monkeyjim Posted June 24, 2012 Author Posted June 24, 2012 Just cleaned and polished mine , here are some pics . Thought I had better do it while it was still clean . I have decided to buy a tail tidy from Evotech Performance . They are reasonably priced for a "expensive for what they are" item ( R&G are over £80 ) and still use the standard indicators, thus elliminating any issues with clear LED jobbies , plus the standard ones are big and bright which I think is important on a all weather, year round commuter. Have recently started to feel the bars of the frame that run along the side of the seat , guess the seat foam is deteriorated due to the mileage . Will see how it goes for a bit longer and then think about trying to find a used seat or get the foam replaced . Brake pads are next on the agenda , see my other post about those. Have any of you guys had frustration in looking for parts on the internet . I find that whilst searching for XJ600 N 2009 etc it will bring up all the XJ's and divvies built before our model but not ours . Usually ends in sending a email to the company concerned asking for part number and price confirmation . Just had a look on the Hel brake lines site , they list them for a XJ900, typical.
fazercol Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 it looks like its faired well mate, do you ride it through the winter? if so are there any places of the bike i should pay special attention to as regards corrosion.
Nick-skrike Posted June 26, 2012 Posted June 26, 2012 Hi all, l got a Green 1996 Yamaha XJ600s with 18000 on the clock, my 1st big motorbike so can't say much about other bikes and to be honest l am very happy with it, l have done a little service on it myself, before buying it l went to the fowlers motorbike shop and sat on all the bike they had to see what bike felt right for me being 6ft. As you may guess it was Yamaha. Would of loved to buy a bike from new but that will have to be the future. Riding my bike feels very good at the moment its all standard but l did put back on the standard side mirrors as the ones on the bike at the time was longer and the wind was pushing them back at speed and l also put on a back rack and big topbox on for my gear. I have opened it up to see whats the top end of it was and l was happy that l was getting over 115mph and holding over 2 or 3 miles and still had a little more throttle to give. (on a dirt lane honest lol) The bike in general feels smooth and it would happy stay around the 50- 70mph all day but not sure if l could, as l do get buffett by the wind a little if going to fast so l noramly just slow down a bit. l did read in the posts above about the ignition keg sticking and looks like mines the same its ok getting the steering lock off but seams to jam up between off and on, have tryed spare key and has been the same. The only other problem l got is the reserve tank not working. Found that out for the 2nd time, the 1st time it happened l put some more petrol in the bike and put it back onto the main tank to get me home. At home l took off the tank as per manaul and emptyed the tank thinking it was water in the bottom of it. The 2nd time it happened l coundn't restart it on Reserve tank and ended up pushing the bike up a hill (yes did say up)to petrol station for more fuel, only to find out that l drained the battery to low to restart and to tried to bump ( did try). l have looked on this site and found out its maybe one of two things. Petrol cock tap blocked or its the fuel filter, thats on order, battery charging. So will run the fuel down more before looking more into tap, will keep posted if works.
Nick-skrike Posted June 26, 2012 Posted June 26, 2012 Forgot to say that my hands do get tired from riding, seams like l am pushing on the handlebars sometime, not sure if it the way l am sitting on the bike or the handlebar angle? Is this a problem with bike or me?
Will Munsey Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Forgot to say that my hands do get tired from riding, seams like l am pushing on the handlebars sometime, not sure if it the way l am sitting on the bike or the handlebar angle? Is this a problem with bike or me? I have the same problem?? Always feel like I'm leaning on my hands.
