***Brute Bobb Build***

Hello all. The start of the Brute Bobb begin!!! I'll keep it simple, the bike started as a 1982 maxim 550 that i found on craigslist and got for $400. So, needless to say here starts the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

removed front fender and sanded down today.




added some rust reformer for precautionary measures to the underside

 

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got headlight out and ready to sand, also got some of misc pieces off front end and labeled wires for later

 

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off comes the seat and rear section....

 

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rear fender and light came off and had a little surprise.

 

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more rear end came off...

 

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an excuse to use a power tool is a good enough one for me! out came rear subframe and grinded top frame rails

 

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exhausts came off before bike was put away for the night. had a nice growing bin of parts

 

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Good start.

Can't believe got such a shiny bike for $400 then decided to cut it up. Grats and good luck

 

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shes shiny enough but definitely shows her age in certain spots. For instance the rear of swingarm has slight rust spots so im stripping her down and sending her out for media blasting and primer

 

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I would recommend getting it running properly before you sink a whole bunch of time and effort into major cosmetic mods only to discover an issue with the motor.

Have you checked/adjusted the valves, verified the float levels, and sync'ed the carbs? Run a compression test? How about at least pulled the rear wheel and checked the rear brake shoes for delamination? Checked the date codes on the front brake lines and tires?

You might be putting the cart before the horse here...

 

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Sweet project! I picked up an 83 xj750 about a month ago, I'll be doing the same thing to it this winter. It's fast and super fun to ride, that's for sure. Keep us updated on yours!

 

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when i purchased the bike i drove it home believe it or not. it has a finicky starting problem which i believe is the typical rubber boot problem because they're cracked and original. Also the battery had almost no water in it which i will be replacing battery this coming spring. It doesn't want to start when its cold but if i drop start it by pushing it and dumping clutch she fires (battery i believe). She runs great but could use a little tuning. Any tips or leads on doing valve clearance, syncing carbs and cleaning? It would be greatly appreciated.

 

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Fitz,I give you a lot of credit for your patience,you do keep trying!

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

sanded the stock plate mount (just in case) as well as the rear fender top and bottom.

 

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headlight dome is sanded and etch primered ( forgot picture of primer lol)

 

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Today started out smooth until i painted the front fender and it fell off the stand....ugh

 

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got out the old siphon tube and drained the gas tank. That takes forever to get the last little bit out lol


if you remove the petcock its a bit easier but still theres always that tiny little bit fighting you.


my empty tank....FINALLY

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

taped off gas cap and applied airplane stripper to tank. Let me tell you this stuff is nasty!!! gloves is a must and i wish i would have had sleeves. The overspray burns like the devil. Anyways....I applied the stripper and then it like "melted" off. I actually forgot about the stripper on the tank and it worked to my advantage. It turned the paint into like dry potato chips and the wire wheel took it right off!

 

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Brother came over for a little bro-time. First he told me he wasn't getting dirty....then two minutes later he's evening out the cut off subframe lol. Gotta love it!


Removed Exhaust to sand down tomorrow and prep for heat paint.

 

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As i was continuing my disassembly came across a funny issue. My bike is special.....it has two horns hahahaha


chain guard came off as well. Dont know if im gonna use it yet but my lord was it gummed up!!!

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

old fuse panel which will probably get replaced with newer fuse panel. any ideas anyone?


as of 2:00pm this is how she sat...

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

took carbs out and attempted to remove the airbox....like i said, attempted. I'd love to know who designed that setup because apparently the airbox doesn't come out without the motor being removed, or just using a hammer.



drained the oil to get ready for motor removal. It wasn't all that bad but definitely could use changed....after paint of course


sun was going down but i wasn't done yet lol.

 

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Managed to get motor out but forgot to disconnect the tach cable lol. No wonder she wouldn't come out.

 

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got a bit darker so i had to call it quits for the night. but atleast i got the motor out.







GOODNIGHT EVERYONE.

 

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Chacal (XJ4Ever above) or some auto stores sell blade fuse panels. Take a peek at my Electrical post.

