where to find 1981 650 floats????

i cannot find floats anywhere!!!! it is all i need to ride : ( HELP!!!!!
It is a maxim xj 650.

 

Tizzle, we have good used floats available, just send us a PM or an e-mails. But, out of curiosity, why do you think that your floats are bad (they rarely fail)?

 

floats bad

i have rebuilt the carbs, jets, needles and seats, etc. I have cleaned everything out really well. While waiting for jets ect. to be deliverd i had the floats drying out. When i finally put everything back together it ran like a champ. After a shot of SEAFOAM and a couple hours of riding, the bike began too idle rough. I returned home right away and could not let the bike idle without staying on the throtle. I quikly noticed that I could smell gas (running very rich). In the mean time the wife was yelling at me to come in and have dinner. When i finished and went outside i hade a 6in circle of gas from the overflow hose. I tore the carbs appart again and realized the floats felt heavy. Thus leaving me to beleive they are soaking up fuel.

 

Highly doubtful. They are, as above, solid.

More likely they just need to be properly adjusted; assuming the needles and seats have been properly cleaned and inspected.

 

Thank u for responding chacal.
By the way in NO OFFENSE!! i repeat NO OFFENSE!! i couldnt help but notice that there is no return policy, PERIOD. I am a little nervous of used floats without a return policy. Do u have a feed back heading?

 

Thanks for input bigfitz52.
Needles and seats brand new. As i stated, i have rebuilt with new parts except for floats, couldnt find them.

 

Where did you get the needles and floats from? There are a couple of "bad" kits being sold out there (mfg. claims they are for Hitachi carbs, but they aren't) and they'll hang up and cause flooding, even though they are "brand new"...........

 

Ummm...

chacal, the proprietor of XJ4Ever.com, is our resident parts source. If you want "positive feedback" see the "Service, Online, Retail Shop Review" forum on this site. http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewforum/f=15.html See just how many positive comments you'll find in regard to "XJ4Ever."

I challenge you to find even one negative comment.

None of us could do this without chacal. And he's right; depending on the source of your parts, you could have been sold incorrect or inferior "pattern" parts.

That doesn't happen with XJ4Ever.

And solid floats don't "go bad."

 

bigfitz52....
I am not trying to start a problem! If u couldnt read, (IN NO OFFENSE), I guess that is ur prob. No reason to jump my *** for having concerns about used floats without a return policy. WOW!!
Any way thank you chacal for the help, i worked late today and i will investigate the needle and seats. Do you know the original weight of the stock floats? Maybe that will help with the investigation?
Thanks again! : )

P.S. I am new to the site and its an awesome site but, with hostility about nothing from fellow riders, im sort of confused and affraid to voice a concern..... : (

 

Welcome. Have you wet set the float levels? Sounds like you need to rebuild the peacock as well. The peacock can be a first line of defense against a sump full of petrol if you have float issues.

 

Dude. Nobody's being hostile. You're being paranoid, big time. First about Len's rep, then about the attitudes of those TRYING TO HELP you.

What everyone is trying to tell you is that solid floats don't go bad and that there is probably another cause for your issue.

That's all. Trying to help. Take a look around the forum; you may actually find your answers. (In addition to all of the positive reviews of XJ4Ever.)

 

First off, welcome to the forms! I started working on my bike about two years ago and couldn't have done it without the help of this site and members like Fitz.
A quick tip, go to your profile and update your location information and put your bike info in your signature - it helps the gurus quickly identify basic information, and if you are lucky someone in your area might be close enough to come give you a hand and offer their expertise in person.

I know you feel like there is hostility here, but there really isn't. Fitz is a bit of a stickler for doing the job RIGHT the FIRST time so you don't have to do it again, and also so you don't end up getting frustrated and throw money at the motorcycle on parts that are wrong or that you don't need.


