1982 xj650

I'm about to buy this bike from a good friend of mine. A little back story. I've been in the market for a cheap bike to start working on something simple as I have worked on many cars, but never really much for bikes. So this is going to be a fun new experience. The bike in question was purchased years back from what I'm told at an estate sale. The title was never transferred and the bike sat for a good while. So my buddy bought it from his brother replaced all the fluids a new battery and just rode it around town. He recently bought a new bike with a title so he can legally ride it. Well he knew I was looking for a cheap project so he offered it to me for 150 bucks. Aside from figuring out the title (I know this is going to be a chore on its own) the bike need a good bit of work to be road worthy.

So I took a look at it today, it is in decent shape visually, but I noticed a few things.
Tach does not work
One of the carbs does not have a boot from the intake box
Gas tank is pretty ugly lots of unsanded bondo it leaked prior to the bondo and a really small amount of rust on the bottom of the tank (minor things to me)
The front caliper is missing so it only has rear brakes (Seem to work great)
The clutch adjuster on the bar is broke off (Clutch slips a little when really getting on the bike)
One of the muffler's are off the exhaust but he has it. Somewhere..
He said it has aftermarket carbs (Mikuni)
It seems to take a little effort to start as well
The throttle does not return quickly on its own
Everything else on the bike seems to be fine and functional
It does have around 30k on the bike serial numbers are matching
The turn signals just stay lit no blinking (Relay?) but it is a wiring mess. No fuses its all just soldered together
I don't mind rewiring it I have a ton of extra wire laying around I could clean the harness up pretty nice. And I'm a quick learner so I should have no problems converting my mechanical skills with a car to a bike.

What do you guys think? Should I pick it up I got plenty of time to work on getting the title (I've thought about one of the title services online)
I don't mind wrenching on it, I have plenty of tools and a 3 stall garage to work on it in (Although for convenience I'll work on it in my basement)

Should I pass or should I go for it? 150$$ for a running bike? To good to be true?
He thought it was an xs650 but after viewing the two bikes the xs seems to be a vtwin and this is a 4cyl

Also are the carburetors stock or is he right on the aftermarket?
I'm writing this at work so sorry about my grammer and if I repeat myself.
Any reply's are appreciated. I don't want to commit if you guys think its going to be more work than its worth. For 150$$ I figure if all else fails someone might want some parts.
If I'm an idiot for considering this bike let me know as well.

 

Spoke with the state police. They ran the 9 digit serial number and let me know in both of their data bases that it is not stolen and with a bill of sale I could take it to the court house to get a title. So another question, anyone else go thru this type of situation for a bike?

 

Here is a picture to help with replies!!!

 

Buy it. If getting a title in your state is a bother, it can be done via registering the bike in Vermont. That is a common method and is fully legal. Worse-case, you have well over $150 in parts to sell. Everything in your description says that it will be a runner though. Plan on an all-in cost of around $1000 to get it road-worthy.

 

Go for it

 

Thanks guys! The kid dropped it off last night to me. 150 bucks delivered. Can't beat that! I read about the Vermont title, I'm going to get the title next pay and this next week or two focus on getting the bike up to par for the road. Probably going to take more than two weeks but I figure if I can at least get it ride-able I should be good. I have not been able to find parts online. Any good sites I should look at? I'm going to get into the simple stuff for now. And with all the write ups I've found I shouldn't have any issues. Where should I focus my time with this bike? Anything to watch out for? Thanks for the replies!

 

You are in the correct site to find everything you need. From chacal at xj forever ( icon on top right corner) to many members having parts by the truckload (Hogfiddles) put stuff you need in for sale/wanted forum and you will be on the road sooner than you think!

 

Stat reading this: The Information Overload Hour.
Then move on to browsing the DYI section.
Then start working on the bike.
You'll want to get both the Haynes and the Yamaha service manuals at some point.

The Mikiuni carbs aren't exactly aftermarket; they were stock carbs on other Yamaha models.
Hitachi HSC32 is what your bike came with, but the Mikiunis should work fine if jetted correctly.

