New member-Looking at 82 Maxim 1100

[West]

I'm a new member here and am thinking about possibly picking up a 1982 Yamaha Maxim 1100. Here is the craigslist link: http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/mcy/2635294386.html

I have a 1983 Honda Shadow 750 that I am considering trading with him. The bike I am figuring I could sell for about $1400 in the spring.

Here's the thing, second gear "doesn't always go into gear." I have read up a little about it and it sounds like to fix this issue is a very time consuming job. I am wondering if trading my Honda for this bike would be a good straight up trade or not? Personally I think that if anything, he should give me some $ because his bike is not 100% mechanical and needs major work.

Also is there anything else that these bikes have known issues for?

[mharrington]

Hello West. I was surprised to see that ad- I live in Holland MI. I am not familiar with that bike. I can offer my opinion. If you are not experienced at tearing into a large cycle engine I would pass. It is definately not the project for someone to begin their experience of digging into a motor. I would not trade your bike for his. Now- if you have a guy (member?) in your area who can fix the tranny AND-AND you are willing to pay them a reasonable $$$ for them to do it- to show you, have you help them ect then I would consider a trade with some cash. Please keep in mind if you were to drop off the 1100 engine at a shop to repair they would get about $13-$1500 to repair it on a bench.

[DGXSER]

Here is where we find out that opinions will vary, as mine does from Mr. Harrington's.

You have a 750cc bike you want to trade for an 1100cc bike, and they are both of the same vintage. Your trading up, so typically you would need to add some cash to the deal.

There are two possibilities on the 2nd gear issue, first is that the current owner experiences the typical Yamaha 1100 shifting issue that you have to shift it like you mean it. If you lazily tap the shifter up and not fully lift it you will short shift and not make it into gear. Second is that it is suffering from the dreaded 2nd gear problem.

Now I myself had not torn into a bike engine prior to the XS1100, and was a bit apprehensive about doing the dremel repair. I've been all the way to the crank and back on car engines, so I have some mechanical experiences behind me. With the write up that TC created for this work, I firmly believe I could set my 15 yo son on the task (who hates turning wrenches) and with a little extra time he could get the job done. Add to that the tremendous resources of knowledge on this site where you can come ask any question when something seems off or your not quite sure what that means, and I am certain that if you have the will to do it, you will be able to do it.

So with all that said, I would say a straight trade is probably a decent deal. But it certainly would not hurt to see if he will throw you some cash. They can't say yes if you don't ask.

[GLoweVA]

My 2 Cents:
A test drive will tell you all you need to know.
It might seem a bit far to travel for you to get there and decide not to do the deal, but at least you'll know after riding it.

+1 on what DGXSER said about the 2nd gear shift.
You gotta really lift your foot into it, otherwise it won't go into gear right and 'slip' out.
At least that's the way it is with mine. (I haven't done the 2nd gear fix, .....yet)

[West]

I realize that I am trading up and he is trading down, but there is nothing wrong with my bike mechanically. I also would have no problem tearing into the transmission myself. I have done 100% of any repair on my own vehicles and my Shadow and am very mechanically inclined. Is the $1300-1500 price the average price to get this problem fixed at a shop? I may use that as a negotiating tool.

[natemoen]

Well if it does need the second gear fix C-bug lives in St Louis and he says he can do the fix in a couple hours.

[crazy steve]

I have to tend to agree with MikeH; a possible second gear problem is more than a 'TLC' issue. When looking to buy a used machine, it's better to be a pessimist and be pleasantly surprised that it's not as bad as you thought rather than be an optimist and find out you'll be doing more work than you planned (and maybe more $$).

With that said, the second gear fix isn't that big a deal if you have decent mechanical skills and the needed tools. Unless the gears are totally trashed, this can be a no-dollar repair (ok, maybe the cost of some gasket maker). But if you're unable or unwilling to tackle this yourself, it will be a big $$ shop repair. The price of the bike should reflect at least some the possible repair costs in any case.

