New to riding...

Hey everyone...I am new to riding and recently bought a 1980 xj650. I have been riding it a little and noticed some friction/tension seemingly from the shaft drive and was curious if/when/how I need to grease it? Can anyone help? I am assuming that is the issue, should I be focusing my attention elsewhere?

Thanks!

 

This is the very first thing you need to do, and you need to do it right away: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

It's very possible that you're feeling the rear brake intermittently dragging, which could very well be a sign of impending delamination.

You need to pull the rear brake apart and LOOK, and right away. This is a potentially dangerous situation.

 

Is this something that I can do myself (new to bikes, but relatively mechanically inclined)...or should I get it looked at by a mechanic?

 

you should be able to do it yourself quite easily

 

Welcome and cograts on getting your first bike. These bikes are fairly simple and there will be more help here then you could ever imagine so yes, if you've got a brain and metric tools, you'll be good to go. You will need a manual if you don't have one. PM me a email address and I'll hook you up.

Since you are new to riding, the most important thing is that you learn how to ride...studies are now showing that self-taught guys have a much higher chance of ending rubber side up then those who have taken at least a basic course. I'd very highly recomend that you part ways with 100 bucks and learn how to be safe. As the guys here will attest to....I strongly believe that THEE most important part of riding is learning to BRAKE and brake well. No other part of riding will save your bacon as often as the ability to outbrake the distances given in your owners manual. Practice, practice and then practice some more until it doesn't even make you nervous to pull an emergency stop in the rain.....then you will have gotten pretty good, but don't be a fool and try that on day one or you will end up face down. You get the idea though....just remember that the last 5 feet could be truck!

Take care and again, WTTC
jeff

 

After you fix your initial problems (and learn how to ride), check out some of my topics for a new rider from a new rider (as of last year):

My shifting tips/comment
My center stand trick summary
My DIY electrical project that shows swapping out the old fuse block (common source of electrical gremlins and easy/cheap to replace).

Beyond that just read here alot, especially the detailed tutorials.

 

Aside from getting the factory manual and doing every single item of regular maintenance (if his lips were moving the PO was lying to you):

Take the MSF Beginning Rider Course. Best money you'll ever spend.

Assuming you don't ride drunk and live long enough to develop the skills not to exit the roadway at high speeds in curves the number 1 risk is cagers pulling out or turning in front of you. It will happen every single time you ride. Fail to anticipate one and you're going to get hurt.

 

So do I need to grease the drive shaft and/or anything else?

 

On the left side of the rear wheel is the gear housing.

On it there are two bolts
The top bolt is for filling, the bottom bolt for draining.

The housing gets filled to the bottom of the filler hole with 80-90 gear oil.

The best thing to do, if you aren't sure what needs to be done, is to get a service manual. You should be able to find a Haynes for $25 or less

The factory book is better, although a little more expensive.

The best to get is both of them.

Then go through EVERY maintenance item in the book.