Owning an XJ has Taught Me

I have found that owning my XJ has been more than just a great, enjoyable form of transportation, but an avenue for a number of lessons, both in motorcycle maintenance and general philosophy. It's only been four months since I purchased my XJ, which also happens to be my first motorcycle.

In the first few weeks, the bike taught me that a problem that looks simple can often be very difficult, while others that seem impossible can sometimes be easy (and cost friendly) to repair, if you take care to learn what you are really dealing with. A completely seized brake turned out to just need a thorough cleaning while 'old fuel' resulted in a need for a complete carb rebuild.

This brings me to the next lesson: no matter how difficult a problem is, the more you learn exactly WHAT is the problem and knowing the correct PROCESS with which to resolve it can make the situations that seem hardest can become second nature. When you take a situation one step at a time, the aggravation fades away and the task becomes an opportunity for improvement.

As I rode her through the winter, standing off against cold and fierce New Jersey weather I learned that you have to keep your hands warm and stay in control. When you lose the ability to control your path, you lose yourself in the process.

In switching from an SUV to the XJ, I learned less can be much more, when you step back and let go of all the unnecessary baggage you lug around. The less you have to keep track of and worry about, the more you can let your mind relax and enjoy life.

As the spring came around, I learned that preventative maintenance and following through with replacement/repair of ALL fragile/brittle components (the shift lever springs) will more often than not save you a headache and a lot of time.

Throughout the process I learned that no job is ever a one-man job, no matter how much you may think you can make it one. Work isn't just done in a physical sense, but also in knowledge and experience, which are both critical to doing the job properly and efficiently the first time so that it may only need be done once. The importance of a knowledgeable support team is critical, be it from the dealership's parts counter to the internet forums that specialize in the idea, task, or product you have chosen to tackle.

Now it can also be said that I learned a lot about the mechanics of motorcycle maintenance and construction - such as how important thoroughly cleaned carbs are and how severe of a problem leaking/squeaky shocks can be - just to start.

As spring is dawning now and the weather is starting to warm, I look forward to enjoying the benefits of the work I have done. There is a lesson here for those who seek one: hard work and determination pays off. The more you put into something, the more you get back out of it.


I have only ridden as long as I have owned my XJ, yet I am thankful for the support and help I have gotten here on this fine forum as well as the deeper lessons learned through the process. To those of you who have helped me along the way, I thank you and hope you will continue your support of newbies. I will certainly be passing on the knowledge I have gained from this experience, and I have high hopes that every person here will continue their support, advice and help as time goes on. Thanks, everyone.

 

Bravo! As a fellow newbie, I can totally relate! I also am enjoying the whole "process" and know that one day soon, I'll be riding somewhere to visit someone, hopefully, one of the wonderful people on this forum who have helped me so much in getting this classic bike up and running like it deserves to be! Thanks everyone! Ride safe and for a long time!

Peace

Mac

 

This line really struck me when I read your post. Maybe it because I'm up late "studying" for a history exam lol. School sucks..Thanks for sharing and I definitely feel the same way about hard work.

 

Well stated.and all true.
I've learned more from this site then in 30+ yrs
of "shade tree" wrenching!

 

Sounds to me like someone is learning what it means to ride....

You are well on your way and your understanding is clear.....just wait till you are 200 miles away from home, riding on a 50mph rural road, just you and your bike and the road. The tank full and a small set of tools in your pack and the confidence you've gained will take you are far as you care to go or have time for.......as the song said..."You've only just begun, to live"

WTTC,

jeff

 

Same here. Sounds to me like somebody who has his head around "the Process" of recommissioning an old bike, and making it truly reliable again.

Well said.

 

Thank you all for your kind words. I can't express how good it feels to have such an awesome and enjoyable form of transportation and restoration project, and a significant portion of the credit is due to the help, tutorials, and advice gained here. It feels good to settle in as a biker, not just someone who owns a motorcycle.

Marcos, I wish you the best of luck with your fine machine. It looks like you are a few hundred miles from me, but if you feel like meeting up at some point this summer somewhere halfway between, definitely keep me in mind. In my experience, we learn more from others sharing our same tasks than we ever can from books and classrooms.

