[Mad_bohemian]

Sorry to say it's not a shadow :shock: not even a Honda
But I think it has real potential...
'82 750 Yamaha Maxim...

Really rougher than the pics show. But I can see another bad-azz scooter hidin' in there.. 8)

Initial thoughts are shorten rear suspension, replace stock fenders with steel replacements. Change the seat to a solo type, add about 6-8" rake on the front and extend the front forks a little but I want to keep it close to the ground. Move the controls forward (of course) . Modify the headlights and exhaust..... I'm thinkin I might strip her bare to the frame and rebuild from there....Plan is to have her ready for paint by spring of 09....

 

[shadow of doubt]

She has a lot of potential!Sounds like fun.Keep us updated with pics!!

 

[pezzy]

That bike has some sick potential check out this thread, some guy bobbed one here, plus these guys could help you out with any questions...

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=9144/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=45.html

 

[Giddaltti]

"it goes without saying that everyone is welcomed" and if your doing a bike build there is always some one here (like me) can learn a thing or two. :lol: That is a sweet looking bike and the link to the bobber is sweet! I can see it now!

 

[Mad_bohemian]

Thanks for the info pezzy, that is a nice lookin' bobber. He hardtailed his .... I'm thinkin' this ol' man needs spring in his ride more than just under my [email protected]@...lol I'm in no hurry on this build, so I can take some time to carefully lay out all mods and changes along with a plan of action.. from which I will probably deviate within a week... :lol: :lol:

 

[thatsJared]

The one thing I always hated about those year Yamahas was the tank. Looks like the tank was too big and it was smushed to fit on the frame. That looks like a clean engine to build on.

 

[J3rm]

After seeing your other project I am sure that this one will turn out equally as awesome. I have always thought that the Maxim had potential to be bobbed.

To be honest, I have been thinking of getting a rebel 250 and making a hard tail to put around on in town. I don't know why I have this idea, but for some reason I think they have some fun potential. Plus you can sometimes get a pretty nice one that runs well for really cheap.

Good luck and I can't wait to see what it looks like when its done.

 

[pezzy]

To be honest, I have been thinking of getting a rebel 250 and making a hard tail to put around on in town. I don't know why I have this idea, but for some reason I think they have some fun potential. Plus you can sometimes get a pretty nice one that runs well for really cheap.

One of the mechanics at the local honda shop bought a rebel this spring and hardtailed it, chopped it, and added some other odds and ends...it actually looks really good

Oh and Bohemian, post lots of pics cause I've almost got my wife convinced to let me get one to start a bobber this winter and this way I can say "look what he's doing, I want to do that....see."

 

[Mad_bohemian]

.....Oh and Bohemian, post lots of pics cause I've almost got my wife convinced to let me get one to start a bobber this winter and this way I can say "look what he's doing, I want to do that....see."

Ok pezzy, will do. But you'll have to be patient. I plan on this being a fall/winter project as I'm not in a hurry with this one But I'll keep ya'll updated as I progress...or is that digress... :shock: sometimes they are the same thing...lol :lol:

 

[Borgdog]

Great bike project. I had a 82 Maxim 650 way back when and loved the bike, lots of power, smooth, did a 1200 mile day on it with no pain. Loved that bike. Always drooled over the Midnight Maxim.

 

[J3rm]

Borgdog:

Is this what you were talking about?

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/821109051.html

I was looking at it last night and thought it was pretty sweet.

 

[Borgdog]

Borgdog:

Is this what you were talking about?

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/821109051.html

I was looking at it last night and thought it was pretty sweet.

Damn, why did you have to go and show me that, and only $1100! If all my money wasn't tied up in my cabin build.... damn and so close too... damn.

thanks, nice memories

Dan

 

[Mad_bohemian]

ok..so I'm sittin' here and realized I haven't updated this build on this forum. Here's what I've been doing with it in the last year.
Kind of a long read..but at least there's lot's of pics!!!