Nick-skrike Posted July 5, 2012 Posted July 5, 2012 Hi Will, its nice to know l'm not the only one doing it then, lol. Will keep a look out for a answer for it, Just had a good weekend away with friends so have'nt sorted out the little problems on bike, not planning on going anywhere so got a few more days yet. Got my new fuel filter now, just need the bloody weather good and time to do it.
steveo1987 Posted July 14, 2012 Posted July 14, 2012 Hi guys. I have owned my xj6 for about 3months now and ride it daily. Its a slight step down in power from my previous bike as i was a lover of the 600 sports range i have owned a gsxr600 zx6r and a cbr600fs-1. In comparison to these bikes its a little underpowered but obviously thats expected as its an entry level 6 and not a supersports, however saying that its still very torquey and will take you all the way to 125-130 on the straights. Its very comfortable as opposed to the sportsbikes altho wind is more of an issue. I bought the yamaha flyscreen and this had a slight effect on wind but mainly a visual improvement. I have also fitted rim tapes, seat cowl, rear hugger(for sale), led indicators, tail tidy and shorty levers are on the way. I must say even though it doesnt have the flashy race rep paintjob im used to its still a very pretty bike with modern styling including the midship exhaist which was the selling point for me over the fz8 ( i will try and add pics soon) and also comfortable for me and the missus (who was fed up with sliding into me on the sportsbikes angled rear seats. I can see myself owning this bike for a while and ultimately the only trade i can c in the future could be the fz8 or fz1 simply for more power. All in all im very pleased with the bike looks good sounds good and is powerful enough for everyday riding. I havent had it long enough to comment on reliability and upkeep but apart from the same notchy 1st gear issue (which is solved by not changing to 1st while still moving) mines a gem.
cam7777 Posted August 4, 2012 Posted August 4, 2012 Hi all I bought my XJ6n new in october 2010 and have clocked up 16,000 trouble free miles. It was initially white but I have since converted it to black. The original BT021s lasted 12,000 miles and I am yet to adjust the chain! I am not a new rider, full licence since 1977, and recent bikes have been a gen 1 Fazer 1000 and a Honda 900 Hornet. Did a 1300 mile tour of Scotland in June and it rode perfectly. I also own a mint condition Thundercat which I mainly use for commuting, but I think the XJ6 will be kept for at least a few more years. In white.. Now black
monkeyjim Posted January 26, 2013 Author Posted January 26, 2013 cam7777 , what make of screen is fitted to yours , it looks ok . Does it help with wind deflection ? I know it's a bit late with this answer ( not been on forum for months ) but regarding the question about when I use mine and what to look out for deterioration wise on the bike ? I can say that I do use it all year round not so much since mid December 2012 , think I have used it once since then and not at all this year. That is partly due to the fact it has been so cold this winter . Common sense prevails with ice and snow about . Quite often the A roads in East Sussex are ok and council has been brilliant with gritting in the north of the county but I am more likely to have a off in the frost covered lane on the way up to the gritted roads. I can't wait to get back on bike though as the traffic on my 25 mile commute to the coast is very temperamental , sometimes I am late to work other days I get there 20minutes early , even if I leave at the same time from home! As for things to look out for that deteriorate on the bike : At time of writing mine has now done just over 28,000 miles going ok but not worth a rub , been offered £1500 as a px . Clutch cable can seize and fray , keep it lubed up. Don't buy a copy one , my genuine dealer one cost £17 . Keep the temperamental ignition lock lubed. Regularly remove clean up and lube the crappy brake lever switches. I am on my third now ! Paint comes off the mirror stalks , going to spray mine with Unipart satin black and lacquer. Used it on my street triple mirrors and they look brilliant . Keep brake and clutch lever pivots lubricated . Shock absorber paint starting to deteriorate . Paint comes off the front forks , vulnerable down there so it's not that surprising . Last year at end of winter I gave the brakes a going over , removed pads , carriers and calipers. Removed pistons from calipers cleaned up everything and re-assembled , bled out brakes/carried out brake fluid change and adjusted foot brake . Despite looking rough, once cleaned up everything was looking fine and I was suprised the calipers pistons were free to move easily. I did replace the pads all round latter in the year with Ebc green as they were worn