Faults:

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.

General Comments:

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.

Faults:

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.

General Comments:

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.

Faults:

Head gasket leaked at 29,000 miles.

Fuse holder brackets are brittle.

Seat has some cracks.

General Comments:

A little hard to start if not used after a couple of weeks.

Front air shocks hard to pressurize to specs.

Faults:

Here's a weird one. I put the kick stand down while the bike was running and the bike shut down and the battery died. Does the XJ 650 Maxim have a kickstand shutoff? What the heck?

General Comments:

Really like the bike. Bought it for my daughter and she's loving it.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

This is a great bike, I have owned it for 2 years, adding 10000 miles to it. I have changed the fuse box out to blades, added a 750 gas tank for more miles, customized the exhaust, removed the headlight assembly and added a billet chrome headlight, and added an auxiliary driving light. This bike rips.

If you can't keep up with a 750, you have something wrong. I have been to the line with a few, and have not been let down by my old Maxim.

Faults:

My only issues were my own stupidity with this bike.

I tried to start it with clutch held in, in 1st gear.

Oil light came on and I was frantic for about 6 hours.

I changed my oil, oil filter, and my air filter.

Then I popped it in Neutral, and felt very stupid

General Comments:

I bought a 82 XJ650 Maxim used with 17.3k miles. Garage kept for 800, and have had no problems with the bike so far.

The rubber air boot to the carburetors are a bit cracked, so I had a bit of a vacuum issue as far as idling, easily fixed with rubber epoxy.

I also got lucky on a deal for a parts bike. It is an 82 XJ650 Maxim with no title. Engine runs, 17k miles, no front caliper, all for $225. It's gonna be great to have a stock selection of parts in my garage. Can't wait to pick it up!

Faults:

Having a problem now starting the bike...

By the time you start it.. it rolls then dies down.

I adjusted the idle to higher RPM 4-5000 rpm "just to get home cause it won't start in low idle". The next day.. it won't start.. it seems like it not feeding.. need help!?

General Comments:

Can't say enough.. 28 years old and still running.. except now, hopefully a minor issue.

Faults:

I have an 1982 XJ650 Maxim. The starter or the voltage regulator went out. How do I go about fixing it?

General Comments:

The bike rides great, very dependable.

Please email me at neilpaynejr@yahoo.com thanks.

Faults:

Nothing really has gone wrong with it, though the carburetors could use a going over (rough idling); I just change the oil, tires, fluids & go.

It could use a repaint as the paint is looking shabby.

General Comments:

I always thought the 80's style bikes had a "Whole Lot Of Soul" & the "Yamaha Maxims" says it all.

It's so agile & predictable, it's just too much fun for a bike of this vintage.

General Comments:

I love this bike. Excellent buy and it runs great with lots of power.

Faults:

I haven't had no problems at all; changed 4 plugs.

General Comments:

Yeah they do run pretty strong between 8000 and 10000, and I think it's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever rode. I'm really love the driveshaft.

Sometimes I catch myself riding it like a motorcross bike, if you know what I mean.