This begins my build thread on my latest project bike, an '82 750 Maxim. I picked it up for about $400. Flat front tire, wiring at the headlight all unplugged. The guy told me the bike had been sitting for about a year.He got the bike from a friend who got the bike from some guy who ran it off the road into some heavy brush. Supposedly it ran after the crash and that owner had replaced the front forks. Clutch cable is gone, brakes need a new MC and lever. The guy I bought it from said he couldn't figure out the wiring to get it started....
Fast forward 2 months. Got the wiring all hooked up and with the help of forum members on xjbikes I got my starter circuit bugs worked out. PO had swapped the starter relays.
Once I got that straightened out I took my carbs off and cleaned out the bowls. Pretty ugly. Everything was gunked up so I know this winter I'll be rebuilding those.I just gave them a quickie clean job and slapped 'em back on the bike. Put in some gas and hit the starter. She sputtered but wouldn't start. Used some starter fluid in and she fired right up. She had trouble running but then the rpms kicked up to about 4k and stayed there. I used the key as a governor to keep her running but not screamin'
So, at least I know she runs. Now I can start my build knowing that it will at least RUN when I'm done 8O
So here's the plan so far:
Shorten the rear suspension.
Drop the seat area of the frame.
Move the controls forward.
Fabricate a solo style seat.
New rear fender.Not sure if it will be bobbed yet....
new front fender
Still tossing around the idea of a bolt on type chopper front end, nothing radical, 5-9 deg rake with 4inch over down tubes. Pocketbook will have the final say on that one though.
Drag style bars or something close to that.
Want to upgrade the dash to something simpler/cleaner.
Probably change/modify the headlight assm as well.
And will fabricate an exhaust system for it.
Good thing I have all winter and spring to do all that 8O

SOME PICS! Remember ...WITHOUT PICS, IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!
Here's what I started with..

Here she is after I got her running. Getting ready to start the frame mods.

First thing I did was cut the tail section off just behind the shock mounts..

You can also see where I mocked up an 11" 'shock' to see how low I want to go with the rear end.


This shot shows the area of the frame I'm going to change. I want it to follow the lines of the side cover closer...

Next I carefully measured and marked where I wanted to make the cuts to bend the seat section down.

I made a second cut to give me some room to contour the new end sections so they would mate up with with down tubes later.


Then I heated the frame and bent the seat section down till it met the 'down tubes'. I also moved the end of the down tubes in about 3/8 of an inch.

Here's the job when I got done welding and grinding...

And here's with the side cover on.

My only concern is if there's enough strength in the frame at the shock mounts now. I was thinking of strengthening it with some gussets or maybe like this...

FEB 2009-
UPDATE:
Okay...so being laid off and sittin' around the house goin' stir crazy...I decided to suck it up and brave the cold....
Alrighty then...so I picked up a rear fender , and seat and did some cuttin' and slashin' on those. Because the fender was wider than my rails I was going to try to have it mount coming up from the tire, instead of dropping in like normal.....baaaad idea. It left me with some very large gaps that my seat wouldn't cover (no pics of that abortion... sorry ).
The fender is a Rick Doss "Dixie" Here's the stock version

Well, first thing I decided was the frame needed to be wider. So I split the cross brace, heated up the frame and spread it out about 1 1/4" and welded in a spacer. I made the spacer a little smaller then the cross brace so I can weld a small 'tongue' on the fender so that will help locate it without interfering with the seat.

You'll also notice I went with the topside gussets to strengthen the frame for the shocks. So with the wider frame I was able to drop the fender in from the top....But that meant I had to make some modification the to fender and eliminate my boo boo. So basically I cut off the snafu'd part, rotated the fender to bring the tail up and also removed the flat section. I don't have a pic of just the fender ..but you'll see it later

So next I started on the seat....
I picked this LePera up from Ebay..

First thing I had to do was tear it apart so I could modify the pan. Then I cut 2 clearance slots in the pan for my frame rails...(I also moved the tongue on the front of the seat so it would work like a stock Maxim seat under the tail of the gas tank but I did that after everything else.)

I then took a piece of exhaust pipe steel and cut and ground and hammered and bent the puppy until I had made a liittle 'hood' to go over the rail and give me something to rivet the seat cover to.

It's kinda hard to see...but this is what the bottom of the pan looked like originally.

