To "X" or not to "X"?

I have a '81 maxim 550 and really want a little bigger bike and love the look of the '85 or '86 700. But why are some water cooled rather than air. I am leaning towards the air cooled model. If you had a chose would you buy a Maxim X 700 or a Maxim 700 and why?

 

big difference between the 2. maxim x is 5 valve per cyl hotrod vs the 2 valve per cyl maxim. Both are great bikes but if you want performance go with the maxim x. Get the revs up and hold on. The regular Maxim is like your 550 with a bit more power. more reading at http://www.maxim-x.com/maximxj700_cycle_article.html

 

That write up was very informative. Thank you. It did say that range was limited. Any idea how far one might go before getting to the reserve tank while on the highway? I am leaning more towards the straight 700 at this point as I never liked the look of the radiator on the X.

 

About a hundred miles or so.

I've also got an older aircooled sibling; both work for me.

Too bad you're not closer to where moderator Robert is at; last I knew he had a rolling 700 airhead chassis sitting around. Needs carbs, a tank, and one or two other goodies, if memory serves.

 

The range is going to depend on how much you like to twist the throttle. My experience is around 100-110 miles and somewhere around 10-15 miles left when the fuel light comes on. Of course when you start hitting that magic 7k, your mileage will go down....but it will definitely be worth it!

 

100 miles isn't too bad. I take that is cruising at around 65mph? Also does anyone have any idea what the revs would be like at 65mph? I found it interesting that my 550 has a six speed and the 700 only five.

 

Keep in mind that the "airhead" has valves that can be relatively easily adjusted, like your 550.

On the watercooled 5-valve motors, the "shims" (more like small metal aspirins) are located under the buckets, requiring camshaft removal to adjust the valves. Granted, they don't have to be done as often; but it's a lot more "surgery" than the shim-ON-bucket arrangement in the airhead motors.

 

Correct.

I want to say 5000-5100, but it might be a bit higher. Been a while since I've had the chance to ride it.

...and I'm dreading the time it becomes necessary. I find the prospect rather daunting, actually.

 

it's not all that bad. I know at least one guy that swears pulling the cams even on shim OVER bucket is easier than trying to fish those steel wafers out with the cams in situ.
Just be sure to zip tie the sprockets to the chain so you don't lose timing. Unbolt and weasel the cams out.
And don't get over excited and pull a newbie mistake (mr overconfidence likes to sneak up behind me while I'm not paying attention) such as forgetting to measure existing clearance first thing and stuffing a rag down the chain gallery so you can't drop any bolts or shims down it.

I know the feeling you're talking about. I tend to get nervous when doing pretty much anything for the first time.

 

I agree just jump in and do it. Personally i like my x don't have to worry about overheating in traffic, accelerates the same as a 900 seca. But then again im a gear head and like power. former bikes v max, zrx11, zx 11,v65 so i am used to bikes with a lot more power
this might sound like a silly question since i have never owned a 550 is there enough of a difference between the 550 and 700 to make it a worth while change. 168 cc bigger with 1 less gear

 

From my experience, the airhead seems a bit more well behaved (less of a wild stallion) in the mid-throttle position....but I like the "wild" behavior most of the time.
I believe is is only about 5 hp difference if both are in good shape and well tuned.
Shims are a pain, but not the end of the world. Just plan on having the bike down for a week while you round up the shims after you measure the old ones otherwise you do the job twice.

I also think the Mikuni carbs are much more finicky to partial clogs and minute vacuum leaks....the X does NOT have YICS which is probably the reason for that.

 

-Pulling cams when you don't have to is asking for trouble.

-The 550 is a rocket, primarily because of its light weight and quick-responding chain drive. I don't care what anybody says, it takes time to get all that (shaft drive) hardware "wound up." I have NO PROBLEM running with (and outrunning) "big bikes;" remember the 550 is the grandaddy of all those 600cc crotch rockets you see out there today.

-The 700 will be a tad faster, but probably not quicker. And it's what, 100 or 150lbs heavier? It depends on what you feel comfortable with. I'm primarily a solo rider, and I prefer snappy, quick and "flickable." But I ride Secas.

-YICS has nothing to do with the fact that Mikunis are precision instruments living in a sloppy world, and suffering the consequences. (The 550s have Mikunis too.)

RIDE ONE FIRST if at all possible.

 

I was wanting to get a 700 because, one i like the look over my '81 maxim 550. Two i was hoping that it would be better on the highway with a longer range and lower cruising rpm. But the 550 and 700 seem to be very similar.

My '81 maxim 550 sits at 5100rpm at 65mph and i get about 100 miles to the tank before reserve.

Maybe i should just modify mine to look more like the 700 with a rear fender, newer two piece seat, and painted fenders instead of chrome. What do you think?

