want to soup up an 82 XJ650

So I bought my first maxim, an 82 XJ650 and I want to put some performance mods into it as it could use a little more oomph (always more is better right?) So I was thinking stage 3 jets and air pods and switch it to a 4 into 1 setup. But I'm having trouble locating any aftermarket exhaust that isn't megaphone style. Also, can I get slotted and drilled rotors for this bike? Or upgrade the brakes in any way? Advice folks!

 

you need to use the search about all of those issues but before that, decide on whether or not its worth it to soup up a 30 yr old bike for what you are looking to do with it.

 

I have yet to see anyone provide any proof that the pods improve performance OR do they just make a lot more noise?
There are LONG threads but I have never seen a dyno test with anything better than stock for the entire rpm range.

I'm sure everyone will rant and carry on with my reply but it's not an easy thing to do and even harder to tune it properly.
Allot about 10 hours to read the different threads after a forum search and then decide if you want to do it.

I believe it is far more productive to go to the next step and go EFI but that's even more technically challenging.

First you should make sure the stock set-up is running and tuned properly.

It's probably easier to get an 85/86 XJ700 (air or water cooled) which had a couple more ponies and dual discs in the front that can get you 0-60 in about 4 seconds when running properly.

 

You could try some of the Vintage Motorcycle racing sites. Some sidecar rigs use the 650 motor, not sure about single riders though. The only thing with "Souping" up a bike the way you describe usually makes them unsuitable for the street as the guys that race them are using the motors at WFO most of the time.
Just sayin'.

 

They really do not make any build up parts for the xj. If you want more oomph your best bet is to find an xj 750 motor and bolt it in will be cheaper in the long run. If you get it jetted correctly and put a 4-1 on it its still not going to make as much power as the 750 motor does stock

 

Is you bike really that slow?... My bike screams after 6 grand. Are you winding it up long enough? Im exceeding all speed limits after shifting out of 3rd.

 

You can certainly upgrade the front rotors, as well as replace the original brake lines (which you should be doing anyway) with Stainless Steel lines.

I'm willing to bet that if you get the bike running properly in stock configuration that you may be quite surprised at its performance.

Will it currently pull redline in 1st-4th with almost no effort? It should.

 

Want to see what pods will do to your engine??
Remove the air filter and leave the lid off, and go for a very short ride (mind the dust!!) see for yourself if you get an increase or decrease in "performance" with "unrestricted intake airflow" and report back.

Welcome to the site !! I'll echo the others warnings about the difficulty in getting it "in-tune".

 

Thanks for all the replies people. The bike runs great right now, just had a tune up and the carbs freshly synced. Yes it pulls to the redline in 1-4 smoothly. I'm worried about revving it that high on a 30 year old bike though; thought it might be worthwhile to put a few extra ponies in it so it wouldn't work as hard. The reason I'm looking at pods and the four into one is because I want to do the stage three jets and I was given to understand that if you do those, you need to free up the breathing and exhaust to accomodate the jet upgrade. Thoughts?

 

you can go with pods. (i don't have anything against them) But don't plan on just sticking the jets in and thinking it will be done. Sometimes you luck out not always so just keep that in the back of your mind. You can put a k&N in the stock airbox and jet it. It is much easier you don't have to keep messing with the carbs. You can try the pods see how it goes you can always put your airbox back on it. A good 4-1 will pick you up a few ponies. Mac is the only exhaust i know of in the states and to be honest i am not real fond of them they don't have the growl of other exhaust systems. I personally think they went for a replacement exhaust rather then a performance exhaust. If you keep your eyes open occasionally you can find a used 4-1 I just saw a supertrapp sell for $103 the other day on Ebay. I lucked out i bought a Hindle from another member for $25 needed a exhaust canister i have less then $100 bucks in the exhaust for my maxim x

 

yeah, I was looking at a lot of older bikes before I got this one and I saw the name Kerker a lot but I'm having difficulty finding a compatible model for this bike. Of course I can't get a Muzzy or Yoshi or anything like that. I'll check out e-bay.