What else do you ride?

Just curious to see what other bikes keep our XJs company in the garage.

I picked up a '99 EX500 for my wife from a salvage dealer last January... broken plastic and mirror/lamps on the right side. Just $1100. I'll get around to it one of these days...

GG

 

I used to ride a few different bikes - right now I'm down to just the XJ. I loved my old zx600r - alot quicker than the xj and still pretty comfortable. I'm looking at new bikes. I've been a sucker for the triumphs for a long time... I really like the zx7r ( for a second bike). For the miles I do the VFR and ninja 650 are the top of my list right now. Have to wait for the lottery ( or the next raise )

 

My wife rides the XJ650. Mine is a 02 Bandit 1200S.
My son rides the 87 GSXR 750 and my daughter will be looking for a R6 Raven this spring.

 

My other bike if you want to call it that, is a 1987 Honda elite 80 scooter I use for city riding. It’s great for the narrow streets of Philadelphia and the stop and go traffic. I can also get away with parting it next to bike racks so there is also ways free parking in old city. But I am looking to buy a new bike in a year or two but will keep the XJ Maxim as my classic and back up bike and put it under classic motorcycle insurance. Which goes for around 80 bucks a year. Looking to buy something on the lines of the Honda 919, kawasaki Ninja 650R, Triumph Speed Four, or Ducati M750 Monster.

 

CTSommers - great list - those all look sweet!

The 919 was a crush of mine from the day it came out - I remember watching it in the mags...

The summer it was available here someone brought the silver one as a first bike. They were on a divided two lane avenue type deal - and decided to move right to pass someone. Cracked the throttle lifted the nose. Turns out they were in the right turn only lane. They grabbed brake (front) landed the nose and promptly locked it up and low sided through the rose bushes... Needless to say the bike was totalled ( the gas tank alone they claimed was north of 800$ Canadian...) I saw it in the bike shop and asked what they wanted for it - they weren't helpful. Turns out they wanted it as a track bike... I was hoping to score a cheap bike. Later on I brought my 600 ninja instead

Other bikes I loved? Ninja 9r, 7rr, zx2r ( not the ex or the zzr), 919, tt600, 955i Daytonna, Sprint ST (Triumph), all ducs...

to narrow it down - the 650r is cheaper than the VFR and that's a huge selling point. It'll do the sporty riding at the destination, and purr on the highway. The question will be which feels better - and I haven't ridden the 650 yet.

 

At the moment I am riding the XJ 650 Maxim and a Suzuki GS 850, restoring a Honda 550/4, Honda 400/4 and a Yamaha XZ550. Before I retire from my current job I have promised myself a Vincent Black Shadow!!!!


Nobby C

 

Hey Nobby,

That Vinny has got to be the most beautiful bike every made. That's a promise I hope you get to keep!

GG

 

In the garage, near the XJ, I've a '04 kawasaki Z 750

 

i have a:

jawa 350/640 w/ sidecar

suzuki rv 90

and am planing on buying a honda xl600 for the dirt!

also the seca, of course

 

Well the seca is the lone 2 wheeler of mine but it does share the garrage with my Dad's '81 XS850 Special. After years of him not letting my bother and I get a bike he finnaly cracked and now after my bro and I have been riding for a few years he went out and got himself a bike.

 

Apart from the XJ550, which has just burnt a valve out after the last 1100km trip

1982 IT200 the electrics have died on this and I need to get them rewound but until then it was in regular use on trailrides

1979 RD400, currently in a pile of parts awaiting a rebuild to turn it into a pre 82 race bike

1982 GN/DR150 Bucket race bike, this is bored/stroked, lightened balanced crankshaft, GN250 carb, hot cam, stainless exhaust, it went from 7 rwhp in stock form to 14rwhp, also has a box section alloy swingarm and GSXR250 front end and running 17 inch wheels and slick

And just building a F1 Roadrace sidecar with a 03 R1 motor in it

 

My current ride is an 82XJ650RJ. Parked next to it is an 82 GL1100 Goldwing. They might soon both get a new friend though in an 83 XJ650 Turbo that I have my eye on.

Bake

 

Without my xj600 i have 1967. Jawa 360/00 and 1988 Dnepr MT-11, and 1955. K-750!

 

Just bought a 1979 Suzuki GS550L. Picking it up saturday. 8)

 

'03 FJR1300
'01 Yamaha WR250F enduro bike
3....80's XR100's.
'87 Kawi LTD454
'71 Honda CT70
2...80's Honda Z50's
'85 V-Max non runner

And a room full of projects!

