Yamaha Maxim 650 Reviews from United States of America

The bike had always been very reliable, never left me stranded. Enjoyed its ride & feel on the road, whether it was a dirt road or paved highway. I always felt the inline 4's rocked, so 4 years after I sold it to a friend, I recently purchased a XJ1100 Maxim to further my enjoyment of the Maxims. Now the wife can ride with me comfortably.

I did not have any mechanical problems with the 650; I just needed something a little bigger. I only replaced the tires & changed oil when needed, & put a little sport fairing on it to give it a little sportier look, plus I could get out of the wind when the weather turned nippy or rain.

The Maxim pulled smoothly throughout the RPM range.

The driver's seat could have been a little more padded; would sometimes slide back to the passenger section for variety.

Forwards would have been a nice addition for more leg room; just didn't add them.

The Maxim is way more fun to ride than my V-twin could ever think of being.

The one and only real problem I had with this bike is when I first got it running after sitting for a few years, I couldn't get it to run right. It would sputter and pop under acceleration, and die at a stop. After a few days of troubleshooting, I accidentally fixed it when I ended up draining the tank and filling it with premium gas. It turns out, mine just will not run on regular.

Also, I think with 32,000 miles it could use a valve adjustment.

Brakes are noisy.

Love the look, love the feel.

Don't understand why people complain about the lack of power. For any practical purpose, the bike has all the power it will ever need. I weigh 270lbs, and have no complaints about the power. People looking for lots of horsepower and superb handling, should be looking into a street bike, not a cruiser.

Would sometimes just die when driving, but could be started right back up by dumping the clutch.

Didn't always start. Had to be push started.

Both issues more than likely due to the fact I did zero repairs on it.

I hated adjusted and lubing the darn chain.

I bought a 1979 Honda 750 Four, and it was OK. I sold that and came across a good deal on the 650 Maxim. This was my first bike that I actually rode around regularly, so it is the bike I learned on really.

This bike was what I considered the perfect starter bike. It wasn't crazy powerful, but was quick enough for a beginner rider to appreciate riding, with good pull all the way to around 85MPH, then it would fall on its nose and pull no more. Like I said, perfect for the beginner.

I did occasionally ride passengers, but I think it is primarily for single riding. It is a good looking scaled down cruiser of the era. Put a shaft drive on this thing, and you virtually eliminate most of the cons about it.