Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I ran into a friend of mine last night that is a motorcycle guy. I told him I had signed-up for the MSF course and was looking around for a bike. He told me he had a 1982 Yamaha Maxim 650 with only 12,000 miles on it. He bought a HD and hasn't ridden the Yamaha for a while. He is going to take it for a ride and check it over to make sure everything is still in good shape. He says the bike was always well maintained and he thought it would be a good first bike. I was worried about buying used since I've never had a bike before, so I feel better about buying from somebody I can trust. Just wanted to know what people here think about this as a first bike. Anyone have/had one and what do you think about it?

Thanks

I'm currently learning on an 82 XJ60. So far so good. Friends have a variety of 'crotch rockets', none of which I find very comfortable, and being comfortable allows you to focus on things like the road.

Fropa, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better starter bike than that Maxim 650. They are comfortable, reliable and fast enough that you won't grow out of it in a month. They're also not so powerful as to be intimidating for a new rider. Buy that thing, and enjoy learning on it!

I think the XJ650(Maxim) is a great first bike. I rode one as one of my first street bikes and did a long trip on it and it was great. The only thing I had to change, more for my comfort than anything, was the handle bars. The only thing that seems to go when they get up there in miles, is the starter clutch. So make sure it starts well.

Thanks for the advice. My friend called me today and said the bike started right up for him. He checked it over and took it for a ride. He said the front breaks worked but felt a little spongy. Everything else looked and sounded good. He offered me the bike for $400, so I'll have money to get the breaks checked out. I'm going to take a look at it on Thursday and I'm sure I'll hand him the money for the bike. Now I just need to find out which weekend I'll take the safety course so I can start riding.

Lucky dog ... That's a bargain ... better get it now !