Farewell guys, and thanks for all the help!

I just sold my last XJ today. I sold my 650 to another forum member, and just sold my 1100 to a buddy of mine who wanted it really bad. I picked up my new bike yesterday though. A 96' Kawasaki GPZ 1100. It's a bit more sporty, but still a big bike! It's not as comfy as my XJ 1100, but she's insanely fast at 138 horsepower

Just wanted to tell everyone thanks for all the help, and all the knowledge I found on the forums here for my XJ's. And maybe one day, I'll come back for another one. There's just something about them that makes them an awesome cruiser.

 

I'm sure you'll be back. Once an XJ cruiser always and XJ cruiser.

 

If you're lucky you won't have to pull the camshafts to change valve shims like on the earlier 4-cyl Kawasakis. 138HP is insane. Be careful.

 

Bitch !

 

I had a zx11 Ninja which is just about the same bike. Those things are crazy fast. Mine would do 0-60 in under 3 seconds and I know for a fact that it would 190mph. Keep the rubber side down and the plastic side up! I am looking to get another one in the spring as the pull from 8000rpm to redline fells like a rocket getting launched out of a slingshot.

 

Yeah, no kidding. Now I know why, back in the day, nobody EVER did a valve adjustment on their Kawi900. What INTERVAL do they allow you?

 

:lol: You're not kidding either man. Driving this thing home was quite the adventure. I nailed the gas through 1st and 2nd, and then realized I was doing almost 120mph in a matter of seconds 8O . The rubber was cold, the air was cold, and the concrete was cold, so I wasn't gonna push it. I'll see what this big girl can do in the spring :lol: .

And yes, I'm actually passively looking for a Maxim 750 The 650 was too small, but the 1100 was just... bloated?(unbelievably comfy tho!). If the right one comes along, I'll wanna snag it! The XJ's are still definately my favorite. The new GPZ just brings a different plate to the table than the XJ. I wouldn't mind having both tho!

 

Yeah, no kidding. Now I know why, back in the day, nobody EVER did a valve adjustment on their Kawi900. What INTERVAL do they allow you?
(quote big fitz)

they say to check every 6 months or 3000 miles, checking is easy

 

hmm...3000 miles, shims UNDER buckets VS. 5000 miles, shims on top of buckets... thin' I'll stick to XJs for now. It will be interesting to see (once adjusted, you know they haven't been) how many "checks" you can get through before another actual adjustment is necessary.

 

Traitor, just kidding, watch for those R6 they are faster

 

Fitz, it says in this 'ere book, "Fortunately the valve clearances, once set up properly, will not go out of adjustment for thousands of miles and the adjusting procedure will not be required very often" thus sayeth the lord kawasaki.

 

it actually SAYS "FORTUNATELY" in the book? Ya think they're trying to tell you something? Actually, I'm interested to see once an XJ reaches the "saturation point" in that all 8 valves have been adjusted once, how long they actually hold. My '81 had 18K on it when I got it and only 3 of the 8 needed intervention, and I strongly suspect they might never have been touched. I've got more questions now about your new find, but we've hijacked this thread. I'll pick this "line of questioning" up in your "new project" thread.