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What did you do to your Yamaha today?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Cutlass84, Jun 4, 2007.

  1. StorminNorman

    StorminNorman Member

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    Picked up a second seat from eBay, and Amazoned some foam to start sculpting a new seat so I can scoot back when riding. I decided not to cut the original foam that came with the second seat, so its going to take some trial and error to make a new one. Will post some photos once I start.
     

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  2. Turbobob23

    Turbobob23 Member

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    It actually is an xj. Maxim xj1100 with big bore piston kit.
     
  3. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    I thought of a xjr 1200 even though you stated xj, brainfart time :rolleyes:.
     
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  4. co.dirtbiker

    co.dirtbiker Active Member

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    I performed a carburetor flush on the 900 by running a tank of gas through them. :)

    Since the wife was working and the kids are all grown, I treated myself to a Father's Day ride. Up through Deer Creek Canyon, a little exploring on some side roads, then on to the top of Guanella Pass. Back down for lunch at the Coney Island hot dog stand in Bailey. Around a 200-mile round trip. The 900 just purred along without a hitch, even at 11,000ft. I love this motor. Got an amazing 57.6mpg (US) round trip!

    Great day for a ride, er, uh...carb flush. Perfect weather. Most roads didn't have much traffic except Highway 24, which is always a nightmare.

    upload_2025-6-15_14-28-1.png

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  5. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    Oh man that's a sweet bike!
     
  6. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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  7. co.dirtbiker

    co.dirtbiker Active Member

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    Those road buckles are a pain. There is a chronic one near here that pops up every summer. Not a huge one but squeezes the asphalt up like toothpaste and can get to a couple inches tall. They keep grinding it down only to have it lift up again. It's right before a light too so when you're on the brakes and hit that bump it's quite a jolt to the bars. In the car the ABS will kick in from the wheel bounce and make you feel like you're on ice.
     
  8. Roast644

    Roast644 Well-Known Member

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    Never experienced road buckle in the PNW. is that a Midwest thing with the heat and humidity? Doesn't look fun.
     
  9. Dan Gardner

    Dan Gardner Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Yes - it’s the extra f&$k you in this area. The roads get fooked by the frost in the winter and by thermal expansion in the summer.
     
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  10. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    My turn…..
    Today I picked up a cheap 650 maxim parts bike. When I got there, the guys says “hey, I just found the title and it’s good, and open”. The bike has some broken bits on it but not an issue for me. Also the tank is missing…. No big deal. Thengine looks remarkably clean “ under the dirt”, so I looked at the mileage…..7,000 mi on it!!

    I don’t think I’m gonna use that as a parts-bike.—— this one will live again :)

    with all the project bikes now lined up…. I’m gonna deplete a lot of my stash!!
     
  11. Dan Gardner

    Dan Gardner Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Let me know if you need a tank @hogfiddles
     
  12. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    So what did I do to my XJ today..? Took some photos of it next to a very nice 650 Maxim this afternoon. Was coming down Hwy 47 when I spotted a pair of unmistakable veggie-slicer wheels at an intersection and first thing that popped into my head was XJ. Long story short I met another XJ enthusiast this afternoon riding what could be one of the nicest 1981 650 Maxims and got to shake hands with the owner Kurt who I encouraged to become a member. So until then I'm not going to steal his spotlight and instead drop a couple of pictures of our 1981 XJ machines I took at the Casey's in Ogilvie MN.

    IMG_20250628_130131175SM.jpg

    IMG_20250628_132039153SM.jpg



    IMG_20250628_132051745SM.jpg
     
  13. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    "veggie-slicer wheels".......now that's good!
     
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  14. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    Kinda look like an 80's veggy slicer don't they? One of those choppers in a hopper kinda thing from K-Tel.
     
  15. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Yes they do, now that you mention it. K-Tel..............you're killing me, man!
     
  16. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    At least it wasn't Wham-O
     
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  17. Tristan Kernick

    Tristan Kernick Active Member

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    I took my XJ650 on a ride up to Grandview Ave today, just since we are liable to have rainy weather for the next week or so here in Pittsburgh. Ever since I sorted out the coils and cleaned the idle passages, she’s purred like a kitten. It’s always so satisfying having a super even and stable idle, after putting all the work into synching and tuning the carbs.

