122,000 miles and still ticking

Aren't these XJ bikes great? I just rolled over 122,000 miles on my '82 XJ550 and it's still running great. It has started using a bit of oil though. I now have to top it off every time I go for a ride but it's not leaking it and there's still no visible smoke. Engine's never been apart. Still has original clutch. I just do regular maintenance, tune-ups and oil changes. I think that's just pretty darn good for an air cooled motorcycle.

 

That is bloody good & a shining example of why regular maintenance is so important and also of how getting ridden regularly is actually GOOD for a bike. Congrats on the "milestone"

 

congratulations. hopefully something we can all look forward to.

 

Original CAM CHAIN?

Original clutch I can understand since the bike has never sat; the 550 has essentially the same clutch as the bigger bikes and it's 100lb lighter.

I'm willing to bet your oil consumption is valve stem seals and not rings if you're not seeing any smoke. If you pull the head and do a valve job, it still won't count as "having the motor apart."

Congratulations. I knew these little gems were bulletproof, but damn.

 

Yes, it's still the original cam chain. Last time I checked the compression, it was still good so I suspect you are right about the valve stem seals. I do have a spare motor with only 10,000 miles so I might just keep going on this one until something major breaks. I'd hate to do a valve job just to have something else go out shortly after.

 

Wowzas.

As long as it's not eating too much oil, just run it.

Something you might think about: Yamaha calls for 20W40, which is really hard to find these days. However, Castrol makes a semi-synthetic motorcycle oil specifically for "high revving 4-cylinder bikes" with wet clutches. And it comes in 20W40. Castrol Act>evo X-tra 4T http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiong ... Id=7079437

I've been running it for three seasons now in my '83, my starter clutch is fine, and I've noticed something remarkable: absolutely ZERO oil consumption. My Secas have always used a bit of oil, I attributed it to the fact that I don't "baby" them, hit 10K rpm regularly, cruise at 80mph, etc. Using the semi-synth, zero oil consumption.

The only drawback is finding it. I buy it online.

 

Wow that's interesting... Worth a look definitely. These motors (most yamahas for that matter) are known to "use" a little oil from what I've read in the press... Not really seen it mentioned on here much though

 

nice. Not to hi-jack a thread, and it's not a bike, but I'm going to turn 273,000 on my '04 TP Cruiser within the next week or so............

Dave Fox

 

Is that the native American version? :lol:

 

That's what it says on it.

dave

 

My '08 VW Wabbit just rolled over 224K.

 

They're called Plymouth PT Cruiser over here :?

 

But why?? The oil still goes into the combustion chamber and/or headers.

And just to brag a bit - '94 Chevy 2500, untouched motor, 380,000 miles and no smoke.

 

Because with stem seals when they just start to fail the oil tends to only be burnt on deceleration (the higher vacuum from high revs/closed throttle pulls oil past the seals) & you leave it behind, plus you don't really get the chance to properly look at the exhaust while on the move.

 

That's amazing for a PT cruiser. I've seen the motors blow at 90k before. We just had one come in last week with 20 psi compression in 2 cylinders with 105k on it.

 

My Brother's PT Cruiser lost a water pump at Hwy speeds, destroying the engine at 95,xxx miles. (woman driving, air and stereo on)
I sold it to a Vo-Tech that was going to make an all-electric car as a class project. Never heard back.

 

>That's amazing for a PT cruiser...

Oh, I know that very well. I got it for a steal, so figured I'd run it til it drops. I never thought I'd get this much out of it! Now, its simply a contest to to see how long it really WILL go...... I got it with about 200K on it, figured if it gave me a year I'd have gotten my money out of it. It's going on 3.5 years now. In all honesty, it wouldn't surprise me if it's already on its second or third engine but that would have been all before I got it. It was a deer-accident car when I bought it......

dave

 

Very interesting. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

 

Congrats sanoke. that's mighty damn impressive! I hope I keep my XJ long enough for to see six digit mileage

