Yamaha XJ650 Maxim
Encyclopedia
The Yamaha XJ650 Maxim is a mid-size motorcycle
by the Yamaha Motor Company
introduced in 1980 as the Maxim I and produced thru 1983. Yamaha designed the high-performance XJ650 as a brand-new four-cylinder with shaft drive, and built it specifically as a special cruiser. The XJ Maxim was the successor of the XS Special introduced in 1978. The bike is notable for being the first mid-size Yamaha motorcycle with an inline-4 engine.
ese four-cylinder motorcycles, no other manufacturer had made the million-dollar commitment: design a brand-new four-cylinder, and build it specifically as a special — at Yamaha the special became the standard.
For stoplight aggression, the Maxim air-cooled, twin-cam 650 engine housed in a sturdy, cross-braced duplex steel tube frame was a genuine mid-12 quarter-mile streaker. The engine looked lithe and athletic too; Yamaha made it narrow by locating the alternator
piggyback—behind the cylinder block
and above the gearbox rather than hanging the works on the end of the crankshaft. The Maxim had another amazing feature for a motorcycle touted as a high-performance piece: shaft drive. Contemporary reports praised the Maxim's performance and braking. Criticism was aimed at engine vibration and under-damped suspension. Notwithstanding the minor gripes, the Maxim sold well. Succeeding Maxim models were refinements; the 1982 Maxim 650 had a more comfortable cut to its handlebar, an air-adjustable fork, and a more luxurious seat. Along the way, the Maxim earned a reputation for bulletproof reliability and durability, even surviving the indignities of turbocharging in its XJ Seca incarnation — An XJ650 Seca Turbo was featured in the 1983 James Bond
film Never Say Never Again
. With a small set of upgrades the Maxim 650 is a capable sport-cruiser today. Many owners add braided-steel brake lines, progressive fork springs, upgraded brake pads and tapered roller bearings for the steering head.
Cycle
magazine said in 1982 "Three years later, after the wide proliferation of special styling, it's easy to forget what a landmark bike the Maxim was...The 650 was striking, controversial, sensational, and wildly successful in showrooms. Other companies have produced bodacious knock-offs of the 650 Maxim, imitations that suffer from excess. It's too bad the Maxim was obscured when manufacturers blanketed the market with cruisers. A decade down the road, the Maxim may well be a genuine classic of the 1980s — a bright idea that stood the test of time."
Yamaha's Maxim 650 ad said, "It's hard to believe one motorcycle could be so fast, so light, so lean, and so beautiful.". Also listed as the lightest and narrowest 650 bike available at the time, with the widest rear tire in its class.
located in the crankcase
, while a third (Hy-Vo) chain spins the alternator. The power unit is fed by four Hitachi
constant velocity carburetors and lit by electronic ignition. Four-into-two headers extracts the waste gases, which exit through two shortened muffler
s. With regular maintenance, these engines live on longer than most people would expect. Though the lack of liquid-cooling will affect engine life in the end, it does add to the bike’s simplicity.
Hypoid gears and a shaft turns the rear wheel, with the shaft housing forming the left side swingarm
. The shaft drive is lighter and smaller than conventional shafts, and with proper greasing lasts far longer than several chains and sets of sprockets, not to mention the lubing intervals are far longer.
ese machines.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
by the Yamaha Motor Company
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
introduced in 1980 as the Maxim I and produced thru 1983. Yamaha designed the high-performance XJ650 as a brand-new four-cylinder with shaft drive, and built it specifically as a special cruiser. The XJ Maxim was the successor of the XS Special introduced in 1978. The bike is notable for being the first mid-size Yamaha motorcycle with an inline-4 engine.
Overview
Time has not been kind to many bikes of the late 1970s and early 1980s. But there were a few celebrated models that are still great bikes today, and Yamaha’s XJ650 is one of them. Although other makers had dabbled with the cruiser get-up laid over basic JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese four-cylinder motorcycles, no other manufacturer had made the million-dollar commitment: design a brand-new four-cylinder, and build it specifically as a special — at Yamaha the special became the standard.
