Lifespan of Engine

I am thinking of purchasing a 1985 XJ700 in black, the thing is, it has about 60,000 miles. The price is low, but how much more can I get out of this bike? What are the max miles that can be traveled on a 1985 XJ700 engine? Is it possible to even reach 100,000? The bike is well kept, I just don't want to waste my money.

Thanks

 

I'm sure there will be a 700cc expert along soon but I believe 50 - 60k miles is the point at which the camchain and tensioner should be replaced. Obviously with the engine in bits it makes sense to check all the usual other things. If the work has already been done - fine!

 

Hj, how much they selling it for?
If it's not too much $ buy the jewel and ride it till it quits you.

 

You'd need to know how well the Bike was Maintained.

It almost breaks=down to: How often was it Oil-changed and Filtered.

There's an old adage in the Motorcycle Community.
You don't hear it much, any more, because Motorcycling isn't "New" like it was in the Boom-days of the '60's ... when guys were selling Bikes they had for a couple of seasons to get the bigger-better bike recently introduced.

When a guy your ran with was considering buying a Bike with high mileage on it, ... the guy's would say:

"Be careful. 'Cause the bike already has all the Happy-Miles used-up on it!"

I'd do a Compression check.
If the Bike wasn't up to snuff ... Health-wise, I'd negotiate from that stand-point.
At 60,000 Miles ... XJ-Bikes need the Cam Chain replaced.
The expense of that job comes fight-off the asking price.

It's really easy to get emotional over a Cherry-looking Bike.
You ain't buying it to look at it.
You're buying it to RIDE.

If the Bill of Sale says: "As Is."
YOU write on it ... BEFORE YOU sign it ...: "The Seller swears and affirms there are NO LATENT DEFECTS" (Sellers Initials).

 

I've seen old Yami's with 150,000 miles on the clock before.. But they were well maintained and loved.

 

look inside the air filter box for any traces of oil. that'll tell you if the thing has engine blowby from wornout piston rings. then do a compression check.

 

In articles about the XJ-Line that appeared in the various publications of the Motorcycling Press, ... those writers who reviewed the XJ-Bikes gave the Engine high praise.

"Marvelously well engineered."
"Rooted to the line of Yamaha's Racing Plants."
(And my two favorite.)
"Try as you might; you can't kill it."
"As close to bulletproof as they could make it!"

 

First, do a compression check. That will give you a peak into how well it was maintained. If the compression isn't bad, buy it and enjoy it.

Start trolling for a new power plant. They come up on Ebay all the time when someone finds a bike that has sat forever and decide to part it out.

I paid $9.99 for my first spare engine.
http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll16 ... ngine1.jpg

I proceeded to spend a bit more to pull the head and make sure the rings and valves were all free and put some new paint on it. The inside looked like new and now it runs like it too. The gaskets cost 10X more than the engine did!

With some patience, you should be able to get a reliable engine for $250

 

Hi Rick,

I'm curious about the cam chain replacement. Can you replace the cam chain without removing the engine or does the engine need to come out & the engine disassembled, removing the crank?

Gary

 

im with alout of peoples views it depends on how it was maintained if it was taken care of the miles shouldnt mean anything the only thing i would be concerned about would be the timing chain if im correct it has a masterlink and you dont have to pull the motor. i would have to look in the book to make sure . it also depends on how it was run if it was owned by an older person or someone that hasnt abused it. you can usually tell by looking at it. should go a long time especially if you dont abuse it. check compression if its good drive it . if its cheap and you do have to pull the motor to replace the cam chain drive it til it quits then put it on cl someone will buy it

 

The cam chain doesn't have a master link, you would need a chain breaker & then wire the new chain to the old one while you pull it round & up. Still better than splitting the cases, though.

 

is it an XJ, or an XJ-X? (Is it watercooled?)

The "X" models (watercooled, 5-valve heads) are a tad more complex and less likely to have been properly maintained.

The results of a compression test should be high on the list of deciding factors.

 

The New Chain is attached to the end of the Old Chain after the Old Chain is "Broken".
Then, the Crank is turned feeding the New Chain ... following the Old Chain down and around the Crank Sprocket and back-up to where they can be separated and the New Chain RIVETED together.

Because so much depends upon having this job done right; it's BEST done having the Specialized Chain Tools to carry-out the work of "BREAKING" the Chain ... and, Permanently joining the New Chains Links with a well applied Rivet.

Chain Breaking & Riveting Tool (Example):
http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Chain- ... B001KOPFIW

 

From what I understand there is not a replacement chain or link available for the 1985 maxim-x. I recently checked with Chacal and he told me there isn't one available.