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Help with identifying model

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by C-AUS, Apr 2, 2018.

  1. C-AUS

    C-AUS New Member

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    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
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    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.
     
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  3. C-AUS

    C-AUS New Member

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    Thank you very much
     
  4. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    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/
     
  5. Ribo

    Ribo Prefectionist

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

    kerriskandiesinc Active Member

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    Would this be the same as the 4KO (UK config) 653 Seca Non Yics model??
     
  7. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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

    kerriskandiesinc Active Member

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    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......
     
  9. a100man

    a100man Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  10. kerriskandiesinc

    kerriskandiesinc Active Member

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    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!!
     
  11. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    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.
     
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  12. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    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).
     
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  13. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    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.
     
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  15. C-AUS

    C-AUS New Member

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    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!
     

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