That's alot of progress for 1 weekend

 

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Alysiak00, I saw you had a nice backrest on the bike at one time. Do you still have it? Are you interested in getting rid of it? I wouldn't mind that on my 750. Let me know. Thanks.

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

absolutely i still have it lol. i keep all of my spare parts....except for my airbox which had a bit of an anger management outbreak. you dont happen to have a headlight bezel do you? if not its no biggy. Just send me your zip and i'll give you a qoute. I wont charge you except for shipping

 

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Hey man, looks like the build is going good so far, I like you attention to detail. Are you planning in re useing the sissy bar??

 

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no im not using the sissy bar. i'm gonna go with a pan or spring seat. the old seat, sissy bar, and basically everything you see in the black and yellow tote is not going back on lol

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

After another fun day I ran into a seriously crappy can of paint. I picked up a can of high heat clear coat for after i painted the valve cover. I noticed that the ball wasn't rolling freely so i thought i'd do an old trick and smack it against the ground. This didn't work the first, or second, or third time.....until it exploded on the fourth! needless to say, i had clearcoat ALL OVER THE PLACE!

thats my funny story for the day

 

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sanded down stock midpipe and headers to coat with header paint

 

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coated pipes, midpipe, and header clamps with paint

 

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valve cover came off for paint and a little polish on the fins. heres progress so far




shimmer of aluminum before prepped for paint



use vasoline to cover the polished aluminum....the paint won't stick

 

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bottom of tank was removed of undercoating, sanded a bit, and coated with reformer. Later will come a coat of undercoating

 

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removed bars and lowered the front stem/forks to allow room for new clip-ons. I think i might go above triple tree but i will wait and see

 

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valve cover is done. came out better than i had thought.

started out with black gloss heat paint over everything


the paint on the fins came right off because of the vasoline. It literally just wipes right off.


Then i finished it by polishing the fins one last time before setting aside for when my new gasket gets here!!!

 

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applied bondo to tank to fill in emblem grooves and few dents in the 30 year old tank

 

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removed some more of the harness to clean and prep frame for paint. Does anyone know where i can get a manual for the maxim 550 because im finding relays with nothing leading to them.....like this one in the bottom left here with the zip tie?!?

 

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Looking good man - that valve cover is clean I like it. Keep up the good work!

 

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simple wire it!!!

 

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well, i wanted to use the stock break but wanted to take off the mirrors. this stubborn setup had like fuzed itself to the bar so i ended up just cutting it off lol.

-soaked in pb blaster


-after multiple attempts at wrenching it off said "screw it" and cut it off




now plan on sanding her down and painting

 

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pulled the wiring harness fully and gave frame a good scrubbin



-almost forgot to pull chain and ignition before washing lol

 

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detached rear swingarm and sanded down for reformer

 

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i took a break after coating the swingarm and thought i'd eat a healthy dinner and hang with my buddy "poncho"

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

....okay, back to work.After cleaning, degreasing, wire wheeling, and sanding the frame, she got a coat of reformer. I started with bottom, then two sides, and finished with top after masking off front vin sticker (whats left of it). I also didn't focus on the stand as it will be coming off after i get my new shocks!

 

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wrapped up the night by soaking the chain in kerosene which i'll scrub down tomorrow. Im not sure yet but i might treat myself to a nice shiny black/chrome chain. but its sad to throw away this good one even though shes a bit rusty. believe it or not that chain is only 6 months old bahahaha

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

The chain soaked in kerosene for a day then i hit it with a hard bristled toothbrush. It soaked again for another day and did the same thing and this is what i was left with...



I soaked the chain with chain lube until i get it ready to put on. I was definitely pleased with how it came out. Now i'll save 50 bucks from buying a chain lol

 

Re: **Brute Bobb Build***

one of the admins had a thread on here about checking the back drum shoes for de-lamination. I thought it was a perfect time to check them and i was quite lucky. Shoes seemed to be new, a little dirty....but overall in good shape.

before:


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