Anyone had an XJ600 diversion??

[orangepeeleo]

Hey guys,

So my last thread on here was to do with finding a good first bike for me, on a £2k budget, for licences + gear + bike.

I had narrowed it down to either a GPZ500, GS500 or CB500 but in searching on autotrader i've found another bike that nobody had mentioned on my other thread, the yamaha xj600 diversion.

There are loads going on autotrader for under £1k with lower mileages than the 500's of a similar age. This fits perfectly with my budget, £1k for the bike, £500 on a DAS and plenty left for road tax and gear. Has anyone had one of these before?? Just wondering whether theres a reason for them not being reccomended before as it seems good enough for what i want to do

Cheers for any advice

[instigator]

I think people tend to recommend the 500's as they are cheap, plentiful and are just about the right power for the inexperienced or those that are progressing from a 125.

I went 125 - 500 onwards but having owned an XJ600 after this, there really isn't that much of a difference. I enjoyed my XJ more than I did the 500's. Just be careful when you go to buy one as they tend to suffer from rotted collector boxes. If you can find one with an aftermarket Nexxus exhuast then you're on to a winner.

[Steve-D]

Solid bikes, stupidly reliable. Very easy to ride, very comfy, great for pillions, great on fuel.
I'm on my 2nd one now. I killed my first one at 65k by ragging the shit out of it everywhere for a year and not servicing it once in 25k miles.
The suspension and brakes aren't great but if its your first big bike you probably won't realise until you ride something better.
Can easily pick one up for less than a grand. I paid £750 in october for a mint 94 with 23k on it.
____________________
www.southwestbikers.com
Tristan The said 'Dunno what my pace will be like, fastish slow puncture on the rear and if I go too fast I risk my 'keys' falling out'

[mad4it028]

ive got an l reg 1 you can have £300 good runner
____________________
always looking to buy bikes crashed ,unfinished projects,none runners pm me
currently riding kawasaki z1000 only bike ive ever loved

[Ingah]

Geezer i bought my first bike from (CG125) had himself gone up from the CG125 to an XJ600 (hence why he sold me the CG), so i assume it fitted his first-big-bike needs. And from what i remember it puts out about the same power as a CB500 and weighs around the same too.

Can't see for a second how it could be a bad choice, especially as most people seem to push new bikers towards 600s anyway!
____________________
-- Ingah

[Darth]

First you were gonna get a 125, then a 500, now a 600- just get yourself a 'busa and have done with it!
____________________
Harold_Shand wrote: I suppose it's like anything, you get your fingers burned when you start out, you learn from it and eventually become a complete arsehole about the whole thing.

[orangepeeleo]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Having had a Divvy and also done a lot of miles on a GPZ500, if chosing again the Divvy wouldn't get a 2nd glance.

Build quality was OK. Power is poor compared to the GPZ. Fuel consumption worse than the GPZ. Seat better than the GPZ. Brakes about the same. Lousy vacuum fuel pump on the earlier ones (the battery can be flat before it has crank long enough to pump fuel through). Handling is nice an neutral. Carried a pillion fairly well.

If I wanted something for plodding on the motorway, sitting at a constant speed then the Divvy would be OK. But anywhere else it was just, well, nothing. Zero fun.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[el_oso]

mate of mine has a gpz500s. i have an xj600s diversion.

the gpz500 is much more fun to ride. the divvy is boring but much more comfortable for longer journeys. i get better mpg out of the divvy than the gpz although it isn't much. the gpz does have a much larger tank.
the brakes on the gpz suck. the divvy ones do work although they are not particularly powerful.
my divvy is slightly quicker than the gpz but the gpz tops out slightly higher (only 2-3mph). the gpz however does feel like it is travelling faster than the divvy which doesn't actually feel like it is accelerating.
____________________
Duke 390
Previous: '05 XR125L | '96 XJ600S Diversion |'05 Suzuki GSXR1000 | '05 Honda CBR125-R | '97 YZF 600R Thundercat | '11 Honda CBR250
Car: Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

[tsmith]

the Diversion is air cooled and costs more to insure as its group 9. Also weighs a bit more than the GPZ, but puts out a bit more power (61bhp) Not a lot in it though. Both bikes use skinny bias ply tyres.

GPZ can get mpg in the high 70s if you ride it like a granny, or the low 60s if you give it some. Divvy typically gets 55-60mpg.


GPZ has 18litre tank, Divvy has 17litre. GPZ is more fuel efficient and can manage around 200 - 250 miles before hitting reserve.

Some people slag off the brakes on the GPZ, but I never had any problems with mine. GPZ from 1994 > have discs front and rear. 2002 > GPZs have twin front discs, as do some imports.

GPZs pre 1994 have 16" wheels and drum rear brake. They can have problems with flywheel magnets coming loose, sometimes with catastrophic effects. Post 1994 models are fine though.