Moellear, if you talked to me six months ago, I would have told you the exact opposite from that quote. I couldn't let go of anything, and I HAD to have unnecessary baggage to feel 'prepared'. Now between some major lifestyle changes and living with only the bike as my transportation, I've learned to let go of things and to live free - I just wish I learned this lesson before I cut my college education short.

Bigfitz, I can't lie this bike is like an addiction for me, but healthier! I've always been the troubleshooting type, and to have a relatively simple yet occasionally challenging project to work on has been great. There's a lot to come from me and my two-wheeled companion, and I know I can count on the great population here to support and assist along the way. Thank you all.

A coworker of mine has expressed and interest in motorcycles, and as luck should have it, we found an 83 XJ550 fairly locally for a decent price, which means a new member is very likely to appear in the next week or two, and I have my first riding and maintenance friend.

JeffK, you have captured exactly the type of riding I expect to do a lot of this summer. My time may be limited to weekends, but that is my only restriction. I find the bike to be extremely comfortable to ride, and with my saddle bags and a destination I expect to be spending many weekends this summer doing weekend trips.

As for anyone else in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, I am always looking for new people to meet and ride with, especially owners/riders of the same series bike as myself. I'm always looking for new ideas and new perspectives. I'm also planing at least one extended ride this summer, so anyone within a few hours of the 08051 area code, let's keep in touch. I'm free every other weekend and most Sundays, so let's ride.

 

A great day trip from where you live is to ride over to Gettysburg, it's one of me and my fiancé’s favorite day trips and I'm very close to Annapolis. Southern PA is in my back yard so to speak and I love riding up there. White Rose MC has several FAMILY type events each year, nice riding country and good people. You can goggle them but their clubhouse (and beautiful grounds of about 20 acres) is in Spring Grove PA, about 5 miles SW of York almost halfway to Gettysburg from York.

Of course south Jersey has a lot more wide open spaces then most folks realize. A good day trip is to head out70 to 72 to the ocean then down 9 if you have lots of time and the GSP (if you don’t) south and head on down to the Cape May ferry in DE while taking the Ocean road, cross the Delaware bay on the ferry, land on MD's eastern shore then head back inland a bit before heading north again. If you take the trip and need to way over to sleep, let me know ahead of time and you've got a place to crash on the way once you cross the Bay bridge, get some rest and if you offer to cook or stack the dishes, a Sunday breakfast before heading back home. It would be about 250 miles on the first day then about 110 the second back home for you from here, or do it all straight through but it’s usually more fun to meander then to pack serious miles…but that can be fun too.

It's good to see another motorcyclist "born". Too many guys are "riders" these days and are completely stuck if their bike breaks. They don’t have any idea how their bike works or what to do if it doesn’t and don’t care to learn. That was the biggest draw to me about this forum. Most of the guys here either know how to fix their own machines, are learning how to do it or want to learn....spend five minutes on a few other forums and you'll see the difference. I could tell simply by the names of the different threads....so that's why I joined when I could have just taken the info I needed without joining. It makes you want to give something back to help the newer guys or the guys that have run into a prickly thorn tree and need some other ideas of how to extricate themselves.

Take care and ride safe,

jeff

 

It has taught me how bad my hands will hurt after putting the carburetor back on, ie. the boots between the airbox and the carbs, lol, but thanks to all the wonderful and informative posts on here, after trying it without guidance, lol, it went alot smoother with everyone's instruction and will be way easier next time.

Mac

 

I too can relate to the previous posts here. It's not only owning and riding these bikes that rewarding. It's been a learning experience from day one with my bike and the more I dug into preventive maintenance, the more that comes up here to help keep it in good running condition.
More so, I've learned these bikes are far from perfect from the factory and alot of upgrades can be made to make them pretty dependable for a daily driver.
Along with a good shop manual, this forum and its members have been a vast book of knowledge also and most if not all questions can be answered for any problems that arise.
I can't imagine relying on a repair shop to keep my bike in good operating condition. Not only to save the increasing shop prices, but just in knowing there's not much that could go wrong that I'm not familiar with. It's theropy to those who like to tinker.