What have you done with your bike/s today?

[berger]

update on urma yonda starting issue, i cleaned all terminals and put the AGM battery back on showing 12.84v and it tried and died, then i put a car battery on the floor and connected jump leads onto the AGM and she spun over very well, then i took the AGM off and just tried the car battery and she struggled again. so i am thinking the cranking amps are down on these individual battery's that show 12.84 AGM and 13v in the old car battery i had given me probably because it wouldn't start the car    anyway i have ordered a lead acid battery for her now and see what happens. ps i hate elektrickery , by the way the AGM is about 6 years old

[groily]

Don't batter yerself 'bout batteries Bergs!

My XJR I have had for 20 years this month. It was 5 yrs old when I got it, ready for primary school, like its owner.
In 2008 or 2009 the original battery played dead. It showed your perfectly decent 13v odd after a charge, but that doesn't mean much. It didn't have the cojones when current was needed and you could see the voltage drop off in front of your eyes as soon as it was loaded up. A goodish test is to leave a 60W bulb on for a bit to see how quickly it dims - and maybe measure the voltage every few minutes to see how it's doing. Or not doing, which was the case with mine. (And 60W ain't a lot compared to the starter motor's greed.)

I replaced mine with a not-as-horribly-expensive-as-maker's-spec clone that fitted the hole for half the money, against the advice of the bloke in the Yam shop, who said 'oh well, it'll do for a bit I suppose but don't expect, etc  . . . .'
So I haven't 'expected'.
Nor have I touched it apart from cleaning the terminals now and then.  It is still good. I don't ride it that often because I prefer oldies but it always starts, year round, with a press or two of the tit. Even after gathering dust for weeks. I don't even use a trickle charger or 'maintainer' thing.

So I reckon you should do a rough test on yours and probably just get yourself a medium-price new one that'll fit your hole. Then, if you think like I think, it'll probably be your kids' (or the donkey sanctuary's) problem next time it needs replacing.

[Catz]

My XJR I have had for 20 years this month. It was 5 yrs old when I got it, ready for primary school, like its owner.

Got any pictures of your XJR? Here's mine, a 1200.

[RDfella]

Reminds me of our modern 'digital' age, where everything's more hassle, more expensive and a paper trail is now only what the dustman leaves ....
Re chargers -  hate the modern 'intelligent' ones. Never seem to work or, if they do, never to full charge. I now only use the old-fashioned transformer ones. Always charged my AGM batteries with them without hassle.

[berger]

Bill good plan looking for power drain , told you i'm thick me. so tomorrow i will have a gander with both battery's because what else have i got to do  i also now know it's been on the bike nearly six years and Mr or Mrs googly says 5 years depending on usage and weather conditions.

[Greybeard]

My experience of modern so called smart chargers is that if the battery is totally flat they do not charge. My theory is that the charger needs to be able to detect the voltage of the battery to asses how to charge it - is it a 6 or 12 volt battery?

I once had a totally flat battery on my car. My smart charger was no help. I bought a traditional charger from Facebook Marketplace for a few quid. No problems after that.

[Bsareg]

Took the Amal 1038 carb off the Fury engined Rebsa. I've never seen such a corroded carb off a bike thats only been laid up a few years. Brass slide was almost welded to the ally body, main jet and steel holder seized into body. I don't recall english Amals using steel jet holders, was it only the spanish  Amals that did this ?

[groily]

Got any pictures of your XJR? Here's mine, a 1200.

I hesitate to embarrass myself with the state of this beast, but she's better than she looks, under 50K miles and sailed through its new-fangled French MOT just before Christmas, with the 'best emissions reading I've seen from a carburetted 4 cyl bike' said the man. No idea why, I am not a one for playing with banks of carburettors, but of course I claimed the credit with a knowing nod, as you do. Made excuses for the state of the rest of it though!
Was going to give it away almost a few years back, but they seem to be in fashion again so I might as well hang on to it. Probably only half-dead mechanically, and it's low maintenance, very easy to ride and suits my bulk.

[muskrat]

G'day Fellas.
The other day I started to give the rHonda a full service as the new speedo reads zero miles. Seat off, tank off, cam cover off. The cam cover bolts can be a bugga to get off, the rubber seals stick in the holes. Yep, all 8 are buggered. Rang around the usual suppliers and found none in Australia. So now have a set of after market (1/2 price OEM) winging their way from Japan. OK, adjust cam chains. It has racing adjusters made by a fella in NZ. The top one was easy but the main one is a PINA. Had to remove the carbs to get to it (Bergs knows how much fun that can be). Carbs got a freshen up while out. I can't finish carb balance & tune till the rubbers arrive so started the Cafe carb swap.
I love those XJR's. I borrowed a mates XJR1300SP a few times. A real grunt machine.
Cheers

[groily]

G'day Fellas.

I love those XJR's. I borrowed a mates XJR1300SP a few times. A real grunt machine.
Cheers

Many good features Musky. Bit top heavy, and sensitive to tyre choice, wear and pressure. Can understeer, or mine can anyway, when pushing on a bit, but Pirelli Phantoms have been better (for me) than other makes I've had on it.
Plenty of grunt, you got it (especially for  me who's not used to more than 45-50 bhp and 360° twins as daily riders)  - but my son-in-law was out on it all day Sunday, and reckoned it was "very OK for a retro, v comfortable, reasonable braking, good Ohlins, straightline torque curve near enough'" but a bit 'thin' on the beans front compared to whatever Hyabusa or Firestick or Blackbird or sporty Trihard he rides every day! And short of a 6th gear. (I agree with that bit.) But he likes riding it, and so does my daughter, so XJRs do have something about them.
I was on my 650 AMC, which is pretty good on minor roads, but obvs no match for something twice as big ridden by someone half my age  . . . Nevertheless, we terrorised some innocent bloke on a Hardly Ableson round some of the twisties, quite brings out the hooligan in a fella. Could see his startled eyes in his mirrors as he found a 65 year old front wheel with an even older fart on it up his tailpipe on every bend.
Good harmless 'Spring's in the air' fun.

[CheeserBeezer]

Me and mine on a trip to Nantes in 2019.

[Catz]

Me and mine on a trip to Nantes in 2019.

Well well, you never told me you had one once. Bit of a Dark Horse are you mate?

[CheeserBeezer]

Me and mine on a trip to Nantes in 2019.

Well well, you never told me you had one once. Bit of a Dark Horse are you mate?

Absolutely loved it on long trips but a bit of a lump for anything local, hence the Z900RS in the garage now.

[Catz]

Me and mine on a trip to Nantes in 2019.

Well well, you never told me you had one once. Bit of a Dark Horse are you mate?

Absolutely loved it on long trips but a bit of a lump for anything local, hence the Z900RS in the garage now.

Tell me about it. I used an FJ1100 and a 1200 as courier bikes in the Smoke at one time. I used to head in in the morning then come the afternoon got loaded up with out of town stuff. Worked out alright.

[berger]

put the battery back on urma yonda with volt meter touched the starter and boom 12.84v down to 5v . then i spent 3 hours mending a Stihl chain saw i had given me, sorted the clutch and a couple of other bits and she's a screamer with 2 brand new chains, hi ho hi ho it's off to woods i go.