I bought a cheapie J Reg XJ600S with 40k miles on the clock from a friend to keep me on 2 wheels over the summer. Its in good condition for it s age but I think this is because it hasn t had any UK winter usage. It's a simple uncomplicated bike, and comfortable to ride. The engine is surprisingly smooth, but at 4000 rpm the small 1/2 fairing resonates, this is really annoying. The fairing doesn't really feel that effective, you still get a lot of wind buffeting at higher speeds (above 60....). I've fitted a Skidmarx replacement screen which is higher with a flip, this has improved things a little. A previous owner had replaced the exhaust system with MOTAD stainless 4 into 1 exhaust front pipes coupled to a MOTAD NEXUS silencer, it sounds ok, however word of warning: the system makes it impossible to remove the engine drain plug without removing the exhaust front pipes, 4 snapped studs resulting in lots of work (head off) to do a simple oil change! I had a NTV650 Honda before the Divvy, and read in many reviews that the gear change was agricultural but I never had any trouble, the Divvy change feels the same, but the difference in driveline Divvys chain v NTV shaft accentuates a bad change mainly 1st to 2nd gear. The brakes are quite good considering it only has a single disc up front (compared to the NTV). I d like to say the handling was good but occasionally it has exhibitted a nervousness on road surfaces which can give a "tramlining" feeling......it maybe down to tyres but I'm not sure yet, its fitted with Michellin Macadams Fr & Rr.
Now on my second divvy in 4 years. excellent commuter bike. heavy on chain/sprocket wear. had to replace exhausts due rotted through downpipes/silencers. now looking to upgrade to 900
After five years away from bikes i decided to purchase a XJ600N last summer as i thought this would be the ideal bike to get back into biking again.So far i,m very plesed with my XJ as it does everything competently for a middleweight bike.Handling and reliability i rate highly.I shall be touring ireland in april so i,ll see how it gets on as it will be my first time touring on a bike.I plan buying the 900diversion next year as i want to do alot more touring around europe and think you need a bigger engine to do this.
I own the S model (with small fairing) but it is otherwise identical to the XJ600N. Unlike many owners I am a longterm rider and actually downsized to this model from a 750 Yamaha. I like the lightweight feel, brisk acceleration for town use and good braking (even with the single disc at the front.) For London commuting I get low to mid 50s mpg. (Mid 40s on my 750) The screen keeps some of the wet and muck off. It certainly aint a streetfighter but has enough grunt to see off scooters. I miss not having shaft drive, a fuel guage and self-cancelling indicators. The valve clatter when cold is annoying and cold starting can be improved by using super unleaded according to the dealer. Chain wear seems heavy. I have not done any 2up touring but the few times the old lady has been on the back, I didn't care for the buffeting effect of the turbulent air behind me. I paid £2K for a barely used immaculate model 2 years ago. In conclusion not a bad bike for someone who is not too demanding in the power dept.
Use mine for travelling back and foward to work, 20 miles on AI in Scotland and it is excellant for this.Fast enough to manoeuvre through and past traffic with good fuel consumption.Have had to carry out maintenance to front and back brakes and the normal other maintenance spark plugs, air filter etc in the year I have had it.I strongly agree it's a good first "big bike" to learn on and gain confidence on.
First time back on two wheels after 15 years four wheeling, loved it. masive problem with clutch and gear changing when hot though found to be clutch bearing mangled beyond recognition. and this found by me after MECH changed cable and said "oh these are prone to that" discovered they did not even look inside crankcase!! otherwise great for commuting, but lousy for two.great MPG or is MPL now?
My first motorbike after completing my direct access and although its not outstanding in any category (except perhaps in fuel economy - 50-60mpg!) I have had bucket loads of safe fun in GB and the continent. The downsides with mine: struggles with 2 up touring ; ticky valves (my mech. says its ok); Yamaha dealer in Edinburgh a rip off; thats it. The good sides: simple and cheap to run, reliable, appears to handle well on country roads (although I don't the experience to compare it othe models); not capable of crazy performance that'll get you killed.
Although a little gutless this is the ideal town and commuter hack. Excellent handling & 55mpg on a run. 5000 miles for tyres 10,000+ per chain. The 98 bike is better as comes with twin disk.
On the whole I am very pleased with my machine, it allowed me to make a few mistakes while I regained experience lost after 17 years on 4 wheels.
Not the most exciting, bike but an ideal first big bike. Great commuter and competent long distance/tourer. Not that taut in terms of performance but ridden within its limitations can raise a few eyebrows amongst the plastic rockets around Hyde Park Grand Prix! Haven't actually fired bullets at the engine, but still going strong with minimal maintainance after 47K domestic and continental miles in three years. Forget fashion, ride this workhorse to your race day, throw the hired bike down the track and then use the xj's mild manners to gently calm you down on the ride home. Mine's not for sale, its in the garage for when I tire of the 955 (honest!)
2001 model , great fun as i am back to biking after 10years, front end very soft , good feul economy and easy to ride, not any yamaha agents in the area i live in (peterborough) good ride in sunny dry days
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed June 2003.
Performance
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had bike for 3 years not let me down yet. does'nt handle very well in the rain, stay in the dry. quick around town, probably too much gearchanging, stable up to 80mph.
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2003.
Performance
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had my xj for 3 years,after coming back to road bikes they have certainly got better on the brakes for stopping but not to repair,ithink that seized pins and calipers let it down like all new bikes,apart from that its magic
grande mota esteticamente...a partir dos 140 Km/h vibra pra caralho...o travão de trás podia ser mais eficaz...é uma mota pesada (mas qual é que não é?) aconselho a sua compra, gasta pouco . A PUTA DA MANUTENÇÃO na YAMAHA É CARA.CHULOS. E sa PEÇAS ? FODA-SE, é DE FUGIR.
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed July 2002.
Performance
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This is the perfect bike for inter-city commuting. Enough power to get your about quickly but not nice enough to care about cosmetically. IE mine is reliable, will take anything I throw at it in its stride and will squease through traffic like a cyclist
Owned for 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed August 2001.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
I've bought mine recently after having tried out several other models. It's three years old and in perfect condition. It's a good looking bike (mine is full coated), and performance is ok for a newbee as myself. TopSpeed is around 180 km/h which is ok with a guy weighting 100+ kg. This is a perfect citybike, because it a is easy handled and it gives really good acceleration in the lower and middle range of the speedometer. The passenger sit comfortably and you can't feel it on the engine, that you have a passenger. The only negative thing I can think of is that it's not made for tall guys. I'm almost 2m heigh and I would have liked the seat moved back 5 or 10 cm. I hope I can buy another seat someday.
Owned for 1 month.
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