'82 Yamaha 650 Maxim - inexpensive project bike

[Normac]

Originally Posted by pbm

Like the bike in the OP, it was a standard, unlike today where everything is specialized (Sport, Touring, crotchrocket etc...) I wish I still had it.

In today's lineups, it seems like even the ‘standard' bikes are specialized. I completely understand where you're coming from.

 

[Normac]

To all who replied, thanks for the comments and I hope to put some miles on it this summer.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted by FastGame

Who started the wrapping the exhaust thing and why ? I would like seeing proof it does anything other than make something ugly

As I recall, it's pretty easy to burn your leg mounting and dismounting the bike, but there are more aesthetically pleasing ways to do it.

 

[JohnG]

Here was my project. 1982 Kawasaki 550, 6300 miles. I got this one for $700.00, but had to do a bit more work. New tires, redid carbs (twice), mostly odds and ends after that. I got most of the O rings and bolts/screws from the local True Value. Oh, and the tank paint is Diamond Crystal Pearl Black.(Dodge Ram Special Edition) Flush front brake, redid rear drum, put on one tooth larger front sprocket. This thing has all that torque as well. I finished this one last January. I tried to keep it stock, even the pipes, but you can see they have a little rust underneath. Also running T6 Rotella.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

Normac and JohnG, great work. I bet it took a lot of time and patience to learn to restore a bike that well.

 

[Bonz]

If I recall that KZ550 would run with the GPZ550 pretty closely.

 

[DBMaster]

If I ever take up riding later in life that's the size bike I want.

 

[JohnG]

Quote

Normac and JohnG, great work. I bet it took a lot of time and patience to learn to restore a bike that well.

Thanks for the compliment! In my case, I'm 70 y/o and have been turning wrenches for oil companies my entire life. Mechanics come natural to me, especially carbs. For the technical details though, there is this wonderful Android app called "Manuals Library". The complete Service Manual and Shop Manual was available at no cost! I rode Harley's in my younger days, and really wanted to get back into it so this, I figured, would be the perfect size to start with. It's a little bit top heavy and about 475 pounds total, but not bad. Back in 1982 the hot show on TV was CHiPS (no I didn't get 7MARY3 plate!), they rode Kawasaki KZ1000-C1's ,CD's hadn't been invented yet!

 

[Inked]

I had an 82 Maxim 550 I bought new overseas. When it hit around 4500 RPM's the engine took on a new life.

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by TheLawnRanger

Normac and JohnG, great work. I bet it took a lot of time and patience to learn to restore a bike that well.

Thanks for the comments. Restoration was never my goal with this one, just a safe and reliable bike to run around on - at a good price. I'm sure I'll find it a new home down the road, but for now I'm going to enjoy it. I shouldn't say this, but to tell a horrible secret - I learned a lot (and am learning more everyday) on YouTube University.

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by JohnG

I tried to keep it stock, even the pipes, but you can see they have a little rust underneath. Also running T6 Rotella.

That's a beautiful bike! I found several others in the St. Louis area that were more 'original' than mine, but I liked this one for some reason. You might say I kinda felt sorry for it. haha A full restoration was never a thought with this one, or I'd have bought one in more original form and go the route you did. Wonderful job though! Oh - an ironically, my first street bike (i'm 46) was an '83 Kawasaki KZ440-LTD. It was the only bike I've ever had with a belt drive, but I didn't mind it one bit.

 

[JohnG]

Quote

That's a beautiful bike!

Thank you Sir! I appreciate it. I was lucky finding this one. It was originally from Ohio. Somebody had put K&N garbage air filters on it, but the guy that had this found the airbox and mounts in the BARN! I fought those carbs for TWO DAYS until I realized that after 37 years the rubber intake connectors had gotten hard and shrunk....NO WAY would they have worked. New ones were available from Partzilla. Cost me about $85.00 for the set of four. Emblems for this bike, both tank and side covers were no longer available.

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted by ZeeOSix

Those engines are bullet proof.

They are a tough engine alright....but. I had an XJ750, ex cop bike, come in one day, stuck in 1st gear, the lever was jammed. I managed to remove a bottom plate, and looking up into the engine I saw that the lower part of the chain guide for the alternator had broken off and was stuck in the shift drum groove. It was a perfect fit and jammed in tight - we were not going to be able to turn it upside down and give it a shake. The customer wasn't prepared to pay for a complete engine strip just to replace the guide, and whatever else we found faulty, so he supplied a complete engine which I fitted. Just one of those weird things and not a common fault at all. [/quote] Yamaha XS650, for just under $2K in 1977 IIRC (before tax and tags). It was the twin cylinder copy of the Triumph except far more reliable..[/quote] I had a '71 XS1 for 15 years, sold it in 2006. Having ridden British bikes exclusively in the '70's, to me the XS650 Yamaha was more a copy of the BSA twins - bore and stroke, duplex frame, those 6 holes in the front brake. I have a dead in the water project to get the best of both worlds - a 1971 BSA 650 frame that I am fitting an XS650 engine in to.

 

[Normac]

Originally Posted by JohnG

I fought those carbs for TWO DAYS until I realized that after 37 years the rubber intake connectors had gotten hard and shrunk....NO WAY would they have worked.

I was lucky there too, and another part of what turned me on to my bike. The intakes were original and both the intake boots and connectors were all new rubber. Luckily for me, the previous owner did that part right. And yes, emblems for a 38-year old Yamaha aren't easy to come by either. lol

 

[Normac]

The old girl is coming along. Low-profile windshield, standard mirrors instead of the tiny bar-end mirrors, Honda Magna handlebars instead of the drag bars, new grips, etc. One step at a time.

 

[Garman]

Originally Posted by wwillson

I had the exact same bike in black. It was a great bike and I put lots of miles on it. Funny thing is I have no clue who I sold it to.

Good times back in the 80's and 90's.