 

That was a great read. It gave me the info on why I only had a 9 digit vin number. As well as I've found out the bike is an 81. I'm going to pull the gas tank tonight hopefully, and get it ready to dip to remove the small amounts of rust in the tank. Any tips on how to prevent the rust from forming after I do an electrolysis dip? I want to get it ready for the road as quickly as possible. And then next winter if the bike treats me right. I'm going to do strip it down and make her look good. I don't mind putting money into the bike. And I know I won't ever get the cash back. So everything I do will be for me. I did find the manual online. I did not want to post the website as I do not know if it is allowed. But if anyone is interested you can pm me. You will just have to print it out. Thanks everyone. If I decide to do a build thread, should I keep it in this post? Or should I create another one somewhere else? I would like to restore the bike as much as possible. Or maybe even bob it over time. But for now I'll get her going to save some money on gas. My truck has been killing me on my 45 min ride to work everyday.

 

After the electrolysis is done, treat the inside of the tank with phosphoric acid to pickle the steel and prevent new rust from forming. If you find pinholes then I would suggest Caswell's tank lining kit.

 

The person before me patched it up using bondo. So I'm going to attempt to remove as much as possible, its pretty lumpy. And I will order the tank sealer as a precautionary. Thanks guys!

 

Welcome aboard.

Gary H.

 

Didn't get anytime this weekend to work on it. But tonight I'm going to start the electrolysis bath. I picked up a trickle charger for my battery. Anyone know if I run the trickle on the battery if I can use them both in my bath? I don't have an analog unfortunately and I got this one for 5 bucks. Also after I'm done with the tank I'm going to put some tools in a bath. Any ideas if this will be safe or will I possibly have chromium hexavalent on my hands? Trying to avoid creating a toxic mix as I will be reusing this for multiple parts. + I have a well and kids I don't want around anything nasty.
My plan is to use a wire hanger coiled up inside the tank. To try to get the most surface area as possible. Thanks again guys! This site has been a big help researching everything I need.

 

The more amps you can draw from the charger, the faster the process will be. A trickle charger will do, but it will be slow. Just be sure that yours is robust enough to not overheat from the constant current draw.

Be sure that hanger has been scrubbed of any paint or coating. Thread several steel washers onto it to get a bigger electrode out of the deal.

 

Good idea! Tho I hit a snag. The "pin holes" in the tank under the bondo was a quarter size rust hole. And once I got the tank off and shook it a little a whole bunch of rust starter to fall out. I'm thinking fiberglass to repair it as I've read bondo usually swells up from gas/moister and will eventually leak again. I want a permanent fix. So either fiberglass or finding someone to weld it. I can so some very basic welding but a gas tank makes me really nervous. The battery charger I have is going to be a no go as well. It is very low quality and I don't want to risk anything. So a small road bump but I have plenty of time. I want to do everything right the first time, my dad always told me to fix it right or fix it again! I'm just anxious to get her going and ride!

 

Fiberglass isn't my preference, but it can be done. Just be sure to use an enthnol-proof resin.

 

What would you recommend?

 

Welding or brazing the tank.
I have seen tanks repaired by taping the holes shut and using a 2 part epoxy liner, then removing the tape and finishing the job with body filler to smooth the repair. The steel and tape becomes a form for the epoxy.
Fiberglassing the hole will work, but it's a bit more involved (in my opinion) to get a good-looking final product.
Ultimately it comes down to what you are willing to do and/or pay for.

 

I forgot to mention it is on the very bottom of the tank. So far it looks like brazing or welding this after a nice caustic dip will be my best choice. I've also thought about a patch with lead as I've read a good bit of people doing this long term. I'm just worried if I braze or weld I might cause more damage from such thing metal. Now that I looked into the tank. Man is it rusty I might be better off finding a replacement. The whole bottom is just rust. But since I have everything for the electrolysis I'm going to go for it. I build computers and have quite a bit of parts laying around including a dozen or more power supply units. So I think I might just build my own battery charger/bench power supply. It will come in handy for future projects as well. I'm willing to do anything if its in my skill set or I can learn it. My wife says I'm stubborn but I don't pay other men to fix my things. But thats why I'm glad there is such great support like these forums! Thanks again guys!