 

fits have to disagree with you there . maxim 550 13.3 at 97 even the seca 550 is 13.0 @ 97 maxim 700 runs 12.56. the wet weight between the 2 is 60 lbs so the 700 does make a lot more power.
you are right it takes a few hp to spin the shaft more the chain. The seca 550 might be the granddad to the 600 sport bikes of today but the only thing they have in common is the closeness in cc thats it. The new 600s make between 2 and 2.5 times the power of the 550. All the xj models except for the x were designed in the 70s they made good power back then but motors have really evolved since then
Desinger_Mike Did some reading in maxim x.com they put the maxim and maxim x on the same dyno 59.7hp for the maxim 75.0 for the maxim x wich shows in the 1/4 and mph.

 

I did a little searching and it seems the straight 700 has double the torque of the 550 and only weights about 150lbs more. I think that would be a noticeable gain. Also at 60mph the rpms are 4663.

 

the weight your looking at is dry weight on the 550 and wet weight on the 700 if you search a bit you can find it . I have no idea why in the early 80s they showed dry weight in stead of wet weight. But then again i could never figure out why in 74 and later model cars were net hp ratings. I used to love it in those years lot of bench racers would say how much faster there 73 was over 74 because in 73 hp rating was 200 and 74 it was 130 identical motors no additional emissions.

Like everyone says go drive one see how you like it over the 550 don't go by what anyone says your the one you have to impress no one else

 

Wisdom for the ages. I must remember this. Maybe stick it into one of my world-famous (snicker) writeups.

 

I think its a great idea i never would of thought of it

 

Or use little dots of yellow paint...

 

Great! Now all I have to do is find one near Saskatoon, SK and wait for the snow to melt!

Thank you all for your input. I continue the learn.

 

I found a 1985 750 maxim x that looks in great condition from the photos, but was wondering what would be some things to look into before making the seven hour drive to look at it and buying it? Do these bikes ever run into problems with coolant leaks in the engine?

 

I had an air head last year at the same time I had my x. Mike is right, the airhead is better behaved. The weird thing? the article comparing the two in the 85 article in Motor Cyclist is RIGHT on. The seat is more comfortable and other than brute 'omg, hold on power' I'd go with the air head. It is considerably better behaved when it comes to power delivery etc. I truly enjoyed riding it. My x is a bit more brutish, but that said, I'd rather have the x due to it realllllly goes.

the airhead or the x would mop the road with the 550.

 

I have been doing a lot of reading on the airhead 700, 700X and 750X. it seems that the frame and suspension are identical. also the gas mileage seems very close. the only difference is the motor. is that correct? What would you prefer as a cruiser for longer trips and for in town and why?

Thank you everyone for your opinion as i am trying to decide what i want to hold out for.

 

Any bike can be used as a cruiser, if you are willing to put up with some/a lot of discomfort. I found that when I had my X on the road long trips were uncomfortable due to the fact that you can't really move around on the saddle too much. For long distance I would suggest taller bars with a bit more pull back, a tall windshield, definitely need to have some kind of highway pegs and if you are one up, put something on the back seat that you can lean back on for back support.
The one big negative I found was the limits of the gas mileage. At highway speeds you're going to be pulling in for gas every hour to an hour and a half, which gets tedious on long rides, also on unplanned trips you will get nervous riding on reserve looking for gas stations in the middle of the night, been there, done that.
As a short distance ride though, you can't beat the X for just plain fun and hooliganism! Carving corners can be a bit unnerving, but straight line acceleration is an adrenaline rush, just don't get caught is all. I recall that with WFO throttle riding I would get about 50-60 miles out of a tank before the reserve light came on.
That's the big difference between chain and shafty bikes. With a chain you can play with the gearing depending on what you want to do. For example, go down a tooth on the front sprog and up a couple on the rear and hold on tight, or go up one on the front and down a couple on the rear and get a nice RPM reduction for long distance, plus you may get a couple extra miles per gallon.
Compare my X to my 1200 Bandit, I went up one tooth on the front sprog and reduced my cruising RPM's by about 500 RPM and can go about 380 Kms on 20 litres of gas, now compare that to my X that got about 160 Kms before reserve and getting nervous around 180Kms on 15 litres of gas.
I know that bikes have come a long way from 1985 to 2004, but the gas mileage really impressed me.
Hope this helps.

 

I am defiantly liking this '85 750X. There is something that I want to clear up though. On maxim-x.com it is stated that the valve shims are needed to be done every 260 000 miles as per the yamaha manual. I am assuming that it is a typo and should read only 26 000 miles. Can anyone back me up?

What do you think of my hopefully new bike to me?

 

260000 miles, really, think about it! 8O
Yes it's a typo.
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

that's a sweet looking STOCK X.....
Shims are not fun, not terribly hard, just tedious and major time consuming. DO IT a month BEFORE you wanna ride.
It will most likely be apart for a week or more.

 

I have 3 maxims X's - great looking bikes and great fun too. The photo shows a really nice one.

I agree, fuel tank is too small. The valve adjustment requires a bit of skill, but the adjustment interval is wide.

Go for the high tech X, not the air cooled model and hold on.

 

i say.... TO X!!!!!