New Maxim owner

[RoadKill]

Hi there Gents and ladies!

I just recently bought my first bike, a 1982 XJ1100 Maxim.

I found your page while doing research on the bike. Well it has a few issues that I thought I'd let you know about, and warn you I'll be bugging you in the tech thread.

First off he said it has a bad first gear. Unfortunately before i bought it, his way of getting around fixing it was doing 4k RPM drops into second...
Also it is not idling, it WAS he claims.

when i got there he was spritzing ether into the airbox, and bouncing the throttle to keep it going...

enough of my problems, I'm very eager to get into it and extremely eager to ride.

in any case, I will post a little more detail about my current project and progress in the tech forums as i work. I bought it to commute to school/work so I am gonna work on it hardcore till it's ridable.

All in all I'm glad to find a nice group of people to talk with about my new beast. Glad to be here!

[mason79]

welcome

[trbig]

his way of getting around fixing it was doing 4k RPM drops into second

That's aweful!! I try to rev it to at least 7 or 8 before I do that!

Welcome to the world of XS/XJ1100's and welcome to the world of Mikuni carbs and the gear fix. You will soon be well aquainted with all of them! Around here, they call it the second gear fix, but it tends to rear it's ugly head on the first gear of the XJ's for some reason.

Make sure you get a manual for your bike if you haven't done so. If you know your way around a wrench at all, then you should be able to accomplish anything needed on these bikes. Hopefully there will be members close to you willing to lend a hand if needed.

One suggestion from me would be... go get a wedding ring and hang it on your bike somewhere... you innevitably will be spending more time with your bike than with your significant other! (Especially after it's running right!)

Welcome to the XS/XJ family!

Tod

P.S. People here LOVE photos. Many use a service called photodump or photobucket... free services with signup that let you upload pics to their site, then copy and paste the links here. You can read more about it here... Photo posting

[RoadKill]

Wow, quick replies, thanks again for the support. I will be sure to pick up a repair manual soon.

Yeah my GF has my digi cam so ill get that back to get some pics up soon.

she's having her cousin repair a 70's honda 360, so I'm hoping to do some riding with her.

-take care

[fredintoon]

Your first bike?

Hi Roadkill,
you be careful riding that thing or Roadkill
is what will be chiselled into your headstone. A prudent beginner starts with a 250cc dual purpose bike and works up while you have jumped in at the deep end.
Enough nagging. Welcome to the list.
From what you describe, whatever else may be wrong with it, your bike has dirty carbs. Look up all the tech tips on carb cleaning, extra fuel filters etc and do what you gotta do. One thing, carb jets are made from softer'n'sh*t brass and you gotta take them out to clean the carbs properly. Sacrifice some cheap screwdrivers by grinding the ends to the exact thicknesses and widths of the slots in the various jets before those slots get wrecked and you are forced into taking extreme measures to remove them.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[DeanR]

Everyone here is Full of help. My XS was my first bike as well, a few years ago, and I've learned a ton from the people on this site. No problem with an 1100 as a first bike, just be smart. Simple!

[fredintoon]

Doom, I forsee Doom.

Hi Dean,
that's sound thinking for those of us who's maturity keeps our raging testosterone under the control of our iron will. But in another post Roadkill says he is a college student. Now don'r blame the messenger but Doom, I tell you. I forsee Doom ahead for the lad.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[DeanR]

I hear ya Fred.... I missed the part about Roadkills youth... but hopefully smarts can still prevail !! I'm not yet ready to ring that doomsday bell for him....... CAREFUL

[RoadKill]

Don't chalk me up to disaster!

I am a college student, but I've been in college for 7 years now i'm 25 so im not as fool-hearty as the crotch-rocket crew.

And i'm sure some of you thought doom, based on my handle. Roadkill was a screen-name given to me when i was younger, and played online games. I thought it merely amusing..

Yes I bought an 1100cc for my first bike, but my intentions, are not for that of speed, but rather to be able to comfortably cruise. I am a big guy, and the extra weight would I'm sure weigh down a lower powered bike. (at least this is what i was told)

well, hope this helps assure a few of you.

-take care

[webbcraft2150]

Cool, another new guy. Please refer to new guy rules, they apply to all chapters. ....

.....and welcome to the family. I need to warn ya to be patient with your restoration, or you will become a patient. These things can and will frustrate you to no end but the finished product is well worth it. Now, where did I put my prozak, I hafta sync my carbs.

[malber]

Welcome, and of course PXPLS!

My '81 SH is my first bike too. I've never really been frightened by having a big cc bike. The only issue that I've had is that it's HEAVY and that has taken some getting used to. One experienced rider told me that the good thing about a big bike for a novice rider is that it has enough power to get you out of situations that a lower cc bike might not. I've also read advice that "working your way up" is not the best course and that it's best to pick a bike that fits you straitghtaway.

Though I think it wouldn't be advisable for a newbie to have one of those flickable and expensive people rockets for a new bike. Fortunately, the XS/XJ 1100s can be easily ridden as a cruiser.

[Special Ed]

Welcome!

Welcome to the brotherhood of XS. I am grateful that I worked my way up from a Harley 165 at the tender age of 14. I think I may not be alive to submit this if my first bike was an XS11!
Also I fear that you may not fully appreciate what you've got if you haven't owned a Harley Sprint.
E.Liberty

[Bigfoot]

Welcome,
I also had to do the first gear fix and clean the carbs. Both jobs are time consuming and a pain but if you listen to the advice here and have some common sense it isn't that bad. In my opinion, the hardest part of the tranny fix was getting the gears back in. They come right out but don't want to go back in. Good luck.

[RoadKill]

thanks for all your support.. on the gears, i heard a trick of using a freezer to chill and expand the gears so they go back easier

[Erik the Red]

Originally posted by RoadKill
...heard a trick of using a freezer to chill and expand the gears...

John Belushi in Animal House: “Christ, seven years of college, down the drain.”

I'm sure it was a simple typo, and I'm sure you know this, but the freezer will contract the gears, rather than expand them.

Freezer trick works for steering head bearings too.

(BTW, I went to college for 7 years too, so I jest from a level field)