    IMG_8549.jpeg
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    Oh yeah, and I hit a nice milestone the other day on my odometer.
    IMG_8439.jpeg
     
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  18. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    Wow 6900 miles on the clock! Absolutely amazing! What a nice bike.
     
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  19. Tristan Kernick

    Tristan Kernick Active Member

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    It was a very lucky find. Bought it with 3900 miles on it in July of last year, so I guess I’ve officially crossed 3000 miles in the saddle over the course of a year. Visually, the bike is in pretty good shape, though one of the exhaust heat shields broke off while I was riding. I bought a replacement, but I have to teach myself how to weld in order to fix it.
     
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  20. co.dirtbiker

    co.dirtbiker Active Member

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    Replaced a couple more of the parts that were victims of the "incident" on the XJ900 a few weeks ago. Found good deals on a NOS turn signal lens and NOS mirror. At least those bits are looking like new again. :)
     
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  21. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    I had Jersey Maxim 650 out for a little exercise and discovered how much sweeter he runs with all 4 spark plugs leads actually on their spark plugs!
     
  22. SecaMaverick

    SecaMaverick Active Member

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    My employer gave me a nice Amazon gift card for my 25th work anniversary. I used part of it to finally upgrade my horns from the old chrome Nikko slotted ones I bought years ago from JC Whitney (I think), to some gloss black, plug-and-play Hella model 012588011 disk horns.
    They're a little louder, and have a nice, non-retro-but-not-too-modern look on the Seca.
    I bought a larger set of replacement horns for my FJR also, but haven't installed those yet. They're a little harder to access under all that fairing plastic.
     
  23. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Occasionally that helps…..
     
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  24. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    I removed the floats in my BS33's without breaking a post.
    I saw a You-tube video of a guy just using 2x4
    He pressed the posts into the wood then drilled holes there.
    This gives the posts added support when tapping out the pins.
    He had just one carb in his hand, I have 4 since I'm only after the floats I'm not separating them.
    The bike is running well and its riding season, just need to fix the flooding.
    I used a spring loaded centre punch and they all popped out easy, lots of guys just doing that without clamping them.
    IMG_4813[1].jpg
     
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  25. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    IMG_4816[1].jpg
    These were not disturbed for 20 years, 1 and 4 are pretty cruddy, did their job though
     
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  26. Minimutly

    Minimutly Well-Known Member

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    I finally got 'round to putting my Vmax trike back together - carbs were rebuilt a while ago, had to make replacement jet plugs from PTFE. I put some detergent in the coolant to flush the awful orange muck out, started it and warmed it up on enrichment. Wondered why it wouldn't idle without enrichment until I went to adjust the carb mixtures - silly me had left the screws on soft seat...
    Once dialled in (not synched yet), she didn't half make some noise on the twin cherry bomb pipes. I'd forgotten how much of an adrenaline rush this thing was, mad as a mad thing, can't wait to take it out for a spin.
     
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  27. Brhatweed

    Brhatweed Well-Known Member

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    Okay so what did I do to my Yammy today... a serious burnout in the driveway. So why? Well my Kenda Challenger has finally started to show the first layer of cords after 10,545 miles and it's time for a replacement. For the SECA 750R I can honestly say this is a really good tire, not great but good. Wet roads were not a problem and they hold the corners well even with my chubby azz in the seat. I ran the bike over a CAT scale at the Flying-J truck stop on I-35 and came in at 702 lbs with an empty tank (on the reserve) and me in the saddle, I'm a bit chunky at 215 so that puts the bike at 487 lbs which I believe was near the book weight. So I need to make fewer stops at Taco Bell. Yeah right. I found the best inflation for my situation to be between 20-25 PSI on the rear and 25-30 on the front which is also a Kenda Challenger. Forks are at 10 PSI and the rear shocks are on the lightest detents.
    If I had to bitch about something it would be the dual compound of the rear. Down the middle it's harder and the side tread softer for more bite, problem is once the middle has worn down like a balding middle-age executive the transition to the sides on a curve can get a little squirrely especially hot as they seem to get a little mushy in the heat... a something a middle-age balding dude on a SECA would appreciate. I'm beyond the middle-age so it's not an issue. On the extreme it feels like riding a tar-snake but it doesn't slide out, just has a little extra "play" that if you know how to handle it the tire really bites the pavement. It does have an adhesion limit as I found out the hard way and thankfully this didn't damage anything more than my shoes. The softer tread does not play well on wet pavement especially asphalt and will slide out without any warning... ask me how I know.

