New XJ750 owner in PA!

Hey all!

Just got my first bike, an '82 XJ750 Seca. Very excited about it... I'm getting plates and such Thursday. It's in pretty fantastic shape ('cept for some paint fade, a little wear and tear on the luggage in the back, and a slowwww oil leak from the valve cover gasket).

This is my first bike, but not my first foray into '80s Japanese tech - I owned a pair of '84 300ZX Turbos that I had to sell when I moved from FL to PA (shipping = $$$$, and there's no way I could get them up to spec for inspection+emissions, haha).

So anyhow, hi! Glad to be here, and check out some photos of the bike. =)

 

Nice looking bike.

Welcome from the Great Lakes State.

Do a forum search for:
"delamination"
"airhead valve clearance"
"clunk test"
and "church of clean"

 

Welcome to the show. nice bike
long live the Seca's! (Maxims too of course)
You already know what all to check first and BEFORE you ride?

 

Where at in PA? I'm over near the OH state line, north of Pittsburgh...

 

I'd seen the Clunk Test and the Church of Clean, as well as the endless process of shimming valves

The bike runs just fine at the moment, though; the previous owner has a stack of maintenance sheets for the last ten years, and referred me to the mechanic he's always had working on the thing.

18,000 miles, garage-kept. How 'bout that?

The guy even threw in a helmet and the trickle charger (which is handy, because this happens to be my first bike).

 

Central PA, not too terribly far from Penn State.

Well, I'm always open to advice. =)

 

You got a good PO! go buy a lottery ticket!

 

looks like youre on the right start, +1 bro

 

Thanks! I'm really excited about this whole thing.

 

Welcome to XJBikes from the Boston Mountains of NWA! And welcome to ridin' instead of suffering inside the metal cave of a led sled.

That is a nice looking XJ! Love the color and it appears to be in good shape. Just a personal preference, but I would ditch the luggage and swap the big fairing for a small shield.

The level of records you mentioned with your bike is very rare, and a likely sign you got a great bike. I would caution you to verify the most critical things yourself-to be sure and safe. You will want a manual and you can use that with this site to get anything up to par if need be.

Also good idea to either take a motorcycle safety course or get a good book on the subject so you are a smart and skilled rider. My biggest warning to you would be to watch out for distracted, clueless, and blind drivers-trust me they are out there and you will at some point need to react quickly. I always try to "look ahead & think ahead" basically what's happening, what could happen, and what am I going to do if it does happen. Of course I also enjoy leaving 'em behind too!

Have fun and be safe! Your adventure begins...

 

Thanks very much!

I'm undecided about the luggage, but the plastic definitely stays at least until it warms up... anything to keep the wind off me!

I'll be taking an MSF course as soon as they come around again... I actually read through The Hurt Report and apparently people who take an MSF course tend to be in far fewer accidents. Works for me!

 

Great start!

Hope your ready for a new addiction :lol:

 

Welcome aboard! Looks like Christmas came early to CentPA!

Yes, take the free msp courses...schedule course 1 ASAP using their little bikes and plan for Course 2 next spring/summer on your new ride. You must do this for your safety...but you'll also be mildly amused when you and your bike outperform the Harley's...and other bikes during course 2.

I'm liking that near mint, matching luggage. It could be very useful for some minitours...to Gettysburgh, or Lanco or Skyline Drive...or Stoudt's brewery or that harley factory...,it's good to have options.

 

The luggage is worth almost as much as the bike. If I were you I'd definitely be keeping that package together, especially with all the documentation you have for it.

 

Yeah....I can vouch for the "addiction" to these bikes. so glad I got rid of my big V-Twin and got back together with my college sweetheart (a red '82 XJ650). She is Just as shapelyd and smooth as I remembered her to be

Welcome, that's a sweet looking bike flynnski. love the matching saddle bags and trunk!

 

Not without a lot of effort - this is the Tour Pack option so when the dealer originally installed it they bent back the OEM headlight mounts to clear the fairing.

Welcome Flynnski - good to see another 750 Seca from PA on the list. You need to plan a trip to Denny's Pub in the Clearfield area to get one of their contest burgers (my wife and I were just there last month helping move my in-laws into their new house).

 

Ok I see the error of my ways. I understand now the extra gear is meshed in with the bikes DNA, it's an appendage not an accessory.

I just prefer the naked look and wind dynamic, and the reduction in weight, and a little shield is nice to duck under the wind when you're topping 70mph and passing traffic.

I suppose if you're planning on any day or overnight excursions it all comes in handy. And the fairing does look pretty cool-makes me think of Batman's rides for some reason. And if it wasn't that beautiful color it might look like the police bikes from France.

 

Welcome from east of Pittsburgh!

 

I know, right? I take delivery Thursday. I can't wait!

I've been looking for MSP courses, but they all seem to be done for the winter.

Thanks guys. Clearfield looks like it'll be a fun trip once I get the hang of the bike! There's some awesome mountain roads around here (10ish miles from State College) that I scoped out in the car... there's a worrying amount of loose gravel, though.

Y'know, I think I'm gonna keep the luggage attached for the time being. It'll be nice if I want to make the random beer run on the way home from work or somethin'.

I love the color. The luggage in particular needs some touchup, but it's in fantastic shape for being as old as it is. I want to take some proper photos here when the weather isn't crap.

Thanks, from approximately three hours ENE of you!

 

The bike is safe and sound in my garage...

...but I couldn't resist taking it out for a ride around the block... five or six rides around the block. It's fantastic and I love it.

And then naturally I stalled it in front of my house, tipped it over at 0.00001mph and cracked a turn signal lens. *sigh*

In case anyone wasn't aware, these things are HEAVY.

Gorilla glue repaired the cracked lens, and already have a NOS lens on the way to replace in a week or two. $11 mistake. No other apparent damage. carbs flooded of course, but a minute or three and that was fine too.

I'll check it out in the daylight to be sure.

 

Start here: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

 

that's definitely on my list of things to do.