Yamaha Diversion XJ600S

I have recently been fortunate to have been bought an XJ600S Diversion by my dear wife (Bless her). She has known I've been after a bike since I sold my last one seven years ago. Previously I had had a Suzuki A100, a Honda H100S2 and a Suzuki GSX250. Maybe I'm getting old but my re-entry to biking is with the midrange Diversion, something that some of my ZZR and FZR friends have looked down their noses at.

The bike I now have is a P Reg with 8500 miles on it as such this is the old model, with only a single front disk instead of the twin disks on later models. It has had two owners from new, neither of whom have used it in the wet. It has been serviced correctly and is in excellent condition. I was bought the bike primarily so we could go out for fun rides and as a fallback means of transport, not as a means of breaking the sound barrier.

The Diversion is often underrated as a motorcycle. It isn't the most technologically advanced piece of machinery, and it's looks and performance aren't up there at the cutting edge. However, it is a good introduction to the mid range of motorcycling in the increasingly popular 500-600 cc bracket.

The bike has a full fairing, offering decent protection from the wind. The lights are clear and powerful. The mirrors are clear up to about 65, then start to vibrate, reducing rear visibility. The seating position is more upright than race replicas, and taller riders may find the peg location a bit awkward to start with. The seat itself is firm but comfortable, with a slight rise up to the pillion position. A pair of grab rails to either side of the tail piece complete the seating arrangements.

On solo riding the bike is fine, although the stretch to the non adjustable clutch lever is not ideal for smaller hands. The bike handles well and there is plenty of acceleration in top gear between 40 and 70 mph. Giving full throttle will lift the front wheel easily from the lower gears. The bike corners reasonably well, with more than enough grip for me. It has a reasonable lock to lock turning circle that makes town riding easy, and on open roads it can easily accelerate to 100+ and has more to go.

Two up the bike is good as well. It can easily cruise at 90+ (If my wife would let us), and the handling is pretty good. The pillion is not too much higher than the rider so they are not exposed to too much wind.

Overall the 600 Diversion is an excellent starter bike for those who don't need or want the full on "scream if you wanna go faster" of a race rep. Spare parts are cheaper and the lure for thieves is lower, as is insurance. It gets about 120 to 130 on a £9 tank of petrol.

Insurance from MAG is £285 Fully comp for somebody without any No Claims Bonus. This is for a 32 year old, garaged overnight and Datatag. Other quotes ranged from £340 to over £500.

I am really looking forward to the light summer nights!