Yamaha XJ6 Diversion Review
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2011
- An indepth review of the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion, covering engine characteristics, brakes, fuel injection and the overall weight and balance of the machine, plus a look at the seat height versus handlebar position. This is a more hands on review rather than my previous walkaround the bike from a while back.
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Thanks for the comment, it means a lot to me if I've helped you or anyone else make a decision based on my opinion of a product. The XJ6 Diversion is a great looking bike and in some ways feels less anonymous than if it had been the fully faired version. And the injection on this is spot on too!
Good to see that you're thinking about returning to bikes, and passing your test 40 years ago makes me feel like a young man again ;-) The NTV/Revere's were good bikes so i'm told and shaft drive too, shame they don't make many bikes that that anymore.
As for the Diversion, the seat isn't that comfortable over long distances, but an hour or two should be ok! I forgot to say too that the seat has more than one setting on it, so apparently could be raised so that you may reach the bars.
nice review. On the seat, I'm 5' 10" and I found raising the seat gave me a very comfortable riding position. Balls of feet on pegs, back curved/relalaxed, arms and hands hanging loose, i can ride for 600- 700 klms in comfort. Also if you rev the engine harder the bike becomes very controllable in all situations. The fairing is also great - I love this bike,
@ChRiSMiLLs112 My pleasure Chris, I'm glad my video was of some use for you. It'll be interesting to see what you think of the riding position because it does seem a little strange to me. Your prices quoted seem quite good really, but I'd always opt for the abs over the standard model just for piece of mind. Let me know when you've got it and what your thoughts are :-) cheers!
Very insightful and well made video, well done!
@xrs1600 Thanks! :-) Hope you like your new bike when you get it on Friday, fingers crossed for fair weather too!
@corpsdance Hi there, thanks for your kind comments! Nice to see someone riding around with an older style bike too :-) I would say that the XJ6 is well suited to highway motoring, it's very relaxed at cruising speeds and has good suspension so it soaks up the bumps really well. Out of the other machines you mention, I would say the kawasaki ER6 would come top for commuting but not for long distance riding. The others are good, but have no style ;-)
handles great on the motorway, although changing the screen makes a big difference. bought a double bubble from powerbronze for mine as the original diverted the wind into my forehead. not only does it look better and reduce the buffeting, but it also improves stability at speed, as i have reminded myself this weekend after smashing the double bubble and having to resort to the stock again.
@RAFtyphoonsftw Yep!, anywhere over 20 mph on a bend and you will need to countersteer to get round it. I know it may not look like I am countersteering on the bike but that's because it only takes a small amount of effort to get the bike to tip into the corner. Think of it more like trying to push the handlebar end forwards by about an inch whilst moving along and that's the general amount of force required.
Nice video, I've had my xj6 for about a year and a bit now, done just over 9000 miles. I am hoping to do some videos myself when I can get some money together for the equipment, anyways keep up the good work! :)
I haven't taken pillion on the XJ6 yet, but have done on my CBF1000, ZRX1200 FZS600 Fazer. Comfort wise for the pillion won't be as bad as say a sports 600 for example but won't be as nice as a big 1000 tourer, but it'll do the job I guess. Will you be doing a lot of pillion carrying then?
And thanks for your kind comments as always :-)
Cheers!
@ooomrmoody Hi there! I have been asked a few times about the camera I use, it's not really compact in size but I like the quality of it. If you know the VIO POV HD then it's very similar to that system but way bigger and less practical, and because it has such a long cable out of the back of the camera it snags on the back of my jacket and stops me turning my head properly which is a pain! If you want a decent smaller camera then go for GoPro, Drift or Contour models.
@lotsooo You know what, I totally forgot about the ability to alter the seat height on this bike..oops! I must try that as you're a similar height to me and it may help with my perceived impression of a long reach to the bars. Thanks for the tip! :-)
@extreme601 Thanks very much! I'm wondering if you've done a review of your FZ6 yet, as it would be nice to get a view on that model too as it uses pretty much the same engine albeit in a slightly higher state of tune?
