So, I got lucky...no, not like that!

I bitch a lot about how my bike looks. The PO did a really lousy job of painting the tank and fender and plastic. The sidepieces are chipped, and one of them is held on with a bungie cord. The plastic for the back is cracked, and the vinyl on the seat is finally starting to wear through to pad. There's a tiny oil leak somewhere at the top of the engine, and it cruds up everything. There's a crack in the back of the front fender. The only shiny parts of my bike are basically the forks, the mirrors, and the gas cap.

But after reading through the forums here, I have to admit...I got damn lucky.

I bought my bike a few years ago, off of eBay, based on three or four pictures. I didn't even know what an XJ was - I just knew that bike was in my price range, it was running, and it was close enough to pick up.

She's my first (and to date, only) bike; I taught myself to ride her around the block, and then took the MSC, and have been riding every summer since. I've probably put on 12-14k miles.

Now here's where the lucky part comes in. I know absolutely Jack Schlitz about bikes and engines (which means I never should have purchased a 25-year-old motorcycle, but what's done is done). But since I bought the bike, these are the ONLY failures I've run into:

1) Clutch handle bolt almost fell out on the highway. Was able to nurse it back home and reset it. Had to keep tightening it the next few rides. Finally just put a dab of Loctite on it; haven't had a problem since. This taught me how important it is to keep a basic toolkit in that little seat compartment (PO lost his).

2) Bike had a frayed choke cable when I got it. Made things interesting in cold weather (i.e. 50% of the riding season around here). Eventually it broke off, so I got a new one. This is when I learned what a %^$# pain it is to try and run-start a bike while manually holding open the choke.

3) The bike never wanted to start easy; I spent the first month run-starting it about 50% of the time. I then replaced the old battery with an identical new one; that dropped run-starts to 25% of the time. Last spring an unexpected cold snap froze that battery, and when I went to replace it I forgot to bring the old one - which turned out to be a godsend. Using the guide at the shop, I discovered the PO had put the wrong battery in the bike - too small, not enough CCA, no WONDER I was getting such a workout starting the thing - and then I'd replaced the PO's wrong battery with another wrong battery! Well, that got changed real quick, once I realized. She still doesn't like cold mornings, but with that new CORRECT battery in, I haven't had to roll-start her all season.

4) The tires were crap; the front leaked constantly (ended up 4-5 PSI low every morning) and the back was almost treadless. Still, I rode on these a LOT longer than I should have, until I found a great deal on a pair of Sport Demons. Haven't had a tire issue since. Upside is, those crappy tires trained me early on to check my press before EVERY ride.

5) She's always had a little oil leak (my dad said "That's called owning a motorcycle"...he used to ride in the '60s, when they used their leaks to make sure that they HAD oil). One of these days soon I plan to redo all my seals and gaskets, and hopefully that'll take care of this once and for all...but it's never been worse than maybe 3-4 drops a day, when it's parked.

6) She's got some electrical...curiosities. When the PO took out the airbox, he replaced the fuse box with individual in-lines, just swinging free. This has made for some interesting situations, which I plan to fix by reinstalling a proper fuse box, one of these days.

7) This season I've had to replace the headlamp (it was before I found this site, so I just redid the sealed-beam...next time I'll probably convert it over), and then the air filters - the bike was podded when I got it, and heck, I thought that was how it was supposed to be. The sponge filters the PO put on it had finally worn out (they rub against my calf when I ride), so I replaced those four with a pair of K&N 2-to-1 filters. I was warned I would probably need to rejet, but considering the K&Ns were reusable, and that replacement Uni sponges cost just as much if not more, I figured I'd risk it. Crazy thing is - without changing anything but the filters, the bike now runs better than it has since I bought it. There's a little hesitation at the low end (from a stop, I need to rev the engine a little and THEN let out the clutch, otherwise she kind of putters), but other than that the bike walks and talks - I'm usually able to hit 65-70 halfway up the on ramp, as long as there aren't any cages in front of me.

So long story short (too late!), I was an inexperienced buyer/rider who picked up a bike from a guy who didn't seem to know much more about it than me. It had about 21k miles on it when I bought it, and I paid $1000. When I looked up the blue book (AFTER I bought it, of course) I really felt like I'd gypped myself...but not anymore. And I'm done complaining about how she looks (although I'm still going to try and work on that). Instead, I'm going to sing the praises of the XJs from now on - any 28-year-old motorcycle that runs as well as mine has over the past few years on just oil changes, Seafoam, and prayers deserves to be appreciated for what she is, not how she looks.

I do plan on getting deeper into the workings of the bike, now that I've found this site. I'm no mechanic, but I have friends who are, and I'm willing to learn - if nothing else, to see how well this bike can behave when she gets some REAL TLC, considering what a trouper she's been the past three decades. And it's all thanks to this forum - before I came here, I didn't realize what I really had, or how many people there were willing to help me fix/restore/maintain her. XJ Bikes - it's a great thing.

Okay. Done now.

 

Interesting read - you did get real lucky. Your interest in learning is all you need to get started. Soon you will be an XJ expert!

 

By owning a 28 year old motorcycle, and not being rich, you will become an expert, if you like it or not.

These bikes are fun to ride, pretty easy to fix, and the parts are available and not too badly priced. This isnt a bad bike to learn on at all. I already owned a 920 virago that i got off ebay just like you, had no clue about the bikes. I got my maxim for free, with 350 dmv fines on it. After a carb cleaning and some work it has taken the viragos place by far.

 

You did fine. Seca 550s seem to be getting rarer; don't worry about blue-book. These things are a great platform to rebuild; and they just get better and better the more things you correct, repair, replace or restore.

I rode my '81 to work this morning; 58 miles of Detroit rush-hour traffic. With no worries except the traffic around me.

I love my XJ(s) too.

 

I just put over 1000 miles on mine over four days. The bike didn't give me any trouble whatsoever. Hell, my butt gave out before my bike did. Wouldn't trade it for nothing.

 

being that you're in wisconsin - i'll pass on a place i just learned about. it's sort of between wausau and green bay called alfa heaven. guy has a lot of vintage japanese bikes and parts.

www.alfaheaven.com

i plan on taking a ride down there sometime this summer. got a few more things to check/fix before i take a 200 mile round trip.

 

Huh, cool - my folks live in Wausau, so I might just have to stop in there and take a peek. Thanks for the info, Skeeter!

 

Also if you get to Neenah (my neck of the woods) check out cyclesalvage.net. I have been meaning to get over there.

 

Chazmati - I'm in Oshkosh, so I'm pretty much already in your neck of the woods. I've wanted to stop at WCS for a few years now, I just wish they had weekend hours.

 

You indeed are fortunate. My bike had many things that were done by the ignorance of the previous owner. An ATV battery for a cycle battery, silicone on the diaphragms of the carburetors, no oil change in God only knows how long and many, many other things you would not believe. After getting out all the "redneck" in the bike, it seems as though it shwos me respect for curing all it's ailments.
Enjoy your Yamaha, they are finely engineered machines.

 

Chacal is the absolute "rain man' of everything XJ. I wouldn't go anywhere else for parts and info, especially being a newbie as I am. Plus he's a huge contributor to this site and I think it only right to take care of our own. If he doesn't have it you probably won't need it.