35 live in Cumbria, Married. IT geek and gadget fiend. Biker, photographer and video taker. Do some...
35 live in Cumbria, Married. IT geek and gadget fiend. Biker, photographer and video taker. Do some work for local press website. Started with ZX81 and still learning
Member since:19.02.2009
Reviews:13
OK so i got mine to replace a much bigger/more powerful bike, Honda CB1300 X4 which was starting to eat its electrics and proving hard/expensive to find parts for.
So I found a 1995 vintage XJ900 Diversion that had just been brought in and a deal was reached. I have a very clean and tidy motorcycle complete with the official Yamaha Diversion Hard Panniers and a medium sized Shad top box (Big enough for a full faced helmet and a bit more). The bike is not quite standard in that apart from the luggage
it has a taller smoked screen fitted (which is nice because I am tall).
So on to the ride, I find the bike light to ride and fairly nimble the engine is nice and responsive with a decent amount of torque and that lovely smooth shaft drive. My gearbox is a little clunky but thats nothing serious and it is over 13 year old. The switches and buttons are in the right places and the clocks/lights are easy to see even in sunshine. The small fairing and tall screen keep a decent amount of wind and rain off, while the air cooled engine provides and nice warmed air flow around my legs.
After the Honda I find this bike tall and narrow but the seat, foot pegs and bars feel just about right for me, I am over 6 foot tall. The position is quite upright with little weight being transferred onto my wrists so this makes it comfortable for long journeys (not been on her for more than an hour yet, but no sore knees, wrists, shoulders or back).
The bike has excellent manners and although it isn't the sportiest bike (by a long chalk) that I have owned it corners, brakes and accelerates nicely, smooth if un exciting handling, good solid brakes and a good steady acceleration from the 900cc air cooled engine. The only down side is that I feel from proper motorway type touring a sixth gear would be welcome. The tank holds enough petrol for 150+ miles commuting in medium/heavy traffic and I guess will manage around 200 miles before the light comes on at a steady 70mph when touring.
As my bike is over 13 years old (although low 12.5k miles) there is no signs of rust anywhere on the bike apart from the chrome downpipes on the exhaust and I think that they have a lot of life left in them.
My other rides have been, in order of ownership, Suzuki GS1100L, Honda CBR1000F, Yamaha XJ600N, Suzuki GSX 1100G, Kawasaki ZZR1100D and Honda CB 1300 X4. You may be able to tell that I like a physically large and powerful bike. The 900 Diversion is not powerful enough to be sporty or scary, it is however plenty powerful enough to cruise at 90mph comfortably and whiz you along the twisty roads with a smile on your face. If feels solid and well planted as long as you aren't trying to be Rossi on it and manages to feel light and manageable.
This bike is a good all rounder, able to tour without hurting you, commute on a daily basis (I only have a bike so its every day in all weathers for me), keep some of the rain off, bring a smile to face and transport my wife in the comfort that she has become accustomed to. It isn't going to break the bank on fuel costs and a quick glance on E-bay assures me that spare parts are going to be readily available for a long long time to come.
A bike that does everything well.
OK so just a quick update, I have been away for a long weekend with my wife on my Divvy. We loaded her up both panniers and the top box filled to capacity. With my wife on the back nothing much seemed to change, performance and handling all seemed pretty much the same, we ambled off through the lake district to Ambleside. I have to say that this bike does not make you ride fast, on other bikes I have owned you would constantly find the speed creeping up on the DIvvy i is more than happy to bimble along at 50 - 60 mph allowing you to relax and enjoy the scenery/keep an eye out for marauding caravans. Due to this experience and that my wife was comfortable and felt very secure especially with the top box acting as a back rest we will be using the Divvy for more short breaks away from home. Definitely worth looking into if you are fancying a bit of distance work.
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