@sicknwrong Hi mate, I'm great thanks! Loving the bike of course when I get to ride it, which isn't that often in the winter, but it's gradually warming up now. I'll probs be out later on today on it 19th Feb 2012 and may do a vlog too.
Nice review, I would say the CBF600 is also a good competitor although Honda already dropped it from the line up, brakes are the best I've ever known, I think on paper the Honda may possibly be a couple of ponys down but in real life you wouldn't think it and is pretty comfy on long runs, just for people looking and undecided, I think the 2 bikes are pretty similar but I would encourage anyone thinking about this class to have a look at both
@EvilMerc1 For me, the seat height is too low and the handlebars too far away because of the tank shape, that was my main point I think. Overall it's a great bike though and as you say, even in restricted form it's easy to ride.
You did well coming from a 125 straight to the XJ6 as it's still a lot heavier than say a hornet, fz6, er6 and similar.
Thanks for the comments too :-)
@sicknwrong It's been great down here too, still chilly though but bright sunshine :-)
Yep, did a vlog and just trying to render it for the 2nd time tonight after doing something wrong grrr! Won't be uploaded til after midnight I reckon.
It's not bad at speed, but I've now upgraded to a flip up screen so it's hard to remember what the original was like. I will say this though, that my flip up is twice as noisy round town with the wind, so the original is probably not a bad one to begin with. As for the fairing, it's fine and I think too that it may keep a bit of the wind blast off the legs than a naked one would.
There are slight diffences in the weights of all the XJ's, I think the basic naked XJ6 is 205kg as you say, but then the XJ6 Diversion comes in at 211kg and then you have the ABS version which is 217kg. I imagine too that the fully faired version could top the 220kg mark but I haven't checked that yet. All are suitable for new riders of course, but I still like to think that bikes that are around 210kg or under (wet) will be more rider friendly.
@elkfazer1 I haven't but I can start drafting something up if you'd like to see it.
Are you talking about the old style 99 onwards FZS Fazer or the newer FZ6 version? I've mentioned before on my vids and other places that the original FZS Fazer was my fave bike out of all the ones I've owned and I've never ridden the FZ6 version so can't really comment escept to say that it'll have more top end power than both the FZS or the XJ6 but will be down a little in low down torque when in comparison.
A good overall bike. I am a new rider and trained and passed on this bike.
Currently i ride a 125 cruiser, got a good 4000 miles or so behind me.
Now i'm in a debate between buying a cruiser or a tourer.
I do plan on doing some euro-tours etc etc and ride in every weather condition we have.
I've done some straight 150 miles routes before on my bike and no discomfort at all, but with this of course the position might be bad for me, i'm 6ft 3.
What do you think, stick with my style or get the work horse?
This of course is cheap and cheerful compared to a potential v-star i'm looking at
Hi mate. I am thinking of getting back into the saddle. First passed 40 years ago and last bike was an NTV, 5 years ago, so I am one of those in your catagory of "returning" to biking. Never ridden a Diversion, but sitting on one in the showroom, I see what you mean re- seat/tank. Is this bike going to be uncomfortable over 1hr? I am 5'10"? Can you adjust the bars rearward? Also like the vids. Cheers.
@elkfazer1 ahhh i end up doing that with my videos, either that or the computer seems to crash out lol, It has been nice here just cold too. We have had allot of trade today tho from bikers buying new grear for the summer or for touring. I raked up a stonking 10,000 miles on my divi and still love it. So much i decided i would trade it for a new one. The videos are great mate and help new riders. I';m 6'1 and shape to this bike perfectly. Keep up the good work mate!.
great video! nice bike. would be nice if yamaha would have put the exhaust just underneath the rear seat. then, there would be room to lower the footpegs.
thank you very much for the EXCELLENT review .
I am a computer science student and i need to commute to college everyday, and to home (about 100 km away on the weekend ) .
Right now i have a xt 350, 20 year old , with 80 000 km indestructable machine .
Do you think this new diversion is a good commuter, and highway traveller ?
And how about the competition ? the suzuki gsxf 650 , the hondas cbf 600 s , and the kawasaki ER 6 ??
