Why did you buy an XJ?

Some of the bikes I owned , only one that I regret getting rid of was an 84 Kawasaki 550 LTDF1 shaft drive . My 750 Seca is so similar but the seca has more power , the 550 had 55hp , vs if I recall 86hp for the 750 . I enjoy reading the reasons folks bought their XJ it shows a love for these bikes even today .

 

Old post but since I added another Seca , I really do love these bikes! My yellow seca runs so good , upgraded many things along the way. If I keep the Johnny Cash bike will upgrade brake lines, and the spin on oil filter . Why buy an XJ , yes many sports bike can hit 100mph in 3 or 4 seconds ...but I'm old I don't need that or riding wheelies. My Seca can bury the wimpy 85mph speedo if I really want to ...but rarely do so . I like working on these bikes ...new bikes most are fuel injection ...they lack the aura of carb synch and Trouble shooting. I bought the Johnny Cash bike for 100$ , worked on it over the winter ...once I get it plated it is rideable ( legally that is) .

 

I had a drive shaft some one needed and he had aj xj to trade

 

First XJ: Didn't know much better. It was an affordable bike for sale that ran well. I figured Yamaha was a safe bet.

Subsequent XJs: I now know that there are several great things about the XJs.
1. Plenty of them out there
2. Parts are available, both new and used (thanks @chacal)
3. Once you are familiar with them, there are enough similarities that if you can work on one, you can work on most of them.
4. I can now change valve shims in my sleep.
5. Many of the "problems" that make people not want to spend the time and/or money to fix their XJs are usually quite common and easy to deal with. This makes it a buyer's market since people are selling a bike with "problems". Most common examples are anything carb related or a bad valve cover gasket that is puking out oil onto the exhaust system - easy fix, plus valve lash probably needs to be checked anyway.
6. There are a ton of a great resources out there (not the least of which is this group) so as long as you are willing to learn and try things, there is knowledge and help available.
7. If you really bork up the carbs, you can send them to @hogfiddles.
8. New enough so that manufacturing was getting really good.
9. Old enough so that it can still be worked on and fixed without software.

That's my $.02.