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Me and my 650

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by tehDorf, Jul 7, 2012.

  1. tehDorf

    tehDorf New Member

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    Here is my short introduction:

    I just bought my first bike, a 1982 XJ 650 Maxim with about 26k miles on it.

    The bad: The previous owner said near the end of last year he went to go start it up but it backfired and died. Attempts to start it since then have had the same backfiring issue preventing it from idling, much less running. Since then the battery had died and no longer holds a charge. Since the battery was dead, I didn't have a chance to observe the backfiring issue, so I'm still a little foggy as to the exact sequence of events.

    The good: Once I got the bike home I wanted to try to start the bike and observe the backfire. I roll-started it and it started right up! Hurray! It idles a little unevenly, but it rev'ed up nicely and idled for a few minutes with no signs of a backfire.

    Not too sure where to go from here - do I try to fix this ghost problem, or can I ride it as-is and wait for winter?

    Anyways, I've attached the obligatory picture and I look forward to getting out there and riding it.
     

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    tehDorf, Jul 7, 2012
    #1
  2. MiGhost

    MiGhost Well-Known Member

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    MiGhost, Jul 7, 2012
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  3. trailsnail

    trailsnail Member

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    Nice, I just got a 650 as well. I can't stay off of it. I did check the brakes though to make sure that there are no issues there. If you don't do anything else, please do this.
     
    trailsnail, Jul 7, 2012
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  4. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    Yeah, and at 26k the valves are probably getting pretty snug and haven't been touched yet
     
    mtnbikecrazy55, Jul 7, 2012
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  5. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Backfiring indicates a lean condition; you can seriously damage (as in hole a piston) the motor running it lean. Don't just ride it without servicing the carbs (which includes getting the valve clearances in spec.) You could end up killing it.

    You can't ride the bike in as-acquired condition anyway; the brakes NEED to be gone through. Start here: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html
     
    bigfitz52, Jul 7, 2012
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  6. tehDorf

    tehDorf New Member

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    Thanks everyone for your advice so far! After reading the carb cleaning thread it looks like I'm in for some work, but it kinda sounds fun, too. I like the detail oriented stuff.

    I will definitely be looking at the brakes; the front wasn't grabbing very hard, even at the low speeds I had it up to in my quick shake-down (i.e. under 10 mph)
     
    tehDorf, Jul 7, 2012
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