these are the worst motorcycles ever

ok look....i dont mean to be disrespectful to the people who love these things but lets get real....they are old......they are unreliable........even if you get them all the way back to good condition they is always something to maintain on these.....i just want a motorcycle that i know when i hit the starter its gonna start, run, and be fun to ride. i know some people find it fun to fix these up and thats fine, but if i dont want to do that all the time...these blow......i just sold mine for a lot less than i paid for it purely to get it out of my garage.......im saving up to buy an actual reliable motorcycle

 

Good luck, don't let the door hitch-a, where the good lord split ya.

 

Any brand old bike will require work and cost you some dollars. If these were all that bad, you wouldn't see so many of them. Most people would rather ride than tool. If your more ride minded, then your going to have to spend more money on a bike that is restored or new. Trouble is, restored or new will need maintenance after a couple of seasons. What will you do then? You can neglect a car and not die, not so on a bike. Biking is a sometimes expensive hobby, but a lot of fun.

 

Apparently he wants a NEW bike that once it starts acting up he can take to the dealership.

Granted if they weren't 30 years old and enjoy some tinkering, I'd want to do the same thing (take to shop that is).

However, most of the "real" wizards on here keep claiming, other than winter/spring maintenance you can go a couple of seasons without fully redoing the carbs/valves/sync etc. once you do it right the first time(s).

 

I talked to a guy last week that bought a new VStar 650. He rode it 3 seasons till a dirty carb problem stopped him. The bike has been sitting in his garage for 3 years now because he doesn't know how to fix it and can't afford to take it to the dealer.
I will be making a few extra dollars this week. :wink:

 

I've done embarassingly little to my Seca 900 in the 4 years I've had it, so I have issue with "they're unreliable". I've never been left walking.

I've never had the carbs off. Petcock works. Bled brakes (no rebuild), Adjusted valves, Oil & Filters, Bought a rear tire, and recently did the steering bearings in 12,000 miles.

May I recommend the most reliable bike in history - -

Low Maintenance

 

It sounds to me that you just didn't know how to fix it up properly. I did mine right and would put it up against anything new. You may want to take some classes on motorcycle repair because your NEW bike is going to need work in just a few years.

 

These bikes are old but I would not hesitate to ride mine anywhere. With proper maintenance they will keep running. Even a new bike will require work to keep it running.
Afrer fixing many years of neglect from the previous owners my bikes are just as reliable as anything new.

 

I thought I was going to be reading about one of those awful "Hongdu" Chinese things!

I agree, 20 yearsof abuse and neglect can take its toll but disagree the XJ series was "Bad"!!

 

User error.

 

I hit my starter it starts it runs and I have fun. All I'm really doing is oil and filter changes. What are you a momma's boy spoiled brat ? Bet you buy a new one and it wears out in five years. Ya, don't let the door hit ya where the lord split ya.

 

What a lot of people don't understand is if you want to own an old bike, you better be prepared to become a shade tree mechanic, since I have only found one shop in my area that works on older bikes and he is always busy, so it's hard to get in.

These bikes are not unreliable, they are old (20-30 yrs depending) and like any other old item, car truck, appliance, house, ect. it takes time and maintenance to keep them in good shape.

Unfortunately if you are not the original owner and don't know for 100% certain that the PO took proper care of the bike, you are going to have to put effort and time in to making then run, but once that is done, the maintenance is no harder than any newer bike (in some cases simpler, since its 20+ yr old technology), and I would put my bike up for reliability against any new bike and any Harley out there.

If you're not willing to twist a wrench, work a screwdriver, or bust out the torque wrench, then I have to say owning an older bike is not for you, no disrespect meant, some like to turn wrenches and ride (bikers) and some like to ride until there is a problem and then let some else fix it (guys/gals who ride bikes), there's nothing wrong with either one. But I feel working on my bike makes me feel better about riding it, since I know what's been done, as well as now I know every inch of my bike and I think I'm better off for it.

Okay done now and stepping off the soapbox.

 

AMEN. And then some, because they're easily maintained once the neglect has been reversed.

Granted, they require valve clearance adjustments every 5000 miles; and the chain driven ones need a chain adjustment every 1000 miles or so; but beyond that and regular oil changes they require very LITTLE to keep running fine.