My personal opinion is this bike would be worth $600-800 locally with the trans problem, assuming everything else is good, but value is in the eye of the beholder. As to 'possible issues', remember that this is a one-year-only model, so some parts are even harder to find than the 'normal' XS parts. These have a rather complicated electrical system in particular, so beware any problems in that. You might want to go here: http://www.ringler.us/family/mybike.html and download the XJ owners manual so you can familiarize yourself with the various functions to verify it's working right. The other thing IMO is the phrase 'needs TLC' is just a code for a neglected bike, so assume you'll need to go through the usual systems (carbs, brakes, electrical connections) to end up with a reliable bike. If you can DIY, costs won't be bad ($150-250), but will be huge $$$ at a shop.

Good luck!

[West]

What makes the 82 a one-year only model? I am still trying to learn stuff about these bikes, but I was under the impression that 78-81 was the XS, and 82-84 was the XJ?

How long does this job take for someone who has never done it, but has good mechanical skills and good automotive knowledge?

[crazy steve]

What makes the 82 a one-year only model? I am still trying to learn stuff about these bikes, but I was under the impression that 78-81 was the XS, and 82-84 was the XJ?

How long does this job take for someone who has never done it, but has good mechanical skills and good automotive knowledge?

The '82 was a one-year-only model in the US; it was sold elsewhere (mostly Canada) longer, but parts availability in the US is sometimes poor. As a worst-case, some of the hard-to-find XJ bits can be swapped for more-common XS parts (carbs, ignition and charging system come to mind) with a bit of work, so keeping the bike running isn't a big deal.

As to how long the 'fix' takes, well, it depends... I think anyone with decent skills and the right tools could do this in a weekend (assuming you don't need any gears), maybe shorter depending on how 'motivated' you are. There's been multiple methods on how to do this (under the bike, hang the bike off the ceiling, flip it upside down, etc); do a search, you'll find something that will work for you.

[CatatonicBug]

Well if it does need the second gear fix C-bug lives in St Louis and he says he can do the fix in a couple hours.

Make that 4-6 hours. Done it many times. It was my first real mechanical adventure into ANY bike, and though there are a few tricks I've learned with the experience, anyone who is familiar with engine concepts could tackle the 2nd gear repair, with the help of the write-up on this site. For a first-timer, I would allow one full Saturday to make a liesurely project out of it.

[cywelchjr]

The '82 was a one-year-only model in the US; it was sold elsewhere (mostly Canada) longer, but parts availability in the US is sometimes poor. As a worst-case, some of the hard-to-find XJ bits can be swapped for more-common XS parts (carbs, ignition and charging system come to mind) with a bit of work, so keeping the bike running isn't a big deal.

The only part of the ignition system that is the same as any other year is the coils as the XJ uses a different TCI than any other year with all the advance stuff done electronically, the carbs are also different with the choke/enrichers being cable operated rather than lever operated so different also. And the charging system is different. About the only thing the same is the basic mechanicals of the engine. Oh, uses the same FD, same middle drive, and same braking system as the 81LH.

[natemoen]

The only part of the ignition system that is the same as any other year is the coils as the XJ uses a different TCI than any other year with all the advance stuff done electronically, the carbs are also different with the choke/enrichers being cable operated rather than lever operated so different also. And the charging system is different. About the only thing the same is the basic mechanicals of the engine. Oh, uses the same FD, same middle drive, and same braking system as the 81LH.

Could be swapped to XS parts as a whole system swap though.

[Prothec]

What's up with the exhaust on that bike?

[crazy steve]

What's up with the exhaust on that bike?

The one he's looking at has some sort of aftermarket exhaust on it (the muffler almost looks like a 2-stroke extractor-type muffler). The stock XJ has a different exhaust; same basic layout as any Special (and a Special exhaust will bolt on in place of it), but unlike the XS bikes, the XJ system has separate mufflers with slash-cut ends. Cool-looking exhaust, but really hard to find in nice shape...

[mharrington]

Yes it does depend on the level of skill and previous experiences one has. I got my engine apart and removed the countershaft (Dogs an pinions of ALL gears were wiped out on that particular engine). If it would have been JUST second gear that was bad I would have solicited the paid help of a Michigan member to reassemble it. I chose to shelve it and a year later got an 1100 with a functioning (already repaired) tranny. If a person has rebuilt a car transmission, car engine than I say they have the knowledge and can do the yamaha fix themselves. I have removed and installed 1970s era car engines- transmissions but have never been INSIDE one. Mike Harrington