Brand new XJ owner and Motorcycle rider

OK so I just purchased my first bike and the thing looks sick as hell. Shes a 1985 XJ700 and I can't get over the classic biker styling she has. I mean people can keep all the new bikes cause in my opinion there not gonna come close to this XJ. The sad part is that my wife had to do the actually buying because I am still in Iraq for another month. This means no riding until I get home. Man am I itching to take her out for some good times.

Question is what kind of things do I need to do to this bike as far as just routine inspection stuff? I plan on taking this bike on a few long trips this year and don't want to be stranded. Trips include Sturgis in August and a trip to NY in September. These trips are both starting in Colorado so any advice on a long trip I can get would be awesome also.

 

Well, here's the situation:

A bike that old, while in very nice "shape" has a lot of things that you're going to need to attend to before it will be ready for that kind of traveling.

This isn't a car. It's not a matter of just 'inspecting' it's a matter of tearing apart and rebuilding; if you take the time, effort and expense to do it right, then there's no reason at all you can't travel on an old bike. I've done it all my life and still do.

The other caveat is that you're going to have to do most of the work yourself, shops usually won't touch bikes this old and the ones that will tend to overcharge and/or make things worse.

When I recommission an old motorcycle, I use the "maintenance" section in the factory service manual as my flowchart. I go through it step by step, one procedure at a time, leaving nothing out (XJ Law: NO SHORTCUTS) and along the way rebuild, repair or replace anything that won't hold up to being put back in service. Brakes including pads, shoes, LINES, and fluid of course; tires (over 6 years gotta go, check date codes) and all of the fluids and filters, etc., fork oil, and the fusebox will need to be replaced. Carbs will likely need full service/minor rebuild at the least.

Do all that, and you'll end up with a 100% reliable bike you can hop on and ride across the country. I've got a couple of 'em.

LOTS of good reading from the site and other sources, all in one place: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html

The first thing you're gonna do before you ride it even one mile is have a look at the rear brake: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

And then go from there. Welcome aboard. How many miles on the bike?

 

WELCOME from TN!!!

skillet

 

The mileage is just about 20xxx. The cool thing about this bike is that I got it from a lady whos hubby is an accredited motrocycle mechanic. Hes got a few of these things himself and the only reason they sold hers was that it had a bit too much power for her liking. Ive been told that the entire break system has been gone through and that the tires only have about 200 miles on em. The carbs were cleaned up and things thatneeded replaced were replaced. Is there anything special I need to do in regards to the Colorado elevation? Oh and I do plan on still going over this lady with a fine tooth comb. You can tell me the sky is blue but Im still gonna check myself.

 

My Grand-pa used to say..."don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see." I bought mine 2 years ago in "mint" condition too. So after replacing the tires, fork seals, coils, wires, battery, plugs and going through the carbs numerous times , all before I was fortunate to find this forum, I now feel like I have a bike that won't leave me walking or injured :lol: .

Best advice is read everything here and make a plan. Good luck and great looking bike!

 

Yes, get a shop manual and tear into it. It's just a good learning expeience and will get you to know the workings of your bike, inside and out. Learning how and why things go wrong is not good out on the open road. Just finding something as simple as wire rubbing a piece of metal, and being able to correct it now, will make your trip(s) alot better not having to worry about if once your under way.
Of course there is still no gaurantee your bike won't break down out on the road. But atleast you will much better prepared to be able to diagnose problem and be able to fix it (hopefully) and be on your way instead of looking for a tow to the nearest dealer (some like to charge more because they know you will probably pay more to get back on the road)
Nothing's worse than sitting in a dealer lounge, waiting to see how much the bill will be to get you back on the road (don't ask)

 

Man,

Congrats on the bike. You do realize that's a water-cooled Maxim-X, not a standard air-cooled maxim right? I won't parrot what's already been said, but one way to look at it is like this: A motorbike motor seize at 65 Milesanowa isn't the experience at a car motor seize at 65 milesanowa, if you catch my drift . Good luck with the steed!

 

I'd like to say thanks to everyone for all the advice you have given me. This is an awesome website and I plan on spending quite a bit of time on here. That being said I have a couple more questions for everyone. First is why do I need to give the rear brakes an awesome once over? I mean I KNOW why and all I'm not that dense but what is the history with these gals and there brakes? I completely plan on changing the fuze box, that is if it hasn't allready been changed. Why is there a tool bag on these bikes? Its not like you have a ton of room to carry spare parts right? Just curious about that. Is there a place that I can find saddle bags for these beauties? I havent had any luck so far and I'm gonna need em if I plan to do long trips. And to the guy that said mine is an xl700x? What in the blue hell is that? Whats the difference is all I'm askin? Oh and when I get back to Colorado I plan on puting up some pics of her and as I do the maintenance. No need to worry about wether this noob is gonna keep up with maintenance. I'm a tanker in the Army and beleive me I know what can go wrond with million dollar Jet engines in a 70 ton bitch. I live and die by preventive maintenance.Lookin forward to ya'll replyin.