But you have to properly recommission them first; or experience "problem after problem" which aren't "problems" at all; just the symptoms of neglected maintenance and all the time they spent sitting.

OP simply went in with the same false expectations that a lot of folks seem to have: that a 1982 bike will be the same sort of "ownership experience" as a 1982 car.

But it just don't work like that. It's not that we didn't try to tell him...

These still are some of the best motorcycles ever built; you can't blame a 30-year old example for the results of what we humans have done, or failed to do, to it.

But you do have to have some idea of what you're doing; and it isn't for everybody. And apparently OP wasn't up to it.

 

".......im saving up to buy an actual reliable motorcycle"
what are you looking to get?
i have a 85 bmw k100rs and it's stone reliable except when the mass air flow unit goes bad, then it's $250. and a 06 suzuki sv1000s and you still sync the throttle bodies, set the TPS and modify the TRE.
and price some radial tires, so it ain't all roses out there

 

damn i wish you would have listed your bike here before you sold it so cheap. i love making money off of impatient people that dont know what theyre talking about! good luck finding a maintainace free motorcycle. its just not gonna happen bud

 

I hear Schwinn makes a pretty reliable bike.

 

I wonder if he has the same problem with his girlfriend?

The list of bikes I have owned has been long and distinguished, and every single one of them have needed maintenance.

My experience has been, the newer the ride, the more required to keep it that way.

I did a re-sync and colortune on Saturday and it took me all of 7 minutes.

A friend of mine went to buy a battery for his 2006 Star Motorcycles something-or-other, and it cost him more than my my tires, colortune plug, gauges, and shocks all put together.

If the OP has that much money to throw away, maybe he should just buy a "maintenance free boat". LOL

 

I have owned and ridden a lot of motorcycles over 40 years of riding
and the XJ650 that I have now is the best of the lot. Rebuilt by myself
back to origional specs over a 2 year period. I just go out to my shed
press the start button and away I go. I dont even have to think about
break downs it just never happens. Shaft drive, shims under the
cam lobes, electronic ignition on a bike that still has proper carbs I am
in heaven. Modern motorcycles having catalitic converters in there exhaust pipes blocking every thing up air injection and electronic fuel
management meaning that the owner can not easily make adjustments,,, are not for me.

Once these older bikes have been sorted out and rebuilt properly they are
just as reliable as any new bike.

 

I smell a troll... Like the only dude to dislike a Justin Bieber video or something lol.

My friend has a bandit with fewer km and most issues I've had with mine, kind of comforting to tell the truth. Rock on XJ bruthas and sistas!!!

 

Don't let the little boy get ya' going, he obviously hasn't owned, ridden, or experienced these great bikes long or at all. LOL. I re-built a starter, put new brushes in the pick up coils and changed oil and filter in less than a couple of hours.

I too wish he would've listed the bike here first.
Jamie

 

All in good fun here,

but hey the world is your oyster... the grass is always greener...

Time heals all wounds

(or is it "Time wounds all Heels?")

He'll be fine and is welcome no matter what, right? (In spite of my "door" comment)

 

interesting how a guy can try and be respectful with his dislike of a bike and get a bunch of disrespectful replies save a few....its pretty simple.....i wrote that right after i got stranded in the middle of nowhere because my bike's battery went bye bye....im not mechanically gifted...and this bike had about 3 POs with one who left it in a shed....i fixed it up the best i could..... i still managed to install new cables, hand levers, turn signals, and clean the bike without too much trouble....i dont see why its such a "momma's boy" thing to just want a bike that i dont have to read an encyclopedia to fix....it was my first bike... which is probably why my opinion is skewed from your perspective.....but i still dont see why its a big deal to buy a more expensive, maybe more common bike and send it to the shop when it needs upkeep......you guys who can work on a bike for an entire winter and enjoy it....kudos to you....but i dont think im a bad guy for not wanting to work on it but ride it......

 

Hey, don't stress too much. This is a pretty good site with pretty good members. We sometimes respectfully disagree with another persons opinion all the time. Just the fact that you're a rider makes you O.K. in my book. I think it's the title of your post that got some of us all riled up. Good luck to you & whatever motorcycle you choose. Ride on,brother!

