85 xj700x idle stays high when warm

i have 1985 xj700x that idles fine cold but when the bike warms up the idle stays around 2k i can get it to idle down while coming to a stop if i play the clutch to dog the rpms down but shouldnt have to do that. is there an easy adjustment or fix?

 

That depends on what you consider easy.

Prepare for some sarcasm.

Would you call it easy to take your carbs off, take them completely apart to make sure that you don't have any fuel leaks or air leaks, replace any busted o-rings, get it completely clean everywhere, put it all back together, bench sync it, put it on the bike, vacuum sync it, and then tune the idle?

If so, then it's a piece of cake.

/sarcasm

Anyway, there's really no way to be sure that you will get rid of the problem unless you do all that. I'm just venting because I'm in the middle of the process right now. Nothing about it is really that hard, it's just a bunch of tedious work and elbow grease (I actually enjoy most of it, I'm just dying to ride and still need to do my final tuning...).

To start (other people I'm sure will fill in some blanks):
1. Make sure your valves are in spec.
2. Make sure your carbs are clean.

There's lots more after that, but let's just get started. Do some searches on the forum, most questions have been answered.

 

thanks i always appreciate sarcasm. when i said easy i meant any kind of simple adjustments just to try to fix it before i get into all that. and i feel ya on the wanting to ride. my other bike has been sittin since memorial day with oil spewing from the front of the engine. it needs some tlc...then i found this maxim x in great shape but has this idle problem and now just started leaking gear oil from rear. now i have 2 bikes i cant ride...try explaining that to the wife

 

My 82 XJ650 used to do that, I ended up adjusting the idle screw and it was fine. I checked for vacuum leaks and fuel leaks didn't find any, so I just gave the screw a little twist and it runs a little high around 1200 RPMs about as close as I can tell with a 29 year old analog tach. But better than the 3K it would run at.

 

Word. Start with what doc said--I left out the obvious. The idle adjust is near the bottom of the carb rack in the middle. See if that does it. If you try that and your idle never settles but wanders all over the place, you have to work on the carbs.

 

Generally speaking, a hanging idle is a sign of an out-of-sync condition or a vacuum leak.

Float levels can contribute.

You will need to check your valve clearances and ensure they're IN spec before attempting to do a running vacuum sync.

 

thanks ill try the idle adjustment screw, that was the kind of answer i was fishin for. im no mechanic so i dont like messin with things i have no business messin with. i can do the minor fixes and such but im not about to pull the carbs myself. i have a bigger problem to take care of right now anyway with this leak