For anyone who doesn't know, the Yamaha XJ900/750/700/650/550 have an air cooled inline DOHC four-cylinder engine displacing either 900, 750, 700, 650 or 550 cc. The first model introduced was the XJ650, which started in 1980 while the 550 and 750 were introduced in 1981. The XJ models in North America were either a Seca or a Maxim. The Seca is a sport-standard; meaning it is regular street bike with a sporty edge while the Maxim is a cruiser, but has a pretty standard riding position and is more of a cruiser-standard (whatever that means!). Both share the same powerplant.
The Maxims were made from 1980 to 1983, and then the XJ700/750 were re-introduced for 1985 to 1986 model years. The XJ700 and 750 were identical except for displacement, and the XJ700 was only sold in the US. Also introduced in 1985 was the Maxim X. It had a liquid cooled engine with five valves per cylinder, but still shared the same bottom end and drive shaft unit as the other XJ's. The Maxim X was the fastest of the XJ series, as fast or faster then many sportbikes of its day.
The Seca 650 lasted until 1982, but the 750 was made atleast until 1983 in the US, 1984 in Canada. Introduced in 1983 in the US was the Seca 900, but for some reason lasted only one year. Although, it continued until 1993 in other parts of the world. One of the standouts of the XJ series was the Seca 650 Turbo, which was one of the few direct from the factory turbocharged motorcycles. It came with a full fairing and looked completely different from the Seca 650. For more info on the Turbo check out Z's Turbo Page
The below list applies to all US and British models for 1980-1984, as well
as the 1985 Maxim X (US model).
| Name | Model | Starting Frame No. | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| none(?) | XJ650(4KO) | 4KO-000101 | 1980-1982 |
| none(?) | XJ650(11N) | 4KO-055101 | 1982-1984 |
| none(?) | XJ750(11M) | 11M-000101 | 1981-1984 |
| Maxim 650 | XJ650G | 4H7-000101 | 1980 |
| Maxim 650 | XJ650H | 4H7-100101 | 1981 |
| Maxim 650 | XJ650J | 5N8-000101 | 1982 |
| Maxim 750 | XJ750J | 15R-000101 | 1982 |
| Maxim X 700 | XJ700XN | JYA1AA | 1985 |
| Maxim X 700 | XJ700XNC (Ca. only) | JYA1FJ00 | 1985 |
| Seca Turbo 650 | XJ650LH | 4W5-000001 | 1981 |
| Seca 650 | XJ650RH | 5G2-000101 | 1981 |
| Seca 650 | XJ650RJ | 5V2-000101 | 1982 |
| Seca 750 | XJ750RH | 5G2-000101 | 1981 |
| Seca 750 | XJ750RJ | 5G2-100101 | 1982 |
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