Marts New Ride

Well here we go, took me by surprise this one, if any one had told me that I'd buy one of these I'd have told them to stop being fukkin silly as I had preconceived ideas about these bikes, ideas that turned out to be utter bollocks btw.


She's a 2012 Yamaha XJ6 Diversion in pearl white which had 5334 miles on the clock when I set off on an elongated ride home after buying, the condition of the bike is phenominal, it can't have ever seen a raindrop never mind a wet road.

The motor is a peach, it's a detuned R6 lump that starts to produce power from 3k revs and keeps it up till the red line is reached, it's smooth, smooth to the point of your already breaking the law before you've realised it, especially as the half fairing is so damn good at keeping the wind off you too.

The box is generally slick apart from the inevitable going into first clunk and the cogs well spaced so keeping that motor spinning when you want to make progress is a breeze.

Switchgear is excellent and the general fit and finish of everything is of a higher standard than I expected on a so called budget machine, the headlight is a proper night lighter which is good news as I like my long rides in the dark, and let's face it, I look better in the dark too.

The brakes felt perfectly adequate but nothing special, untill I really needed to use them, excuse me while I detach my kidneys from my belly button and return them to their rightful place.

All topped (bottomed?) off with a brand new set of tyres of my preferred flavour (BattleAxe' baby, oh yeah).

And....... It has a centre stand, oh how I've missed having a centre stand.


Some picachoors.

Nice mate ...... not what I'd have considered either but given all the good stuff you've said about it, it's obviously very right for you 

I passed my test on an XJ6, it was a bit older than yours though (J reg I think)!!

Enjoy

Nice bike, and sometimes a 'change' is quite refreshing.

Hope you have lots of fun on the Yamaha

Very nice!  it's basically an R6 that's made for day to day riding, good choice 

Very nice Mart - you'll have loads of fun on that. 

Just like to pick you up on one point though - you don't look better in the dark!

johnboss wrote:

Just like to pick you up on one point though - you don't look better in the dark!

Thats just reminded me what I like about you John.

Your, erm, card tricks, yes, that's it, card tricks 

Old Luner wrote:

johnboss wrote:

Just like to pick you up on one point though - you don't look better in the dark!

Thats just reminded me what I like about you John.

Your, erm, card tricks, yes, that's it, card tricks 

Mart that's a great looking bit of kit matey! Glad you like it & if it does all that you need of it then be happy & enjoy many miles on it!

Great looking bike Mart, I've just sold my 1992 XJ600S, I had a lot of fun on that, yours will certainly pick its feet up compared to my old one, enjoy it m8

Very classy mart... Look forward to seeing it in the flesh...

Likey.............

Cheers lads 

Thoroughly enjoying its agility, I've never been a knee scraper but it's a joy to flick through the corners without the fear of sparks from the pegs.

It's a doddle to wash n clean, apart from the lower back end thanks to the inevitable excess of chain lube, gotta get used to a chain again, bloody things.

Got a freebie I didn't know about too, whipped the seat off to grab the doofa for adjusting the back shocker out of the tool kit and felt something canvas'ish on the underside, flipped it over and there's a little pouch strapped to it containing a tasty little disc lock and two keys, yay and thank you very much 

Been over the bike with a fine tooth comb and Sim is right (as usual), it's pretty much an R6 wearing everyday clobber and an upright seating position, so far removed from the Diversions of old that it's a completely different bike. It may be the case that Yamaha did themselves a disservice by carrying on with the Diversion title and should have perhaps introduced it as a completely new addition to their stable.

Only two or three slight downsides so far:

It likes its favourite beveridge rather a lot when ridden hard, yet when ridden normally it's very frugal.

It can seem a little buzzy, so that you find yourself looking for another gear change even when you've got plenty left before the redline, something handed down from its R6 heritage I reckon but I'm getting used to ignoring it.

It can gain speed surprisingly rapidly without you realising it, gotta watch that speedo like a hawk when in towns and villages etc and I'd rather have my eyes on the road than on the clocks, bloody police and bloody councils and their bloody fixations on the bloody revenue raising issue of speed. Speed doesn't kill as much as poor driving does and having to hawk eye a bloody speedo is poor driving because your eyes aren't looking where they should be, boils my fukkin piss, rant, jibber, snarf.

But apart from that everything is just peachy and I forward a motion for Sim to made president of the New United States of Lanc Land & The Yorkshire Pudding Territory's, with special dispensations for the chosen few of those who live below the line where civilisation ends and the "South" begins 

Fukk it, I drink too much...

Mart possibly you could make the gearing lower a bit to slow it down, 2 teeth more would make all the difference & be the same as doing the VS1400 diff change on the VL's which lowers the gearing as well. Just a thought of course as you state it pull's like a train so think about it ok?

Lowering the gearing would make it accelerate faster Peter, but I get where your coming from, the 1400 diff change raises the gearing giving lower revs at your preferred cruising altitude.

When its time for new chain n sprockets I may well go one tooth more on the front and a couple of teeth less on the rear to get the same/similar effect.

Old Luner wrote:

But apart from that everything is just peachy and I forward a motion for Sim to made president of the New United States of Lanc Land & The Yorkshire Pudding Territory's, with special dispensations for the chosen few of those who live below the line where civilisation ends and the "South" begins 

Fukk it, I drink too much...

I second that motion    as long as it doesn't come with any responsibilities and I get a company bike 

simbo wrote:

I second that motion    as long as it doesn't come with any responsibilities and I get a company bike 

You will be responsible for all of us and supply us with company bikes, plus a generous fuel allowance