To other newbies...please listen

I have only had my XJ for about two weeks now, when I created my account here and posted for the first time, everyone was very welcoming and had lots of advice for me on my new old bike.

Frankly, there was a lot of advice, it was overwhelming, I glanced over the suggestions and thought, I will get to all of this stuff. I have two friends with much newer bikes, an 06 Buell 900 and an 04 Vstar 1100 that both assured me that they started out on old bikes, and never checked a thing. I would outgrow my XJ, and why should I spend time and money fixing it up? On top of that, aside from a couple of small things, my bike looked great!

Despite this, Ive spent time slowly reading the suggestions I was given and searching the forums for more in depth coverage of the suggestions I was given. Lots of it is scary stuff and I am now very thankful that I haven't taken my 30 year old bike out on the highway without doing what should be done.

So far, I have done the following:

I checked the spark plugs. They were gapped correctly and looked great, so I put them back in.

I changed the oil the PO said was always changed by a shop in the spring and the fall. It looked as if it hadn't been changed in a couple of years. The filter cover was tourqued down way to hard as well, which leads me to believe that it was not done by a shop, or even someone that did a bare minimum of research on the machine they were working on.

I looked up the VIN on the engine, which didn't match the frame and learned that the '81 XJ750 I purchased really had an '82 650 engine! I honestly believe that this was done by some PO years ago before the guy I bought it from had it. It may not be true, but it was a first bike for him as well, and I doubt he did his research on it.

I looked at the brake lines. They have 1981 stamped on the rubber, plain as day. I haven't changed these yet, but I will. I was born to young parents in early '82 and am guessing that the rubber from '81 isn't the most reliable stuff ever made, ecspecially thirty years later.

Tires...I just got back from the garage because I figured out (mostly) how to check date codes on tires from this link that was provided in another post I found: Tire Age

My front tire (I haven't figured this code out yet, maybe someone who reads this can help me out with it):



My back tire (which is from 1995?!):



I still need to pull my back wheel off to look at the brake shoes on the back. I just need to figure out how to take my back wheel off, which I will no doubt find the answer to by spending more time on these forums. If you haven't already, read this post. If it doesn't scare you into checking them, IMHO you shouldn't be riding an old bike. It actually got me to check the brake shoes on my truck right away, since I already know how to take those apart.

Delamination Post

Anyways, after my long rambling post... In short, please listen to the advice you are given here. If i have learned anything by the many hours I have now spent reading these forums, it is that everyone here is friendly, helpful, and has the best interest of you and your bike in mind.

P.S. I later found out that my friends "old" bikes were a '92 Seca II (that he had in 2001) and a '96 Ninja (in 2005). Neither of these bikes was as old when they had them as my back tire is now.

P.P.S I am looking forward to someday being able to help others on here out as much as you all have already helped me. Thanks for all you do here, it is appreciated.

 

first of all 81 is not an old bike its just used lol. It is really good to see you have interest in your bike that way better safe then sorry. If more people were like you there would be a lot less accidents waiting to happen. I like doing the same things getting to know your bike is the best way to learn knowing what part does what is the best knowledge you can get. Welcome to the sight and keep up the good work
Dave

 

Welcome to the site !!

"front tire (I haven't figured this code out yet, maybe someone who reads this can help me out with it)"

5325 - - why that's the 53rd week of the year 2025 -
your PO had a TIME machine !

 

I didn't see any XJ's in the "Back to the future" movies.

 

Both of those tires were manufactured before 2000.

In 2000 DOT required a standardized 4 digit date code where the first two digits were the week number and the last two were the last two of the year.

Since your front tire only has three digits it precedes the standardized code.

Since the PO did not have a time machine AND there are not 53 weeks in a year your rear tire also fails.

 

5325 that would be the 53rd week of 1925 or 2025 so seeing how we only have a 53rd week apparently every 100 years ( Its a little known fact) I would guess 1925 so it is way over due for a change the other tire its cracked so it doesnt matter what year it was born on. Thanks to Fitz and all the others that spread the word, de-laminated brake shoes is a well known fact ( what is not well known or at least not spoken of in public is the pucker sensation that the body does when you see it on your own bike for the first time) One other thing for you to remember, DO NOT BELIEVE A WORD THE PO TELLS YOU! Check it yourself, period

 

Before I got on this site and picked up the "Atari" lingo I called it the Marty McFly special.

 

Note to self: Flux Capacitor upgrade, lightning rod sissy bar, new stainless steel tank to aid flux dispersal.

 

Just one simple statement to drive the point home.

Safety! Is it worth your life to be WRONG !!

Only believe The PO when your told its a Johnny Cash bike.
"One Piece at a Time"

 

Just guessing at the 5325.

5= 1995
3= 3rd month
25= 25th day

or
325th day of 1995 (Nov 20th 1995). Yes it gets that specific.

Tires generally (but not Always) get replace together F&R. because of uneven wear issues.

 

Very good post! It's nice to see at least somebody's paying attention.

Yep, those are both 1995 tires. Gotta go. Along with the 1981 brake lines.

I'm glad you picked up on the rear brake shoe delam warning, that one's a biggie. Especially when it resulted in about seven pages of responses, and about every third one had discovered his to have fallen apart.

Don't forget about the stuff you can't see. The factory specified lifespan on the brake caliper seals is TWO YEARS; both the caliper(s) and the master cylinder need to be rebuilt as well, even if they seem to work OK.

Thanks again for the post; hopefully you got some folks' attention.

 

Remember - "well begun is half done"!!
take no short cuts now (don't ask) n u wont regret it. One small step for man (do some work now), One giant leap for mankind (lots of trouble free riding)

 

As a new owner late last year, I agree with everything you said.

