How fast have you gone on you're xj?

Im posting this twice because im surprised how much of a rise RickCo got out of this.
haha. good ol' west texas winds. I was going north on texas HW207 with a 15mph steady wind at my back and i caught a good draft off the rider in front of me boosting me to 145mph. If you ever get a chance, you should ride that road, not much to look at but its about 30miles straight and flat; some curves and then another 30miles straight. hit Ralls north on 207 and straight up the panhandle. My buddy and i were crusing around 100-115. Its because of that ride that he wants to trade in his 2003 100th Fat Boy for a Ducati, so he can be faster than me, great stuff. Next time i do it, ill get video. I love my seca :lol:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h19/j ... 1208224264

 

the best i did was 85+. that was laying down on the tank with my feet on the passenger pegs. i was headed south on US 283 from Lake Altus towards Altus Oklahoma...

i had to slow down because the little tiny speck in the distance (that i was rapidly gaining on) was black with a white roof. on the roof was a light bar...

i was a patrolman with the Altus pd but i wasnt sure how much slack the badge was going to get me for doing 30 over...

 

a small 112 mph is all i could squeeze out of the XJ.
right now it wont go faster than 96. time for tuning and oil change...

i hit with the zx9r just about 175mph

 

I've had the old Seca over 100 several times to pass trucks on the interstate and get way ahead of them. I often run around 85 when on the super slab to keep from getting run over. PD

 

without turbo, 90mph

with turbo... i'm sure 120 or so, maybe more. i was pretty close to redlining in 5th gear.

 

I think I may have gone 50 mph. I'm not sure of what all she can take. (Heck, I'm not sure what I can take for that matter!)

 

I'm guessing about 115 mph or so. It's hard to say for sure when your speedo pegs at 85 (thanks, EPA) but tached at the top, a buck-fifteen seems about right.

 

My 750 maxim will easy go 100mph (165kph) After that I lose nerve a little. I wouldn't expect much empathy from the cops at that speed. But the fact that is seems enthusiastic about going faster makes me feel pretty rock star about my 25 year old motorcycle.

 

way past 85, but I don't know with the damned speedo pegging in 4th. What's 7.5k RPM in 5th on xj750 seca?

 

Reading this post is making me wonder how accurate my compression tester is. I have an 81 650XJ Maxim and my compression tests out at 100psi across the board (give or take 5psi) and I have no problems cruising at 140km/h (87mph) and I crank her up to 160km/h (100mph) when I need to. I usually have to downshift to 4th to get my momentum then when I hit 9000rpm I shift to 5th and max out around 6000rpm. I wonder what she is going to be like after I do a top end rebuild.

 

How about 35 mph? That's got to take the cake for low... now all I need is high, jack and game and I shot the moon. I should probably mention I only had it running for about 30 minutes after a carb rebuild and then tore it apart to chase a valvetrain clatter.

 

The speedo on my '81 750 Seca pegs at 85mph. I've taken it to 80 but I can't get myself to push the rpms past 7k. After so many years on a Harley, I just cant stand to hear the engine scream like that.
Besides this bike is so light that I feel like a feather being blown around at anything over 70mph. (not complaining, I love this little monster!)

Are there any OEM speedos that will fit my panel that go higher than 85? I'm sure the beast is capable of much more than I have asked for.

 

Wish I knew

85+ and got some crazy vibration

 

On my way up to Loudin, last Summer ... I was riding with a mad bunch of sportbike crotch rocketeers.

After paying the tool in NH, I took-off and tried to put some distance on the pack.
I took the 750 Maxim almost flat-out before getting passed by the pack going real fast.

The consensus among the riders is that I was doing a Buck twenty-five.
I don't know?
But, I was in fifth with the Tach in the danger zone.

 

well my buddy has a really really fast 1994 track bike that has tones and tones of mods i have the xj550rk my speedo hits 80 i was in fifth gear around 8000 rpm and i still have a sixth gear to go and i was running at 129

last night i was riding from a little town called ARVIN CA to Bakersfield CA and i was testing the acceleration 1000-3000 rpm it has a good pull to it then 4000-6500 rpm it kinda hits a bogging section but once i hit 7000 rpm it wakes up and it roars and i got to hold on i can hit 70 in third gear at 10000 redline the bike hits 12000 but i never take it that high

 

ohh i forgot to mention that my buddys bike has a speedo that hits 170 and he followed behind me

 

well is there anybody else

 

My tach is from over seas with mph toping out at 145mph (on the inside, and kph on the outer region of the gauge.) you can find these cluster on ebay occasionally for not much dough. it was factory in japan on the 81 xj550 secas. it takes a little time to realize your not going 100 but 60mph. it will also be handy for learning the kph to mph ratio. and vise versa

 

I ran mine up to 90 in 3rd, then got spooked and shut it down cause I'm a giant pansy. Was still climbing like it would never stop but that also could have been part of the fear taking over.