 

hey dm88

Without my xj600 i have 1967. Jawa 360/00 and 1988 Dnepr MT-11, and 1955. K-750!

do u have a sidecar rig withe dnepr or the jawa?

at the moment i have the jawa heads apart for decarbonization!

also the honda xl600 is already here!!

 

.l

 

1982 IT200 the electrics have died on this and I need to get them rewound but until then it was in regular use on trailrides

i also had a it200 and a it490, but just sold'em
also i have owned a harley 50cc hummer! (sold)
and a bultaco360 (sold)

 

2001 Suzuki GSF1200S Bandit. (Shown in light-touring trim, with the Corbin Beetlebags. Pic was taken last May somewhere on the Cherohala Skyway.)

 

My other bike is a Trek 820 mountain bike. It's even more neglected than my poor Seca

 

Just added a 1980 RD350LC to the stable

 

1982 750 seca, 1977 xt 500, 1990 cr 250r, 1994 80 badger, 2003 400 kodiak, 1989 glastron 185 futura 4.3 mercruiser.

 

I'm looking to add a 2006 FZ6 to my stable.

 

03 Vmax Regular ride
83 XJ900 Project bike for now
75 DT250 Just for blasting farm fields

 

Until last november I had a suzuki gsx750, real sporty but uncomfortable, the low handlebars have you hunched over it like an inmate. Handled nice though. I ended up selling it to my roomate who fell in love with it. and since he's not done paying me for it, technically i suppose I still own it.


UGLY wheels though.

 

Toy #1 used for long distance and sport touring:

Toy #2 used for high velocity riding and sport touring:



Toy #3 used for local mountain & twisty riding and because I love the sound of an Italian V twin:

 

my other bike...only working bike right now is a 1975 yamaha dt400b enduro, its a deathtrap... bad fork seals so big dips when braking, very sticky drum brakes which are prone to locking, bad swingarm bushings so when i brake/accelerate the whole bike twists crazy...oh yeah no turn signals as the previous owner took them off....deathtrap...but oh golly is it fun!!!

 

man you guys are crazy about inline 4s....

 

Let me know if you do. I just saw one of these at the shop, and I think I'm in love.

BTW, McHenry is a decent ride from me. If I ever get teh finishing touches on the Seca (or pick up that FZ), we should meet in the middle somewhere for a ride.

 

Inline 4's make alot of hp for their size... they might not make the same torque numbers but they generally have nice wide powerbands.

I'm looking at v4's at the moment as well

 

ION, I've loved the 80's Katana's since I first laid eyes on the 84 1100... wicked looking beast with attitude to match. I'd have settled for the 84 GS1150E but they were just as hard to come by. Had a grey market 83' 900 Katana once, man was that a raped ape. I totally understand your roomy, I'd love to add one to the stable.

 

i just picked up a real nice 1982 suzuki gs1100, comes with a sissy bar too.

http://www.psiklone.com/hobbies/bike/DSC00108.JPG


$1100

 

I'm now a CBR600 owner... fun little bike.

Pros:
- awesome brakes
- awesome suspension
- great power
- very comfortable for a sportbike
- good fuel milage, good range.
- good tire selection

Cons:
- great power. 3rd gear is all you need... 6th is only to drop the revs on the highway.
- still a sportbike... if you don't have long arms your back will get tired if you try and situp all day.
- eats tires much faster than the maxim
- not really good for passengers
- luggage has to be thought through more carefully

I like it. I think I made the right move for what I'm looking for. I'll miss the maxim but she's in good hands and I think the new owner will get alot of enjoyment out of it. She was running really well when I sold her.

 

Well, just added another to my growing collection. A Kawasaki KZ305. Believe it or not, this is probably the best one I've got at the moment. Quite a testament to my collection of junk if I do say so myself. :lol: I'll probably be picking it up on Saturday, it doesn't run right now, but I'm guessing the carbs are just gummed up. With just under 9k miles on it, I'm hoping it won't need too much, and will serve as my transportation to and from work for a while to help save on gas. Now need to find a good mesh jacket since it's usually mid 90's and 90% humidity all summer long here. 8O

I haven't posted much about my other bikes either. The '83 Venture was going to be my rider, but I've found out that this bike is very complicated, and hard to find parts for, so it's kinda up in the air at the moment. I did order everything I need to finish the exhaust up on it, so I'll probably go ahead and do that, and try to at least ride it around the parking lot to find out if it has the dreaded second gear issue (bad synchros around 30-50k miles, this one only has 20k).

