new here with a couple ?

hi im a 17 year old from Detroit MI, i was given a 1982 XJ650 MAXIM for free from a neighbor with no title and no proof of purchace.

the bike has a faulty wiring harness and the gas tank has a big dent on the right side and has rust on the inside which is why they gave me the bike, the engine is in good condition but its been sitting for a year or 2.

i was wondering where i can buy a new gas tank and wiring harness?

since it has no documentation or a title, is there a way i can register it so i can drive it because i work at Kroger and cant afford a 80s camaro so the XJ650 is all i got for now?

 

Getting a title will be very simple.

Write up a bill of sale specifying the make, model, year and selling price ($0). Put your neighbor as the seller and you as the buyer. Have your neighbor sign it.

Take the bill of sale to the Secretary of State. They'll have the State Police check the VIN and if it hasn't been reported stolen they'll issue a title. Takes about 15 minutes. I'm not sure how they'll determine the sales tax, but as is it's not worth more than a couple hundred dollars.

 

BTW - You need the full 17 digit VIN, not the short one stamped into the head stock. There should be a sticker on the head stock with the full VIN. If the sticker isn't there I think we can help you build the full VIN.

 

I bought my maxim in MI and I'm fairly sure I just brought the VIN to Secretary of State on Dequindre in Warren. They ran the vin and when it came up clear they asked me how much I bought it for. I told them $150 (the actual price I paid, I probably could have gotten away with saying $50). Either way, I paid $9 in tax and $15 for the title and I was done. 2 weeks later I got my title in the mail. Long story short: you shouldn't have any problems

 

Welcome to the forum

Meet our resident parts man....you'll be needing him at some stage!

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewforum/f=23.html

 

Welcome to XJBikes. Yes it shouldn't be a problem getting the title and put a reasonable but low sales price-it's better not to put $0 as the selling price because that looks suspicious and it's their job to spot things like that. Even though it's true you will get on easier if it looks normal the taxes/fee will still be really low-on the Bill of Sale, there's templates available and just fill in the info.

You probably need to go to your local DMV and find out how to get a motorcycle permit license then go back later for a driving test and full certification.

You might be able to fix your existing tank. They are typically pretty expensive even in bad shape. You can remove the rust and then coat the tank to keep it from coming back. The harness's are sometimes on ebay and if have any wiring skills or are willing to learn you could rewire it yourself. Again welcome to the site and your new obsession and long-term project.

 

Unfortunately, getting it titled is going to be the easy part.

Getting it running may prove a bit of a challenge, and once it runs you'll have to deal with the brakes before you can actually start riding it.

You WILL have to spend some money to accomplish this. It's NOT an 80's car; it's a 30+ year old bike, and they're not the same situation at all.

Basic budget to properly and safely recommission an old bike like this is between $600~$800 in parts, and you doing the work.

I'm not trying to discourage you; just help you understand what you're getting yourself into.