New to XJbikes from Australia

Hello out there in XJ Land

I am based in Tamworth, Australia & currently dont have an XJ.
Current rides are an '01 FJR, a '85 SRX250 (resto'd) & a '85 GSX250 (in resto).

Have just been offered a '80 or '81 XJ650 Seca which has been sitting in a dry shed for 12 years. Was going when parked there (long story :? ) but hasn't been turned over since parked & now doesn't.

This is attractive to me as was looking for something in the 500 ~ 750cc size range that I could resto & then register under Club/Historic plates thru VJMC (I am a member).

The bike is all there, dirty of course, but no dings or significant rust etc. Doesn't look like it has ever been dropped.
Have had a variety of opinions about them (as I have never ridden an XJ) from slow, heavy & terrible to great bikes.

Cheers
Pete

 

Welcome charley28 from south Vic doubt you you'll get bad xj reviews here. Several tons of info and help available as well, been some very sharp 650 resto's to read on. It will be said do a compression test first to see what you've got ahead of you. And I'll bet any question you have has already been answered, search away.

 

I don't know if slow, heavy, or terrible is a good description. In good nick I'd say they are quite sporty. The engines are the precursor to the ninja engines, so they're pretty snappy.

I'd say they are more high-strung than some other bikes, as most of the HP is made in the + 5k rpm range, but the motors are tough ( when maintained ) so they like it.

If the motor doesn't turn over, is this because of it being siezed? or bad battery? If it turns over, then you can still refresh her without a teardown. Valves, carb clean, brakes are high on the list of first things to address, and there's great write-ups on here to help you through that.

 

PJK is right, most people who call them slow or heavy are usually harley riders who can't comprehend a powerband that's not in the 1k-3k rpm. XJs start their rocking at 5k-7k, and blow harleys out of the water except from a cold start. If you ride an XJ like a lard ass cruiser, you'll think it's slow and heavy. It's not designed to ride that way, you got to get it the engine to whine a bit, which is the antithesis of how you ride the hardleys.

There was a topic not too long ago where someone rediscovered the XJ when he learned how to get the most out of the bike. Can't find it now, but once he found the band he was psyched. THAT's how it should be ridden; I get to 70mph in 2nd gear and I'm considered one of the slower riders here! ^_^

 

Thanks for the replies

It sounds like it will ride like my old '74 Suzi GT550 which I am fine about

It's not going & engine won't turn over. Could be siezed but could be just "stuck" from sitting around last 12 years. Won't know until I get it apart but at the $$ it is being offered to me for that is the risk I will have to take.
At the very worst I could part it out but that would only be a last resort.

Anyway, will post up some photo's if I get it

Pete

 

There's a slew of Aussies on here too, maybe you'll luck out and someone will be nearby. Of course, in Australia "nearby" means a circumference of about 1500 km. ^_^

 

welcome aboard charlie, im up in brissy myself, im actually about to sell mine, its been a great bike but not ridden any more and it deserves to be on the road, its a great bike as they all are when sorted, good luck with yours, ken ,,, as usual the photo, im proud of it, i really should keep it, their few and far between on the ground now in australia especially the special.

 

Hi , and welcome to the site. I, m just down the road in the Hawkesbury district of Sydney, practically neighbors. I first purchased my xj650 almost 30 years ago ( to commute 700 + kms a week ) , and parked it in the shed a few years later , doing the right thing when the kids came along. 3 years ago I decided to get back into riding and bought an xj900 off ebay , loving the shaft drive aspect and reliability that I had experienced with the 650 , and decided to get the 650 going again. Having graduated to an 01 FJR 1300 myself , its interesting to compare the two motors. You know how smooth the FJR is , well the 650 , when well tuned, is not far behind. I enjoy riding it every bit as much as the FJR, its a good simple bike , reliable , with virtually a bullet proof bottom end . No , its not a sports bike compared to modern machinery, but dammit ,its a lot more comfortable to ride. cheers ,Murray

 

And I will add , dont even think of buying spares through local suppliers, ie engine components etc , contact Chacal (XJ Forever ,top right of page ) on this site . I carn,t reccomend him highly enough . and the extent of his catalog is mind boggling, cheers , Murray

 

G'day I'm in Qld and it's lonely at the moment as a blue's supporter.
They are good bikes mate,in their day they were good sports tourers their day was 30+ years ago but they are still good solid bikes built in a time when you only had one bike,commute /tour, sunday morning scratcher and they won't turn their nose up if you have to run the odd gravel/dirt road either.
But be honest what sort of answers did you expect on an XJ forum?
Nah to be honest mate they are shit, got a contact number for that 650?

 

as an aside, there were known as a hiroshima screamer in their day due to the fact they really seem happy if you ring their neck without intentionally trying to kill them.. in tune up to redline anytime, thats my experience anyway, 120k's in 2nd didnt worry it at all for the 40000k's i put on it, ive just talked myself into it, its staying in the family,,