1982 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim from United States of America - Comments

Yeah, it does have a 5th gear, and it is a great bike. Easy to handle and rides fairly smooth. I've ridden the older Harleys before the rubber engine mounting system they now have, and it's a lot more fun to ride and a lot easier to handle because it doesn't vibrate you off the bike.

Speed is great on it, even for being an 82. Put a performance exhaust like the post 2 above (Vance and Hines), and man it whistles like a supercharger when you gun it.

Is there anyway to get the age wear/spots (like the aluminum color variations) off besides just trying aluminum polish? And is there an easier way to clean the black powder coated rims without leaving white water spots? Any feedback would be great.

I tried that gel superglue, and it really does work on small rips in the seams of the seat.

Again, like everyone else, I have an 81 Maxim 650. It has been sitting for a couple years and I think the pistons have seized up. It's got plenty of juice when I push the starter. You can hear the starter trying to turn it over. Popped a spark plug out and 'gently' stuck a screwdriver in to see if I got a push from the piston at all. Nothing. Anyone know an easy way to free em up without yanking the whole engine apart?

This bike definitely needs some TLC, and it's a sweet ride, so I'm trying to get her back to her grand and on the road. If you could post your ideas on here or email em to me at cbenj@charter.net. Thanks.

Just bought an '82 650 Maxim as a first bike. I'm about 90% in love.

My question is, it feels like I don't have a lot of low-end power. If I rev to 2000-3000 and then put it in first gear, it takes a while to get up to speed. Sometimes, I have to clutch again just to let the engine pick up. Once I break through 3000-4000RPM, then the bike has all the power I wanted and a few horses beyond that.

Is this normal?

Also, has anybody replaced the stock 'baby apes' with a lower and straighter handlebar? I'm not looking for a cafe bar, but something a little lower and straighter might be a better fit for me. Thoughts?

Mike

Mike.

Could be that your clutch needs adjusting, my Maxim has lots of low end power, clutch could be slipping.

Glen.

Hi all. It seems that most of us here are new to Maxims, so I hope that somebody here has gone through this process and would be willing to help.

My tank has a few scratches and dings - it is an 82 stock red model - and I was wondering where a person could get some touch up paint. I do not want to repaint my whole bike for a couple of dings. Any replies would be great.

I can be emailed at godogz@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance.

Great XJ650 site. Read all comments and some very helpful, BUT there is no fuel pump in the gas tank as stated awhile back or anywhere on these bikes. It's all gravity/vacuum with a 2 level drain, one for ON the other for RES. Been inside tank twice to re-coat interior for corner leaks. H2O the culprit there. Coat with Cream product inside and JB weld or resin outside.

These bikes normally very reliable, though a stuck starter motor was a recent problem of mine. Tapped it with mallet and works again :).

Have had 2 of these Maxims for over 100,000 miles combined. Traded one for an 1100 but went back to the 650 after 50,000+ miles. More nimble, less power but safer, ha!

"Live to Ride" John B.

Such a great bike! Great power, nice sounding engine.. Great bike for its year!

I have the 82' XJ650, however I just have one question..

It seems that the gear ratios are those that weren't designed for long road trips. Sitting at 60mph it's sitting at 5,000RPM. I was wondering if this was the normal ratios on the bike? I think maybe I went through a gas tank in just 2 days. But then I was thinking it could be set for the more acceleration aspect. So I just want to clarify that.

But besides that, it's a great bike. I LOVE it!

Engine Oil Question:

Hey fellow Maxim owners!

I recently bought my '82 650 Maxim as my first bike. I love it! I just have one, weird (and possibly stupid) question. The repair manual I have calls for 10w-30 SE engine oil. I am having a hard time finding it. My dealer has 10w-40. But not 30. Any advice???

You might want too remember that the speed limit in the states went back to 55mph back then. So running it at 45% of your total rpm isn't that bad. My 86 FZX 700 Fazor runs at about 5,000 rpm at 70mph. and its redline is 11,000. It's been too long since I had my '82 750 Maxum to remember its rpm at hiway speeds. And 50mpg is about the norm for your bike. Hope this helps.

RPM answer is: In 5th gear you go approx. 12.5 mph for every 1000 rpm on the tach. So 60mph at 5000 is about norm. I and others have noticed a slight vibration between 60-65 mph but disappears below or above. Open this bike up and you can cruise at 80 all day long. (expect low 40's mpg) Went 9000 miles on cross country road-trip no sweat.

Also, Yamaha recommends their 20-40 oil as I remember. I run a 20-50 in the heat.

"Ride to Live" JohnB.

More fixes for a GREAT ol bike:

Had a hairline crack in one coil years ago that caused 2 spark plugs to misfire whenever it got wet. Found it with a magnifier (look good), filled it with superglue and covered it with non-conductive putty. Been holding for years.

Also watch out for short in wire harness going into headlight on sharp lip. Kept blowing fuses one day and noticed a spark in this area just after dark with one fuse left :) Just tape it to prevent rubbing thru.

Great bikes, just remember they're 27+ years old and stuff happens!

"Live to Ride" JohnB

Bought a Yamaha Maxim 650 1982 2 months ago and had the carbs cleaned and synchronized, and a new gas tank and swing arm. The mechanic put it all back together and now there is something funky with the wire harness, so I purchased a used one off eBay, but the motorcycle will run fine until you jiggle the wires under the seat, and then it starts missing. Would this be an easy fix or will the new harness be enough, plus what wire controls the headlight, mine doesn't work?

In response to 27 Aug08: Electric gets hairy.

First get the book and go thru initial checks for connections/frays and components. Once running try pulling one plug wire at a time (use a dry glove) to determine if all or just a couple are missing, each coil controls

2. Pulling a bad wire won't cause any difference in missing. A good one will be noticed. Wish you luck, elec stuff is frustrating, go slow and don't assume.

As for your headlight wire, just look inside the headlight assembly for the answer.

"Ride to Live" JohnB

I researched the Yamaha 1100 classics from 05 - 08. On all but the 07 the gear ratios were the same. And most forums have pointed out, the need for higher range 5th gear in all but the 07. The others used a shorter range in each gear, leading to higher RPM in each gear. For example the 07 has a gear ratio in fifth gear of 0.967, while all others used a fifth gear ratio of 0.85, With these lower gear ratios you are wasting over 1,000 cc's. The rpms run higher in all the gears and you are constantly changing gears up. So at 60 mph you feel your engine running loud at high RPM and does not have the capacity to cruise smoothly in fifth gear. My suggestion is to give wider/higher ratios to 4th and fifth gears to correct the problem... or provide an overdrive fifth gear.

Lets not confuse the people with 1100 Classic two cylinder info. This is a XJ650 Maxim site, right?

John B