83400maxim

Well... got the valves checked today.. overall not bad at all.. all were within spec and over half the time was spent trying to get the old gasket off the valve cover... apparently it was glued on and was a major PITA to get off. Guess now all thats left is to wait for summer to come again....

Haha good to know... I actually have an 06' gsxr 750 that I take out when I'm going for more than 50-60 miles though its funny since I picked up the Maxim as a beater bike to run errands and such, its aquired more miles than the 750. I've gotten to used to being able to leave it outside and jump on it everytime I need to go somewhere quick or even for a short ride so Im deciding to fix it up a bit this winter and at least keep it mechanically in good shape. As a side note.... Does anyone else feel a void in the US bike market for bikes in the 400-500 cc range? I understand that the demand in the US is not there for them but personally I feel they are the perfect size for a commuter bike (perhaps a bit weak if the highway is involved) Also I love all the old UJM's .. I prefer to have my feet under me, not 3 feet out in front as all the new cruisers are. Only new bike that catches my eye are the Bonnevilles

I found a manual for an 82' seca.... would that be the same engine as an 83' maxim? and it lists the intervals as every 2000 miles (assuming its the same engine)..... the job itself doesnt look difficult but every 2k seems excessive and i was hoping for maybe a more realistic interval which people have expeirenced

Well last year I bought an 83 maxim 400 DOHC with about 4500 miles on it.. Now it has 8000... I'm just wondering what the valve check intervals are on these bikes? How often do they need checked and how hard are they to check? Also, if out of spec how hard are they to adjust on this bike? Its winter so I do have some spare time and can't ride anyways but I dont want to mess with it if it isnt necessary. Thanks!

Carbs appear om excellent shape inside and by going up a size on the mains the bike runs MUCH better however it still feels as though its a bit lean on top....can anyone else chime in with any jetting recomendations.. im running 127.5 and 117.5 mains... any reason for the two cylinders being different???.. really suprised me with a parallel twin...

Alright planning on taking the carbs off in a few days.... while I'm at it .. anything else to look for?

Well.. it seems as though it runs fine up to about 5 or 6k then runs terrible as though its missing or something....I dont believe its a fuel issue... anything specific to check for in the area of the electronics ?

Just picked up an '83 maxim 400 and this seems to be the best place for info on these bikes... basically wanting to know some basic info about the bike .. i realize this is the dohc version of the standard sohc xs400 engine.. does it make more power because of it or run any differently? So far the bike starts great.. seems to take forever to warm up... and even then doesnt seem to run smoothly .. especially between 3.5-6k rpms ... carbs have been cleaned. Only about 15 min of run time so far as I'm waiting to get it licensed so perhaps running the bike a bit will smooth it out after sitting for a few years. I'm sure i'll have a few more questions that I'm not remembering at the current time.. Any input,suggestions whatever would help... Also.. bike has around 6,300 miles .. not sure how often the valves need checked or adjusted, or if that should be a concern. Thanks.