The more I try and fix, the more I uncover :(

Ok. First bike. I bought a '81 XJ650 Midnight Maxim. High mileage, good rubber, complete & it ran (albeit rough). $500.

Did enough to get it (mostly) road worthy - checked the brakes, cleaned the carbs (could be cleaner but was able to sync fine), checked the compression and valve clearances (both good), replaced the handlebars, mirrors, cables, etc. Still had a list, but it was near good for at least the summer, minus a few things I wanted to do over the next few weeks...

Then the fun. Friend of mine laid it down. Doesn't look too bad though. Headlight bracket/bucket is done. So are the turn signals, and the front fender is bent. Rear grab bar cracked. Noticed the exhaust was lose, and that the front fork seals were leaking more than I thought (not to mention my $30 bar end mirror isn't too happy)

So I decided that I wanted to take my time, and fix some things a little more thoroughly than I'd planned. Bought the fork seals, new tach cable, a headlight bracket (still haven't found/bought a bucket), got a new valve cover and exhaust gaskets and paint - thinking that the bike is filthier than I'd originally thought, I figured I'd pull the engine to give it a truly thorough wash and maybe touch up the black, as well as clean the entire frame, and headers... this bike had really been without a wash for a long time. Buy new oil and filter, and probably some other crap... and now I start pulling it apart.

First the exhaust. Notice a 'missing' header stud. Few stay in, few come out easy. Collector box is crap. Exhaust is... eh, bought the same. Go to move remove the oil filter cover, only to find out the PO put a COMPLETELY rounded off filter bolt in (how I don't even know). Finally get that out, man is this engine filthy. Order a new filter bolt. Pull the engine. Notice the the 'missing' exhaust stud is actually broke off now. Break another off myself. Wash the bastard so that I can stand to touch it. And now I'm here.

I guess the break down is something like this as far as where I'm at and what needs to happen before I can drive again...

Tank needs repair - coating and leaks in lower corners fixed, petcock shot too.
Need carb boots (would like all 8 really)
Forks seals need replaced (have the seals)
Need headlight bucket
Need turn signals
Need to find a replacement for exhaust & collector box
Have the engine out, header studs (2 out, 2 broke off, rest still in and more than likely seized)

So I'm at a bit of a standstill. Not sure what to do with the studs. I'd like to try and remove the 2 that are stuck (been reading plenty about the do's and do not's). IF I can remove them - should I just replace them, leave the others, I try and get this thing back in the bike?

*tight budget*

Option 2 is to pull the head I guess, have a machine shop remove them. At that point, I'm going to start needing more gaskets than I wanted to buy. But, I guess that I could really get into the top end...

Option 3 was to look for a head, or better yet? a parts bike/engine?

Most of the frustration is that 3 weeks ago, the carbs had been tuned and I was cruising on the Blue Ridge Parkway (live in Asheville).

If this were you, and money was tight, what would you do and not do???

Sorry for the venting, I think I just needed to spell it all out, if only for myself!

 

same thing on my bike. drill out the studs that are left in the motor. get a tap that is a little bigger than the stud( i believe the stud size is an m7). so get an m8 tap and bolts. tap out the hole and put bolts in place.

 

Tank - almost guaranteed you've got pinholes in the bottom corners. You'll need to get it brazed, or at the very least acid cleaned and re-coated with something good like POR15 to stop it.
Carb boots are nearly "Unobtainium" - expensive. If you have to keep the ones you've got going, black or clear silicone is the way to go.
Fork seals are easy - search for the threads on it for full instructions
Headlight bucket & turn signals -- Ebay, or send a message to Chacal
Exhaust - choices here are extremely limited. There's pretty much no chance of finding another collector box in good condition -- check Ebay, that's about it. Replacement exhaust systems are getting harder to find too, and most that are left seem to be the 4-into-1 systems. You'll be spending at least $300 on this adventure
Engine - as you've got it out, getting someone to soda blast the engine clean might be a worthwhile expenditure - quick and gets every nook & cranny clean. Those header bolts are known to be a beeyotch -- you're pretty much down to picking which method you can afford and going with it.

 

There truly is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle...

Sympathies from PA.

 

Yeah, the tank is weird. Bondo'd in the corners - thinking it must have rusted thru and chipped off. So lucky me it's both cosmetic and functionality now.
As far as I can tell, the boots don't leak YET (engine side), and the others I could get away with just 1 or 2 new ones (and they seem much cheaper).

Exhaust I could tell was going to be an issue. I'm a little new to the whole thing, so I have some research to do here.

About soda blasting: Is this something that can be done SAFELY without taking apart the engine, and having to parts wash the whole thing? Can I just buy a cheap gun and use my air compressor? And how messy? Sounds cool but I have know idea how big a mess that would be.

Thanks for the input guys. Guess I'm gonna try the heat/ez out on the 2 studs, and hope I don't have to pull the head.

 

if you still need a front fender and grab bar I have both and they aren't selling on ebay. Cover the shipping and a case of beer and they're yours. PM me

 

^ also have two rear signals, and one front. Let me know...

 

PM sent. Got one stud out, but of course the ez-out broke off in the second one - although it was a smallish piece and looks like i may be able to still drill it out with a serious bit or 3...

 

OH CRAP !!!! broken off easy out is the worst. I broke one off in my intake side of the head. You need to find a machine shop supplier near you that has solid carbide drill bits, only way to drill out that easy out. They arent cheap a 7/32" cost me $15.00. and buy a bottle of cutting tool oil :wink:
I have air box side boots I'll try to find the box there in this weekend. If they are good I'll let you know.
Check with Chacal for your other parts he's on here all the time and he has everything! ( http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewforum/f=23.html )
I think this will help you get a hold of him. or PM him
You can also check www.motorcycleproshop.com for your exhaust cheapest I could find for new.
Harbor Freight Tools soda blaster about $150.00 plus the cost of soda also
check www.tooltopia.com for name brand tools at wholesale prices.

One more thing don't let that bike get you down she's old but when your done and she's tuned in and running right it will all be worth it.

 

Thanks again for all the advice... I'll take all I can get! Let me know for sure about the box side boots. I have about two that are ok, two that are eh...

I'm going to keep chugging along with it. I like the 81 styling, and the Midnight colors too (though I'm realizing that keeping that black paint alive is a hassle!)

I'll have some before and after pics to post someday soon I hope.

 

I feel your pain. When it comes to getting replacements for things (i.e. exhaust and boots), be patient! It sucks to have a piece of metal staring you in the face while it refuses to run, but don't short change yourself. I found Manifold boots, OEM, brand new, for 100$. There is a place called RTD motorsports around here that USED to be a yamaha dealer. Turns out they have parts in the back they never sold, and they are eager to get rid of them (no more boots though, sorry). I've seen similar situations on the internet. I found a MAC 4-2, new in the box, for 170$. Check often, and don't buy the first thing you see... I've bought so much crap that's just sitting to the side now because their definition of "working condition" and reality's definition were totally different.

Best of luck... Don't kick it into a river. It's tempting... God it's tempting. I've come up with a sort of waterboarding routine to make myself feel better when the XJ talks back.

 

Go to Partsnmore.com and look up part Part#48-1469. This is the carb boots your looking for.

 

If you look around and visit a few bike salvage yards you can obtain reasonably priced used parts in decent shape. It's hard to do a rebuild on a budget. Best advice is do the must haves then move on to the rest.

I felt the same way at first - My bike was in great shape but the more I learned and looked at the more a I found needed to be done. Eventually you will get to the end.