XJ 650 maxim Brat/cafe Help

This is My hobby bike I am not going for any one look in particular just somthing I like that I can do in the back yard for cheap with limited tools. I have two questions. First is right now I cant get it to start cold without starter fluid. Does this just mean I need to clean the carbs? And if so what is the best method of doing that? Second after the new handle bars and chopping the back end and new seat I get a horible speed woble at I am guessing 55-60 (speedo doesnt work) Would a stearing damper be the solution or any other ideas. Has anyone one here used a stearing damper on a maxim.

 

I am sort of shocked that no one has replied to you. 8O

Good luck with your hobby bike. Did the bike wobble before you did the rear end chop? Did you remove the cross brace in the rear? post some pics of it. Make sure your tires are inflated properly and that you didn't mess up the wheel balance.

 

Recently going through the carb situation myself. There are a number of things you should do. Pull the rack, if its ur first carb cleaning and ur not familiar with them. Do one carb at a time. More than likely your enrichment circuit is clogged. In your carb bowl there is a little passage that is like a primer circuit that the bike uses until it warms up, which is why it's not starting well in the cold. You need to clean that passage out. I have used guitar string but I'm sure there are other types of small diameter wire you could use. Then while you are in the carbs you might as well go the whole nine yards and clean everything. Read rickomatics carb cleaning FAQ writup, It's good.
Also if you haven't done it I would check your valve clearances! Along with ur rear brake shoes for delamination.

Your speed wobble could be a number of things like what George said about loss of bracing because of chop. Also check alignment in the rear make sure the dashes line up at the rear axle. Could be bad wheel bearings. Put it up on the center stand and wiggle things until you can pinpoint it.

 

tighten your handlebars down. or make sure they are even, and that everything is snug. i had a very slight wobble after putting new bars on and that remedied it. may or may not be the case for you, but not sure what else it could be if those are the only things youve done. good luck!

 

Things to do:
check your valve shims - carb work is pointless until the valves are in spec
clean your carbs. - look for "the church of clean" and "the whole 9 yards"
sync + tune your carbs.

Please park it until you get this figured out. Be safe bro.

Things to check for your wobble:
swingarm bearings
rust/weakness/bad welds in frame*****
wheel bearings
steering head bearings
dragging brake
loose motor mounts
forks/triple tree out of alignment
loose frame section (don't know if your model has a removible frame section for engine removal)
fork springs/oil
rear shocks
handlebars out of alignment


I'm strongly suspicious of your fame due to your frame mods. Especially if you hardtaled. You could be getting frame flex somewhere.... The hardtail is probably putting stress on new or weak areas.

 

Why doesn't your speedo work? Could be something dragging in housing on the wheel causing the wobble.

A steering dampener won't solve the problem. Dampeners are mostly for HIGH speed bikes that start to float the front end at 100 plus speeds. A dampener will only mask the problem on your bike. Try finding the real problem first.

Also, you said you put on a new seat. I see it's fairly flat. Are you sitting towards the rear of the bike now? If so you're putting more weight on the rear shocks which are probably shot. This will cause a wobble for sure.

As for carbs, take the rack off and clean them! Even if you know when the PO did them, they might not have did them right. Get in there so YOU know what's going on.

Also, check your valve clearance! BigFitz has a great write up on the procedure and its one of the single most important steps to go through to make sure you keep your bike "Cheap"; if you're valves are out of spec and you blow a hole in a piston the work and money required to fix it start to add up REAL quick.

 

Good point dude!