Getting my maxim 550 back on the road.

My '83 maxim 550 has been in storage for quite a while. I'm finally getting it back out on Sunday, along with my '79 xs750 (which is in considerably worse shape than the maxim). It's going to need work. It was stolen. I got it back, but minus some parts. I'll have a better idea what all it needs when I get it home on Sunday.
I already have the replacement ignition switch to put in, it'll need a battery, and a thorough carb cleaning. I'm hoping that will get the motor running. Then it'll need turn signals and tires for inspection. There are other things it needs, like a cam chain tensioner, and I'm sure other things will come to light as I work on it.
I'm looking for a good forum to help me along on this project.

 

good luck i think my 550 is my favorite bike yet.

 

keep on readin around here. i bought an 81 550 a few weeks back and have been finding a ton of helpfull info around here.

 

550s rock. Ask away.

 

The 550 used to be my daily bike. I rode it every day, all year, for about two years. It was a great bike. I'm looking forward to working on it and getting it running again. My current daily commuter is down right now. Riding the bus is getting old. I can;t let this happen again, so I'm going to make sure I have at least two bikes running at any given point. One of the benefits, for me, is that insurance on these bikes is so inexpensive, I can afford to insure multiple bikes at once. In Philadelphia, that's a big deal.

 

Got my 550 out of storage and removed the carbs today. The needles are varnished and stick a bit on the return. The float bowls look pretty good. The pilot jets are recessed deep, so I'll have to find a really small screw driver to remove them for cleaning. The main jets look pretty good. I expected them to look worse considering the bike has been sitting for a few years. I need to get intake manifolds also, they are dry rotted and cracked.

 

I got the carbs back in on Sunday. The bike is running, but is difficult to start. Once it starts it takes a while to warm up. It'll hold it's idle unless I blip the throttle. Then it'll slowly slow until it dies. I've running Sea Foam through it to clear out any passages I wasn't able to get to with the carbs out. It's already running better. I need a new cam chain tensioner. The the adjustment threads in the housing are stripped. I'm still using the old spark plugs. They were old before the bike sat for four years. I'm hoping that changing them will make a difference. I'm definitely going to take the air box out and put individual filters in. Getting the carbs in and out on this bike is a pain in the neck. I've ridden it around the block several times. I forgot how smooth and quick this little bike is.