Sort of new here XJ700S

Hello,

My name is Tim and I'm from the Netherlands, Arnhem region. I'm 33, married and have a great little 4-y-old girl.

I've been leeching around this great forum for a while now, but now that my bike is sort of finished, I joined up.

I got my Xj700S Two years ago as a graduation present from my parents. Needless to say it had to be on a budget
My first bike was a Suzuki GN250 when I was 18. I killed it by driving a valve through the single piston. (because of horsepower restrictions for people who just got their license, I had to get a <25kW motor). Before I killed it, I crashed it twice 8)
The next one was a XJ600N Diversion (Seca) which I only crashed once and sold at one point for a car.

So when my parents offered me a bike. I was thrilled, but didn't want anything with al lot of parts that can go wrong, or chain.

That's when we found my 700! I've been driving this one for two years now and allthough the front suspension and brakes are pretty mediocre, I'm having tons of fun with it. (More than I ever had with the Diversion).

So to show my bike I liked it not dying or crashing, I upgraded and customized it a bit. I had the saddle refurbished with leather and replaced the buddy with a homemade more streamlined part.
I also replaced the 28-y-old brake lines with braided steel ones. Then I pushed the front fork about 15mm through the plates and put Savage shocks in the back. No trouble with speed bumps! Finishing touch was a clear lens headlight. Better light, looks younger

The previous owner had it painted mother of pearl which really makes it stand out. Sure there's a few scratches and dents and stuff that didn't polish away, but I love this bike. Fast enough, easy to maneuvre, makes for good conversation with strangers.

 

nice looking bike. I particularly like the seat. welcome to the forum. have you replaced the rear brake shoes yet?

CN

 

Thank you. It's the stock seat, just new skin. Haven't changed the rear break pads, still look in good working condition. I think previous owner changed front and back pads. Unless driving in"sports" mode, i don't do much braking. Pads on my car haven't needed replacing in 5 years. Besides, even with the more responsive braided brake lines, getting the bike to stop at the right time requires some ahead planning. I often drive with a friend on a Honda fireblade, that stopping power is amazing! Too bad brakes like those are such a costly upgrade.

 

Dear XJ enthusiast reading this. I have committed treason and am currently mourning the departure of my XJ 700s . I sold it earlier today. Yes, I sold a more or less perfectly fine Maxim and now have a void in my heart and shed. It can only be filled with a new bike, but i'm sure it's not going to be a XJ.

For my business I travel to quite urban and thus congested parts. I prefer doing those trips on a motorcycle, but getting there is quite tiresome on my XJ700. It;s just a little too small for my 6' and a windshield would seriously mess with esthetics. The next one is going to be a Honda PC800 Pacific coast, I shit you not. From a naked custom to a fully faired Honda accord on two wheels. Undoubtedly I will come to miss the high revving inline 4 and the ease of handling, but welcome the extra comfort, storage space and even less maintenance.

So this is probably also my goodbye from this forum. Thanks for teh advice, stories, how to's. You've been great.

 

We all mourn your recently departed XJ. Keep up hope maybe there will be another XJ down the road. There is a forum on this site called Other Motorcycles
So even if a Honda is your next bike we will still welcome you .

 

A PC800 seems like a better fit for your needs.
Practice removing the bodywork before you have to actually do any work on the thing though. As they age the bodies tend to get more brittle, and they aren't making any more replacements.