 

Motorcycle speedometers are very inaccurate at higher speeds. Regardless, I do not believe that the stock gearing will allow an xj550 to do 145mph.

I believe a stock 550 wont run over about 115-120. I know for a fact that an 1100 maxim tops out in the mid 130s so I cant imagine the 550 would do 10mph more with half the power.

 

I recently replaced my stock 85 mph speedo with one off of a Honda 350 and it more accurate. It goes up to 100 mph now. Atleast I know I can go that fast.

 

The only way i was able to acheve that speed was a 20 mile plot of road straight and flat (west texas, there everywhere) not to mention the 5-10mph wind gust at my back and i gaught a REALLY good draft off the harley in front of me.

Thats brings up a good question. What is the margin of error for a motorcycle spedo at 145mph?

 

145mph? no way no how! I once owned a RZ500 that had 75hp at the wheel(two differnent dynos) and it was clocked at 138mph(unfortunatly by the police,big fine and I got to walk for awhile).I also owned a FJ600 and it was only good for an indicated 125mph but I think that it was closer to 115/120mph.
I dont care if you had a 50mph tail wind which dosent matter anyway after 50mph that isnt going to happen and running the bike at max rpm for 20miles would likly end with bad results.These are tough engines but that would be extreem torture for one.In fact when they test a new bike for top speed they only test it for a mile or two at the most becuase it is so hard on the engine.
These are the facts.

 

Ok I just hit 112 according to my tom tom and I almost shit a brick. not because of bike acting weird or fear of death or anything like that, but because I was just screwing around on a back road (strong wind at my back) and I looked down and saw it and was surprised because (due to the wind I think) it didn't feel like it and the bike was still pulling hard with plenty of power to go! I Love this thing!

 

100, I'm supposed to be able to do 130 when 5th redlines, but I get scared

on my xj700

 

ok with all due respect, the RZ500 and FJ600 were different gearing. the seca's were meant to race. that meant, having a sixth gear, slightly higher red line, top end gears, and being chain driven. ill have a video posted soon of a high speed run on you tube. also as far as the wind thing, you're right. i realized a 5-10mph wind at your back going 145mph doesn't really help your speed. Only that there is less resistance when moving. The wind would have to blowing 145mph+ to have any actual difference in top end. Thats not the kind of weather any one would want to ride in.

I do think a stage three jet kit, K&N air filter and Open pipes do factor into top speed.

I do not want to argue about this ill pm you when i post the video. thank you for your comment
thank all of you for keeping this post going.

 

I've gone 135 in a 77 monte carlo, (not stock) and boy did that feel like a boat ready to flip at any second.

On my XJ750RJ Seca (mind you I've only been riding bikes for two months and less than 500 mile overall riding) I've taken it up to 87 ish MPH. I only take it up there and then back off. When I get to the point where I feel confident in going past 100 then I will change my speedo Gauge. I love my bike.

 

On the 900, 104 MPH recorded with the Garmin. It was indicating 115. Recently I indicated 120, so about 110 actual speed. There sure is alot of wind out there !

I do think a 20 MPH tail wind would translate to about 20 MPH more speed, until you near red-line and run into the limits of the motor.

 

Josh,
I say this totally respectfully, and with no desire to impugn your integrity, but there is simply no way a Seca 550 was doing 145 mph.
Not even if you through it off a cliff.
Not under it's own relatively stock power.
I don't care what your WILDLY optimistic speedometer told you.
You did NOT travel at 145mph on a Seca 550.

I had a ZRX 1100, putting down 112.3 hp at the rear wheel (dyno verified) and she struggled to get above 150mph on the GPS.

My ZX-9R Ninja used to just touch 160mph, but she was laying down just under 125 hp and had a full aerodynamic fairing i could tuck under.

