New to the xj.

Hey you all. I got me a 650 and been riding it alot since i got all the lagalities in place. However... I hit a newly installed pipe on a dirt road and I did not slow down in time to make it over it safely and found myself tipped on the right side. I lifted the bike to inspect it. The headlight casemount was bent in a little bit and the front right turn signal snapped. The rockbox and light alloy below it has some good scrapes in it. I got on to see if it could still start. No power whatsoever. I tried the ignition stiwch and found that it was pushed out by the impact on the headlamp! Probably good to have a forced break/brake since i'm new to using a clutch and such an inherently hazardous machine. But I do miss the ride and wish it still works. I myself emerged from the wreck completely unscathed thanks to slowing down and landing in soft dirt from the newly installed culvert.. Good thing my girlfriend and her dad were driving ahead and realized I was taking too long and came back for me. So in all it was good timing for a first crash! :!:

We tried to put the ingition back together to make it rideable but it wouldn't slide. Perhaps a part fell out of the ingition switch housing. Not sure which way the little metal disc thing goes into it or how the whole thing should align to assemble it properly. Should probably just order a new one. (realizing how much maintenance can cost ya)

So now im on here to join the circle...

 

Welcome.
Check ebay and you may find a switch that will fit.

 

Welcome! Guarantee you will find one. A lot of the old Yamaha switches will work across the XJ line, though you may need to change the plugs or swap out the individual parts in the housings. If there's not a 650 specific switch on there now, just wait, there will be one on there soon.

 

The best parts resource to make sure you get the right part is to talk to user 'Chacal'. Len is our resident parts supplier, and if you email him at info@xj4ever.com (remove the spaces there) he will not only get you the RIGHT parts, he will also offer his advice on what might be causing you some trouble.

If the crash was bad enough to bend up the headlamp bracket, it may have thrown some things out of alignment elsewhere. I would recommend you check over everything and once you get the bike starting again, see how it rides. If it feels shaky or wobbles, it might not be a bad idea to have someone look at it professionally to diagnose any other items that may need adjusted / repaired.

Assuming you are as crazy as the rest of us and are interested in spending some time to learn about your bike and get the hang of fixing it yourself, don't pay anyone to fix it without first checking the forums to see if you can do it yourself.

Good luck, and I am glad you are safe! Welcome to the forums!

As a final suggestion, if you go to the 'My Account' link on the left hand tool bar on this page you can update your profile information. Put your bike in your signature (like everyone who has replied to this topic so far) and put your location information in your profile so it shows up under your name (like mine and ktp1598's). This helps the gurus help you, and may result in someone nearby recognizing the location and offering some off-site (and in-person) help.