Another acquisition - XJ900F 1992

[Grimly]

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.

[Buffalo Bill]

WOW! LOVE IT!
I been wantin' one of those for a few years, really rare here in the US, some can be found in Canada.

[steve murdoch]

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.

[spyug]

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.

[GS1150Pilot]

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.

[Grimly]

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.

[Grimly]

It's finally got here. After much delay, it turned up today.
DSC_0001.jpg

[Rob S.]

Interesting engine guard.

[JEEPRUSTY]

beauty bike Grimly

[JEEPRUSTY]

wow another fine example for near nothing

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-moto-sport-promenade/saguenay/yamahe-seca-xj900-1983-pour-piece-ou-restore/1080289908?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

[Grimly]

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.

[Nessism]

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.

[Grimly]

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.

[Crankthat]

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.

[Grimly]

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.

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.