To stick to your guns, you'd have to convince us that your 550 found a magical additional 35 mph on top of a Seca 900, struggling to hit 110. (see post directly above mine). Not happening.

I still love you as a motorcycling brother, Josh, but your Seca has never gone 145 actual mph. Your gauges have deceived you.

Peace,
Christopher.

 

That was the top speed for ME, not the 900, which had plenty of pull left.
900 's have a taller middle-gear set. Florida has this law that 41 MPH over the limit is JAIL !! Separate cells for the bike and rider.

 

Thanks for the clarification Time.
I stand by my prior assertion on the Seca 550 and 145 actual mph.

I had an '86 Interceptor 500 that topped out at 129 mph. It had the highest hp to weight ratio of any bike to that date. they claimed 73 hp with a 12,500 rpm redline and just a hair over 400lbs, with a quarter fairing top and bottom. They also claimed a 135 mph top speed, but i never saw that and i used to pin that bike a LOT! I don't think many members are going to come in here and claim a Seca 550 is 15-20 mph faster than a Honda 500 Interceptor, are they?

My ZRX wasn't stock either. I use it as example here, because it is a prime example of a modern high-performance iteration of the standard UJM, similar in make up to our beloved XJs. It had a full Muzzy stainless system, K&N filter, jetted and shimmed to match, down one tooth on the countershaft sprocket and a Ted's 4 degree timing advancer. And i'm telling you it was a struggle to top 150 on my GPS on that bike. Is anyone in here still telling me a 25 + year old Seca 550 is hitting 145? Really? :lol:

I've just seen WAY too much anecdotal evidence first hand and read far too much other supporting information to believe that figure.

It is fun to dream though and i admire the adventurous spirit being displayed.

this country wasn't built by men in fear of speed limits.

 

That's it. After reading this thread, I'm strapping my GPS onto my handlebars somehow. My !@#!@% brand-new speedo cable snapped yesterday because the speedo support/input bearing is worn and sloppy and the odo gear would grab and bind up. Oh sure, all the teeth on the odo gear are now stripped so it shouldn't happen again, but I want an accurate reading at least once.

I thought the Seca 750's were rated for 137 mph top speed? I realize that I probably will fall short of that 27 years later but was that true or not?

 

I've broken 130 on my 81 seca 750. But we cut ~20 lbs of stuff off the bike, and i'm a skinny skinny man, for that pull.

 

Its been a while since I owned those bikes but Im sure that they both had six gears and were meant for "racing" more so than your seca.In fact the fj600is a bigger version of the 550 engine but in a sportier chassis.
As far as taller gearing goes,If that rz500 had had the power to use the stock gearing I think it may have topped out around 160mph but it didnt have that kind of power.That thing was geared so high that in sixth gear at60mph the engine was only turning 2500rpm,Im betting your seca is alot higher rpm then that at 60mph.Oh yea the redline was 10000rpm.
Think about it your seca probably put about 45hp to the ground if you are lucky and it is shaped like brick so I would say that 145mph is out of the question.
Oh one more thing,the new 600cc sport bikes put out about 95-110hp at the wheel and they can only manage around 150-160mph and I bet thats on a highly tuned one at that.

 

Hasn't this been done 3, 4 + times?

The TON... 100 mph (more like 170kmh)... Clocked by an R6, which shortly after passed me doing around 240-250 kmh.

 

My indication on the Maxim said 85, I'm sticking to that!
The ZZR will not go faster than the 152 I had indicated (with me @ 235 pounds on it).
I have only gone 1mph in the garage on the TL since I haven't ridden it yet (bought it in December).

 

I've had my 550 Seca up to 180! KPH! That's about 113 MPH. It will not pull to red line in 6th gear, no way, no how. It was starting to speed wobble at that speed so I've limited myself to 80 or 90 MPH max since. Last time I checked I couldn't find a legal speed limit over 75MPH in North America so unless I take up road racing my 550 is still plenty fast enough for me.

 

Really? My '81 pulls to redline in 6th (takes a little longer than in 5th) but then again I chucked the fairing. I've only had the '83 up to 90mph but I KNEW HOW FAST I WAS GOING! (Lovin' the speedo conversion.)

 

Cant hit 145 mph with my xj1100

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... tml#117128

How about 148 MPH verified with an official timing devise??
Too bad this guy doesn't come around anymore.

