YAMAHA XJ900 DIVERSION (1994-2004) Review

Had the bike for 7 years and have been across Europe on it no problem. I have confidence in the bike that it will get me to where I want to go and get me back. Hard pushed to think what I would replace it with.

Best feature os the silky smooth ride on the open road. Worst feature is low speed vibration and heavy at low speed too.

Purchased from Scotland so first ride back 330 miles home in snow/rain/drizzle 2 up, rear puncture on M6 just to add to the fun and the bike coped admirably - including a great blast down the A7 - and this after being on the bike for just 15mis! I was going to just use for daily commuting but after a month ownership it's now got a set of panniers and ready for trips away - it's good easy fun to ride and a surprisingly good mile eater

I always overlooked this bike when buying. I love this bike already after 2 weeks.

probably the most boring bike (a little) money can buy.... I got this bike as a daily commuter. it's just about what it does everyday if you want but only if you have no other option. in fact it's a bit too heavy for city use, a bit too light (it could certainly benefit from a 6th gear) for real touring. corners like a tank when the fueltank is full. but the good things are: shaftdriven engine, low cost and easy maintenance, starts everyday, low fuel consumption, cheap to buy,...

Just bought a 2004 XJ900 with 6000 miles on the clock, 1 owner from new. i paid £700 which is about right i guess. it's been fantastic, i cant fault it at all. 55mpg all day long, no rattles or shakes

Most people overlook these slightly old and boring looking machines but they would do well to consider them. While the mechanics are definitely rather basic and the old style carburetors mean a little bit of willing choke is necessary to start the beast on a frosty morning, you couldn't hope for a more reliable bike. The seat is comfortably low and the weight of the rather large engine are low in the bike's center of gravity, making it quite easy to control her when walking it about. 90bhp is roughly the same sort of power you would expect to see out of a BMW R1150RT, demonstrating that while the mechanics are a little bit old it's no slouch. Unlike any other bike I have owned, the Diversion is plenty happy to gently pull around at 2,000RPM, with little to no surging like you get on many fuel injected bikes at that rate of engine rotation. There's easily enough poke to shame cars and even some smaller sports bikes at the lights, though the engine gets a little wheezy and breathless above 6,500RPM. The suspension is decidedly soft, especially the front forks, so the bike is never going to be doing knee down frantic frolicking but its more than capable down a twisty country road, if you respect the weight and use it to your advantage when muscling the bike through a corner. Easily the best thing about the bike is the dash; so many old bikes have horrendous information displayed on a frankly awful dash. The Diversion 900 is not so; the dials are large, pretty darn accurate (tested with GPS speed meters) and easy to read; the fuel gauge seems pretty accurate, and the backlighting at night is superb. There are only two niggles that ruin an otherwise excellent bike. I think the bike could really have done with a 6th overdrive gear; motorway work is easy but the engine always feels like its spinning a little bit higher than is strictly necessary. A nice 6th gear to reduce the bike to 4,000rpm at 70mph would be lovely, and economical. The other thing is a consequence of excellent build quality. it is a real pain in the derriere to do any form of electrical maintenance as the wiring boxes AND the battery are all buried under umpteen body panels on the right hand side. I understand WHY they have done it, and the solid quality feel of it all is definitely confidence inspiring but it makes charging the battery quite a length affair as getting to it isn't that easy. other than that, I can't fault it. It'll ride happily, long distance, two up with absolutely no complaints and will put a smile on your face while doing it.

1995,Thursday morning 05:30 my Honda cb125tde was stolen! That was the end of my biking life. 2011 talking to mate who past his full motorbike liciences, riding a bandit 500. i told him about my goal of touring on a bike. you get a bike we are off! june 2012 - converstaion with a northerner at my place off work informs me? 1996 xj900s £500 and it is yours, went to the wife like ya do! she turned to me and said who am i to block your goals!. It is a great mechine, handles great, looks great makes me smile by the way i am off to France for my four day tour. It has been mentioned alot it is realy easy to work on.

I've had the Divi 900 2 years now and I love it, easy bike to work on, you look after it and nothing will go wrong. It rides and handles well, ok its no sports bike but it will keep up with the crowd, big plus is the air cooled four cylinder engine thats will run for ever, mine as reached 61,200 and still sounds like new, easy to maintain engine. It handles the twisty roads very well for a sports tourer and will run all day on motorways.Big petrol tank so not many stops. A bike that is also easy and cheap to alter for your needs if you are under 5'9" So if you are looking for a sports tourer don't over look the Divi.

i have had my divi for about a year and use it for work and pleasure and so far has not misssed a beat, it is ridden in all weathers and i have done 3 tours with 2 more to come this year ,it averages 60mpg on long runs and 48 round town, i cant praise it high enough and even after 12 months i cant wait to get on it not, encountered any glitches so far apart from seized choke cable and rear brake caliper i love this bike so much i cant think of anything to replace it except a newer one in few years time,if you are in the market get one you will love it.