Then I used a wire wheel to clear out now-excess foam on the seat...

So it would fit correctly on the modified pan..

You'll notice also that I took the mounting tab and moved that inboard more so I can add a mating tab on the frame rail, then I can bolt them together to secure the seat

Then I riveted the seat cover back on, took it out to the garage and did a quick test fit with the fender

I LIKE where this is going


One nice thing about my fender snafu...it left me with a piece left over that worked quite nicely as an integrated tailight housing.

That's all for now. Next on the agenda is to fabricate some fender struts, get the shocks on and finalize the back end details.

Update - Tail light:
Been working on the tailight / turn signals and I can't make up my mind. One way would be easy and quick but I am thinking about an even more custom look. I'll give you guys the option and you can help me decide.....

I picked up some LED turn signals and a flexible strip of LEDs for the brake light.

Then I fabricated a mounting bracket for the tail light to mount on.

Drilled and tapped it for 10-32 screws to hold it on the fender.
Then I'll mount the LED strip to it for my brake light, which should look something like this..

I took a piece of prismatic plastic from a florescent light and trimmed it to fit the cowling.
Plan is to laminate transparent red over this eventually.

So here's where my other idea came in... If I go with my original plan with the turn signals mounted on the fender the end look would be kinda like this (the signal is small and on the left side of the fender)

But... then I thought " What if I take the LED turn signals apart and mount them along side the tailight??"... (only one is shown to the right of the tail light)

And the split the lens with red in the middle and clear on the sides so it would look like this..

Got the tail light 95% done so I thought I'd post some pics of it. Turned out pretty good I think with the addition of the strut signal I should be pretty safe...well as safe as anyone can be on two wheels around cages...


With no lights on..

With just the brake light.

with the left signal and brake...

and finally with the right signal and brake..

-MARCH 2009-
Got my handlebars and shocks in. I'll try to get pics of that tomorrow.Gonna try to get the handlebars replaced since this set has a pretty poor chrome job done on it...but I digress....
Now that my shocks are in I can start proto-typing my fender struts. Got my first set made tonight...

Now all I got to do is have them machined. I'll probably start by machining one out of wood to make sure they will fit. That pic is what I modeled up in some cad software. The GHC is the initials for the name of my "business" - Green Horse Customs....The slot is for the flush mount signals I'll put in the struts for better viibility.

Well here's the pics I promised of the bars and shocks. Had to remove the lower bracket for the shock and fab a new one. These are 11" harley shocks and they're nice and stiff so I won't have to worry about bottoming out on the fender.

Here's one with the cardboard strut stuck in place to test fitment and alignment...as best as I could with a cardboard part anyways..

You might notice the strut looks different from my model. I had to revise the original strut because I made that one before I was finished with the seat. Glad it was just a matter of cutting cardboard and not re machining steel!! 8O phew!!!
The handle bars are 1" with a 4" rise. I slotted the existing holes in the top of the tree. Still got a ton of work ahead of me.....

-APRIL UPDATE-

ok time for an update.
Got my new 1" handlebars with the new controls all put together....

And while I'm waiting for my soda blaster to get here I started buffng out some of the engine covers. Here's what I started with...
Left side of the engine...

And the finished covers...

Right side...

and what I have done so far...

I also started on the top of the triple tree. I tried blasting it with one of those Harbor Freight $100 soda blasters....it took me 30 min to get about 3/4 of the top side done ..so I took that back and now I am waiting for my Eastwood blaster. For grins I did some sanding and buffing on what I had blasted to see if I would need to paint it or not when I'm done....here's the results so far...

-MAY UPDATE-

Just got my frame back from powder coating!! Looks fantastic!!! Found a local place that sandblasted and coated the frame, swingarm,side kickstand,center stand,and swingarm brace for $175 8O
I was going to go with a basic black but they said they could do it in what they called "silver veining" for the same price. I had them do the center stand in black because I don't think I'll be putting it back on the bike, so I figured when I sell it the new owner will love that it looks brand new!!