Thank you very much ,
Mauricio
It may be a 200kg bike at dead weight, but it's perfect when moving and doesn't feel heavy... the better version is the diversion F, it's full fairing helps flow the wind making it more aero dynamic and good to handle, ABS, and is more refined especially as still uses a slightly defined R6 engines.
It's the perfect starter bike, regardless of the weight, all bikes are heavy on dead weight, when moving the weight is comparable to a normal sports bike, and the linier power band keeps the power and low and high revs so good for every day use around town and city riding.
Though this back in 2011, since then the model has improved so much, back then these bikes wasnt good... but that's mainly down to the rider.
@hasslehumpf You've certainly put on the miles in a year, I've only done 2500 so far, but then I have two bikes after all. I'm looking forward to the day when you get yourself a good camera set up and start vlogging.
What about the heat issue???
Is this a good option for a first bike? With precaution obviously
Close, but nearer to Croydon than Bromley. I'm sometimes found in Weybridge,Croydon,Beckenham,Elmers End,Biggin Hill,Farnborough,Carshalton,Purley and a few others lol ;-)
Hi mate, just checking up how you and the Divi are doing?. Are you still enjoying it?
I don't understand how the XJ6 can be too heavy for a first big bike. Looking at the technical specifications, the (highly regarded) SV650 is only 7gk lighter. The weight are 198kg for the SV650 and 205kg for the XJ6. (These are both wet weights). As I am new to biking, could this make that much of a difference?
I just bought a mint 2010 XJ6S Diversion for 3,500 pounds and its got a top box, top box bracket and grab rails and its only done 4,000 miles! bargain! there going for decent money now.
I bought the same year model with 8k fair weather (zero corrosion) miles for £3.5k. I agree the prices are higher now for used, than the last new ones.
If you're happy with the weight and feel of it, because it is a rather heavy bike compared with some others around then it'll be fine.
Love mine, very smooth engine and nice riding position . Not a rocket !
Indeed .. very smooth and perfect fuel injection, apart from a very small flat spot in the rev range, but that would be for emissions tests at certain revs/speeds.
I'm in the process of booking my A2 test and am looking at this bike for an upgrade to my 125. I have 7000 miles under my belt so far on my 125, so do you think this bike would be a wise upgrade? If not, what would you recommend?
Good luck with you test! Yes, this would be a great bike to upgrade from your 125.
Try sitting on one first though, as the seat height is quite low. When I had mine I was in agony in the hip area after an hour or so because of this. A good bike to start on though, but it feels a bit vague on slow speed corners at the front end (faired) version I mean.
elkfazer1 How tall are you? I'm kinda short (170 cm), do you think it's going to fit me well?
@elkfazer1 Ahh great stuff, it has been great weather today here in Doncaster, Hope it has been nice enough for you to vlog buddy? :-)
Fair point I guess lol, I mean your bike will probably have another 10 bhp on tap at 8000rpm. I was only suggesting an FZ6 might be better for new riders because of it's much lighter weight.
Hi old video but hopefully you can still reply to this I'm picking up one of these bikes for my a2 Tuesday and I'm 5 foot 6 is the bike gunna be a bit big for me or can I adjust it
Hi there, it certainly is an old video! I'm not actually sure now on the height of the seat, but from what I recall, it should be ok for you at 5'6. I'm around 5'10 and could probably put my whole foot down flat, but i'm sure you'll be able to at least get the ball of of left foot down. Good luck with the A2 test too :)
thanks :)
the prices of bikes do appear to be going up a great deal :( I agree about watching the weight for a new rider, I have a 650 bandit great bike to ride and loads of power, but they are 120 kilos without any fluids in them, fully fuelled up got be around 250 kilos, I have many years under my belt but still managed to drop it last week, take a look at my video see how much damage you can do by just dropping a heavy bike I had just let the clutch out and toppled over to the side :(
The FZ6 has a massive power band at 8000rpm its not really forgiving for a new rider haha
6:20 Complains about a "woman driver" and calls her an idiot.
12:40 Literally has to ride on the pavement in the same video because he can't do a U-turn.
Shit review....yes it has a steel frame, heavy top wise, but everything else leads it to be a perfect beginners bike!