Twisted2004 Posted May 29, 2005 Posted May 29, 2005 As i'm sick of that damn DT125lc, i've decided enough is enough i need to get a better bike! Been using my car to get to work for the past few weeks and its really painful being stuck in traffic! on the bike it was taking me 25-30mins in hell traffic, by car it takes minimum 50mins! So the theory test is booked, as soon as thats done the test is getting booked. Ideally i'd like it all done in about a month or so. I;ve been thinking at what bike to buy, starting off thinking about getting a sports 400 FZR, CBR or VFR. But then overnight i've decided i think i should get a commuter type. Why??... i dont know?? i think i'm trying to be sensible?? Anyways, im thinking of gettin a XJ600 Diversion as my 1st bike. (the DT doesnt count (..piece of crap!)) I only want to spend about £1000 on one, and there a couple of good examples for that price, 1994 - 1997 with between 10k and 25k on the clock. What is everyones opinion on the XJ600? Thoughts on the jump from 125cc - 600cc? Realistic getting licence and bike in a month or so? Technical Spec? Experience with the bike? Things to look out for? Any advice? Thanks
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 1, 2005 Moderator Posted June 1, 2005 Twisted..... The biggest difference would be the weight, I would think......not that difficult to get used to though ......XJ's are great bikes!......especially for everyday commuting duties. I've owned (3) 550's....& a 750......all of 'em stone reliable machines. I'd still like to own a Divvy or Seca2 as they're known as over here......just haven't ran across the right deal yet. Best of Luck with your search for one.
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 1, 2005 Moderator Posted June 1, 2005 Here's a pic of my last XJ550 ..... I'd racked up over 130k on the clock when I sold it.......& it's still running strong to this day. Man, I miss this bike sometimes!
Pete Posted June 1, 2005 Posted June 1, 2005 Thoughts on the jump from 125cc - 600cc? Realistic getting licence and bike in a month or so? Technical Spec? Experience with the bike? Things to look out for? Any advice? The Divvy is an ideal learning tool....and you can get them cheap too. Try and get a later double disc model if possible though. Don't expect great performance and pinpoint handling, but it's reliable and will give you 65mpg. THIS is the place for info.
Twisted2004 Posted June 8, 2005 Author Posted June 8, 2005 Thanks for the replies. Well................I bought a divvy! XJ600S Diversion, P REG, 21k Miles, Excellent Body,Engine Very Smooth, Front Brake a little spongy, Part Service History, Quite pleased! ....All for a grand. Just need to pass my test, give her a good old service and on the road i go! I'll post some pics as soon as i can.
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 8, 2005 Moderator Posted June 8, 2005 Front Brake a little spongy ← New pads & some braided lines will probably cure that.
Pete Posted June 8, 2005 Posted June 8, 2005 New pads & some braided lines will probably cure that. ← It'll cure it.....but it'll just make the forks bottom out sooner Scott.
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 9, 2005 Moderator Posted June 9, 2005 It'll cure it.....but it'll just make the forks bottom out sooner Scott. ← Prolly right there Pete........forgot about the fork spring issue
ANDYROSE Posted June 12, 2005 Posted June 12, 2005 Hi Pete (and Scott aka Mr Seca-man , haven't been on here for a long time, but I too have recently purchased a 600 (a '92 single disc model with low miles) and am so far really pleased with it. I would agree with what has been written before though, the forks are on the soft side for my taste (but I do like a generally stiffer setting) and I was also thinking of braided brake lines interestlingly enough, but thought that was probably just me too! Hope you get on alright with the bike. Andy
Twisted2004 Posted June 12, 2005 Author Posted June 12, 2005 Hi People, Sorry for the poor picture, the Mrs has the digital camera! Rode it for the 1st time today, in my close..........all i can say is WOW! Its the 1st time i've ridden anything more than a 125cc. Its bloody lovely, can't wait to pass my test and start riding it! What ya think?
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 13, 2005 Moderator Posted June 13, 2005 Its bloody lovely, can't wait to pass my test and start riding it! What ya think? ← Sounds & looks like it might THEE ticket for your situation there Twisted
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 13, 2005 Moderator Posted June 13, 2005 I would agree with what has been written before though, the forks are on the soft side for my taste (but I do like a generally stiffer setting) and I was also thinking of braided brake lines interestlingly enough, but thought that was probably just me too! ← Fork springs & Braided lines is a pretty straight-forward swap there Andy & I'd tend to think that'd be a reasonably priced upgrade.......well worth the money. BTW......good to see ya around.........Don't be a Stranger!
