Noisey 1981 xj650

I have a 1981 maxim650 that I picked up for cheap... i live in WISCONSIN and have only driven the bike once when I test drove it on a warm(60degree) winter day, when the temp outside gets warm(40-50degrees) I like to go out to my garage and start the bike up.. problem.. it has very loud valve noise??? from the top/front of the engine. after about a minute or two it purrs like a kitten.. is this normal for this motor??? the motor has 16k miles. could it be the valve lash , timing chain or maybe the exhaust gaskets taking time to expand????? just wondering if these bikes are prone to any of the above or anything else... thanks, Erik

 

when i got my XJ 550 maxim it had the same thing but i just tighted the timing chain and it made a big diffrence :lol:

 

Noise is not uncommon on cold start up but should quickly diminish with the pressurizing of the oiling system. Anything beyond that should give rise to a valve clearance job. With 16K on the clock, your valves should not really need it (in my experience anyway, but the service manual suggests every 10K as memory serves). The shim bucket DOHC arrangement is really quite sound and should give years of trouble free service (just keep up on the preventitive maintenance). I have only tinkered with my clearances once in 80K with no ill effects (I did however check them every two years or so just to be on the safe side). If your valves need adjustment this early on, you may have purchased a vehicle that didn't receive the regular oil changes it needed or may have an oil delivery problem. Only way to find out is to check the clearances and maybe pull one or two of the shim buckets (a fair amount of time and knowledge needed in this evolution). I hope you don't have this issue. You also might have the wrong weight oil in the system. Check your temperature chart in the Haines manual and ensure that the weight you need is in the bike. If the oil is too thin, noise you will have! Good luck and let us know what you find out!

 

hey guys i dont have a manual yet, what weight oil does it recomend for temps around 20 to 35C . because i live in hot australia
thanks guys im buying the xjcd when the new one comes out :wink:

 

i think its 20w-40

i used 20-w50

because i didnt find any 40.

anyway it was a cleanup change

i plan to change it pretty soon again

maybe even with a new filter, if i find one!

 

Yep, 20w-40 for above 5C.

 

thanks guys, is it cool to just run gtx magnatec ?

 

It is cool to run anything without friction modifiers...

Some versions of synth work - some people swear against snyth. If you find you clutch slips (where it hasn't before and you haven't frigged with the clutch cable tension) then stop. Consider dumping the oil and going to a different brand.

Personally - even buying lube and filters at the local yamarobber is CHEAPER than farking up... oil in terms of the bikes value is nothing. This is of course why yamaha is able to mark up these products, they know someone will fall for it

 

I've run Castrol 20-50 without issues for years. I expect that you are running in a hotter environment that most of us so the heavier oil should be just fine. Hit the Castrol website and check out their motorcycle oils, they sell direct and ship. Happy trails.

 

hey so do you guys get castrol mangatec oil over there ? the one thats supposed to stick to the metal.

 

I'm not sure. Hit http://www.proformanceusa.com/ but you should be able to see what we see. They don't list the variety you mention. Google the sucker and delimit your search to Australia. Good luck.