1985 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim X from United States of America

Summary:

A Classic Cruiser with the heart of a sport bike

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This Yamaha was the quickest, smoothest bike I have ever owned.

I only rode it for two seasons, and didn't put a lot of miles on it, however I regret selling it to this day.

I went from a Harley Davidson FXE 1200, to this "little" 700cc Yamaha Four, and I must say, other than the nostagic feel that Harleys provide in spades, the Yamaha out-performed it in every area.

It was much faster, much smoother, much more comfortable to ride, and was extremely reliable.

I must give the Harley its due though. The Harley had power down low in the RPM range, where the Yamaha made the most of its power in the higher RPMs.

I also must mention that the Harley was a 1977. So it was built during the AMF Harley Davidson years.

The 20 valve four cylinder engine was so silky smooth and lightning fast.

The cruiser style was nice, but the low handlebars, rather than risers, gave the rider a very comfortable seating position for long rides.

It's too bad Yamaha has done away with their 4 cylinder, shaft-driven "cruisers", as I found them to be very practical bikes for everyday commuting as well as recreational riding.

Thankfully, I recently purchased a one-owner low mile XJ 650 Maxim recently, which shares many of the 700's positive traits.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2005

25th Nov 2008, 18:21

Update - Still have the 650 Maxim - it's a great bike!

Still wish I still had the Maxim X!

4th Oct 2009, 17:22

I just bought a 1985 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim X. It is everything you say. Mine has 1900 miles on it and is the coolest bike on the road. I think I love it.

I went riding with my brothers yesterday. One has a souped up 06 Ninja 636, & he said it was hard to keep up with me when I gunned it.

My other brother has a 2004 Harley, & I let him ride mine and he was jealous. He said it was much smoother and faster than his..

Find me on MySpace:

myspace.com/slomotiongraffixcom

F'n LoVin' It.

24th Mar 2010, 18:52

Bought an '85 Maxim X 700 for my first bike, still have it and could never sell it. Great bike, and can keep up with most of the sports bikes to a point.

15th Sep 2010, 20:29

I just stumbled upon this site. The Maxim is my 1st road bike as well, and I've loved that bike beyond words. I bought it in '86 or '87 from someone who bought it new, then found they needed money for some sort of crisis as I recall. She had 750 miles on her. I've had such adventures with that bike, I wouldn't know where to begin. I still have her. Unfortunately, I've been disabled by non-bike related circumstances for the past 6 years now, and the bike is sitting in my garage waiting for me to get her running. Carbs were drained of gas and such in prep for a regular season's storage way back when, but I haven't been able to do anything with her. I was just looking for any useful resources when I came across this site. Nice to hear others had such fond memories of the bike.