Max-xj700x Refurb

Ordered a set of used ignition coils that are compatible for my bike and test well. While they were being shipped, I spent some time painting the grab bars and knocking down some blemishes on the tank. I also bought some PVC and some 1 1/4" couplers and built a carb stand for the wet test.

 

Question: Does the ignition coil bracket on XJ700Xs act as a ground in any way? (I noticed the bracket's removeable and bolted to tabs on the upper frame)

 

no. the bolts may have a ground wire on them

 

No ground wire, just bolted to the frame, nothing fancy.

 

Thanks for the info. I didn't see any ground wires, only the bracket which held both coils and horns.

So the carbs have been cleaned and rebuilt. I set the floats to the same level on all carbs however when I did the wet test, I had fuel run out the overflow. What I found was carbs 1 & 4 were spot on but 2 & 3 were both high. (New needle and seats in all) I'm sure there are several things that might cause this imbalance, so I drained the bowls and will have to lower the floats on those carbs...and wet test again.

 

When I did the wet test on mine the last time I couldn't set carb number 3. It just kept overflowing no matter how much I lowered the float. Also new needles and seats, I bought them somewhere in the Netherlands. After replacing the needle and float with the old ones on number 3 the problem was solved. Looks like new ones aren't always good.

 

Thanks 866, I'll keep that in mind. I kept the old needles and seats in case I ran into an issue. I used a caliper to measure the new seat and the old one, thinking there may be a height difference, but both mic'd out the same.

 

Those carbs are sensitive baby's.

 

866, speaking of sensitive carbs, are you running the oem airbox? Mine came with cheap pods, so I'll probably take the box off my parts bike and install. It would be easier and look better with pods but I don't like the issues that come with them (debris, extensive tuning, etc).

 

Yes oem airbox, I never had the courage to go through all the issues that comes with pods. I'm not that good of a mechanic. Though as you say, they look much better. With the stock setup tuning the carbs isn't very difficult as long as they are clean and the valve clearances are in spec. I don't know if it's because of the 5 valve engine or all XJ's are that sensitive but if one of the two isn't spot on than the bike doesn't run right.

 

Figured, while the coils and bracket were out of the way, I'd take the valve cover off, spray it and polish the hold-down bolts. Also took the petcock from the parts bike and disassembled for cleaning. The one on this bike was a non-vacuum replacement and one of the previous owners ran a screw down the number 2 intake vacuum cap.

 

Personally, I DONT like the look of pods.

 

I'm not a big fan of the generic designs but, in my opinion, the K&N or DNA oval filters (when clean) look good.

I have considered velocity stacks with a RAMAIR filter to promote laminar flow to the carb inlet, but I'll probably stick with the airbox.

 

Just a progress pic. Reinstalled the painted rear fender with new brake light and blinkers added, I two-toned the side grab bars to highlight the Maxim name. Grabbed the side cover from my parts bike and painted it to match the metallic grey/black theme. Exhaust outlet has been prepped, sprayed with high temp paint and I'll attempt a wrinkle finish top coat. After that, reinstalling the coils and plugs.

 

I try to keep mine as stock as possible but must admit that grab bars look pretty slick.

 

Thanks 866, I bought the bike earlier this year and someone had spray-bombed a lot of it black at some point. It left a lot to be desired...the only part that had any color was the radiator cover which was sprayed with, what I can only call, 'zombie green'!

I really like the look of the bike, so I won't be doing anything drastic. However I can see some opportunity for small aesthetic improvements and the silver and metallic grey compliments well.

 

Looking real nice!

 

paint is removable

 

True!

 

It's alive! After many hours of troubleshooting, rebuilding plug caps, replacing coils and addressing the carbs, the X fired up today and ran on its own. I still need to fine tune the carbs, address the charging issue, adjust the clutch cable etc.....but definitely progress.