New bike, new to forum, bike that will not idle

Hello!

My name is Ryan, I just recently purchased a 1982 XJ550 Maxim. This is my first motorcycle, and I look forward to riding and learning how to work on it. I have a little bit of experience working on cars, but none on motorcycles.

The bike I bought seems to run well enough, with the exception of idling. The bike starts right up with full choke, and idles well enough with the choke on. However, as soon as I remove the choke the bike dies. If I give some throttle while removing the choke, it continues to run fine. Even after being warmed up, I must stay on the throttle (around 1500 rpm) to keep the bike running.

The previous owner stated that he did a bit to get the bike to where it is, but didn't really specify what exactly. He told me that the owner before him and had cleaned the carbs. I got the bike pretty cheap because of the idling issue.

I think that my first course of action should be to take the carburetors apart myself, and take extra special care to make sure that the jets are clean. Does this seem like a reasonable first step? Should I be doing anything else while I have the bike apart?

Besides the idling issue, the previous owner told me that there weren't really any issues with the bike besides cosmetics. Should I be looking at any specific parts that may be needing replacement on this 30 year old bike that would be fairly easy for a novice to switch out? The previous owner did say that the bike would probably need a new chain soon, but as of right now it is adjusted to where it needs to be. Is switching the chain a large/expensive job?

The final question I have is in regards to turn signals. The bike is wired for it, and has the switch on the handlebars, but there are not any signals on the bike. While still being legal in Illinois, I would prefer to have turn signals....Will I run into any issues trying to hook up signals on this bike? I wouldn't think so being as the wires are there, but I just wanted to double check.

Thank you guys, and I look forward to learning a ton from you!

 

your carbs need to be cleaned , your pilot jet circuit is what runs the bike at Idle to 2.5k rpm is clogged this consistes of a jet in the bowl an airjet under the top cover and a mixture screw
welcome

some reading for you

The Information Overload Hour

The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

IN THE CHURCH OF CLEAN

THE SECRET LIFE OF CARBURETORS

Something New, Something Naked

c

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT with Pics

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT Part 2: The Tool vs. ZipTie -w/pics

Choosing Oil for a Wet Clutch Motorcycle


SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a look


our forum supporting vendor plenty of parts and advice Chacal

XJ4Ever - Supporting Vendor

 

Brake lines have a manufacture date printed on 'em. They expire after 4 to 5 years. If yours is like most, they've been on there 30 years!
Tires should be checked for age. Cracking rubber is bad.
Clips holding glass fuses get brittle and break. Many upgrade to blade style fuse boxes.
As for turn signals, putting them back on is the right idea. Using a set designed for your bike, either used on evilBay or new from someone like XJ4ever (see link at top right of page) will be easiest. Voltage change can cause the blinking function to fail.
Do you still have the original airbox? This will make tuning a billion times easier. Your carbs are designed to work with it. Individual intake cones make it far more difficult.
Plastic side covers are fragile and costly, especially the right side. Be careful when removing them.

 

Also, why is evilBay putting links in my post? Annoying! I hate when computers make decisions for me!

 

chains are cheap
you can get an oring chain on ebay for 50$ 530 x 104 links you will want the non rivet masterlink style or you will need a 80$ tool to install it

for under 100$ you should be able to get front and rear sprocket and chains

do you want stock turn signals or aftermarket led ones?
stock easy , led needs a little work to adapt. flasher relay for leds will be needed

 

I would add the following to MattiThundrrr and XJ550H's comments. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by the information and what needs to be done on the bike. Slow and steady will get the job done. Working on the bike is relatively easy and folks here are incredibly generous in sharing their knowledge.

 

check your inbox left you a link for factory service manual and carb rebuild pdf

 

Welcome ,. Where in Illinois are you located? You need to disregard anything P.O. told you check and adjust the valves is also one big step, rebuild the carbs fully . follow along you will get a lot of help .

 

Links help to pay the bills for this site. It seems inconsistent but whenever you type the name of a site that Snowsheriff gets paid to link to ( like ebay), the text becomes a link. It's far more common on other forums than it is here though.

EDIT:
When I posted there was no auto-linking, so maybe it's been disabled.

 

I got links for the word "tires" and "airbox". Also, the word "eebay" in kmoes post is a link. Whatever, not that annoying.

 

Ahhhh...... I must not see them becasue I'm one of those uppity paying members.

 

Sigh. I miss money. Too bad it doesn't seem to miss me.

 

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I don't feel the need to go LED on the turn signals, especially if it's easier to run the normal ones.

XJ550H, thank you for all the links! Those should be extremely helpful. Should I replace both sprockets when I replace the chain?

Jetfixer, I am in central Illinois, Bloomington-Normal area. But I go to school in the St. Louis area.

MattiThundrrr, I think PO has already replaced the fuse box. I'm not sure on the airbox, I will look when I get a chance. Is changing brake lines an extensive job?

 

I don't see them and I am not a premium member. I wonder if you have an extension in your browser doing that.

 

I opened another tab on my browser at one point and did an evilBay search for xs1100 parts. I think that started it all...

 

It's becoming self aware!

 

Sounds like your on the right track for a good running bike. You have everyone's attention and now know what needs to be done.

If your gonna change one sprocket. Do both. There's a lot that needs to be done to a 30 year old bike. But you only need to do it once. For now at least. That will last for another 30 years.

But here's another link for the real cost. It's a lot cheaper than a "newer" bike that still needs work or a NEW bike.

http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/tech-topic-the-real-costs-of-maintenance.14581/

 

stock is easiest if the relay is there

manual will show you a good sprocket and howto tell

ebay make offer of 12$ for rear sprocket 10$ for front sprocket it will be 19.99 shipping

NOS Yamaha Steel Rear Drive Sprocket Black JX550 XJ 550 Seca 46T 4G0-25446-20-33

NOS Sunstar Countershaft Drive Sprocket 16T Yamaha FJ600 FZ600 YZ600 XJ400 XJ550

chain 36.40$ free shipping
Natural 530x104 O-Ring Drive Chain Motorcycle 530 Pitch 104 Links 8200# Tensile

not on the 550,

 

I wouldn't go as far as to say it is a virus, but it is definitely one of those things that installed itself on your computer when you were not looking... My kids use the computer for that crappy gaming (the free flash stuff) and often times there's a lot of "garbage" links in the side bars of MSN and other pseudo news sites that is all too tempting to click on... so the family computer in the living room ended up with the symptoms you are describing... It got worse and worse, slowing everything down. The only way I was able to get rid of it was to back up all the important files and do a complete rebuild. Right down to reinitializing the hard drive and reinstalling all of the applications.

Sorry to keep the thread off track.

 

It's not a virus.