Hi all
I'm new to this forum - I'm 65 years old, and returned to bikes in 2014 after 40 year break, when a workmate sold me his 'Project' - a 1991 Yamaha XJ600 with no MOT which he bought cheaply, and then couldn't get running!
The price was right, as they say, and with the new parts he had already fitted, it was down to troubleshooting (and a few more bits!) I bought the bike in Nov 2014 - rebuilt the Mikuni BS32 carbs, brake calipers and forks over the winter, undid some of the 'maintenance' (fuel tank full of ethanol gunge, valves shimmed incorrectly - double the clearances required, apparently he had bought new shims when trying to get it running, but I think he got his sums wrong, they were way out. Luckily the 'Old shims' came with the bike, and 7 out of the 8 went back in!! I only had to buy 1 new one for the exaust valve on No.1 cylinder! I got it running well enough for it's MOT on August 2015 - it passed with a mileage reading 37,101.
Over the next year or so I updated the ignition - which I replaced with a plug compatible TCI electronic ignition module from Prague ignition specialists Ignitech, and last but not least fitted US made Dynatek high output coils.
Having got the bike running reliably - I've done over 27,000 miles since then, including training for and passing the IAM advanced test with Birmingham Advanced Motorcyclists, who I joined in May 2017, I'm now on the Committee as the North Area training co-ordinator for Birmingham, with the Covid pandemic none of us have done as many miles as we would have liked, but I got out for the odd run last summer, and look forward to more miles in 2021. I joined the BIRD forum as, having seen the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird used by several of our members all of whom love them, I'm actively looking around for a good used example - to add to my trusty XJ600 known as Gertrude (named by BAM members during a 3 day training course in Wales during late 2018 - though my XJ wasn't the bike which broke down that weekend! That honour went to the 2 day old, brand spanking new BMW S1000RR owned by our chief instructor which conked out on Saturday lunchtime and had to be trailered back to Brum.
Dave Wallis