700/750 Maxim-X Menu

HOTROD  Magazine, November 1985

Although this article refers specifically to the Yamaha 700 Maxim-X Model XJ700X, it applies equally to the 750 Maxim-X Model XJ750X. The two models were identical in every respect except for engine displacement and related performance. While tariffs limited the sale of Maxim-X's to 700cc in the United States, Canada, and other countries, received the 750cc counterpart in the form of the XJ750X. No question, Canadians (and others) enjoyed Maxim-X performance in excess of that touted in this article.


Evaluation: Middleweight Muscle
The 700-Class Performance Cruisers

There used to be a clearly defined group of motorcycles called, for lack of a better term, "standards". These were the bikes that could function well in almost any street-riding mode, from long haul touring to backroad rat-racing to urban trolling. They are mostly gone now. The choice today in mid-size motorcycles is between all-out road racers, ready for sticky tires and a trip to the race course and the bikes you see before you, street-wise bikes with 4 cylinders, flashy styling, more or less laidback riding positions and, we are discovering, a remarkable ability to do almost anything a rider could want from them. The standard look (low, conservative bars, muted style, and a comfortable seat) may be gone, but these three shaft-driven in-line fours from Japan are the heirs to the class in terms of sheer ersatility.


KAWASAKI ZN700 LTD

The LTD is the most cruiser-oriented machine of the three. Its high, pullback bars and radically stepped seat force the rider into an easy-chair position, and its aging, but very effective, DOHC two-valve motor is the strongest of the bunch in terms of low-end punch. Mid-range is good -- but the two Maxims, from Yamaha, can eat it up when all-out acceleration is the game. The motor is the smoothest of the group, with its rubber mounting system, and the chassis is quite competent, even for hard going on the backroads, though a little less agile than its Yamaha brethren. If your idea of the ideal machine is a mellow, nicely engineered city bike that lets you loll back against the seat step and delivers velvety power from the bottom of the tach dial, the $3149 LTD may be your choice.


YAMAHA XJ700 MAXIM

The Motorcyclist Magazine testers almost unanimously chose the air-cooled, DOHC, two-valve Maxim as their favorite, day in and day out, of the three. Its newer and more expensive sibling, the awesome five-valve Maxim-X, has more top-end power, and if racing for pinks is the game, the Maxim-X is going to be the outright winner. But on the street, keeping the Maxim-X's engine spinning up near its 10,000-rpm redline gets a bit tiring; the pros all preferred the torquier, smoother, and slightly slower Maxim.

The chassis of the two Yamahas is almost identical; like the Kawi, they're both shaft-driven 5-speeds, but both Maxims have much more alert, upright riding positions. For most riding, from high-speed rural outings to freeway cruising, the testers liked the erect Yamaha setup better. The Maxims allow the rider to lean into the wind on a highway -- to keep from having to support the upper body by pulling back on the bars all day; the lower, flatter handlebars also help make the steering feel more immediate, and let the rider haul his way forward to get extra traction at the front wheel when cornering hard.

The engine is not new, but it works wonderfully; carburetion is glitch-free, and there is always power at hand, from 1500 rpm to redline. And most judged the Maxim's styling to be the best of the group as well; the candy-red tank and tastefully applied brightwork make the XJ a bike even a confirmed sport bike rider could love.


YAMAHA XJ700X MAXIM-X

Yamaha broke new ground this year with the FZ750, a very serious sport bike with a radical five-valve-per-cylinder, DOHC head. Very simply, the FZ makes more power than any 750 has ever made before, and all with impeccable low-end and mid-range. The Maxim-X has the cruiser version of that motor; the bottom end is substantially different, but the business end -- that wonderful five-valve head -- is identical.

And the thing moves like the technology leader it is. When the tach needle winds past 7500 rpm the bike takes off like an F-14 from the deck of the Hornet. Yamaha's V-Max, the 1200cc, V-4-powered monster that's now the most powerful bike available over the counter, now has a little brother in the stop-light wars.

For confirmed speed freaks the Maxim-X is a standout, but a couple of flies stray into the adulation ointment. The carburetion is not great at low speeds; trying to open the throttle smoothly from idle gets you a substantial lurch, no matter how gentle you are. And the power is impressive only at the top end; both the Kawasaki and the two-valve Maxim were faster in our roll-on race from 50 mph in top gear. The liquid-cooled, high-tech motor is a jewel, but you can get more tasteful styling, easier-to-use power, and the same chassis in the plainer Maxim, and for $500 less.


Whichever you choose, the 700 cruisers will be giving you fast, low-maintenance transportation -- and with all the style you'll need to turn heads.

by Dexter Ford - HOTROD  Magazine, November 1985