The place is called Custom Powder Coating and they're in Grand Rapids. Most other places I found wanted over $200 (some as high as $245) , and that was for basic black! If you wanted other colors, that was extra. Custom told me that it didn't matter what color you wanted, if they had it in house, it was all the same price!!
Great guys to work with!! I know who my pc source around Grand Rapids is from now on!!!
Here's some pics..

- JUNE -

WOOHOO!!! Got the prototype strut finished!!! I used a piece of 2x6 pine and since I can only turn about 3500 rpm's (no high speed head) the cutters left a lot of 'fuzzies' . But at least I can test fit and make the needed changes The wood was also about 1 1/2 inches too short , but the tail section is the area I was most concerned with.

The model..

The prototype....

I didn't cut the styling groove or the logo in...I'll save that for the real thing. Wow...between learning how to build a rotary phase converter, wiring the machine, learning the CAM software, learning G-code for the machine, figuring out how to get the machine communicating with a laptop...my brain needs a vacation!!!

Now just have to make a few minor adjustments, then on to cutting aluminum!!!

-AUGUST-

Time for an update
Finally got done painting the engine. Pulled the head, cleaned her up real good and used some high temp ceramic paints..

Got most of the covers on. As soon as my metric feeler gauges come I'm gonna check valve clearances, make any adjustments then pop the motor back in. I'll try to get another 'mostly-assembled' pic of the motor tomorrow.....




With the aid of fellow member lowlifexj , I think I got the new controls wired to the xj harness. Once I verify everything works I'll throw up a wiring schematic for those interested.




Finally decided on a front fender!! WOOHOO 8) That came in on Monday. Since the mounting bolts had a 6" spread, I needed to fabricate some front fender brackets. So I modeled some up...

Took a .250 think 4x7 plate of aluminum, threw it up on the ol' cnc and milled then out , bolted them on to the fender and slid her in....

Still working on machining out the rear struts...got one about 65% done...it's frustrating when you have the time to do the work....but not the funds :? I'm running out of things to sell too!! 8O lol Not stressing about it though, I just decided I'd push back the finish date to some time next year ... how long can you work on a project before it officially becomes a hobby?!?! LOL

Finally got both the struts machined !! Woohoo
Had to rework the backside so they have a nice tight custom fit. Here's the right side all fitted...

Took the right side strut and finish sanded/buffed/and polished. The left side is is fresh off the machine

-SEPTEMBER 2009-

Well, I got the motor in yesterday and finished wiring everything up. I put the exhaust on and slipped on the HD mufflers I got last fall just to see how it will look. I'm not totally sold on the mufflers yet. I'm thinking of trying something simple like the chrome turndowns Strat did on his 85....what do you guys think??

That's all for now....I'll try not to wait so long between updates...lol

 

[still_bluenoser]

Amazing! Your polishing skills are amazing!!

 

[PainterD]

Looks great!
There's no end what can be done to any stock. I had a 750 Seca (sport bike version of the Maxim) that I absolutley hated the looks and the riding position. After much research on the XJ site, I ended up cutting and removing most of the stock parts that I didn't like (which pretty much just left me with the egnine in the frame with two wheels.
After shortening the rear shocks and adding some forward controls, I got the seating position where I wanted it. The rest of the mods came along perfect.
This is the before bike photo:

This is after the mods:

 

[Mad_bohemian]

Well it's been a while since I posted anything on this project. Money's tight (no job and going back to school..sux.. lol) got a few things done on the cheap...here's some updates.
March: Well here's something else I got done today. Finally finished altering the mounting brackets for the fairing I picked up from evilbay. It has a windshield but it's way too big right now. I'm going to cut it down so it more like a sport bike type windshield....The headlight is just sitting in there. I'm sure I'll have to fab some new mounting brackets for that as well. You can see the 'shotgun' straight pipes I was thinking about in the last pic.

Like it? Love it? Hate it?...or as one of my Profs would say " Questions, comments, criticisms, critiques??"

Here's a photoshopped exhaust concept...

