WANTED - xj600 diversion

[froggy128]

Must be in good condition and have mot

would also be nice if it was near yorkshire

[epz]

there are literaly hundreds on ebay, autotrader and mcn mind if i ask why, i guess it would be ok as a hack bike but the air cooled engine and what looked like skinny tyres put me off

[froggy128]

well my mates after one just to use as an all weather commuting bike

[epz]

if he can handle the insurance i would think about a trx850, a 97 can be had for about the £1400 mark will do 50 mpg but has a lot of potential, if thats to ugly fazers are also starting to come close to the one and a half grand mark.

seriously the only thing good about the diversion is they are dirt cheap and effectivley disposable, i may be wrong but i think the engine dates back to the 70s

[Kickstart]

Hi

Having owned a 600 Diversion, bought as a commuter, here are a few comments about them.

Handling wise they are quite nice. Not a sports bike but they handle nicely and neutrally.

Mine was an early one with a single disk at the front. Barely enough, but better than a GPZ500.

The engine is only very distantly related to the old XJ600. Essentially it is a new design from about 1990. Seems reliable although the clutch thrust bearing seems to be a regular problem (possibly because the Haynes manual lists to lube it with engine oil, which disappears in about a week leaving the bearing dry, while the Yamaha manual says to use molybendium diasulphide grease).

Finish is actually not that bad. I sold mine at 45K (almost 10 years old) and it was still pretty solid.

Early ones have a really pathetic vacuum fuel pump. You would be better training a nest of ants to carry buckets of fuel from the tank to the carbs. It is entirely possible to flatten the battery before the fuel gets to the carbs to start the engine if you run out (or are far too slow going to reserve).

Fuel consumption is OK, as is the fuel tank size, but with the same useage my FZR600 does better on fuel and has a bigger fuel tank.

They are comfy and make a very good motorway bike. Wind them up to speed and they sit there happily. Comfy with a pillion.

They do not have much low down power (nor much top end power). While they cruise beautifully at a reasonable speed they are not great getting to that speed.

Basically if you want to use it for long motorway journies then go for one, but if you have to deal with lots of junctions, low speed work and anything else that results in regularly changing speed then look elsewhere.

All the best

Keith
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