Help with identifying model

Hi all,

Finally picked up the XJ650, looked on the Haynes XJ manual and it does not tell me what model the bike is. It has a frame number of 4K1, has no Yics. some pictures attached for referrence.

Cheers in advance.

Charles

 

COUNTRY: OCEANIA

MODEL NAME: XJ650H
STREET NAME: 1981 XJ650
MODEL ID CODE: 4K1
FRAME ID: 4K1
SERIAL NUMBER STARTS AT: 000101
NOTE: styling and features the same as North American XJ650RJ Seca model, has dual front disc brakes, an oil cooler, and uses the non-YICS 653cc engine.

 

Thank you very much

 

Fairly rare, as they only made it for one year, and didn't make too many in that year. I get confused about the numbers, but between Australia and Canada, there were less than 1000. One country got less than 300, the other, less than 700. The article which Chacal quoted gives the numbers, I believe it's in the Information Overload Hour...
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-information-overload-hour.27544/

 

Out of interest is there a sticker on the inside of the left side cover that gives you this info?

 

Would this be the same as the 4KO (UK config) 653 Seca Non Yics model??

 

Pretty much. The whole world got basically the same bike, with minor changs to suit local laws.

 

Why no oil coolers for (hotter running) North American XJ's.....that seems like a SERIOUS change, to me...I mean, UK, ambient temperature MAYBE 75 degrees, normal Summer.....Long Distance.....well, If i drove Glasgow>London, 400+ miles.....barely gets you out of PA from NY over here!!....makes NO sense......

 

Some say it's down to the fact that in 80s US speed limit of 50 mph meant no danger of overheating - they even put diddly speedos on the US models I believe.

 

I know that, my Maxim(US) import had 80MPH, and my US XJ does now, still makes no sense, since not many travel at 55MPH!!

 

Price points were also an issue. Did you ever wonder why N.A. bound Viragos got that crappy starter mechanism, while the rest of the world got a real bendix system from the beginning? Price points.

 

Almost everyone traveled at the 55mph limit for the first decade after rollout. Enforcment was rigorous, and fines usually high (except in Wyoming and Montana).
The 85 MPH speedometer was connected to the national ped limit, but through an entirely different leagal act.

An oil cooler is nice to have, but not absolutely necessary. The XJ engine does not overheat easily. Oil longvity is the main advantage, followed by better cooling in heavy, slow traffic (which is where the oil cooler almost becomes a must-have).

 

I remember the rolling road blocks where police would drive down highways 2 or 3 abreast at 55mph

 

This is most probably the real reason, due to circumstances prevailing at that time:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/tech-topic-the-history-of-yamaha.14576/

AND THEN SUDDENLY, THE MUSIC STOPPED:

However, not all things were quite as meets the eye, and it is an ironic twist of fate that what actually led to the development and introduction of the XJ-series of bikes also led to their demise.

The 1980's were actually a very difficult decade for the company.

In the late 70's/early 80's Yamaha made a conscious marketing and strategic business decision to try and overtake Honda as the largest builder of motorcycles, and that's what actually led to the amazing proliferation in both the number of models and production quantities.

Kawasaki and Suzuki quickly followed the herd, and soon the world (especially North America, the biggest market) was awash in un-sold motorcycles, and the standard price wars that always follows over-production quickly started.

It has been noted that by the early 1980's that Yamaha alone had over 1 million unsold bikes in their dealer and factory inventory, and to try and move them out, huge price discounts started appearing......and that started eating into Harley-Davidson sales and profits. Rumor has that these efforts, along with the US recession of the late 70's/early 80's, nearly bankrupted Yamaha.

This is also when H-D went to the US Government and got an import tariff and restriction on 700+cc sized bikes. Which wasn't really necessary, since Yamaha had given up on their grand plan by then, and they and others simply slowly bled off the excess inventory via the discontinuance of most models (XJ's included) and no new production in most of 1983 and 1984.

 

Yes there is a sticker on the left hand side that has this info as well, I am from Australia if that helps at all!

 

I have the same bike except mine was made 001312 I have had it since 1980 rode rode it for 20 years then started touring doing music and the bike got parked in the shed has been there for 24 years while I did shows singing a lot for bikers as well as clubs and puns but now I have semi retired I'm getting the old girl out giving her a clean up and putting back on the road did you ever work out any information about your 4K1 the seats on them were flat front to back I had mine customized so my short legs would touch the ground I think the next model after the seats changed to low on the front and high on the passenger seat but when I did mine you couldn't get that seat

 

Did you ever find the manual for your bike if so what does the cover look like or book number please

 

I have a 1980 XJ Yamaha 650 4k1 no yics round headlight a lot of the others had an oblong headlight mine is shaft drive I have owned it since 1980 and am in the process of restoring it as I parked it in the shed 20 years ago while my wife traveled Australia singing