1981 Yamaha Maxim XJ650

A buddy of mine has been helping me with this bike since I've never owned one before and not too familiar with them. I can work on my truck all day long, but these things are a tad different. Anyways, without further ado..

Chopped the back, new bars, new seat, gonna paint the tank and wheels and wrap the exhaust, bout it. I bought it for $250 and only have about $150 into it so far (carb kits and other misc etc)

btw I plan on adding a cushion to the seat, prob be one I can take on and off easily, just for the coolness factor. 8)

Let me know what y'all think, and I'm always open for suggestions.

I dig it, it looks like a riders scoot. Lose the front fender and the gauges and it'll be rad.

Fawkin digg the seat !

Also, first spend 6 mo's looking at bikes and pictures of bikes, then decide what YOU think's cool.

without further ADQ!!!! lets go and make it a rigid!!!!????no????

Thanks for the positive feedback. I do plan on getting rid of the gauges soon and get a small bar mounted speedo. I need to get this thing in running order first.

I'll prob chop the fender, but just in case the roads are a little damp, I was something there in case of splashback.

Love it! Especially the skateboard seat!

if you get rid ofthe gauges let me know i have a stock 82 xj650 that needs some!!!!

Originally Posted by davidabl

Also, first spend 6 mo's looking at bikes and pictures of bikes, then decide what YOU think's cool.

This, for definite. One day you'll see a variety of modifications, put them together in your head and go 'fuck yeah'....

my opinion, don't hardtail it. Everyone does hardtails. Sometimes they work, sometimes they make the scoot look like a bland cookie cutter motorcycle. Fuck with everything else first. Tank, shocks, lights, fenders. Simple things make dramatic differences.

dude that skateboard seat is the shit. nice to see some originality.

Hate to beat a dead horse, but as I've said a thousand times: those are the gayest wheels ever! I'd swap with an xj700. Direct swap, and they look fucking tough. Sweet ride otherwise

Actually, they're the wheels on Manmade's xj750. Check his thread

Looks good so far & +1 on the skateboard seat. Here's my 82. I agree the wheels suck but it's a $700 bike so who the fuck cares?

Def not gonna hard tail it at all. Not even crossing my mind. I want a smooth ride.

That's a badass 82 you got there. (What kind speedo you got? better pic?) I feel ya on only $700 spent. I'm doing this as cheap as possible. Like I said I hope I come in somewhere under $500

its funny that you put a skateboard seat on it. Im working on a maxim myself and back when I first got it i made a skatedeck seat to get me by for the summer.. not only that but i paid $250 bucks for my bike too! weird.. hah

Thanks. I just sold it to fellow 33er & Bacon Brother NakedRob this weekend. The speedo is just a 2.25" mini I snagged from MikesXS.com. Here's a closer pic of the speedo when I had 8" mini apes.


Here's the same bike in version 1.0 a few months after I got it:


Now I've got to get my Seca XJ550R wired up & running...

Yeah I think a little mini-speedo will work just fine. Clean up the front a ton and fold up a nice mexican blanket, maybe make a hidden compartment on the inside. I got ideas, I just need to get this running.

ordering my master cylinder this weekend! I'm stoked.

Hey Butthead13 i have a tach and speedo and the mount with the cables and wiring i just pulled off my 1980 XS