should i buy a xj650 turbo ?

i there a 650 turbo that im found and i just brought a xj650 last week and spent all week rebuilding that. do u guys think its worth gettin the turbo ? they guy reckons that you cant really feel the boost come on so there is prob a turbo problem. but do u guys reckon its worth the trouble and money over the xj650 nonturbo ?
cheers brenton

 

If the turbo is shot, you just have a very overweight, low compression 650 Seca with overwrought styling and maddening complexity.

1) The wastegate may be seized open
2) It may be a 1982 without a power up kit installed.

If you can remedy #1 and disconnect the wastegate tubing entirely, you might end up with a working unit. Remember, there will be no boost without it being in gear and under load. No boost will build until about 4000-5000 rpm, even under load. The dashboard boost gauge should tell you if it is making boost (if it is working of course).

Personally, I wouldn't bother buying it if you have a working bike already. The n.a. Seca 650 is so much better looking that the Turbo. You can't really enjoy a turbo below highway speeds, and it needs some serious brake and suspension upgrades even if everything else is working ok.

Personally, I would not have bought my bike if I had had enough money to buy something else. It was cheap enough at $500, but I have to admit it is the ugliest motorcycle I have ever owned, including the GT380. If you can wrangle a ride on it,however, it should help in your decision.

 

yeah one of my friends dads is the head of garret in my area so getting turbo fixed or modified shouldnt really be a problem. on the stlying front is it possible to take off all the fairing and run it as a naked bike like the 650?
make sort of life span do the motor in the turbo ones have ?

 

One owner has over 130,000 miles on his. Claims he never adjusted the valves yet.

 

really on the valves??? that sounds almost impossible - wonder what the bike would feel like when it finally got done...

I do mine more frequently than I need to, but it always feels good to get it done.

Woot.

 

I think the decision to buy or not buy this bike depends on several things.

I bought a Seca Trubo 2 weeks ago, so needless to say, I'm on the buy-it side!

I bought mine because $600 seemed cheap for a bike in any kind of running condition. Mine runs, but definitley needs some work.

I had never ridden nor spoken to anyone who had ridden one of these. I also have an XJ650RJ that I am absolutely in love with, so I just couldn't say no.

One of the reasons I wanted this bike (and this may not pertain to you at all) was that I thought it would be good experience for working on my RJ. Though there are significant differences, it is the same basic engine. I'd really like to tear my RJ apart and do things to it, but I'd rather make mistakes on a bike that is not so dear to me.

Since I bought my turbo, I have learned an enourmous amount - mostly right here.

1. This is a heavy bike. I think it weighs about a hundred pound more than my RJ. I could be wrong, but it feels like it has a higher center of gravity as well. Seems very tippy.

2. In order to make this bike seriously safe and comfortable there are, as Mac mentioned above, serious work to be done on the suspension and brakes. These mods are not cheap nor easy for the most part.

3. Sounds like this bike is kind of a dog around town. Pretty cool at highway speed, but it sounds like it won't have the spunk of an RJ when buzzing around the neighborhood.

4. Parts, at least here in the USA, are hard to find, though there seem to be lots of things on aBay.

5. This bike has an enourmous 'Cool' factor to me. it may not have the performance that we'd like to see, but it's just a cool bike. I really like the stylying, but that is, of course, subjective.

Good luck!

Greg

 

His name is Robert Miller and he wrote the Seca 650 Tech FAQ on the turbomotorcycles.org site. The mileage and maintenance figures are from an article in Classic and Motorcycles Mechanics Magazine when they did a piece on the XJ turbo last year

High Mileage XJ Turbo

 

That is simply amazing... not trying calling B.S. I'm just amazed -- I'll have to read your link; sounds like an interesting person.

Cheers,
woot

 

can anybody get that article?

would be cool to read it!! :roll:

personally i love the looks of the turbo

specially when u think that was 20 years ago!!

 

Ditto on Cool factor of the turbo styling. I've loved them since the day I saw my first one. I love my XJ750RH too, but would pass it over for a turbo any day! The suspension upgrades are simple really (to my mind anyway). New fork springs (Progressive Suspension $80US), new bushings, braided steel lines, EBC green pads, rebuild the calipers, DOT 4 fluid, bleed, and off you go. Of course to round it out is the very expensive rear shocks at $400US+ but I always dial up my suspension for max. stiffness ( I like to feel everything I'm traveling over, better to read the road with) and rarely run a passenger. Haven't had to replace them yet (here is to hoping it will be while). By "serious work to the suspension" do you mean swapping out the springs and tuning them with PVC spacers, or are you referring to the replacement of the whole front end?