 

I think any bike is going to cost alot of money to keep on the road. Heck, I'm no mechanic and I just spent $700 on my seca to have it running like it did when it was new. Yeah - $700. Last week I took my gl1800 in to have the valves checked. I didn't need any shim work, but it cost me over $1000 for that and fluid changings. New friggin' tires were $500. BUT - they hand washed the bike for me!. 4 hours labour to change the air filter! - luckily I figured out how to do that myself. So - at some point if you don't know what you're doing - you're going to have to bite the bullet and pay to get it done. Too bad you sold your bike. It might have been something really easy to fix.

 

yea the title may be a little over the top.....but like i said.....that was moments after getting carted back to my house from an intersection that was a four way stop of plowed cornfield as far as you could see......so ya....i wasnt too happy then.....and whatever happens i'll be a rider til the day i die.

 

fair enough but what did you have in mind? find some forums for those and read up on them, sometimes the model year makes a big difference.
i'd suggest (flame away) a suzuki sv or vstrom 650, general purpose, do it all bikes, not too big or small, people i've talked to don't seem to have any trouble with them

 

What kind of a response did you expect when you posted that on an xj enthusiasts forum with over 11,000 registered users? I hate to break it to ya buddy, but you kinda asked for it. That being said, if you didnt properly rebuild the thirty year old motorcycle you were trying to ride then you cant blame the machine for going belly up on you. Any motorcycle is going to be the same. Even a newer, more expensive bike is going to need to be properly maintained or you will eventually end up walking home. Im also somewhat new to the motorcycle world and not terribly mechanically gifted, however, with help from the kind people on this site and a little patience i was able to make my bike reliable and look like its brand new. Moral of the story is: a machine will only be as reliable as you make it. whether its a car, truck, boat, generator, microwave, etc. Sorry if we hurt your feelings but maybe you should have picked another place to post your rant.

 

Of course he is. No matter what he buys we could probably help him out with it. I mean, how many members do we have that own Goldwings and H2s and R1s and KKKKKAAUUPPPPHHHHHHH....sorry, got a bad taste in my mouth when I went to type H-D.

Point is, we love our bikes, and we like our members. We are going to ride with and help out our members no matter what they ride.

But that doesn't mean we won't give them a good ribbing, so long as we are willing to take it also.

 

im definetly looking into the suzuki sv....they look great and seem to be pretty good bikes from everything i have heard.....and i dont expect there to be nothing to work on..i can handle regular maintanence..but sheesh my xj was just.....idk it was awful....i probably didnt know what i was getting myself into.......
i probably wasnt ready for an entire rebuild......

 

I disagree. He has (or had) a problem with his bike. What better place to post your frustrations?

How many times have we heard "This damn bike....." or "I'm just gonna sell it...."?

But the people on this forum being who we are, still try to help in any way we can.

I agree that he came across a little crass, but we probably all have at one time or another. Especially with the typed word instead of spoken word.

But the reason this forum is the best on the net for just about any bike is the willingness of it's members to listen.

 

The CBR500 is a nice bike also. Nice sporty looks, but a little more tame than the 600RR.

 

Listen man sorry you had a crappy experience -- no doubt issues can overwhelm one and can be maddening -- here's the problem with your charge: Your experience can be repeated with any other bike, and, although you may not believe this, it is more likely with other older names of similar vintage. Your statemment drew on a sample size of 1 and you chose (scratch, got) a bad one -- well, you got one that beat you... They are just machines, with enough resources, each is totally fixable, or able to be restored -- The keys are "resources" (i.e. money and a knowledge source) and patience.

The indisputable evidence and common knowledge is that the XJ's are a pretty good piece of engineering for their age.

So it sounds like you will choose a machine that isn't beyond either your resources next time.

Chalk it up to learning...

Good luck man

 

well now that i've calmed down a little bit.....i can see what can become of an xj if you really take care of it....i mean just look at this site!...but by the time i got rid of mine i wanted to hammer throw it into the next county.....i appreciate all the guys on here...and whenever i get a new bike im sure ill be back.....even though i cant guarantee itll be an xj!! haha

 

Good luck with it mate but I think we'll see you back....one thing I DO know though is that you won't find a better parts supplier for your new bike than XJForever (Chacal) and that IS a fact!