June: Well it's been a while since I have been able to spend any worthwhile time out on the project bike. got two weeks before summer classes begin so I decided to spend some quality time with my other girl (don't tell the wife ) Decide to get the get the 'exhaust from he11' finished. yikes! I had no idea the can-o-worms I opened with that idea.
I went with the vertical stacked pipes with the change of having the outside pipe just a straight pipe with the inner pipe coming out and above. That meant having two just pipes bent instead of all four. So I went up to the local car repair shop and the guy there bent two of the pipes with a 45 deg elbow, a 2" straight section then another 45deg elbow, and two 3' sections of straight 1 3/4 dia. pipe. Then he made me 4 adapters that flare from 1 1/2" (that fit perfect on the ends of the header pipes) to 1 3/4". Everything out the door for $60. One of the first things I found out when I started fitting things together was that the header pipes were angled wrong for what I wanted to do. The ends of the headers were at a downward angle instead of being parallel with the ground. Then I noticed that instead of being like a flat letter 'C', they were skewed and pointing inward to boot. Well...to make a long story short I decided to do the job right.I went and picked up a tubing bender at Harbor Freight and got 8' of 1 1/2 exhaust pipe. I measured the header downtubes being about 20 deg from vertical which meant I needed a 110 deg angle from the header downtube to parallel with the ground. Cut my self a 2' piece of pipe and started bending

The tubing bender was pretty cheap... I got two and 1/2 pipes done and it broke (stripped the set screws :roll: ) So I took it back and got another one to finish the job with. It worked great once the pipes were bent. I could tack weld them to check position and angle. I added about and inch of length to the downtubes so the exhaust wouldn't be right against the bottom of the motor. I was surprised to find that the header pipes are double walled pipes1 ( That explains why it was such a cluster *#ck trying to heat and bend them! 8O )
So I got the downtubes welded and cleaned up then took them back to my favorite car shop dude and he flared the ends so the fit nicely into the 1 3/4" dia exhaust ..and he did it for free!! Very nice guy!!!

So everything is fitted and all I have to do it weld the tailpipes onto the headers and make the slash cuts on the ends of the pipes and add some hangers that bolt up to the frame. I think I'm really gonna like the way these turned out!

Ended up hacking off the mounting brackets for the center stand to make clearance room for the pipes.

With the center stand gone I had plaenty of room for the pipes

July: Got the exhaust all finished. 60 deg slash cuts

I have a hangar from the outside cylinder pipe that mounts to one of the stock footpeg assembly bolt locations (red arrow). The for the inner cylinder pipes I have a brace that goes from the upper (inner) pipe to the lower pipe for support(green arrow). Now the entire exhaust is rock solid!

Here's a short video of how they sound here.

Apparently I have picked up a leak on my intake somewhere...got that stupid squeaking bird sound again...UGH!!

And that where she stands as of today....

 

[gmck]

You do some fantastic work. Can't wait to see the next installment. What colors are you going with?

 

[markspike]

Welcome back, MB - Knew you couldn't stay away! :wink:

The build is coming along nicely!

 

[PainterD]

I was interested to see how a batwing fairing would look on mine also. Now seeing one on yours gives me a good idea on going forward with the project when I find one at a reasonable price.
Your pipes look perfect, but the sound isn't the best. I'm sure you will have to baffle them down some how to get rid of some of the volume when riding. They're going to be way too annoying at highways speeds.

 

[Mad_bohemian]

I was interested to see how a batwing fairing would look on mine also. Now seeing one on yours gives me a good idea on going forward with the project when I find one at a reasonable price.
Your pipes look perfect, but the sound isn't the best. I'm sure you will have to baffle them down some how to get rid of some of the volume when riding. They're going to be way too annoying at highways speeds.

I agree painter. I plan on putting a 4" baffle in each pipe.

Gmck, I haven't nailed down the paint scheme yet. Right now I'm considering a 'snake' scheme. I want my stepdaughter (exceptional artist) to paint a striking cobra head on the fairing. Top of the open jaw above the headlight and bottom of the jaw below the headlight with the 'wings' on the faring being the hood of the cobra. The fenders and tank would have a snake skin pattern that would transition to the belly of the snake along the lower half of the sides of the fender/tank. Kind of ambitious for me with my present skills, but I'll practice on some junk parts to see if I can accomplish the look I'm going for....

p.s. this is a very very rough concept idea I photoshopped...