On my first Seca 900, in 1985, when I was lighter, a guy had a prepped GSXR 750. Basically, he ran away from me. I indicated 135. He was GONE ! I also drag raced it, to a best of 12.8 @ 107 MPH. I weighed 220 LBS and the bike was never professionally "tuned".

 

I also am over 100 when passing trucks and other vehicles.
I've had her up to 125 and climbing with plenty of throttle left
but not enough nerves!
My speedo pegs out at 150, and a buddy of mine who used to race bikes
says it should do all of that. (guess I'll never know for sure.

 

had my xj700 up to about 165 kms/hr.There was a car with some teenagers in it that pulled beside me on the Hwy and decided they were going to play with me by trying to swerve sideways into my lane.I said enough of that" and just left them doing about 160.Got a little nervous when you feel a slight vibration or something.Things like getting a flat tire came to my mind and what would happen to me afterwards.That was a few years back.Tis past summer had it up to about the same again..didn't really notice any vibration or anything.Just felt fast enough for a bike travelling over concrete.
I ride an SRX snowmobile and have taken it up to 120 mph(well at least buried the needle) and didn't feel as scary for some reason.Probably cause I am lower to the ground below,and that I may have a chance to roll on the snow if I lost control.Rolling over concrete is a tad more severe.

 

I've pulled redline on my 750 Maxim in 5th gear. Numerically it equates to 130MPH. Actual should be slightly higher due to tire circumfrence expansions at speed.

I guess this would be as good of a spot as any to introduce myself. I'm guessing you all can figure out my name. I live in Arkansas, near Little Rock. My bike is currently in North Dakota (home) and should arrive here around the first of the year. I run an 82 XJ750J with about 4K on her. It was my first street bike, which I bought from my first girlfriend's father in 2002. It had set for about 10 years when I got it, and after I wrecked it, its now sat for about 6 years. Time to get her back! My brother did lots of work, and is finishing the fork seal rebuild now. I need to do a cam adj, and also check out the carbs, but then I am off! Does anyone have new gaskets for the petcocks? Mine is a little jacked...

I am a mechanic for the military, working mainly on diesel engines, generators, etc. I also play with carpentry and scuba when I'm find a free second.

I am SO HAPPY that a site like this is around now. I was looking for somehting like this when I first got this bike, but to no avail!

 

Both are 6 speeds and the 600 depending on what years specs you look at has more HP than the 550

The best I ever got out of an RZ500 was a indicated 225kmh and it would outrun any 550 Seca

Around the 190kmh mark was the best I ever saw out of my XJ550

Re the tailwind, I did see an extra 15kmh out of a BMW750 with a tailwind over what it would normally get

 

9k in 5th not sure how fast that is.. normaly only run it up to 8k in 5th but I do that every time I ride just to make sure it will...ok not every time but close...

 

Just doing the legal speed limit on the freeway I feel like the wind's gonna rip me right off the bike sometimes 8O

I've been doing some thinking about whether a tailwind helps.Went back and forth on which way I felt was correct

Then it dawned on me...Bonneville
If you read about the results in land speed racing,you'll notice they get a higher speed one direction than the other
That's why they run both directions and average it to come up w/official speeds

Seems to me that proves head or tailwind does indeed affect your top speed

 

Helps in sailing too ! :roll:

 

Not sure about how fast I had the new purchase (xj) but the speedo said 70mph. Now I used to have an xs1100 special that had a vetter fairing on it that I made several trips home from Indy in the 100+ area. Then I got to thinking about Bambie stepping out in front of me at that speed and I took the fairing off so that the stupid rider couldn't go so fast. Those inline 4's sound good with a 4 into 1 and no baffles, how sweet the sound, and that also was a few years ago. HUH Ride-On

 

different bike younger days but 132 was my highest attainable speed,clocked my a police car that i could have got away from but reason took over cause i was in teh navy,and THATS about the only reason i didnt go to jail that day. Left the state with a transfer to a new duty station on the day i was suppose to be in court..........1982 before state agreements and detailed computer records. FF 19 years later goin through same state and got pulled for 87 in a 65...................90 dollar fine and no previous record of past offenses..........LUCKY ME...talked the cop into a reduced speed ticket @ 79 as i was goin to a funeral........not mine !!

 

about 125. Doesn't sound like much until you realize Mine is a rigid. Felt real weird too.