1985 Yamaha XJ700NC Maxim
Summary:
A great bike for 1985
Faults:
A universal joint in the shaft drive broke. The mechanic said he had to take half the rear end of the bike apart to fix, it was kind of expensive.
The starter motor gave me trouble. I cleaned a bunch of black dust out of a time or two and kept it going, but had to replace it eventually. IIRC, it was an easy job.
At the end the carb boots were petrified and it appeared to have intake air leaks, did not want to run right. I had to park it outside for several years, which did not help. Needed a refreshing project, but I sold it.
General Comments:
This was a great bike, and the red was good looking. Got it in July 1987 as a new leftover 1985 model, for $2,000 I think. I had just moved to California, it was a daily rider, I had no car for over a year. Rode the thing all over the place. Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Laguna Seca, Oregon. Had a few issues as noted, but not bad for 11 1/2 years and 76,000 miles.
Finally it turned into a project, and I did not want a project. So, I sold it in 1999 and bought a 1998 Honda VFR, which I still have today with >81,000 miles. The buyer of my old Yamaha said it was going to South America, so I can dream it's still running somewhere down there.
I saw 2 guys loading a Midnight Special Maxim they just got into a pickup Sunday. Also a nice looking bike. Brought back memories.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th May, 2017