Addison
XS400 Enthusiast
Well I guess if you put it out to the universe.... sometimes it comes back?
About a week ago I took possession of a 1983 XS400 Maxim - my first bike ever! I was telling a buddy how excited I was to work on it over the winter... and he GAVE me (for free) his 1974 TX500. He got a good deal on it a while back, did some cheap mods, rode it for years, but doesn't ride anymore. He wanted it out of his garage... and didn't want anything for it.
He just wanted it to go to someone who would use it and enjoy it.
I completely lucked out.... and its safe to say my buddy won't be buying beers for a loooooong time.
The original owner (previous owner to my friend) started to do some mods. He did pod filters.. and not much else. Then my buddy did his thing. He used a straight pipe for handlebars, removed tach/speedo, re-did all the wiring, tack-welded some chain together to make the seat (surprisingly comfortable), new rims and tires, new grips, and a few others. 2 into 1 exhaust, wrapped the exhaust, and this thing barks!
I can't wait to tinker all winter long and then rip this bad boy next summer! I'm excited to actually have a kickstart as the Maxim DOHC does not have a kickstart. This TX500 is also a DOHC.
Apparently these TX's are notorious for cracked heads - my buddy says he hasn't noticed anything. Some searching has led me to believe that while the heads sometimes do crack, it doesn't change the performance and should basically be left alone unless it is significantly affecting the bike.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!
My goals for this bike: now that I have two, I want them to be fully functional so that I can rip with my brother next year. Again, mostly cosmetic changes. Clean the tank. Clean carbs. New fuel lines. New grips. Possibly make a secondary seat, that I can swap in for longer rides. Maybe wider bars (hard to tell in the pic but these are narrow!), black the engine out, etc. I might try to retrofit one of those digital speedo/tach combos. Similar to this: https://www.amazon.ca/Motorcycle-Speedometer-Tachometer-Accessories-Instruments/dp/B07WN8Z7QX/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=universal+motorcycle+speedometer+with+tachometer&qid=1573831857&sr=8-3
About a week ago I took possession of a 1983 XS400 Maxim - my first bike ever! I was telling a buddy how excited I was to work on it over the winter... and he GAVE me (for free) his 1974 TX500. He got a good deal on it a while back, did some cheap mods, rode it for years, but doesn't ride anymore. He wanted it out of his garage... and didn't want anything for it.
He just wanted it to go to someone who would use it and enjoy it.
I completely lucked out.... and its safe to say my buddy won't be buying beers for a loooooong time.
The original owner (previous owner to my friend) started to do some mods. He did pod filters.. and not much else. Then my buddy did his thing. He used a straight pipe for handlebars, removed tach/speedo, re-did all the wiring, tack-welded some chain together to make the seat (surprisingly comfortable), new rims and tires, new grips, and a few others. 2 into 1 exhaust, wrapped the exhaust, and this thing barks!
I can't wait to tinker all winter long and then rip this bad boy next summer! I'm excited to actually have a kickstart as the Maxim DOHC does not have a kickstart. This TX500 is also a DOHC.
Apparently these TX's are notorious for cracked heads - my buddy says he hasn't noticed anything. Some searching has led me to believe that while the heads sometimes do crack, it doesn't change the performance and should basically be left alone unless it is significantly affecting the bike.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!
My goals for this bike: now that I have two, I want them to be fully functional so that I can rip with my brother next year. Again, mostly cosmetic changes. Clean the tank. Clean carbs. New fuel lines. New grips. Possibly make a secondary seat, that I can swap in for longer rides. Maybe wider bars (hard to tell in the pic but these are narrow!), black the engine out, etc. I might try to retrofit one of those digital speedo/tach combos. Similar to this: https://www.amazon.ca/Motorcycle-Speedometer-Tachometer-Accessories-Instruments/dp/B07WN8Z7QX/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=universal+motorcycle+speedometer+with+tachometer&qid=1573831857&sr=8-3
