What I had to do to it.

Had my XJ650J for a six weeks now. Have done all the following:

New rear tire. Also put rear brake lever on correctly (was hanging off end of camshaft) and replaced nail in castle nut with a cotter pin.

New front tire. While at it replaced the missing pinch bolt from the right fork. *handling much improved*

New front brake pads. Replaced the missing washer above the caliper so the new pads don't bind to the mounting bracket like the old ones did.

Adjusted handlebars and clutch and brake so the master cylinder sits level and all the controls can be reached comfortably.

Cleaned front brake master cylinder. Flushed and bled the whole system (will rebuild master cylinder this winter).

Reshaped clutch lever as it was bottoming against the grip WAY before using all the clutch travel. Noticed in catalog that OE lever had a dog leg to prevent the issue (will upgrade over the winter).

Replaced stock falling apart fuse block with weatherproof inline blade holders.

Replaced disk in petcock. Now fuel only flows in ON position with vacuum. Also shortened fuel line because it's length was causing a severe kink (I wonder if it woulda run highway speeds the way it was).

Tightned steering so it no longer has play. Will tear into the bearings over the winter, but for now it is smooth and has no play.

Moved rear turn signals up and back onto the sissy bar mounting bracket.

Hung saddle bags.

PO had plugs, oil and filter and carbs cleaned at the stealership right before I took delivery.

I think the bike is finally ready. MSF class finishes Thursday, will go for my endorsement Friday AM.

See you all on the road this weekend!

 

Way to go....

 

good job am sure you`ll find other things to do on your bike over the winter.

Good luck on your test.

 

Sound like you had a handfull of stuff to do. Feels good getting it all done to your complete satisfaction; I'll bet!

Nice job. Pass the test and be on-guard. Have fun and look-out for the drivers on their cell phones ... to whom you are invisible!

D-fence. Play that "Good-D" all the time! Then join the fun getting a little wind in the face and swallowing a few bugs!

 

UPDATE:

Bugs duly swallowed. Getting kinda hard to find them, took 60 miles to get the first one.


Thanks!

 

Yumm! Glad you've had the chance to get some miles in before the weather turns.

 

Put on 82 miles today.

Most of the MSF class was in pouring rain. Todays lesson was wind!

I got a little better than 45MPG. Most of the riding at 45MPH.

I didn't do the freeway. Was getting beaten enough by the wind as it was.

I noticed that 45MPH in 5th gear was 4kRPM. I also noticed that the power seems to kick in at about 4200, so if I hit a hill or needed to accelerate I needed to drop it into 4. I'm sure the bike was perfectly happy doing 45 in 4th gear but I got tired of listening to it. I definitely will need some earplugs if I ever do much freeway driving.

I was franky amazed at how courteous other drivers were. Only problem I had was one joker in a van that wanted to ride my ass. I eventually found an opportunity to pull off (I was on a parkway with restricted access) and let him go around. Everyone else seemed to go out of their way to give me space (maybe it was obvious this was my first ride :!: )

I also rode to work, to try out the route from a bike perspective. Learned that the pavement is in way worse shape than it seems from the SUV.

Anyhow, I guess I am now officially a biker.

Mrs. took a picture of me before I started out:

 

Congrats on getting on the road I know I cant wait until im out there..By the way I have been thinking about taking that MSF course here in okc myself and was wondering what is a reasonable price for a course that supplies the bikes..At OSU-OKC they teach a course for $150, dont know if that is fare or not??

 

Here the state encourages it. There is a state subsidy through the community colleges where it can be taken for $25. Of course classes fill fast. They added an extra session about when I was looking so I lucked out and got into one with only a few weeks wait.

Some of the dealers offer classes. $375 is the going rate if I recall.

Frankly, it woulda been worth every penny of $375.

Plop down your $150 and get it done. You won't regret it.