 

If that pic you posted is of the bike your missus purchased, you have in your possession a liquid cooled XJ700-X as opposed to an air-cooled XJ700. Significant increase in power and complexity of the engine, but she'll go like stink 8O. I think there was around a 10 Horsepower increase, can any X guys confirm?

 

There's a tool bag... because. All motorcycles have them. Seriously, they do come in handy for the occasional minor issue like a loose mirror; not like the old days with tire irons and a tube patching kit. I only ever get mine out to use the shock adjuster.

The X-model motors have 5 valves per cylinder, are watercooled, and as such do require a bit more attention than the aircooled models but at greater intervals. Valve adjustment requires removing the camshafts as opposed to using a bucket-holding tool, but again the adjustment interval is greater. I have no personal experience with water-cooled bikes, but I would imagine you will need to drain/flush/refill the cooling system periodically as with any automobile.

As to the rear brake, the common problem is linings that delaminate from the shoes: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html It doesn't seem to be mileage or storage condition-dependent and it shows up a lot. The only way to know for sure is to pull the rear wheel and LOOK.

Completely OT: My dad was an assistant driver/hull gunner in a Sherman tank with the 8th Armored (The Thundering Herd) in WWII.

 

The tool kit that comes with the bike isn't much good for any kind of work on the bike. Just enough to remove the wheel, etc. when you get in a bind out on the road or to adjust the rear shocks. Your better off to make your own tool kit to carry along for the trips instead of using the stock tools. I carry my onw screw drivers, flat and philips, etc. along with all sizes of metric wrenches, knife, small LED flashlight, wire ties of vrious sizes/lengths, small jumper cables, 6' gas line with suction bulb incase I run out of gas and need to syphon from another bike, etc. just for good measure.
Saddlebags are everywhere and you don't need to spend exorbited prices to get good ones. Willie & Max and Ameritex are good brands. Look at the Dennis Kirk website for many shapes and sizes that will fit your bike.
I had throw-over type bags, but ended up cutting off the throw-over straps and permently mounted them to the fender rails with bolts and spacers. Just like some other after market parts, you may have to make things fit yourself (I live/love to fabricate parts) Just do some measuring to see what will fit on the bike and how big you need them to be.
There's also rackpacks to go on a sissy bar so you don't nceccessarily need saddlebags to carry things.

 

These are smaller saddlebags permanently mounted on my little 750 Seca (don't much look like a Seca anymore does it?) You may have to move/relocate your rear turn signals to get larger bags to fit, but it can be done.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/Pa ... 2_1923.jpg

 

Awesome Seca, well what was a Seca anywyas, lol. I'm looking for some bags that can hold a bit of goods for a long road trip. Nothing like a huge cruiser or anything just a rain suit and a couple pairs of fresh clothes. Anybody out there have3 some ideas for making your own?

 

Ammo boxes are cheap.

 

Are there any good write ups on how to make the mounts for things like this?

 

Yes you can use the search funtion and find some info on saddlebag mounts.
I just used 1/4" round stock and made my own brackets coming down from the fender frame rails. I also made mine like a shelf (L-shaped at the bottom) so the bags actually rest on the shelf portion, so they don't sag dwon and get burned from the mufflers.
I also glued a thin sheet of aluminum to the back of each bag to give them some strength for solid mounting.
The "throw-over" harness is alright if you like to be able to remove them, but I keep mine on all the time.

 

Again hanks have to go to everyone that has posted here in order to help me out. Next question I have is how do I make the bike louder? Since last time i posted I have gotten to hear her purring and while i do like the sound its just not loud enough for me. I want her loud enough so that the lady putting on her makeup and changing lanes can hear me coming before she makes my wife a touch more wealthy.

 

If you want it loud enough for cars to hear you, you are going to loose your hearing while riding it!!! You'd have to go with straight pipes if you want it that loud. These engines don't really "bark" with loud pipes on them. It's more like a loud "whine" which can be very annoying while riding any length of time. To each his own (or hers) but I'd recommend just going with some after market mufflers and that may (probably will) cause it to run lean and you may have to rejet.
I run Harley Sportster mufflers on mine, and did not need to rejet. They give it a little louder growl, but not loud. There are other brands that work well also. Watch Ebay for mufflers. You may find a pair that will fit on your header pipes if your lucky.