 

I vote for finding a replacement. I have tried to fix dozens of rusty tanks, and have only been entirely successful on maybe 2. I don't wast time on it any more, I spend that time saving money and searching for a good replacement.

 

Replacements are great. Unfortuantely good ones are getting to be expensive (but then I'm a cheap bastard).

 

And be careful not to get another rusty one!

 

Haha I'm going as cheap as possible with this bike. I have to. I have another baby on the way in less than a month so every penny counts. The tank is pretty rusty but I'm going to work with it.

 

Still waiting on the guy I bought the bike off to get back to me about the muffler on the one side. Going to silver solder the tank tonight (hopefully) What a wiring nightmare they had the fuses removed and the wires twisted together. So I'm going to replace them with mini fuses. Ordering VHT flame resistant "ceramic" paint in burnt orange. The headers are pretty rusty. I want to remove all the chrome on the bike but have read a lot about the dangers of it. After cutting the rusty holes out of the tank only 2 places seem to be rusty. Just going to spray it flat black primer for now. If anyone has an ignition/gas cap/helmet holder all using one key I would love to buy it at some point. Also what is the wire running to the clutch lever? There is a spot for it to go into but the wire is empty and just hanging around. I would like to get everything mechanically sound before I start doing visual but I think the headers need saved before they get a hole in them.

 

Got a chance to strip all of the bondo and paint off. So on the tank it was old paint that was in pretty decent shape, bondo and then undercoating and a coat of flat black over it. It took forever to take it all off. I was able to lift off a good bit of bondo since it did not stick to the old paint (They didn't even scuff it). I think there was more bondo on this tank than I've ever seen on a car. I mean they wrapped it all around the tank. It doesn't show well but its all a nice shiny metal. (Under side doesn't show done here but it is now) I could not get the petcock off. They stripped the screws and cut a line in each one for a flathead. I tried myself to remove them but they are pretty stuck even after some penetrating oil.
There are 3 large holes. 2 about the size of a quarter and 1 you can see that is just a cut. Plus about a dozen or so pin holes. I got a good bit of the rust out with just screws and some time. And I will try to remove the rest. For now it is sprayed down in p10 to keep it from flash rusting until I can figure out what I want to paint it.
I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible as I'm going to be having my second child tomorrow. And they money has been tight. I have a cycle shop close by that I'm waiting on a call from to price welding all the holes up. I do have a welder with limited skills so I don't want to chance ruining the tank.
If they give me a crazy price on welding it I might try something else. Do you guys think fiberglass would hold up well on the tank? Also any idea on how to remove the petcock without killing it or the tank?
On a side note I ordered new shoes and gas cap. Going to keep looking for a deal on new tires. It sure needs it on the back. Thanks again guys!

 

UPDATE: Got the tank sealed and painting it tonight. I did not get a liner yet but will come in next couple pay checks. I actually bought an 85 vt700 shadow to ride while I just take my time and work on this bike. I just want to make sure this thing is 100% ready for the road with as much rigging as it has had from PO.

I ordered a fuse panel, ignition switch, gas cap, lots and lots of wire 10-14 gauge rolls to rewire the bike as looking over the wiring it has some bits of corrosion, k&n oil filter, and a friend gave me a newer battery. So tonight I'm going to finish the tank and start ripping into the wiring. I haven't had a chance to really do much with it. I discovered that there is no oil in it at all. When I first looked at the bike it was a little low and the PO complained about the clutch slipping. He brought it over and dropped it off for me. So at some point it either leaked (No oil on my garage floor) or he completely drained it for an unknown reason... Just to be safe I'm ordering a clutch to have on hand if it does slip and new rear shoes.

