1981 550maxim question

[frogdink]

So I work at a Napa store in Maine, and this guy came in yesterday saying he had a 1981 550 maxim, and needed some oil. I gave my suggestion, and then he said he wanted to make sure he didnt need something special since it was a 6 speed.....I know the number of speeds doesnt effect oil..but was there really a 6 speed in 1981??? Just curious. -Joe

[soccer4m]

550

HI, I just sold mine, a xj550 maxim, the gears are printed on the side of the engine case. 6 speeds. The oil should not matter if it has 4,5 or 6 speeds. I used 10-40 wt. and it worked fine. Actually any normal weight oil would work fine, so, what ever he uses that other bikes use it should be ok. Probably the only oil he should not use is synthetics, since they can cause slipping in the clutch.............regards, Mike in Sun Diego

[rpgoerlich]

Yep, produced 81 - 83.
Sweet little runabout.

[Crazcnuk]

Lots of the smaller 4-stroke bikes had 6 speed trannies to overcome the lack of power/torque.

My '75 CB360T Honda had a 6 speed. My '77 A100 Suzuki (2 stroke) only had 4!

[Jerry]

Some of the early '80s Yamahas had 6-speeds. They were generally the Seca models, like the '82 XS 400 Seca. Interestingly enough, the standard '82 XS 400 had a 5-speed transmission.

Wonder if the guy had an '81 XJ 550 Seca?
Link: http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...xj550_sega.htm

[cywelchjr]

Some of the early '80s Yamahas had 6-speeds. They were generally the Seca models, like the '82 XS 400 Seca. Interestingly enough, the standard '82 XS 400 had a 5-speed transmission.

Wonder if the guy had an '81 XJ 550 Seca?
Link: http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...xj550_sega.htm

Yet interestingly, the 80 XS400 had a 6 speed. Makes for some interesting determination figuring out how many times to shift. Gotta look at the side of the engine first time on to figure it out.

[rpgoerlich]

Unlike the GS650, where it had a gear indicator in the cluster.