The XS650 is currently sitting at my parents, and will probably stay there for a bit to come. The plan is to use that as my first attempt at a chopper, but with the Venture up in the air right now, who knows, maybe I'll do a Venture chop. Never seen that before. But, I do know I'm going to have to eventually get rid of one or two of them, but for right now, they're not taking up much space, and I have so little money tied up in them, it's not hurting anything for them to sit for a while.

As far as the Midnight Maxim goes, I still plan on fixing that one up. Right now it's serving as an unmolested template to go by while tracking down wiring issues with my friend's '82 XJ650. Speaking of which, I still need to get some pics of that one...

Here's some pics of the KZ:

 

Also, a few pics of the big Venture. Now you see why I'm giving up on it. :lol:

 

I know the Venture looks intimidating in the flesh but it's just a V-Max in sheeps clothing. Bunch of electronics and gizmos, just gotta wade through it all, one step at a time. Best of luck to you!

 

Picked up the KZ305 yesterday, and got a nice surprise. This is actually a CSR model, which had the "Uni-Track" belt drive. The belt drives were somewhat troublesome, and hard to find parts for, so many people switched over to chain drive, which is what this one is. But, the CSR's had a 6 spd tranny, and a larger cam (10k RPM redline!), so I'm thinking this one will be a pretty good bike. Hopefully have it on the road in a couple of weeks.

 

In addition to the XJ550 Seca, I have a 2003 SV1000S. It's a V-Twin and the grunt down low is awesome. It's a better bike in so many different ways. The XJ will always have a spot in my heart since it was my first bike and it took a while for me to get it in the shape that it's in.

I haven't taken the XJ to the track but the SV just carves its way around. There is a pic of me at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma CA. Very technical track and the SV is at home there.

 

In addition to my XJ550R Seca, I ride a '99 Buell M2 Cyclone. There is no comparison. It is a beast, pure and simple! Handling; superb. Unbelievable flickability. Low end grunt coming out your ears. 110HP,91 ft# torque, ya gotta love it. Plus the V-twin sound as a bonus!

 

I love Twins!!

 

With any luck ... I'll be riding a Custom XJ-900 Maxim, some day! I saw a 900 engine stuffed into the Max frame on eBay.

I have the 900 Engine nearly done. I just have to order the Gasket Sets and a set of rings.

Then, I'll have to find a Group Therapy session for biker's who are so Anal Retentive that they shudder at the notion of disturbing anything that happened during the bike's initial assembly at the factory!

 

I have been working on my 1979 XS 750 F triple. Now it's running like a champ and it's time to focus on the '81 XJ 550 Maxim. I have had the Maxim off and on for 10 years, as it started out as my brothers bike. Now it's my responsibility, can't beat it for free.

 

Here are a few pics of my stable, aside from the Seca. I love `em all like family. Many good points for each. Inline fours rule !!!! I had 2 other FJ`s which I sold about 2 months ago.....things were getting out of hand !!!!

 

Oh, Man!

What a rush it must be to crank that FJ-12 wide-open and hang on!
Damn! And ... she a "Looker" ... too!

 

Thanks Rick......always nice to get a compliment from a fellow Bay Stater. Yeah, The `olde girl` sure is a looker, and has tons of power everywhere. I was lucky to buy this bike off a good pal who maintained it incredibly well. He was ex Air Force, and was used to high maintainence standards in everything he did. Very very hard to get them in this condition. Totally original except for the seat, the braided lines and the flip up screen......all improvements to the stock bike. I work hard to keep its appearance up. Considering it is a 20 year old bike, It stacks up well against much modern bikes...way ahead of its time, and has dated much better than most of its contemporaries. The 2 FJ`s I sold recently were in nice shape too, but nothing as good as this baby. `86 was definitely the best looking model in the FJ series in my opinion. There is something about that paint that does it for me !!! :lol:

 

Excellent! That's a steal for that bike!

I've got a GS750E of the same year that is a garage project for this winter. (Mechanical then removing the horrible rattle-can job PO did on it.)

Someone told me that these bikes are basically Katanas but without the nice pretty shells and straight-up pegs. Is that true?

 

That's sharp, snick! Man, those eighties bikes just have something today's bikes don't have...

 

I got my 83 xj750rk, 77 goldwing, 82 Gl500, Started with a yamaha rd125 I got free from my uncle, and that started it all, then I had a cm400t, cb750f, kz650, 77 goldwing, kz650sr, cb650 custom, Oh ya almost forgot about the 72 scorpion moped, and a gs550e, I think that was it.

 

81 Seca 750
72 S2F 350 Kawasaki
03 Suzuki Bandit 1200s
and yearning for a KLR 650!!

 

My other scoot:



1996 VT1100 Honda Shadow. with alot of accessories.