Twisted2004 Posted June 13, 2005 Author Posted June 13, 2005 Fork springs & Braided lines is a pretty straight-forward swap there Andy & I'd tend to think that'd be a reasonably priced upgrade.......well worth the money. BTW......good to see ya around.........Don't be a Stranger! ← I think i'll bleed the front brake and put some new fluid in there for the time being and see how that goes. If it doesnt help then i'll upgrade the hose. Upgrade the fork springs? forks bottoming out?
Moderator YamaHead Posted June 13, 2005 Moderator Posted June 13, 2005 Sounds like a good plan of action there Twisted I DO know that you'll definitely notice a difference with braided lines........well worth the money IMHO As far as fork springs are concerned.......that really boils down to Personal Preference.......Rider Weight vs. Riding Style type of thing. After you spend some time in the saddle of your XJ, you'll know what I mean.
Pete Posted June 13, 2005 Posted June 13, 2005 The thing to remember about the Divvy is that "it is what it is". So you can throw some money at one area, but the result is that will then highlight deficiencies in other areas. You could in theory spend a small fortune....but at the end of the day it's still a 60bhp old tech bike. And you'll never recoup those costs. My advice? Ride it, get experience, build up NCB, and then move on to a Fazer!
jimjam Posted June 13, 2005 Posted June 13, 2005 The thing to remember about the Divvy is that "it is what it is". So you can throw some money at one area, but the result is that will then highlight deficiencies in other areas. You could in theory spend a small fortune....but at the end of the day it's still a 60bhp old tech bike. And you'll never recoup those costs. My advice? Ride it, get experience, build up NCB, and then move on to a Fazer! ← Now that's good advice, get used to handling the weight and turing a heavy bike before you throw a wedge at it. I bought a set of braided lines for my 350 last year and I still haven;t got around to fitting them yet becasue it's such a crapper of a job .
Twisted2004 Posted June 13, 2005 Author Posted June 13, 2005 I know what you mean, braided hoses are quality. When i went from standard to braided on my DT the difference was amazing! Thats what i was thinking. Go for a relatively cheap, but modern bike ride it around to get a nice bit of experience. Then later move onto something more sporty. This way i'll really appreciate the difference, rather than going straight to something super fast, getting used to it and then wanting more! (....well u always want more but....u know what i mean) not sure whether to sell the DT. What do think would be a reasonable price for it? 1987 DT125LC 10-12k Miles ->Braided Hose-< Everything else standard TAX & MOT till March 06
Twisted2004 Posted June 17, 2005 Author Posted June 17, 2005 Does anybody think that my DT125 braided line would fit my XJ600? Its a long shot.........
Divvy_Rider Posted June 20, 2005 Posted June 20, 2005 Hiya. Congrats on the divvy Twisted, I have had mine for 1 year in 4 days and i have to say i have loved pretty much every second spent on it, I agree with every else, it is a great 1st bike and forget about the brake lines and fork springs, going from a 125 it will feel better in every way and it won't even enter your mind, you will be too busy watching the speedo, and listening to the lovely Roar it makes when the revs get up .. i know i still do As soon as i got home from work today i went for a 70 mile blast and it still feels as great as the day i picked it up, your gonna have a lot of fun. right now for some tech stuff 0 to 80mph is great (it scared the crap outta me the first time i tried mind you my last bike was only a 100cc ) 80 to 110 takes a bit of time and i get a fair bit of buffeting over 80 ( mostly just my head, im 6ft that might be why) so i tend not to go much faster than that on long straight runs And if you get caught speeding 2 times you will lose your licence (3 points each time, 6 points max for the first 2 years) (i think its the first 2 years??) so it's not worth speeding unless you know the road will be clear of cops and cameras. The only bad thing about the divvy is the vibrations at 4K revs this is a problem with all divvys so don't worry I have found that a regular oil / filter change keeps it from getting too bad, and if you stay above or below 4K everything is nice and smooth so its not too much of a problem, it anoyed me at first but you get use to it soon enough. hope this helps have fun. Mark.
Twisted2004 Posted July 4, 2005 Author Posted July 4, 2005 I PASSED!! Took my test for my full licence on Wednesday and passed with two minors! Been riding around on the divvy and LOVING IT!! The new braided line is on its way should be with me next week sometime hopefully! Should sort out the spongy brake! Know what u mean about the vibrations, but compared to the DT125 the vibrations are barely noticable! I suppose its the advantage of going from an old two stroke to a modern'ish bike! I've gotten up to 100 is a small blast, but generally i've been riding around like a grandad in 6th gear constantly, its fanstatic soo much torque! Pull at 25mph in 6th gear i was amazed! Havent got a long enough, straight (safe'ish) road to test any sort of speed, and to be honest don't really want to at this stage! 85-90 good enough for me!
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