out by then. Might be a good idea to go over the brakes or get someone else too if you not confident to do it . Safety first. The frame has 2 rust spots where the paint had started to flake off at the beginning of a long weld on the frame. I treated it and painted ...... Up near the frame number sticker there is a 2inch hole the wiring passes through , slightly under that and back down the frame there is a long run of weld that disappears out of site , that run of weld has a strip of square edged metal welded to it , starts near the rad rubber top mounts . The corresponding area on the nearside of the bike started to flake too. Bit hard to describe the area as my bike is buried in the shed at mo , sorry. Wheels always appear to be in good condition , rear is covered in grease from regular chain lube which helps. The brackets and levers at point the throttle and clutch cables are connected engine end loose there patina as do some other fittings . As I have said in a previous post somewhere , a idiot car cleaner used too harsh a mix of wash when he spivved the bike after last winter, so that attacked the coatings on the fittings and has not helped things through this winter despite lashings of spray grease, which has helped in previous years . Was using acf50 but it was starting to cost with regular coatings I needed. The front mudguard main cross head fixing screws located on either side of the mudguard corrode. I cleaned up , lubed the threads and painted the tops of mine last year , despite not over tightening the screws last time I put the mudguard on following cleaning , the cross head failed when I tried to undo it before christmas . As for rest of it ........... As I said it has just over 28 on it now , reckon i put the Ebc pads in at about 25 thousand or so . The set replaced were the original set from new so happy they lasted that long,. will replace the discs next pad change. The front tyre is getting low on tread and the rear has loads of life . Guess i have done 9 thousand on the Avons now . A mate of mine i work with who has been on bikes over 40 years reckons its my late heavy braking . Maybe, reckon that's down to me driving minis for nearly 25 years and chucking them into corners at silly speeds , it has rubbed off on my motorcycling . The Evotech tail tidy is a good bit of kit and glad I fitted that . Recommend these. I am also thinking about a colour change , i fell off at about 15 mph on wet leaves when bike and my big bike riding experiance was only 2 months old and subsequently dented the tank with the bars . The bars are also now very slightly bent, not obviously to the naked eye but they are . Guys at work thought they were ok to look at and were ok when sitting on the bike but the riding position does not seem right to me . A couple of months ago I took them off to sort rust on the bars that started as a scratch next to the right hand riser. The scratch was caused when the bars rotated in there risers whilst i was riding a few days after collecting the bike from new . As you can imagine i was not best pleased with the dealer , the bars just rotated and i had no control as the levers were out of reach . 2 days in on my first big bike , shit me up......... Anyway back to the bent bars , once off dealing with the rust and repainting in Unipart wheel silver we measured the bars against a flat surface and confirmed they were bent . The dent has been bugging me for over 3 years as are the bars now, hence my wish to paint bike and am now also thinking about Rizomo bars too. May spray it a completely different colour or in a brighter white like my Street Triple . Will be spraying the standard belly pan to match . I am also looking out for a Yamaha seat cowl , does not matter what colour it is . Not paying out for a brand new one though.
monkeyjim Posted February 5, 2013 Author Posted February 5, 2013 "Regularly remove clean up and lube the crappy brake lever switches. I am on my third now ! " Oops , despite practising what I preached in a earlier post the 3rd crappy Genuine Yamaha brake lever switch has packed up !! Not amused . I will try and resurrect it before I put my spare genuine one on , yes I now keep a spare . Why are they so bad despite trying to look after them?
Pinkyfloyd Posted May 10, 2013 Posted May 10, 2013 I picked my XJ6N up 2 days ago and initial thoughts are great. I've given up the Honda Firestorm as its just not practical around town. This thing is nippy enough to cope with town riding, handles fantastic around the side streets and is so much more comfortable to sit on. I dont miss the power difference as much and as I am still breaking the engine in I cant comment on its power delievery but its as smooth as anything up to 7K revs which is around 80mph. The Storm was a lump around town and sitting at 30mph in 6th is fantastic and a welcome change.
