Motorcycle Repair: Maxim or Vision, honda goldwing, yamaha stereo

Question
You may be interested to know that Christopher comes from the two latin words Christus and Ferre.  When put together your name means Christ Bearer.  Columbus, the Christ Bearer, came on the ship Holy Mary (Santa Maria).  Be proud of such a name!

I have an '82 Yamaha 550 with a direct-drive shaft.  The Title lists the model as VL, which turns out to be a Yamaha stereo.  How do I tell if the bike is a Vision or a Maxim, so that I can order the correct parts?

Thank you for your time and attention.   Henry

Answer
Hi Henry.
 Also, in Celtic, Christopher means humorous.  Many words sound the same with different meanings in different cultures.  I'm just glad that my name is good in both of these.

Now on to the bike.
 To tell what model you in fact have, check on the frame.  The title plate on the steering head should have the model on it.  My guess is that yours is likely to be XJ550VL.  The XJ series is based around the maxim engine (XJ), similar to the Honda Goldwing and Silverwing.  Both of those were GL series, but with different engines; or the Magna and Interceptor, which both models had either a V65 or V45 engine.

Good luck.
FALCON