1982 Yamaha Maxim 750

Summary:

Seems to be a great used bike at a great price.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

Pretty excited - just picked up a 1882 750 Maxim with 30,000 miles on it - in Minnesota - in February! The test ride was brutal at -5F, but we live here so...

Looks to be in good shape - power washed it and it did restart and looks pretty good for a 35 year old bike! Will change the oil and drive shaft fluids before my first real ride.

Thanks for all your posts - they confirmed what I had hoped for regarding this bike.

My brother put 50,000 plus miles on a 750 Seca and said an oil cooler was very important - was wondering if anyone else has done this - my brother lives in the south - I live in Minnesota and I rarely if ever drive my bikes if the temp is over 90F and I avoid traffic at all costs (I live outside the metro) so I am moving pretty good just about all the time. Do think the bike would benefit much from an oil cooler? They look to be about 300 bucks - I paid 600 for the bike so not too sure about spending 300 on the bike right away - but I might! Any ideas or experiences you have had would be helpful.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 27th February, 2017

1982 Yamaha Maxim 750

Summary:

One word... FREEDOM!!

Faults:

Been good, so far. I just wanna know... why do I feel like it wants another gear?

And, I'm hearing "chirps" under power. Anybody have a theory? All suggestions welcome...

General Comments:

I've been outta the "wind" for a long time... about 22 years. Just acquired this ride in August of 2014. I ride it almost every day. Just wanna get the best I can out of it.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd January, 2015

1982 Yamaha Maxim 750

Summary:

Excellent

Faults:

The bike has been service free and very reliable.

General Comments:

I wanted to get get back into riding after a long hiatus from the pleasures of riding a bike. I had some reservations about a 31 year old bike, but I I felt more comfortable with a bike from this era.

I saw the bike, liked the appearance, and was impressed with the horsepower, given its size, (750).

The bike started right up, handles very well, and will never annoy anyone with the noise level it exhibits.

The bike is almost stealth like with its power and low noise level.

While cruising it is very comfortable and responsive.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2012

10th Aug 2012, 20:42

I recently became the proud owner of the Yamaha XJ-750 Maxim. It is without a doubt one of the "old school" muscle bike cruisers of its era! It's more track proven stealthier warriors, the "Seca's", are a little bit more (how does one put it)... a little more radical in terms of speed, looks, and overall comfort.. The Maxim's and Seca's are tried and true "cousins", certainly not to be mistaken for each other! Both are very fun to ride, but I feel that now that I'm 50 years old, I don't need to be bringing up the front end of my Maxim like I did back in my earlier youth with a few of my Seca's! LOL!

And it's a shame to note that although Yamaha did a super job in the R/D aspect of both of these model lines, they didn't sell well... don't know why... seemed everybody wanted a V-Max, when they debuted back in the early eighties. I mean c'mon... V-4 POWER generated by sheer awesomeness that put Yamaha in the spotlight over such gems as the Kawasaki KZ-900, the Honda CB-900/1100 F models, and all of the Suzuki GS models, 750, 850, and 1000 bikes!

But back to our original "mid-weight" cruiser... this nimble little 750, for all of its good looks and power, is still the way to turn heads... and believe me, I have with this gem of a motorcycle. And as Yamaha once stated in their advertisement of the Maxim's... It was still the best way to "shorten a city block"... LOL!. Enjoy my friends, enjoy the wind!

As ever, Mikey :)

In reply to 10th Aug 2012, 20:42

16th Jun 2014, 05:47

Well spoken!... this is clearly a well-designed machine. You hit the nail right on the head. I LOVE my Maxim, what a sleeper she is. Uncorked her a bit with a 4 into 1 and she'll do 205 easy now.

In reply to 16th Jun 2014, 05:47

4th Dec 2014, 19:20

Hi! How did you make those changes to your bike? 4 to 1 and now it makes 205? Can you explain it to me?

In reply to 10th Aug 2012, 20:42

4th Nov 2015, 03:46

I am very happy to read this review of the XJ750 Maxim. I bought one NEW in the fall of 82... left over stock. As you mentioned... they did not sell well. Part of that may have been that it had a sticker price almost $1000.00 over the closest comparable ride by Honda or Kawasaki at the time.

I fell in love with the look of the bike the moment I saw it, but as a new rider in 82, I felt 748cc was a little too big for my first bike, so I settled on an XS400 twin. After one riding season and over 18,000km (11,000+ miles), I traded up in the fall for my BLACK MAX.

I can still remember the rush I felt when I pulled away from the dealership the next spring, both in my head and in my seat. It was like a banshee. The rush from anything over 2800 RPM to near redline was something I was not expecting from a cruiser... I miss her dearly... enjoy the ride... I did for almost 35000 miles :-)