Now regarding the floats and replacing them, I agree with Fitz and Chacal. The floats are a solid piece of plastic, they don't readily go bad. There are a few parts in the fuel delivery system that can contribute to your issue. Here are some things you can do to get this solved RIGHT without throwing money into parts that you really don't need:

1. Rebuild the petcock valve on the bottom of the gas tank. It is vacuum operated, and if the original diaphragm is in it, that's 30 years old and likely not going to function properly.

2. Wet set your floats. Chacal (XJ4Ever) put together a very nice write-up with pictures of how do to this properly. You can find that here. It DOES require you pull the carbs, but assuming you replaced the float needles, this is a likely culprit of the puddle of gas you are getting.

3. If you haven't already, replace the float needles. The rubber tips do wear out, and this can cause the carb to leak, especially when combined with a petcock valve in need of a rebuild.

4. Install an in-line fuel filter between the petcock and the carbs. The filter in the tank isn't that great, and you might have a bit of rust from inside the tank caught in one of the float needles, thus holding it open and giving you the leak.


As far as service through Chacal (XJ4Ever) I can personally vouch for the parts quality and reliability. I have ordered hundreds of dollars worth of parts, both new and used, and never have I ran into any problems with anything I purchased from him. Hell, he's often down-sold me on stuff when I could have spent double on the same project. He does make sure you get the RIGHT parts for the job you are doing, and ONLY the parts you need.


The best way to think about it, you own a bike that is 30 years old. How many original equipment suppliers do you think continue to make various specialty parts for 30 year old bikes? Most parts used come from junkyards and part-outs. The parts are good, and function properly - Chacal has his reputation to uphold, as do the rest of us.

Take some time, relax, and take the information on this site as people trying to help you, because we all are. Do you really think that the members of this forum, who have all run into similar problems as you will with your bike, REALLY want to spend our free time harassing and tormenting others trying to get their bikes up and running? Really think about that one, and remember that the downside to text is you don't get the body language and tone in someone's voice as you do in person, or even on the phone for that matter.

 

thanks for all the help guys! I really appreciate it.
Well i have orderd a petcock rebuild kit. In north dakota its starting to get pretty cold, and with my job things are going crazy so I havnt been focusing on the bike like id like to : ( but i orderd the petcock rebuild kit today so next week I should receive it and we ll go from there.

Again thanks a bunch for ur guys imput!! I was lost and frustrated with out this site. Its Awesome!

 

Just as a thought, I bought some cheap carb kits for my 750 and the Chinese replica needles and seats were never right. I had to get the real deal from xj4ever. Just sayin double check your wet set and if they are leaking by you may want to try a new set from Len.

MN
PS don't trust anything even if its new unless you buy it from a trusted source. Every one is passing off aftermarket cheap junk these days. Trust me Len does not sell anything unless its tested and proven to work. Also if you have a problem he will make it right.

 

I agree with everyone here. And I have bought a few thousand dollars of parts from Chacal, all were exactly what I ordered, and all functioned perfectly. If you just want to satisfy your curiosity on the floats, there is a really simple test. Pour a bit of gas in a glass bowl, and put the float in. Come back after a while, if it is resting on the bottom, then...there ya go.

But...Your odds of winning a lottery are better than that of one of the XJ flots being bad. I personally think you rushed the wet setting of the floats like so many others I have seen. Before you even attempt to take a measurement, let the bowl fill, then drain the fuel. Do this several times to "cycle" the parts. Then fill it the last time and let it rest a minute or two and take your measurement. I always do #1 carb first, get it dialed in precisely, the do a dry float height on the other 3 to get them closer to right before the wet set so I do not spend a ridiculous amount of time on the whole rack.

 

Just another thumbs up for Chacal, Fitz, and Rick.

For any part that matters, Chacal is the trusted source.

Fitz, Rick, and Chacal have been the best source of information and advice for me in getting my XJ 700 N in good shape (Even if Fitz doesn't like my use of "temperamental". :lol: So, I've started using "sensitive" instead.).

Bottom line--your best source of information and parts is right here.