 

The XJs can be a complicated beast when you first start tearing into it, but with a good shop manual, you soon find out how everything works and why it works. I didn't really care for all the pre-ride check curcuits and what they all involved, so I removed alot of them to simplify the electrics somewhat.
The inline four can be over bearing to work on for some and are more complex with the YICS on some models, but it serves a purpose. I found the upkeep to be a little more time consuming than my V-twin, but it isn't too bad once you understand the workings of the eternal combustion engine.
Granted they are not everyones cup-o-tea, but when you get things right, they're a fun bike to ride for sure. After nine years of owning/riding my XJ, I found it's time to move onto another make/model and will probably not buy another XJ unless I get a deal too good to pass up.
My last one was a basket case when I bought it (for $300) and once I got it running right, I had a blast on it for 8 years and sold it for $1500, so I can't complain. It was time to move on. I probably stick to V-twins now, who knows?!

 

Just remember that ANY bike older than about 6 years or so will present you with a similar set of challenges and needs.

You're not a "bad guy" because you don't/can't work on it; your mistake was buying a 30-year old bike thinking it would be like a 30-year old car-- that you could simply take it somewhere to fix anything truly serious and all the little "problems" wouldn't matter.

But it's not the same, as you found out. Make sure you buy a new enough bike. The Yamaha R6 is the great-great-grandchild of your Seca.

 

I've had about 20 bikes in my life. My 2008 Shadow (bought new) broke down and left me stranded twice. Fuel pump and water channel between the cylinders failed. Warranty covered them both but left me without a ride for several weeks. So far so good with my 30 year old XJ. They don't build 'em like they used to. Not to mention the WEALTH of knowledge on this site. Thanks to these folks I probably know more about this bike than any other I have ever had.

 

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...'cause that's where all the cows poop!

 

Man, I remember feeling EXACTLY like that while standing next to my 72 H1 Kawasaki triple many, many years ago. I had bought a basketcase for 100 bucks and did some porting work to the cylinders before reassembling. I thought that I was done with having to work on it. Then, four times in 10 miles it starts rrunning on two cylinders. The damned bike had THREE, count 'em THREE sets of points and one of them was always failing....I almost pushed the bike off Route 3 and into the ravine 50 feet below....if there hadn't been a guardrail preventing it, it may well have ended up down there to rot forever. I screamed at that pos to run but it only ran when I took out my matchbook and sanded and cleaned all three sets. Thinking about it later, remembering how close I was to pushing it down that hill....yeah, I felt pretty stupid. I do know how you feel though and it's a sucky feeling after putting so much work into something.

My daily rider is a Vstrom 1000, same engine as Po's SV. Reliable as a rock once you sync the throttles, a five minute job. I've ridden it to AMA days in Ohio, countless trips to South Carolina to see my son as college and everywhere else. It was cheap to buy, very cheap to keep and while it's isn't a Multistrada, at 7400 out the door brand spanking new, it's by far the most reliable bike I've ever owned. I just replaced my first chain and a set of tires last summer, at nearly 20,000 miles....not bad at all for a bike that was ridden 60% of the time 2up.

Some guys are cut from a different cloth, I'm not going to say anything mean, vindictive or nasty....doesn't have any place here as far as I'm concerned. I doubt there isn't a single owner here who hasn't felt that feeling of frustration themselves at one time or another...and if they haven't, they will<LOL>.

I wish that you have kept your bike, it represented something that you can't buy but now that it's gone, at least glean what you can from the experience.....next time you decide to get an older bike, get a 2 stroke!!!!! I've got a garage full and once you have them running, they just keep on running as long as they don't have points<LOL>!!!

Take care and good luck!

jeff

 

SORRY....

 

fatabebabe - I think a lot of the "fun" people on this site have is in fixing their bikes to the point where it no longer has "problems". There is nothing wrong it in just wanting to ride a motorcycle but to a lot of people that is just a part of the pakage - the whole experience is when you can confidently go anywhere, anytime knowing that any thing that goes wrong you can fix yourself, its the sence of achievement.
jst my 2c

 

Why in the world would you buy a 30 yo motorcycle expecting it to be reliable as a new one. It sounds to me like your not into wrenching and or don't want to do anything but ride. If you are buy a new bike. Or it could be you have a just plain wore out bike that needs a lot of work.

