding parts I might need. Mileage is low, around 8500 miles. Never been down from what I can tell.

Thanks in advance!

 

old age and neglect.

Boy there seems to be an uptick in the cheesehead department here.
Welcome Burf!
From where I sit all of the XJ's are well engineered and solidly built bikes with no lemons either in year of manufacturing or model.
The bike you are eyeing up is old, it will require some time and $$$ to properly restore it to a safe and reliable condition. 8500 miles is super low, maintenance has been neglected, father time has grasped hold of things, hopefully someone had the heart to turn her over and run it a few miles every year - otherwise you are looking at a potential increase of time and $$$.

Maybe the PO stored it properly and you have a diamond in the rough. Post some pics if you can.

Where in the state are you located?

 

Welcome ...these bikes are near bullet proof , agree with Stumplifter certain items will need replaced , unless they are already braided steel hoses for your front brakes that is one IMPORTANT (SAFTEY) item , upper right corner of page xj4ever has the exact brake hoses ...if brake hoses are rubber and have date of 81-84 etc they need replaced. As to the shaft drive only thing you need to do is drain and fill occasionally it is very reliable. The carbs may need to be rebuilt ( shaft seals ,fuel interconnect "O" rings and float needle and seat) Again xj4ever has ALL these parts. Valves will been to be checked and adjusted( shims changed) . I upgraded mine to a spin on oil filter conversion kit from xj4ever .

 

The two annoying problems that all of the shaft-drive XJ series have:
The propencity for the alternator chain guide to fail from being old and getting brittle (when it fails you'll hear the chain slap the case at idle, or hunks of the guide will make shifting difficult).
The need to split the crankcases when it comes time to rebuid the starter clutch (by mileage, your's is a long way off from needing to do that).
If either of those problems occur, it's best practice to take care of both at the same time.

Other than that they are rock-solid motorcycles. The shaft drive is stout, and doesn't have the typical shaft-jacking that's accociated with shaft driven motorcycles.

All you need to know about maintaining the XJ series, and more:
The Information Overload Hour

 

Known issues: causes huge smiles when running correctly; causes lack-of-maintenance jealousy from Harley-Davidson owners; too many knowledgeable, helpful XJ owners on this forum (seriously, before you do /anything/ to the motorcycle, search the forum and ask. It would have saved me a lot of frustration).