• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

  • In order to help others find info on a particular bike, be sure to put the year, make or model of bike that you are asking a question about, in the Topic Title. This will allow people to pass by posts they have no interest in.

Another acquisition - XJ900F 1992

Grimly

Grimly

Forum Sage
Super Site Supporter
Past Site Supporter
It came up on another medium and I couldn't resist it, being so cheap an' all.
108K miles, ?200, runs fine, spare frame, fairing, discs, bits and pieces.
From a known owner, so I have no worries about it being as ok as it seems to be.
I already know it uses a bit of oil (1L / 1000mls), and if necessary it can be re-ringed, but the oil consumption isn't enough to worry me for the moment and it could go for another decade like that. I know for sure these engines can go three times the mileage on this, so I'm not concerned about that, but because many potential owners are, it slashed the possible asking price.
I think I'll leave it totally standard and bring it back to clean condition - or as clean as reasonably possible without actually doing a full-on resto.

OHInUPc.jpg
 
WOW! LOVE IT! :D
I been wantin' one of those for a few years, really rare here in the US, some can be found in Canada.
 
A guy from work had one that he really liked.
It was red and white and had a smaller fairing than yours.
The only problem i remember him talking about was gas tank rot.
 
Oh great looking bike and so cheap. Great deal.

Nice paint scheme too but I think I'd paint the "hat box" black to blend in more.

Well done.
 
That was the best iteration of what was here called the Seca, all day comfortable, plenty powerful, and reliable (plus, shaft drive, so good for wet weather). Great looks, too. They did it in a really rich red here that was simply stunning. I passed on a runner two years ago and still wonder whether I should have.
 
When these came out, I really liked the styling of them back then, and time has been kind to them.
The gas tank has been replaced, not with a new one, but a decent used one, as far as I know.
Given they're a weak spot, I'll keep a careful eye on that, as they'll only get rarer and more expensive to replace.
There's only one thing I'd do - if I had one available - and that's fit the XJ650 Turbo fairing, as this guy here did.
In my opinion, the XJ9 fairing is a bit narrow, and I'm sure there used to be makers of fairing middle sections and upper panels that completed the sides, so the rider's hands were protected. Those sections will be hard to find now, though.
 
It's finally got here. After much delay, it turned up today.
DSC_0001.jpg
 
I'd forgotten the PO had a top-end rebuild just a few K ago, because of the oil burning issue. I wonder if he took it too easy on the break-in and that's why it's still burning oil. There were new valve guides and seals, bores honed and (as far as I know) new rings. I wonder if I can resolve it by running it on some old dino oil for a couple of K. I have a few gallons of old-spec diesel lube looking for a use.
 
I've never ridden the 900 but have a nice magazine review from back in the day. The testers were universally pleased with the bike, siteing good power and minimal vibration. The engine is a bored and stroked 750, which I think was derived from the 650. One detail I recall is the rod bolts were reversed with the nuts on the top to allow a few mm extra stroke without contacting the cases. Good stuff.

Hope you get the oil burning sorted out post haste. Might need a bore job with that many miles. A good ol Italian Tune Up is in order first though before assuming too much.
 
Well, there isn't much wrong - it starts beautifully, and almost immediately idles like a watch, with absolutely not the slightest trace of an oily smell from it. I suspect it will be quite liveable with - hell, the GS burns more than that and I put up with it. Actually, the arrival of the XJ gives me the breathing space to carry out the much -needed work on the GS (front end and possibly top end, too).
I'll see what it settles down to, in terms of oil consumption, but I doubt I'll be attempting to rectify a non-problem.
In terms of mileage - these are like the GSs; they'll go on forever if the oil is changed regularly. I know of an XJ that had done 350K at last encounter.
 
I knew about the 600/Seca having owned one, and the 750/diversion.
First time I have ever seen a 900.
Really cool!

Only the bodywork looks the same as the 600/750 that I have seen.
 
Crankthat said:
I knew about the 600/Seca having owned one, and the 750/diversion.
First time I have ever seen a 900.
Really cool!

Only the bodywork looks the same as the 600/750 that I have seen.
Click to expand...

Yamaha used the same fairing on the 600/900 for the European market, so no surprise it appeared on a 750 for the US. I also discovered another useful thing today - Yam makes a set of wind deflectors for the Divvy 600, that extend the width of the fairing to cover the bar ends, and those same extensions are fitted to the 900 Police versions. I found a couple of NOS ones for cheap, and will attempt to fit them to get some better weather protection on my hands. The PO had used bar muffs, but even thought that worked for him, I avoid them if I can. I will also look at adding a couple of small wind deflectors down the sides, between the top fairing and bellypan, to keep the winter blast off my legs and feet.

Replaced the two blown tail / brake bulbs in the XJ and discovered there seems to be a vibe problem common to many XJs that causes tail light bulbs to blow. I suspect it's more prevalent on bikes that spend a lot of time on high-speed routes where the vibe-buzz band is dipped into a lot. The presence of bloody great bar-end weights sort of confirms there must be a slight annoyance from that, sufficient for the factory to have fitted them in the first place.
Another sign of vibe-related wear is the gearchange linkage - quite worn on the ball-joints and really showing its mileage. I'll have to rebuild that, but can get enough use out of it for now.
Done that, then had a look at the under-seat wiring nerve centre - it says a lot for the reliability of this bike that the PO had never had to take apart and clean any of the connections, but it's just as well I did today, as all of them were crusty and would, sooner or later, have caused me a roadside pita moment or hour.
The original toolkit was still there, too. That's unusual on a 23 year old bike.
 
Charlie G said:
Looks like a fine bike Grimly!
Click to expand...
I'm impressed at how it's been kept original - it was the owner's main bike transport for years, and he'd use it for work-related journeys when called on to visit city jobs, instead of his car, so I suppose he had to keep it presentable, same as a business car. Also went on many long European trips with it, which I read accounts of, here and there. Never thought I'd end up owning that bike, though.
I'm going to keep this one as reasonably original as I can, but with improvements here and there, as necessary.
A nice touch is the Givi Wingrack - now I'm on the lookout for matching luggage, as cheaply as possible. That automatically rules out new Givi boxes (phew, the price!), but there are lots of period Givi boxes around in good condition that match the age of the bike. The Givi system is quite good, but I've never bothered with or thought I needed it before now.
 
Molished up a mount for a dimpled alloy suitcase, to match it to the Givi side rack mount. Found the perfect mounting plate material in the form of some engineering plastic from a local stockholder.

myATlYF.jpg


The tongue of the Givi bracket pokes through the mount plate and the case, and is secured by a spring snap-ring pin inside. Anybody trying to nick this will have to destroy it to get it off.
6ABD32S.jpg


QiL4Uqi.jpg



The width of the case is perfect - exactly the same as the tip of the bar.
by8KlYk.jpg

Hammer for scale :)

Oh, and the 'engineering plastic' found in the kitchen place was a chopping board of 8mm thick HDPE...
z13OxSX.jpg


One down; one to go, and I might make others up for at least one other bike. For this one, I need to find another dimpled case, as it's very tough construction, whereas the normal mainstream ally cases are composite (ally sheathed plywood) and not all that weatherproof.
 
Took out the headlight to locate a connection point for a voltmeter and glad I did, for about half of the connections in there were sorely in need of a clean and re-set. The PO had kept the bike very standard, so no complaints there, but the march of time had led to the inevitable crop of connector resistances that were higher than they should be. Cleaned and gapped the plugs - unusually, it uses resistance plug caps and resistance plugs, so I'm unsure if it actually needs both. More investigation needed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top