The worst part is he was so upset with it because the battery went in the middle of no where. A battery can do that on any bike new or old.

He got offended because he did not like what people were saying about his post. Hmm you write into an xj forum and call an xj a p.o.s what did he expect to hear. If he wants a newer more reliable bike go for it there is nothing wrong with that. But when it comes to advise and help on a forum he isn't going to find one with people that are willing to try and help then on here.

 

fatabebabe-just curious...would you mind telling us how much you sold that XJ for? I see people on craigslist, ect. asking around $1500 (sometimes more) for these bikes (absolutely ridiculous). & the sad part is that some probably pay it. Thanks to this site, I will now know to fully research my next motorcycle purchase. BTW, I paid $1200 for my '82 750 Seca in '87, with 1200 miles on the clock. Still use it as my daily driver (2nd motor now, switched it out for newer motor around 60,000 miles) with only general maintenence the whole time. I wont disclose present milage, because people stopped believing me years ago. I consider myself only a "fair" wrencher, by no means an expert & this bike has never had to go to anyone else for work-ever. I only hope my next bike will be an XJ, too.

 

OOPS-I lied in the last post. I take my wheels to a trained professional for tire changes. Sorry I blew up LOL. My 100th post! Yay!

 

I was one who just sold my XJ for $1500 and it was worth every penny, (more actually) Of course it wasn't stock or I wouldn't have asked that much for it. Mine was way better than stock with alot of new parts and alot of the original parts replaced with better ones.
If I ever owned another XJ (that's a big if) I would not leave it stock, by no means. There is alot of room for improvements, where do I start? It's just sad that so many older bikes are neglected and left sitting outside, no even covered, to rot away, when with some TLC, they could still be on the road.
I paid $300 for mine 8 years ago and sold it for $1500 last week, so I figured I done alright and also made another rider very happy in the process.
I'll more than likely do it all over again with another bike when I find a good deal on one that's either been damaged or neglected.

 

Real sorry there Mr. PD, as usual I should have been more clear what I was ranting about. The "ridiculous" $1500 bikes I was referring to were the ones that have been sitting around for umpteen years, dead or rotting away from neglect & now that gas prices have soared, these owners think they are sitting on a gold mine. I know you & the bike you just sold, & you were very generous with your asking price, considering the nice work you did & its great condition. Thanks for alerting me to symptoms of my "foot-in-mouth" disease, which flares up occaisionally. Hope you take up another project soon. You do nice work.

 

Painter, you ain't lying about bikes that sit out in the weather...whew....that H1 I had done the weekend resto to had been left in the weather for only a couple of years and it was a mess, same with a 400 Hondamatic I did a few years back. I had a 650 Zuk and was forced to put it under a tarp due to space issues(nicer bikes stay in the garage) and I ended up giving it away just to get it out of the weather. At least the new owner was going to put it back on the road......Mother Nature can be very hard on a bike!

jeff

FWIW, I only paid $600 for my turbo, got less then $1,200 into it. Was planning on selling it but two things changed that....first was with 17-18psi of boost, it's a blast to ride....and second was that I'd have been lucky to get 2K for it so it wasn't worth selling.....shame too cause it's a pretty nice bike.

 

i posted it on craigslist for 1000 obo............note i did NOT expect or want to get that much out of it....i just always put the price higer than what i hope to get......i had a guy offer 700 and i felt comfortable with 800 since i thought it ran......when i got stranded cause of the battery the day that the guy was coming to get it i asked him if he;d still be interested for 600 since i wasnt true to my word about it running reliably........he was ok with it and took off my hands....i feel that 600 was an appropriate amount for the bike.....if i knew how to post pics id show you guys what i was dealing with...

 

Went to local bike shop...Yamaha Super Tenere @ $16750.......V-Star 950 @ $11200...........latest pending purchase:XJ550 [$150]...priceless....for all the experience to be gained by working on one of these....I've learned more in the past 6 months about bikes than in the past upteen years [Tx to: Hogfiddles/Bigfitz/ Len@xj4ever and many others...]. Go ahead and spend big money....heck, if I could afford a new beemer......but the lessons learned and the experience gained from an older bike are invaluable....[oh, you can post pics direct to forum using tinypic.com]

DaveC

 

this is it.....glad to be rid of it...