After reading the forums here and doing some examination, I'll be replacing my MC, brake lines, front rotor (w-new pads also of course), rebuilding the front caliper, and putting new tires on before I take her out for any kind of ride this season. My brother had the bike before me for a couple years and sure, he changed the oil, but he hadn't really done anythign else to it. Who knows how long it's been since some of these components were replaced or maintained? I'm not willing to risk it.

Good post.

-Otter

 

I've just got my bike couple weeks ago too. I haven't done any inspection. But she's been sitting. And I will definitely inspect her before I put her on the road.

If you haven't already. Order the XJCD from XJCD.org. I just got mine. Worth every penny.

 

Yeah, I am planning on getting the CD. I was waiting on the Haynes manual I ordered from Amazon, and although it has a lot of good information in it, it also seems to be very lacking in several places. The CD can hopefully fill in those gaps.

My todo list currently is at:
New Tires
New brake shoes and pads
New Brake Lines
Master Cylinder rebuild

Is there anything that I am missing that is a must do on my XJ? A good carb cleaning is probably a good idea, but the bike runs great right now, idles without the choke on, and unless that changes, I plan on waiting til winter to do that.

 

Check the valve clearances.

 

Oh yeah, thanks Fitz, new there was something I was leaving off of my list.

 

Mikeisboris,

As you already plan to do the master and lines. Do the calipers at the same time. Make the complete system fresh. You can't touch one part of the system without affecting the rest of it!

After all that. enjoy with a little piece of mind!

Ghost

 

I joined this forum for the info that is shared. I have only had 2 bikes in my life my first was a 1979 XS750 and my current is an 82 XJ750 SECA I have worked as an auto mechanic for 10 years and my rule of thumb when buying a car or truck (I prefer ones that are '77 or older) is tune up immediately and brake check. I like to make sure everything mechanically is sound never really worried about cosmetics and I am carrying that over to my bike have been going over the posts on things to check and do.

 

You have to do more than "check" the brakes.

Rear shoes are known to delaminate. Visual inspection of the shoes themselves is necessary. "Feel" or "it works fine" are NOT sufficient.

Brake lines have a four-year recommended lifespan. Thirty years far exceeds that, so they need to be replaced before they fail.

Caliper and master Cylinder seals have a factory-recommended TWO YEAR lifespan. The caliper(s) and master cylinder need to be rebuilt regardless of apparent functionality.

Pads will begin to crumble with age; so once again they need to be replaced while you're rebuilding the rest of it.

There is a lot more that HAS to be done to the brakes than just "check" them. They need to be gone through and parts replaced; or they're simply not safe.

 

if this were facebook, I would like your post :lol:

 

you know you like

 

This is a good post. I 've been on here for some time, and I'm still learning...both from the members and from my soon to be ex EX 85maxim X.

The members on here have been through just about everything and can offer up a number of solutions taken from so many different angles.

 

I'm still looking for some kind of bracket to hold my nuclear reactor...I might hold out til 2015 when Mr. Fusion comes out. The XJ electrical system just can't quite produce the 1.21 Gigawatts that I need.

Since I wrote this, my bike is getting there.

* Rebuilt Master Cylinder
* Rebuilt Calipers
* Replaced Rear Shoes
* New Tires
* Replaced turn signals as the PO dropped the bike and broke both fronts
* Replaced Stock handlebars with BikeMaster Euro Bars

Carb rebuild, brake line replacement, and valve clearance check will be winter projects.

After that is done, I am toying with the idea of trying a round headlight and some sort of aftermarket gauge cluster, or maybe one from an XJ 900. The 85MPH Atari has to go.

 

You've come to the right place, quite a few of us have swapped instruments somehow. I got my bike with a slow speedometer in the Atari, swapped to a pair of small gauges from mikesxs.com. Doing a quick search should lead to articles about what to bypass to make your head/tail/brake lights work, putting diodes to make a single turn signal indicator work, and various other things people have swapped to.

Round headlight is a bit simpler, I'm thinking of doing it myself. At least on my Maxim, the original Atari had a sharp bend to hook up the speedometer cable, so my new gauge has to sit at an angle to fit the cable around the original rectangle headlight.

 

Hi BikMage,
Can you point me in the right direction about the single turn signal diode swap? I have changed my speedo to an aftermarket from MikesXS and I just can't get both signals to indicate on the speedo. If I swap the wires it works on the other side but only blinks on one side or the other. Hope that makes sense. I replaced the signal lights with bullet lights and had to change the relay for the difference in power draw. all signals work just not both in the speedo. This is the speedo I have https://www.mikesxs.net/product/03-0746.html
Also I bought a simple white tachometer but the bulb is orange. have tried replacing it with other ones. Still tungsten. was hoping to find a daylight bulb to throw in there to match the same illumination of the Speedometer. I know this is an old post, any help is appreciated.
Xj650 81

 

ZOMBIE THREAD!

Mage hasn't been around for over 4 years. . . .

Sit tight there are some good electrical guys here. . . .notme - 'lectricity is magic to me.

 

What is the wattage of the new bulbs? I suspect that the new indicator bulb is not wired correctly, and will work if done so. The single indicator bulb must be connected from Dg (dark green) to Ch (Chocolate) to work correctly. It sounds like you have connected it to either Dg and ground, or Ch and ground, which would make it work with either left or right only.

Depending on the turn signals that you bought, you may want to install the original 27W bulbs and the original flasher in order to keep the auto cancel feature working. If that is not an option, then you may be interested in this:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threa...s-and-still-have-everything-work.14068/page-2