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New owner 1982 XJ650 Maxim

Discussion in 'Central US and Canada' started by Ethan Weber, Jun 15, 2019.

  1. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Greetings all,

    I recently boughy myself a 1982 XJ650 Maxim last summer for $600. This is my first motorcycle and so far I love it.

    Since purchasing I have replaced the tires, switched to thw spin on oil filter, replaced the exhaust system (still oem), upgraded to the 750 tank, and polished up and cleaned the engine, upgraded sealed beam headlight to LED, and touched up the frame paint.

    She is coming along great and is very fun to ride. I plan on cleaning up the engine a bit more and polishing some of the caps and then blacking out the engine with VHT. Also going to be cleaning out the carbs. received_1705965039481389.jpeg received_1705964989481394.jpeg 20190615_121406.jpg 20190615_121605.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    Nice looking bike, you have cleaned that up well. Did you paint it form the top pic to the bottom pic? Looks like it was black and now a gray or some color I can't put my finger on, looks nice though.
     
  3. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Thank you, and Yes I painted the new 750 tank. I actually used black plasti dip and the gloss finish. I also put a couple coats of gloss enamel to protect from gas. It took me a few tries to get it right but I do like the Gray finish that it ended up being. Still got some work to do though!
     
  4. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    put back brakes and braided steel brake hose up on top of your to do list
     
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  5. Chitwood

    Chitwood Well-Known Member

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    'Nother wisco XJ rider, nice! Bike is looking good. Agree with polock. Where abouts are you? I'm a little southeast of Madison
     
  6. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    You will notice a huge change in the brakes when you change to new brake lines.
     
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  7. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Wisconsin dells area.
     
  8. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    Your area is about to explode with people in the up coming days! School is out and the weather is getting warmer. I am 45 Mins up the "I" from you.
     
  9. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Oh yes it is about to get crazy lol. Ive grown up in this town my whole life, i know what hell is about to happen . If you are ever in the area ide be down to ride though. My buddy crashed his R1 last summer and hasnt gotten it fixed yet so Ive just been cruising alone lol.
     
  10. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Definitely looking into this. Have a local shop im going to go to. I can do some mechanical work but would rather have brakes done professionally. Will probably order the cable and rear drum from xj4ever and bring it to the shop for install.
     
  11. Chitwood

    Chitwood Well-Known Member

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    Brakes are easy. I can understand your concern though as they are a safety item but with the right guidance you can handle it.If I'm ever up your way and actually have my bike/bikes with me I will definitely be down to ride. I try to avoid that area around popular holidays as well. Even on normal weekends it gets crazy and forget about the interstate on the way home.
     
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  12. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    The Dells is one of my favorite people watching places...but nuts traffic both vehicle and people. I have been thinking of coming down to the "Zip" lines as they seem like a fun thing to do.

    As for the bike, brakes are easy and more or less straight forward. You will need some rags and keep an eye out for any spilled brake fluid on paint. Paint and brake fluid do not get a long over a 24 hr period. Staying away from the MC when doing the the front brakes is important. Once the caliper is off and the puck is moved just make sure not to acute the MC lever until both sides are done and back on the rotor.

    Go to you tube and look at a few vids on how to do a pad change both front and back and you will feel confident enough to do that. As for the brake lines, it will get a little messy. The length and bend at each end needs to be correct. The routing of the line and that is it. New crush washers would be good too, but if not leaking with the old ones, they will work.

    Your buddy is okay? R1 is a lot of bike, fun and light. It is great that you two are able to ride together. I might get down there this yr if the rain ever stops....lol
     
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  13. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Ive been watching quite a few videos on brakes but I also dont have a good place to do the work like a garage or something.

    As for my buddy yeah he is alright just got a few scrapes and bruises. His own fault though. We were out riding around the countryside and hisnface sheild came loose so we pulled over so he could fix it and then decided he wanted to tray and pop a wheelie. I dont know how many times i told him not to try it but he did any way. So he went down the road and revved it way to much and popped the clutch and the bike took off from under him and rolled and flipped its way down the road. Pieces flew all over both sides of the road bent both his rims, front end was gone, and i was watching in what felt like slow motion. I think he learned his lesson though and wont be trying that again especially since he has had to put another 3g into the bike for replacement parts lol
     
  14. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    Wow after that hard of a wreck I would think his R1 would be done for. Something bent in the frame or triple tree that could not be straightened out. I hope that works for him...be careful around him and warn him to watch for the bike to start to front shake.

    Good story.
     
  15. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    That's really scary, and really dumb. An R6 has enough power that you can wheelie on just the throttle.
     
  16. Ethan Weber

    Ethan Weber New Member

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    Yeah I agree. This is his fitst bike as well. Dont know why he thoughy he needed that much power in the first place. And i warned him multiple times not to even try it since he is a new rider but he didnt listen. But after this incident i dont think he will be trying it again any time soon.
     
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  17. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Some people have to learn the hard way I guess.
    My son wanted an R6 for his first bike. I (and his budget) talked him into an EX500 instead. He thanked me afterward.
     
  18. Timbox

    Timbox Well-Known Member

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    The R1 is based on their track bike, "cross plane crank" and all the fun things that come with it. Rev and dump the clutch on that bike was just asking for something bad to happen. EX500 is one of the best starter bikes out there IMHO...great choice k-moe.
     
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  19. Stumplifter

    Stumplifter Well-Known Member

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    Another cheesehead... up near Tomahawk.

    I do understand not having a garage but am a huge proponent of doing stuff myself.
    Most shops don’t know these older Jap bikes, and they are in the business of turnarounds which CAN mean half arsed work. I am anal retentive when it comes to my safety on 2 wheels (although my current life situation finds me trapped on 4 wheels). Stopping is always more important than going.

    Even a driveway with a tarp /canopy to keep the scorching sun off your back would suffice... unless it is one of those cool days - you know how it be here in Wisconsin!

    Check these out:
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-rebuild-your-master-cylinder.18377/
    http://www.xj4ever.com/rear drum brakes.pdf

    This is a long read but really has a good story line...
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-information-overload-hour.27544/


    Best of luck, listen to the oft posting folks here, they really care and really know their stuff. That being said, do NOT be shy to re-ask questions if you do not understand the answer that is given. I knew nothing when I first came here and had to have some of the answers “dummied down” for my lack of experience, and these folks kindly obliged. I still know nothing but do know how to get answers in a format that suits me!

    And for the love of everything holy take a MSF class.
    Keep it rubber side down.
     
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  20. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    Talking of first bikes mine was an MZ TS150 that got a few laughs from my friends who had RD250's and GT 250's at the time. One had a Kawsaki 250 triple. Well the MZ was no headturner but is was cheap and I learned my basic skills on it.
     

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