For stoplight aggression, the Maxim air-cooled, twin-cam 650 engine housed in a sturdy, cross-braced duplex steel tube frame was a genuine mid-12 quarter-mile streaker. The engine looked lithe and athletic too; Yamaha made it narrow by locating the alternator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
piggyback—behind the cylinder block
Cylinder block
A cylinder block is an integrated structure comprising the cylinder of a reciprocating engine and often some or all of their associated surrounding structures...
and above the gearbox rather than hanging the works on the end of the crankshaft. The Maxim had another amazing feature for a motorcycle touted as a high-performance piece: shaft drive. Contemporary reports praised the Maxim's performance and braking. Criticism was aimed at engine vibration and under-damped suspension. Notwithstanding the minor gripes, the Maxim sold well. Succeeding Maxim models were refinements; the 1982 Maxim 650 had a more comfortable cut to its handlebar, an air-adjustable fork, and a more luxurious seat. Along the way, the Maxim earned a reputation for bulletproof reliability and durability, even surviving the indignities of turbocharging in its XJ Seca incarnation — An XJ650 Seca Turbo was featured in the 1983 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
. With a small set of upgrades the Maxim 650 is a capable sport-cruiser today. Many owners add braided-steel brake lines, progressive fork springs, upgraded brake pads and tapered roller bearings for the steering head.
Cycle
Cycle (magazine)
Cycle Magazine was an American motorcycling enthusiast magazine, published from the early 1950s through the early 1990s. During its heyday, in the 1970s and 1980s, it had a circulation of more than 500,000 and was headquartered in Westlake Village, California, near the canyon roads of the Santa...
magazine said in 1982 "Three years later, after the wide proliferation of special styling, it's easy to forget what a landmark bike the Maxim was...The 650 was striking, controversial, sensational, and wildly successful in showrooms. Other companies have produced bodacious knock-offs of the 650 Maxim, imitations that suffer from excess. It's too bad the Maxim was obscured when manufacturers blanketed the market with cruisers. A decade down the road, the Maxim may well be a genuine classic of the 1980s — a bright idea that stood the test of time."
Yamaha's Maxim 650 ad said, "It's hard to believe one motorcycle could be so fast, so light, so lean, and so beautiful.". Also listed as the lightest and narrowest 650 bike available at the time, with the widest rear tire in its class.
Engine/Drivetrain
The 1980-'83 XJ650 Maxim combined an air-cooled, 653 cc DOHC 2 valves per cylinder transverse inline-4 engine and shaft drive. These days, shaft drive is reserved for big bikes, and air-cooled fours have all but disappeared thanks to tightening emissions standards. And unlike the Suzuki GS650 competitor, the Yamaha engine employed a one-piece crankshaft with plain bearings and placed the alternator and starter behind the engine to minimize width. A chain drives the two overhead camshafts, which used shim-and-bucket adjustment. A second chain drives the oil pumpOil pump (internal combustion engine)
The oil pump in an internal combustion engine circulates engine oil under pressure to the rotating bearings, the sliding pistons and the camshaft of the engine...
located in the crankcase
Crankcase
In an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...
, while a third (Hy-Vo) chain spins the alternator. The power unit is fed by four Hitachi
Hitachi
Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...
constant velocity carburetors and lit by electronic ignition. Four-into-two headers extracts the waste gases, which exit through two shortened muffler
Muffler
A muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
s. With regular maintenance, these engines live on longer than most people would expect. Though the lack of liquid-cooling will affect engine life in the end, it does add to the bike’s simplicity.
Hypoid gears and a shaft turns the rear wheel, with the shaft housing forming the left side swingarm
Swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern motorcycles and ATVs...
. The shaft drive is lighter and smaller than conventional shafts, and with proper greasing lasts far longer than several chains and sets of sprockets, not to mention the lubing intervals are far longer.
Performance
Performance was in line with other 650 cc and 750 cc JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese machines.
- Top speed = 128 mp/h
- Standing-start quarter mile = 12.6 sec at 107 mi/h
- Motorcycle average gas mileage = 47 mp/g