It really frustrates me that the oil is completely empty. At this point I want to get oil in her and try to start her to be sure that no foul play was done. I don't want to assume anything but I know when I first looked at it and heard it run it was low but nothing major.
Also have not found a cheap replacement for the front caliper. Dumb question. You guys think I will be safe riding it with just the rear. I've seen it done and my father said he had a bike in the 80s without the front brake and just to ride easy and give myself time to stop.

If interested as well I'll post up my vt700 shadow. The guy I got it from use to ride it to work everyday, he is now "to old to ride" and wanted to just get rid of it. ( I didn't know you could be to old to ride!!) The thing was garage kept and looks amazing for the year.

 

Do not ride without front brakes. They handle 70% of your braking.

 

Only having a rear brake worked pretty OK (sort of), back when there was less traffic and more people knew how to drive responsibly.
One of the few allowed upgrades for pre WWII motorcycles that run in endurance rallies is to fit a front brake (dics brakes are even allowed).

Stopping a 500 pound motorcycle in modern traffic, with a (I'll assume) 200 pound rider, using one twin-shoe drum brake on the rear wheel, is foolhardy.


Don't just fill the oil. Put newspaper or a drip pan under the bike, and find out WHY the oil is missing. It may have a leak.

 

Yeah riding without a front brake is something I wanted to avoid. I live in the middle of nowhere and that's one reason my dad said go for it. But I still think since I have plenty of time now to work on her I'll just keep searching for one.

As far as the oil goes. I go into the garage pretty often and have not noticed any oil. And it was originally stored in my basement prior to removing the tank. No marks anywhere for the oil and with that amount I feel like I would have caught it. But I did place some newspaper under it now just to be sure. I only filled it up with maybe 1/2qt for now (It was dry). My filter comes on Thursday and luckily for me its my day off so that's when I'll fill her. My "friend" I got the bike off still has one muffler and since his move. I have not had a response from him.
He was pretty upset that he only got 100 bucks for the bike. He really didn't say much but I could tell. And honestly I wouldn't have paid anything more with all the issues I'm dealing with. Like I said I don't want to assume but it is now looking a little shady. Either way I'm beyond excited to get the oil in and fire her back up. One step closer to being on the road. I've read and reread a lot of the info on here and its been a big help. Thanks guys!!!

 

Well hopefully this week I'll be going to look at a parts bike. Its a 1983 650 maxim midnite. It doesn't run no title but looks decent. I noticed it had dual disc front. And I figured since I needed the caliper I should just pick this one up. But from my understanding, the 650 never had dual disc? So would this mean I would have to swap everything over? I figure I'll just take it completely apart box up what I might need later. (Or who knows maybe a third project)

Or another thought. If this bike is in better shape. Could I just swap the motor over? I know mine will start and run.

 

The 650 Midnight Maxim had dual discs. You can swap the whole front if you want dual discs on your 650 (a fine upgrade for modern traffic). Or you can see about titling the midnight and having yourself one of the prettier/rarer models of XJ.

 

It is a nice bike. Although it does not run. So I figured it would just be quicker to swap it over to my bike. How about swapping the motor?

 

It's a straight swap, but the midnight motor is painted differently.

Having had a motor out, I would not say that it would necessarily be easier than doing the work to get the Midnight motor to run.

 

For the price of the bike, I wouldn't mind getting it running as well. So I think maybe what I could do is swap the front. That way I could get mine on the road and going. And just build the midnite on the side this winter. Not to sure yet. So many options. I probably shouldn't buy another bike but for 100$ I'll never be able to get all the parts I need for less than that. And if I do finish them both atleast my friends won't have a reason they can't ride right?

 

If you have room for the parts bike, buy it. I had an xj650 parts bike. I used lots of parts from it and gave away the leftover skeleton. A happy scavenger hauled it away.

 

I have an 82 650 Seca parts bike, and if you really need some calipers I can sell you a set. They are dissasembled and need to be rebuilt.

 

I do have the room. I'm pretty sure I'm going to grab it up. I just have to wait on payday!

I appreciate it but I think that the seca and maxim calipers are different.

 

They are as different as two things can be and still have the same purpose.