New Member With "New" Bike

I was interested in purchasing a bike but really didnt want to spend a lot or go into debt. I finally ran across an '85 xj700 on ebay that was within my price range and was close enough to pick up. I did some research before bidding and ran across this web site and decided to buy it.

After more reading last night I am hoping I didnt give to much for it ($820, bikes seem to be much higher this year which i contribute to the price of petrol). It is going to need some carb work for sure and the seat is tore. I contacted a local upholstery shop and he is going to do the seat while i have the bike in getting the carbs cleaned.

I didn't realize that these older bikes from Japan have such a following. I am sure I will be asking tons of questions on here, hope I don't become to much of a pest. Right now i want to get the bike in good mechanical condition so I can ride it to work every day, which is a 30 mile drive. Maybe this winter I will trick it out. BTW I live in central Illinois. Thanks for the wonderful web site. I appreciate the time those with knowledge have taken to post, it helped convince me to by this bike. Below is a link to the auction I won, it has 2 pics of the bike. Now all I have to do is go get it!

Ebay Clicky

 

Hey StarGazer,

Welcome to the world of Rice Burners. Er I mean, Japanese made bikes.

I am a newbie as well. I just bought my first XJ this year. (1983 XJ750 Midnight Maxim) and I paid $850 for it. It had 30K miles and the PO (Prior Owner) had laid it down so it was a bit rough. But, it ran smooth on the 40 mile ride home.

So, if you paid too much for your bike with only 16K miles, then I can't imagine what people will say about what I paid for mine.

I got divorced last year and being single and in need of watching my money I bought my first bike. An 84 Honda Nighthawk CB700sc. I paid $1100 for it and put a couple of hundred bucks (besides normal maintenance) into it. I sold it this spring for $1700.

Since I really liked having a bike I went back to Craig's List and started looking for a new bike and that's where I came upon my current ride.

I am glad that I got it as I have already put close to 1000 miles on it and I have had it less than a month. It gets over 3 times the mileage that my SUV and at least 15X the fun factor.

Since it seems that you are a new rider here are some things I would recommend that you do:

1) Buy a helmet. Don't buy a cheap one. Remember, this is your brains we are talking about and with commuting you will be next to the idiots in the cages (cars) who won't see you. Make sure that it has enough ventilation so that it will be cool enough for you to wear on the commute home. I am not saying that you need to wear a helmet all the time

2) Buy a motorcycle jacket. I actually have two. One is for colder weather but it does have zippered vents for breathing. The second one is a mesh jacket that is VERY comfortable even in the middle of summer. Well, except in stop and go traffic.

Good Luck and Enjoy,

Dan

 

I just bought a 750 Maxim today for $500. Needs fork seals and to be ridden.
The ride home was fantastic since I haven't been on bike in close to twenty years. :twisted:

Last bike was a 1977 Yamaha XS650 before that a Kaw LTD440.

 

Welcome noobs, hope you stay a while and contribute to the overall funkiness of the group! ;0

 

Well tonight is the night i pick up my bike. Looks like I am going to be doing some work to get 'er rideable. I am looking for some 4 into 1 headers for this bike because the axhaust is rusted. I am taking the seat to an upholstery shop to get repaired. This weekend I am going to change the oil and the fuse panel. I am gong to post some "before" pics tonight.

I am really excited about getting this bike thanks to this group. I appreciate the enthusiasm thateveryone has here, it is quite infectious.

Any suggestions for other maintenence I should perform is welcomed.

 

Well I got my bike home. I am anxious to get it going so I can ride it. The seat goes the the upholsterer tomorrow. This weekend will I will be doing all the "elbow grease" work that has to be done, like washing and polishing.

I bought some aluminum mag wheel cleaner that I intended to use on the engine after a good degreasing. I am hesitant to use it after reading the label closely. This particular cleaner is for etched aluminum and contains acid. I imagine that all that will achieve is to burn the aluminum white, forever losing any chance of that shiny look I want.

Tomorrow I am draining the oil and rear gear oil and getting ready for new. I am going to use some advice I found on the forum and squirting a little atf in the tops of the cylinders and using seafoam in the crankcase.

I still need to order a new speedo cable. I already purchased pods for it. I am looking for a replacement exhaust if anyone has one for sale. Pic blowout below.

 

If you remove the air box you'll have to rejet.
You say you bought pods and are looking for a 4into1 header.
Just so you know at the least you're looking at alot of tuning.

 

Thanks for the reply. The bike is going into the shop next week to get the carbs rebuilt. The guy rebuilding the carbs used to build racing bikes and has been informed of my plans. Hopefully I have all the parts before it goes so he can do all the tuning while he has the bike. The problem I am having is finding an exhaust system.

 

Good luck Stargazer.
As far as finding the exhaust, first, check eBay. I have seen a number of such there for the XJ's, although I wasn't looking for your model, I was searching for XJ650 stuff.

I'll add a bit to EdinaDad's recommendations: if you haven't already, take a motorcycle class. I don't know what your state has, but in Ohio we have the Motorcycle Ohio program. It is recognized as imparting the equivelence of 2 years of riding experience as far as the insurance companies are concerned and has been shown to dramatically reduce the number of crashes among riders - with something like 60% of all crashes occuring to riders who have been riding less than two years ...

 

I used to ride a lot but that was 15 years ago. I am going to take a class to freshen up my skills.