Yamaha 4-cylinder, shaft-drive motorcycle

[MotorToad]

Because it's a bitch to get on the center stand.

So a buddy strikes gold (trim) with this '83 XJ750 "Midnight Maxim" for cheap.

Good: Very cheap. '80s kitsch style. In very good shape for a semi-neglected '83 Yamaha.

Bad: Doesn't run. Tends to deposit all fuel from tank to oil sump*. '80s kitsch style. Front brakes completely seized. Odd front end damage (both front signals and fender, but little damage to sides). [This should have been a clue.]

Fix brakes... they weren't actually that bad. Put calipers back on, one's not going on. Erm. There is interference between the caliper and the rotor. Wat teh ****? It's 100% stock so I'm assuming someone put the wrong wheel spacer in when changing the tire. I put a spacer spacer in and it does fine. [This should have been a clue.]

Take carbs off and clean 'em up. Someone's been in 'em recently so I'm guessing proper installation alone will make it run. I'm correct. Once it got a fresh battery and clean gas it runs like new, and I mean it's sewing-machine smooth and way way faster than I'm willing to explore with its weak ass-brakes and its -- well, I think Yamaha called it "suspension," but I'm not going to. (I put more than a quarter inch of preload spacer in the front and it still bottoms the fork on any hint of front brake.)

When I first get it running I do laps of the neighborhood. At 30-35 mph there's a wobble in the front. "Bad news, dude, you need tires. They sat too long and have flattened the carcass." Next day the bike's a lot closer to fit so I take some highway. I notice that the wobble is more than tires. Well, wtf. With both hands on the bars and open throttle it's not bad, but if you wave or, god forbid, hit the brakes all sorts of fucked up starts to happen. I think maybe my spacer spacer is to blame but that's kosher. So back in the neighborhood I stand up and look at the wheel: The fucking wheel has a ~1/8" wobble from being bent. Not like there weren't clues to this... :-\

Other than that, the bike's pretty fun. It's not something I'd spend my money on, but it's a great Florida bike. Fast (enough), smooth, not too uncomfortable. And around $600 after getting it running. Plus, it looks like something Rocky Balboa'd buy after he first got money.

*I still haven't figured this out, but it did it twice while under the care of others. Someone decided to get it running and can't. I come by, look at the oil and there's no oil level. Drain 2.25 gallons of oily gasoline out of the engine. Come back 6 months later after person 2 tried to get it running, same thing. After I put the carbs back on the floats overflow through the provided tube like they should (i.e. it can't spill fuel into the engine).

 

[wfooshee]

Heh. I'll add part of his story. I saw Motortoad this afternoon at the home of our last living common ancestor, and he described the difficulty in getting the carbs out as follows:

The air box cannot be removed from the bike while the engine is in the frame. It won't go far enough back to clear frame pieces.

The engine won't move forward in the frame to give clearance, even if all the bolts were removed.

The carbs are in between those items, and they had to come out.

He didn't specifiy the exact incantations used, but it sounded worse than linining stuff up under the tank of his Superhawk, which I've helped with, and hope to never do again.

I haven't seen this bike, but I did enjoy hearing him describe his ride on it.

Then as I left he proceeded to make fun of my car tire, the asshole!

 

[airboss]

.Then as I left he proceeded to make fun of my car tire, the asshole!

Well, that's kinda like required, isn't it. :lol:

 

[Fred W]

Heh. I'll add part of his story. I saw Motortoad this afternoon at the home of our last living common ancestor, and he described the difficulty in getting the carbs out as follows:
The air box cannot be removed from the bike while the engine is in the frame. It won't go far enough back to clear frame pieces.

The engine won't move forward in the frame to give clearance, even if all the bolts were removed.

The carbs are in between those items, and they had to come out.

He didn't specifiy the exact incantations used, but it sounded worse than linining stuff up under the tank of his Superhawk, which I've helped with, and hope to never do again.

I haven't seen this bike, but I did enjoy hearing him describe his ride on it.

Then as I left he proceeded to make fun of my car tire, the asshole!

Sounds like the Hinkley Triumphs. The trick there is, you have to take the carbs out to get the air filter out.

The air filter moves back just enough so you can get the rack of carbs out to the side.

Then you're home free to remove the air box. Maybe that one is the same?

 

[MotorToad]

I'm not even sure you could get the airbox out after removing the carbs. Pulling the carbs out requires mangling the airbox's tubes to make up for the 1/2" or so of tube/carb overlap when they're installed. The filter portion of the airbox goes back under the seat to around the "M" in midnight. The guys on the XJ forums I briefly looked through all mentioned "sawing" the airbox off to install pod filters.