XJ750 Midnight Maxim

Hey folks,

I'm new to the forum as I recently inherited a XJ750 Midnight Maxim (don't know if it's the '83 or '84 yet).
I belive the bike was originally purchased in the USA then it was imported to the UK and now it was brought to me in Poland.

I do not know how rare are Midnight Maxims compared to regular Maxims so I would appreciate if you can enlighten me somewhat.

Mechanically the bike is in decent shape, aside from a new battery and some caliper restoration it is good to go.

It needs some cosmetic improvements which is going to be my focus during the winter. The frame looks like at some point somebody painted it with a brush...

I really dig the overall esthetics of the bike, riding position is super comfortable as well. I do however plan to modify it slightly to make it more up-to-date and give it a slight cafe racer vibe.

I would like to focus on the rear of the bike, get rid of the sissy bar, the reg plate mount, rear light and the indicators and most importantly change the seat to be more flat and modern. Perhaps some LED lights while I'm at it.

One of the pictures is the look I want to go for (of course not exactly the same but overall vibe) the rest is how my bike loooks currently with already unscrewed sissy bar and rear light/reg mount.

My first question is: Is it safe to remove the bars that hold the sissy bar and run along the side of the bike. The one that the shocks attach to. Can they be removed with shocks only mounted to the frame on one side?

Also, how much of the rear part of the frame would be sensible to cut to acomodate a nicer seat? I know this is a vague question but perhaps there is a recommended way to mod this part of the frame.

I would really appreciate your help as well as some opinions on the bike itself.

/Fil

 

the grab bar can be removed you may need a few spacers to fill the spot.

if your bike came from the US it is an *# midnight maxim. *# is the only yearfor the Midnight Maxim. the 83 Maxim also was sold that year. the 83 bikes differ greatly from the 82 maxim. the Midnight is the more Valuable of the 3.

if you cut the rear you will want to put a tube lop support on the rear for support.

you will regret removing the air box and going to pods I would not suggest doing that.

 

I’ll probably leave the airbox alone and just focus on the seat and lights. I’m not determined to make this a huge project. After all, I want to ride it as soon as the snow melts next year.

are there any good replacement seats for the maxim that would fit the cafe racer look or should I just find somebody to make me a custom one?

 

I have a 1982 XJ750 Maxim and I bought a Harley Sportster seat to put in place of the couch (stock seat) that came on it. I've test fitted it and I know it will work pretty well. I have not yet made brackets and trimmed it to fit perfectly.
It fits the line of the bike and will work fine for me. I don't know what year it is, I bought it at a swap meet for $40.00 . This (ebay photo) is about the same seat as the one I bought. I have no idea about the fit on your 1983 Midnight model.
Cheers, 50gary

 

82 and 83 have same seats the midnight has a fancier stiching seat

any chance your sportster seat has a part number on it?

if you look at the frame you will see a flat bracket goung across the frame . this holds the seat up and keeps the frame tight. you should advoid cutting it off unless you add something.
also it is the area of the tire travel if you go to low with a bracket at seat the tire will hit it.
you could make your seat pan like a tunnel to give travel room.

it looks like you may want a solo seat there is a thread where a member used a harley seat for that too

 

old post from 2008 talking about 82 750 maxim

 

650 with a HD seat
https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/female-built-82-xj650-still-a-work-in-progress.125284/

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

I don't want to go as far as Heather did with her bike, I want to keep the air box and batter as they are and just chop a little bit of the frame, right up to the point where the flat bracket is and connects to the plastic inner mud guard.
I think this way I don't have to strengthen the frame after chopping, correct?



Is the HD double seat lower than the original seat? Especially the rear portion of it.
I would like to make it as low and flat as possible while keeping the frame and inner mud guard intact.

So essentialy I want the bike to end where the seat ends.

 

I'm not worried about clearance or stiffness loss of the frame if anything it will be stiffer when completed. No way would I want a solo seat on a bike this size, gotta have something for the lady to sit on.
That's part of my reasoning for having this larger bike with shaft drive.
Cheers, 50gary