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Sarah's '80 Yamaha Xj650 Maxim

XJ Garage item created by Sarah, Nov 12, 2016

Average User Rating:
5/5,
Tags:
  • Year:
    1980
    Make:
    Yamaha
    Model:
    XJ650 Maxim
    Engine Size:
    653 cc
    Modifications & Accessories:
    Hella H4 headlight conversion
    6 blade fuse block upgrade
    SS brake lines, rebuilt master cylinder, rebuilt caliper, & new pads & shoes
    SS clutch and throttle cables
    Rebuilt carbs, new intake manifolds, new fuel petcock
    Progressive Suspension 418 series adjustable rear shock absorbers
    Rebuilt forks, with Progressive Suspension fork spring kit
    All Balls tapered steering head bearings
    Slipstreamer SS-28 Sport fairing
    Lindby Linbar engine guard
    Cortech Super 2.0 saddlebags
    Castle saddlebag supports
    Tourmaster Cruiser III tool bag
    KG Engineering luggage rack
    Kuryakyn helmet lock
    Kuryakyn LED 'tri-light' license plate frame
    LED accent lighting & LED turn signal side mirrors
    Akron cell phone mount
    Eklipes power port
    Go Cruise 2 cruise assist
    Michelin Commander II's
    + necessary replacement of wear items, spark plugs, air filter, fluids, gaskets, bearings, etc.. and hours and hours of cleaning and polishing aluminum!
    Acquired in 2012 in very good original condition; one owner, 6,454 miles, all originally included accessories and documents (toolkit, security chain with instruction tag, owner's manual, Yamaha "owner's card", original title) all nicely packaged in the original dealer paperwork folder.

    Since then, we've lovingly restored, repaired, upgraded and customized into such an awesomely fun, reliable, incredibly peppy little bike that I am in love with, and will hopefully never have to part with.

    Even though it's taken 3- 4 years to get here, I've been able to ride the during the entire process, amassing another 10,000 miles so far. My bike has never left me stranded.
Sarah, Nov 12, 2016
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  1. CactusJack578
    Beautiful bike and what a great find. Good for you. I'm jealous.
    CactusJack578, Nov 15, 2016
      Sarah likes this.
    1. dowski68
      thank You I just got real lucky with that find especially since it is my first bike and I basically didn't l know what I had until much later. :)
      dowski68, Apr 16, 2017
    2. Madmax-im
      Wow..just a stunning bike..Anyone would beam with pride in ownership no doubt...Your luck is equally amazing...Congratulations and i hope you can enjoy it for many miles and smiles...;-)
      Madmax-im, Nov 22, 2017
  2. Mop
    I've a good bit to go before mines as nice ! Superb!!
    Mop, Feb 1, 2017
      Sarah likes this.
  3. dowski68
    How did you get the rear drum brake so clean and shiny?
    Mine is in desperate need of attention along with front forks
    dowski68, Feb 18, 2017
    1. Sarah
      A lot of time and elbow grease! Lol ;-)

      and I found something called an abrasive ball at Harbor Freight, it chucks into a drill, looks like a bunch of green scotch brite pads.

      It helped make quick work of the polishing, between that and the aluminum polishing kit I also found at Harbor Freight we were able to get everything nice and shiny again.
      Sarah, Apr 16, 2017
  4. shaw34sg
    Hi Sarah nice job on bike!!! What KG Luggage rack model did u get and which model castle saddle bags supportss Please help. thanks
    shaw34sg, Jul 10, 2017
      Jordan Young likes this.
    1. Sarah
      The luggage rack came with the bike, from what I can find KG Engineering doesn't exist anymore :-( it looks to be a fairly universal rack, though. The saddlebag supports are Castle brand universal "double joint" bag supports.
      Sarah, Aug 13, 2017
  5. 83Max
    The engine guard / crash bars you have are Lindby Lindbars? Are they xj-specific, or did they require modification? I've been looking for something similar but have only found "universal" sets.
    83Max, Aug 22, 2017
      Sarah likes this.
    1. Sarah
      They're universal, a local bike shop made the brackets for me
      Sarah, Sep 9, 2017
  6. Ray B
    Looks like a cracking bike. Don't know if you still have it but I was wondering if the 418 series shocks made a big difference to the handling/ ride quality?
    Ray B, Sep 8, 2017
      Sarah likes this.
    1. Sarah
      I absolutely LOVE the progressive suspension 418 series shocks! They make a huge difference over the stock KYB's. Much better performance and handling, and I love all the adjustments. Really sucks they discontinued the 418 series. I got mine slightly used off eBay for a great price, they were technically for a Sportster but the correct spring rate and everything. Just needed slightly larger bushings.
      Sarah, Sep 9, 2017
    2. Sarah
      So far I've put about 20,000 miles on those shocks, too so I've tested them pretty thoroughly
      Sarah, Sep 9, 2017
  7. Ray B
    Thank for the reply. Its great to get some advise from someone who has actually used the shocks. I hope that I can get my bike in as nice a condition as yours.
    Ray B, Sep 9, 2017
      Sarah likes this.
  8. Ray B
    I think that some customisation would result in a better ride without detracting too much on the value of these increasingly hard to find models. Destined to be a true classic I think?
    Ray B, Sep 9, 2017
    1. Sarah
      I sure think so, and I sure get a lot of compliments on her! Everything I've done has improved the ride and performance, I have friends with $15,000 bikes who hate mine because they can't even begin to keep up lol. When I was in an accident last year all the improvements definitely increased the value. They put a value of around $2400 on my bike
      Sarah, Sep 9, 2017
  9. Jordan Young
    A couple things , did u change the seat or do u still have the sissy bar ? And with ur saddle bag supports did they interfere with ur shocks atol ?
    Jordan Young, Sep 18, 2017
    1. Sarah
      Original seat, still have the sissy bar, I just took it off unless I'm riding 2 up. Supports don't interfere at all, not even close. Without supports the bags would rub the shocks.
      Sarah, Apr 9, 2018
  10. doc t
    picked up same 16k stock jets (110, 40) . Plugs exhaust pipe are black, rich. No spark yet, Ignitor box.

    because my BMW K1100 RS fire, old fuel lines on a fuel injected bike.

    doct
    doc t, Sep 29, 2017
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