Haha, you guys sound like my father. He still drives a '94 buick with 215k to work every day but I personally wouldn't be afraid to drive it to Florida tomorrow because almost all of the mechanical problems have been fixed here at home. Only has cosmetic issues like stapling the fabric felt back up to the ceiling & one time l made it 3" shorter by causing a fender-bender early one morning heading to work. Front and rear bumpers were crunched slightly <LOL>

 

ALMOST put an end to the high miles today......it was snowing, with a couple inches of snow on top of a couple inches of slush this morning. The plows hadn't been out yet------

Long story short....after a couple good fishtails,and the last one that I couldn't bring back, I spun my 'Cruiser 3 times around. Then a couple more fishtails, missing the guard rail on the right, and having covered all four lanes, I was able to bring her to a stop in the left-hand opposite-direction lane, just shy of the deep ditch. The front tires were still on the road and the rear tires 90degrees to the road ........I lightly stepped on the gas and had enough traction to pull out. The line of on-coming cars had been able to stop, and as I pulled out, the guy in the first car was looking at me incredulously. I gave him a smile and a quick "hey, how-ya-doin' " kind of wave to really make him wonder. THAT made me laugh, despite the heart POUNDING literally the rest of the way to work. It took most of the day for the adrenaline buzz to settle down.

OBviously, I'm home safe and sound now........ Not a mark or anything to the car, other than excess ice built up in the rims that caused some pretty good shuddering til it melted out.

So, about 3 weeks and I"ll turn 273K.

Hope y'all are having a safer drive........

Dave Fox

 

The storm ended up missing us. And you got all the "lake effect" snow we were supposed to get.

We got some squalls and cold (single digits) weather; but Sunday's 2 inches has long blown away into Ontario (or New York, for that matter...) Your problem is being downwind from the Great Lakes.

Keep it between the guardrails there, big guy. And be warm.

 

Well, we got some of the lake effect, but we're getting a storm that's coming up from the south. The snow has turned to rain for now, and is supposed to go back and forth for the next day and a half now. Fortunately, it's Thanksgiving break now, so I'm just gonna stay put through the weekend.

I'm warming the house back up.......the power-vent on the furnace seized up last evening and they couldn't replace it til this afternoon. Last night was pretty cold in here. LOL

 

Congrats on all the miles on the XJ! My Seca 650 only has about 36k but my '01 Suzuki SV650 has 102k. It still runs like new and has had zero engine issues, only the normal Suzuki stator/regulator/rectifier failure. I had a Y2K Kawasaki Concours that was recently murdered by a Ford Ranger that was up to 184k miles. It had worn out a set of camshafts by about 140k but still the original cam chain and all else. Modern bikes are pretty awesome. Glad you only damaged your BVD's in your ice dance Dave.

 

Hey, Fuller!

Nice to hear from you. You gonna be able to make the Carb Clinic this coming June? (I haven't set a date yet........)

dave

 

Hi Dave, I am back in the south avoiding the snow and cold again. Just still raining in NC. I hope I can make the Carb Clinic. I wanted to last year but I think I was still working in NC. Here is hoping all there, and everywhere, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
John

 

You're missing a good snow storm....... I JUST got in from helping a lady who spun her car into the ditch, right at the bottom of my driveway. She didn't even realize there was a drive, or a house, here. She was bewildered that there would be someone standing at the door of her car. Cops came, tow truck came, she's on her way again.

Hope you can come this time!

ttyl

dave

 

Who left the door open to the 'fridge !! I saw 35* !!
- -
Happy Turkey !!

 

Wow, that's warm!!! It was 10* here when I got up.I'm sure our northern friends will say, "Wow, 10*, that's warm!" LOL

Snowing like a banshee. Merry Christmas!

Oh, wait......it's Thanksgiving....

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone--

dave f

 

10*, that was warm! woke up to 2* this morning.

I can honestly say that I don't remember a Thanksgiving break that was this cold. We had instruments freeze on the Turkey Day football game marching field, thermos bottles tucked in uniforms, and marched in snow.......but the temps had gotten down into the 20's, but never THIS low....................

dave