Eff this bike. 1980 XJ650.

Last owner swore it ran last year but I can't get it started. Probably just carbs but I'm a horrible mechanic and I have too many projects to mess with it. I paid 1000 but I'll take 750 for it. If no one wants it I'm selling it for scrap on Tuesday, taking the hit and saying to hell with it. Lima, Ohio area, email me if you want it, don't really care but I know you folks like these bikes. Hate to grind it up if someone else can use it.

 

Sorry you got taken to the cleaners on your bike. I'm sure someone could use the gas tank and exhaust, side covers and a few other things. Good luck.

MN

 

DON'T scrap it. If you just give it some time, you'll get most of your money back. If you scrap it, you won't get much back.

Right now is not the best time to sell a bike, just let it sit in the garage until the spring, then you'll have a much better odds for a sale when riding season is coming.

Alternately, there are LOADS of parts on the bike that people here will want, if you're willing to take the time to part it out.

Many of us here have started with a non-running bike. Example...me. My first motorcycle was a 650 maxim, it was not running, and hadn't been running for almost 3 yrs, and was quite worn and rusty. I had it running within a week of starting on it, and it was a stone-cold reliable bike for the rest of the time I had it. Before I sold it, I had put 30k mi and also was awarded a 2nd Place trophy for it.

Just my thoughts............

Dave F

 

yeah man. post some pics of it. and start parting the thing. it aint worth shit at the yard. trust. DO US and do your self a favor and come out ahead on the whole deal. PART IT OUT. im in need of the carb to head manifolds. what kinda shape r they in? also a tach cable.

 

It seems to be in decent shape, but like I said, I'm a horrible mechanic. Even with the manual I can't get it apart. I'd love to part it out, but if I could get pieces off of it I could probably put new bits on and get it running. Should have told the seller, "Get it running and then we'll talk." But you live, you learn and you lose $750.

 

Doesn't sound to me like a whole lot of learning happened.

Anybody that can read a manual, follow directions, and has the patience and desire to learn can get one of these bikes running.

We've seen member after member, never having worked on a motorcycle before, successfully resurrect an XJ that they are now happily riding.

It has little to do with talent or mechanical knowledge and everything to do with desire, patience and persistence. And a willingness to learn new things.

My advice would be to take some time, read the manual, and get it running. THEN if you still want to sell it you won't lose a bunch on it.

 

..........and even if you don't get the manual, and if you really DO want to ride it, you can stay right here with us, and we'll talk you right through EVERYTHING as needed to get you up and running. You'll learn your bike, you'll restore a bike, etc.....

THAT is what we're here for. Lots of people have started that way. Myself included....I told you before, the first bike I ever owned when from a non-runner, and me being a non-rider then) to a trophy winning bike. You CAN do the same if you really want to. If you don't want to, then nothing we say matters.

Dave F

 

I'd like to add that working on this bike taught me some valuable life lessons on patience I started this project with very minimal mechanical skills too.

I was in a similar situation to you at several points. I bought a poorly running bike, and after a couple hours of tinkering, i had a non-running bike. A couple of months later, (with help) I figured it out. There were a couple of times I was ready to push it down the driveway and put free on it..... now I have a bike that I can walk out to the garage, push the start button and it fires right up, let it warm up for a few minutes, and off i go.

first things first... you say it's not starting.... what's it doing?

Now, I'm off to go ride the bike i was ready to scrap probably 100 times....

jon

 

Scrap yard will give you about $75 at most. You could sell just the tank for twice that easy-and it takes about 2minutes to pull it from the bike. Scrapping is good for rusty hunks of metal junk (i.e. large old cars and you dump all the crap you can in so the yard will give you some $$, you can't do that with a bike and the parts are precious).

 

I tried. Spent 3 hours today trying to get the carbs off this damned thing.
I have the official manual and the Haynes manual.
"Remove these bolts, disconnect the throttle cable and remove."
Bolts are out, finally figured out how to release the cable and got stuck on moving the hose... things, out of the way.
It's basically just hanging there, but I can't get it out.

I'm an artist, I'm used to frustration, it's part of what I do.
But I don't have the desire to fix this POS.
I'm done.
It's sitting in the shed until someone buys it or it rots.

 

Man, I wish you lived closer. Not to buy it, but just to look it over and get an idea what is up with it. I'm no mechanic by any means, but I have a kind of knack for seeing obvious problems when something won't work. I just have this sickening sense that you are gonna basically give away a bike that some guy like me will look at and say, "well, look at that, not enough juice in the battery" or some such trivial thing, and start it up.

Does is turn over? Is there spark? Is fuel/air getting to cylinders? Is there compression? You're trying to re-build carbs(probably a good idea) but you don't know if that's why it won't start. Check the easy stuff. In my experience engines want to run, if you give them half a chance they will.

 

I work in Lima everyday. I drive my 550 to & from work all the time, and I can't guarantee I'll be much help but perhaps I could stop by to see your situation. Email me if interested. I sent you a private message several weeks ago but you never opened it so I deleted it.

I've parted and worked on these XJ's for over four years now, and I'm just a mere 25 year old kid who's learned a lot patience. There's a lot of folks on here who are willing to help trust me.

 

Keep in mind that manuals aren't going to tell you EVERY trick of the trade that a mechanic learns as they work on more stuff, especially old stuff. 30 years of sitting presents some particular challenges that were not present when the manuals were written.

To remove the carbs, loosen all of the hose clamps on both sides of the carbs (four in front and four in back) and cables. Also, remove the screws that mount the airbox to the frame. That should give you up to an inch more room. If the carbs are still in the intakes, use a hammer handle, and jam it in-between the intake and carb bodies and lever it backwards.

I know on my 750 seca, the carbs come out easiest from the left.

The reason they are hard to remove now is because the rubber has gotten hard with age.

 

Don't know if this will help - but the bikes will NOT start if you twist the throttle while cranking, and will NOT start with a battery at 85%.

To force it to start - have a friend, a hill, and a can of Ether. Load the airbox with 1 SEC shot, push start it in 2nd gear (throttle closed)
Try that a few times.

But since the carbs are halfway off, you should at least blow out the jets and verify the floats work and a few other things . . .

Good luck.

 

Moellear........Heck, with the carbs that you were working on last summer, I think you learned the lesson in patience better than anyone here!

Dave F

 

You can also heat the rubber with a hair dryer or heat gun to make it easier.

Your frustration is obvious, but really it can't possibly be a POS since you have $1000 invested. Otherwise you will be recreating this scenario while you sleep. Use the site, use the advice, take the help of your nearby XJ mates. It's been done before it can be done in your case as well. Once you've been riding it for a few months you'll look back and not even believe the you felt this way.