    So overall the $80-something for the Kenda K657 Challenger is money well spent and my plan is to take a drive to the Rush City Dennis Kirk shop and pick up another later this week.
     
  28. co.dirtbiker

    co.dirtbiker Active Member

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    Loaded up the 900 to head to the Top O' The Rockies Rally on Thursday. It was a last-minute change. Originally, I wanted to take it, but my buddy was going to bring his BMW GS, so I was figured we would be doing the dual sport routes and switched to the KLR. But tonight, I got word that the GS wasn't going to be ready, so he is taking his RS instead. Since dual sporting is off the table now, the XJ is a much better choice for blacktop. The only hesitation is that I noticed one of the anti-dives is leaking fork oil pretty bad and I don't know if I have time to pull it apart to figure out why. Hopefully it will be ok.
     
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  29. ScottFree

    ScottFree Active Member

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    I took mine for a ride week before last. First time I had her out in almost two months (between the Hügellandschaft ADV Ride on the Himalayan and the 6000 mile two-up trip to the Northwest on the Harley, I was gone most of late May and all of June); right after the kids (who had been here for the 4th of July and our 40th wedding anniversary) headed home.

    I hooked the battery up to the Optimate overnight (note to self: time to check water level in the battery, which is mildly annoying because it has to come out of the bike to do it). The bike started up easily enough, but carb #1 did overflow for about half a minute. I suspect the float just needed to be shaken a bit after sitting that long. Went for a pleasant enough ride, about 75 miles around the corn fields, a few miles free of pavement, a few curves (they are hard to find in this part of IL), no particular destination. I noticed a few things: the rear suspension is still really harsh, even though the Progressive 412s I picked up on Amazon (intended for a Harley Sportster) have the exact same spring rates that their chart specifies for the XJ650. I only have a couple thousand miles on them, so maybe the dampers will soften up a bit. That should help. There's a tiny bit of unsteadiness when leaned over in a curve, which probably means I need to tighten the tapered roller bearings in the steering head just a skoosh. The engine still doesn't want to idle for extended periods (more than about thirty seconds), so I probably need to do another round of plug reading, tiny mixture screw adjustment, and carb synch (but not now, not with the heat index up over 104º). It's sooo close to perfect, but still not quite there. Patience, weed hopper...

    I'm a little frustrated with the brakes. The front brake is pretty good for a 45-year-old bike (after a caliper rebuild with new piston, Galfer stainless lines, EBC semi-sintered pads and Niche drilled-floating rotor), but the rear seems hopeless. I installed new shoes, after the warning that the glue in the OEM shoes tends to fail after ten years or so. I used Taiwan-made SOK shoes that seem to get decent reviews and were far from the cheapest parts around. I did nothing to the drum other than wipe out some accumulated dust (there wasn't much, since I had new tires installed about 3000 miles previous); is there something I was supposed to do to prep the surface. I know the shoes take some time to get familiar with the drum curvature, but I have about 400 miles on the new shoes and have been stomping that pedal regularly, and nothing much happens. I wonder if a part of the problem is leverage: I installed lowered footpegs last year, and along with that I had to move the brake lever down a spline and put a block on the pedal to clear the peg. As far as I can tell this should not affect the mechanical force multiplication, but no matter how hard I stomp the pedal the brake provides very little stopping power. Any thoughts? I may go back to the stock footpegs (which will make my fake knee and hip complain a bit if I go on a longer ride) and see if this changes anything.