chamallow Posted May 10, 2013 Posted May 10, 2013 I've got an XJ6 as well, it's my first bike. I never drove anything before, so the motorcycle world was really new to me. It's a bike I really love, perfect for newbies like me. It also has a nice design =)
cupcake1973 Posted May 15, 2013 Posted May 15, 2013 Suppose I should add my bit to this since I have owned my 2010 XJ6N for a couple of months now. I'm not a new rider but have recently come from Harley ownership - so any bike is going to feel great after that! Like others have mentioned - gear change is a bit rubbish at times and I get a couple of numb fingers/thumb on longer rides, but overall I'm pretty happy with my choice. It rides nice and has plenty of power with a little person like me on board. Mine came with tail tidy and Scorpion end can. I put some crash bungs on, radiator cover, adjustable levers (for my small hands) and added quite a tall screen - MRA Highwayshield, which fits really well, nice and sturdy and gives me great wind protection. Thought it would ruin the looks of the naked bike, but I was very pleasantly surprised Going to French Alps on it this summer so that will be a good test of comfort and long-distance rideability. Won't keep it forever though. Sat on an FZ8 recently to see the size (expecting it to be too big for me height/width wise) and it fitted really well, so I expect that will be replacing the 6N next year. But so far, really really enjoying it. Great little bike
TheGreatMrGonzo Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I have the same problem?? Always feel like I'm leaning on my hands. It'll be a mixture of the seating position and the height of the handlebars. The best thing to try (On the earlier XJ models) is to adjust the shock height using the tool with the kit (Or take it to a garage) so it's lower, if not then could be worth putting higher bars on so your arms are at a flatter position almost horizontal to the bike - if that makes sense?
cupcake1973 Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 My bike has already been lowered the maximum it can front and rear so adjusting the shock height is not really an option for me to reduce the lean and occasional numb thumb syndrome. I had considered raising the bars, but there's the issue of the cables and if they're long enough. I might just about get away with an inch increase, but then all the cables would have to be unclipped and to me that's just messy (touch of OCD lol!). If not long enough, they'd all have to be changed and that's an expense I'm not prepared to fork out when I may well sell the bike next year anyway. I'll try and live with it for now - it's not an enormous issue at the moment, but I may live to eat my words, you never know
TheGreatMrGonzo Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 This is the problem with the higher bars is the cable length, I've got the old 90's XJ 600 and I actually raised my rear suspension, lowered the bars but extended them an extra 2" or so and straightened them a touch (Pretty much the Renthal Ultra-Low set), but I know that they're long enough to reach but because they feed through the frame and over the top of the engine anyway, they're pretty much as hidden as they can get as well so that's not a problem. Still yet to try out the new bars under extreme riding tests so all of this changing around is still just theoretical until I've actually ridden it :') But generally if your putting forward pressure on the bars its a case of lowering the suspension and raising the bars slightly so you get the right horizontal angle of your arms in relation to your body and the bike.
monkeyjim Posted June 15, 2013 Author Posted June 15, 2013 "Regularly remove clean up and lube the crappy brake lever switches. I am on my third now ! " Oops , despite practising what I preached in a earlier post the 3rd crappy Genuine Yamaha brake lever switch has packed up !! Not amused . I will try and resurrect it before I put my spare genuine one on , yes I now keep a spare . Why are they so bad despite trying to look after them? Guess what ........ I had to put number 4 on .
monkeyjim Posted June 20, 2013 Author Posted June 20, 2013 Although this may not be the right topic for it I have seen xj6 posts regarding fuel consumption . Had to see what I am getting per tank now the bike is getting on a bit . I do 48 miles a day commuting, about 5 miles is around 30mph the rest is country and dual carriageway at 50 to 70mph depending on traffic . I got it low enough to put just over 16 litres of fuel in , we have a 17 litre tank as you know . Reset the trip and ran it 33 miles into the reserve flashing on . 208 miles clocked . I did do about 10 miles at 70 plus last night so I may well of got more without that . I have ran it 35 miles into the flashing reserve before and promptly ran out of fuel on the drive . Lucky . Before I put the above 16 litres in it managed 37 miles in reserve and did not run out before I refuelled. 1
cupcake1973 Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 208 miles on a tank, wow! I've never managed much more than 180, but then that's been mixed commuting, motorway and country road cruising. Off to France on 1st July to ride down to the Alps so will see what it does then. Interesting to see how many miles you get on reserve - gives me an idea of what I might get when mine gets down to flashing
Recommended Posts