    I'd like better brakes because I'd like to be able to ride this bike more confidently with a passenger. The wife fits on the back (something she does not do on, say, the Royal Enfield 650), and this opens up the option of throwing the Yamaha on a trailer and going out to Maine or someplace rather than riding out on the big Harley. The XJ would be fine for day rides, and on those days when she's going to quilt shops in the car, I could go explore some of the forest roads on the Yamaha... but it's got to have better brakes before I'll ride it two-up in the mountains.
     
  30. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    @ScottFree, Also check the swingarm for tightness for your wobble.
     
  31. Oblivion

    Oblivion Active Member

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    I may have asked before, but where-abouts in Ill-Annoy? Most of my riding, sadly, it on my commute between Crystal Lake and Long Grove. I often get my Seca out to the Wednesday night Cary Cruise Nights, when bike temperament and weather allow.

    As for the rear brake, they're not spectacular, but I can lock mine up if I try. Didn't take terribly long to bed in the new shoes when I changed them. Something seems sub-optimal about yours. I assume you've tried adjusting the nut on the rod to get more bite without dragging? Is this thread any help? https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/setting-rear-brakes-81-xj650.36166/

    Or this video starting around 7:10?
     
  32. ScottFree

    ScottFree Active Member

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    Doesn't look like I did anything wrong in the adjustments (not surprising--this is my seventh bike with drum brakes in the back, and they all work pretty much the same). I don't quite get why the guy in the video tore everything apart, including pulling the pumpkin off the swingarm and the lever off the cam splines (rather than just letting the adjuster all the way out after releasing the torque rod and loosening the axle nut). But to each his own. When it gets to the adjustment, I don't see anything I didn't already know.

    I am considering the possibility that the shoes I bought (Taiwan-made SOK from eBay) might just be crappy shoes. It is possible. I have gotten dubious stuff from eBay before. I looked around and found I can get EBC shoes from Amazon, so I decided to order a pair. Perhaps they will be an improvement.

    Of course, a couple of the Amazon reviews say the EBC512 shoes don't fit their Maxims... even though every site I visited with fitment information says they do. The EBC512 is described as "180 x 40 mm," and assuming the 180 is drum diameter, it matches a drum inside diameter measurement I took from my spare back wheel. The EBC515 shoe, the one the Amazon reviewers said fit their bikes, is described as "200 x 40 mm," and the sites I visited said that shoe fits the XJ650 Seca model. Interesting.
     
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  33. Oblivion

    Oblivion Active Member

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    I assumed it was part of a larger rebuild, not just the brakes, but yeah. I hope the new pads get you sorted. And I hope you're dodging these N.Ill-annoy storms today. :D So far, all south of me.
     
  34. ScottFree

    ScottFree Active Member

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    One went right overhead. I live on the Fox River outside St. Charles, in the area where you can use a power boat (for now, anyway; there is always talk of removing the dams "for the benefit of the clams"), so a bit of extra water in the river is a good thing.

    I spent much of the afternoon in the garage (which has a functional, if noisy, air conditioner in the motorcycle section), trying to make sense of the mountains of old parts and nuts and bolts and tools that don't have a home and such. One of the things I did was tore down my old forks and discarded the parts that are just scrap metal because of damage. I kept the tubes, though, as they are straight, rust-free and smooth. If I ever need to replace the fork tubes, I've got spares. Along with spare wheels and too many other spare parts that I hope I'll never need.
     
  35. Oblivion

    Oblivion Active Member

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    I hear that, they took out one of the dams down by Dundee, and it's pretty wild to see how the river has changed. Perhaps better in the long run, but it's an adjustment. I grew up east of there a bit in Streamwood. Did a lot of hunting around South Elgin and other shenanigans around St. Charles. Let me know if you ever hear of any good bike meetups in the area.

    I spent 15 minutes in the garage yesterday putting in the new fuel petcock, and I was absolutely dripping with sweat by the time I got back inside.
     
  36. Tristan Kernick

    Tristan Kernick Active Member

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    Sometimes when walking up to my bike in a parking lot, I think to myself: “Damn, what a handsome machine.”

    IMG_8648.jpeg
     
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  37. Oblivion

    Oblivion Active Member

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    I think of that pretty much every time I walk away from it in the work parking lot and take a look back.
     
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