I've had a selection of bikes over the years (haven't we all). The most recent being a CB1300 and an Aprilia Caponord. The XJ900 kind of beats them all really. Mine cost £1500 on eBay and only had 7000 miles on the clock. I've no idea why it was so low mileage but the dent in the tank led me to believe someone had fallen off at low speed & stuck it in the garage as they didn't want to get back on.... Anyway - I ride all year round in London and this is absolutely the most reliable bike I have ever had. It has never failed to start even on frosty days after 2 weeks layoff and it's not covered & is left in the street. It sounds really good when you crank it up. I can get around Old Street roundabout as fast as sports bikes and frankly - in the city you couldn't buy a better bike - that's why it's a courier hack of choice. It's not really that fast and it's a bit floppy suspension-wise, the brakes could also be a little better but with the shaft drive & a build quality that would put BMW to shame I can't complain about this bike at all. If you were wanting a CBF1000 there's no point. Save yourself about £3000 and buy one of these. It rocks. That said - I\d like a KTM 990 Supermoto for the weekends, oh and maybe a Road King....

Just got a '94 model with 12k on the clock, its a lovely tidy clean bike. My previous bike was a CB1300 X4 so this isn't as torquey as that or as fast but I am enjoying hustling it around a little. Its very light (in comparison) and came with a set of Yamaha Diversion panniers fitted and a top box, the only other custom part is a taller screen which suits my 6' 4" frame nicely. It seems a very tall bike to me and quite narrow but the engine is very willing, the shaft drive in nice and while it may not be as exciting as the X4 it still has brought a smile to my face. Looks like it will b great for touring a little with my wife on the back and so far its been ultra comfy. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't do race days and wants a cheap all rounder for work and pleasure, lots of after market bits available and loads of cheap spares on E-bay. Brilliant.

I have a GSXR1000k1 for myself and the 900Diversion for touring with the wife and we both love it. It is so much fun it should be banned. It also a nice change from the madness of the gsxr1000. Dare i day it but i have more "fun" on the Divy than on my gsxr, hence its up for sale!

I've always wanted a true "all rounder". This is it - well, almost. The only real vice this bike has is the headlight, which is truly pathetic. My Honda 125 scooter is miles better! Also, the bike is a bit on the heavy side, and the fuel consumption is a poor (in my opinion) 42-45mpg. This compares unfavourably to the K100RS I had, which easily averaged 52mpg while delivering similar performance. If only Yamaha had used fuel injection. Finally, at 6ft 1", I find the screen too low for comfortable long-distance riding. As far as quality goes, I've never risked riding it in the winter (unlike the BMW).

Solid and reliable bike giving all year round riding and reasonable weather protection and 200 mile tank range (more on longer business trips). Comfortable two up with good passenger comfort. Quick enough for me. Bridgestone tyres work best for me, 8k from rear and 10k from front and thats not riding at a snails pace. Paint work still looks good with regular cleaning. No other maintenance apart from mid year oil change. Strengths: Dependable, comfortable, shaft-drive. Weaknesses: Little on heavy side but this does not affect riding.

I HAVE OWNED THIS BIKE FOR 10 YEARS (BORING I KNOW) BUT MY PREVIOUS BIKE WAS A HONDA 750 KZ -REALLY OLD. THE COMPARISON WAS REMARKABLE THE YAMAHA STOPS IN THE WET (GOOD BREAKS) THE MOTOR IS BULLET PROOF (ALL I HAVE DONE SINCE THE FIRST FEW SERVICES IS CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTERS. THE SHAFT IS MAINTAINCE FREE. THE TYRES ARE GOOD (AVON SOMETHINGS), THE RIDE IS EXCELLANT ALTHOUGH I THINK I NEED TO LOOK AT THE SHOCKS, THE FINISH IS EXCELLENT ALL ORIGINAL PAINT AND BITS INCLUDING THE EXHAUSTS. I REGUARLY RIDE THIS BIKE ONE AND TWO UP AND CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT TRIP. THE BIKE GOES AS FAST AND HANDLES AS WELL AS I NEED IT TO AND STILL TOPS THE TON + WHEN MR PLOD IS NOT WATCHING. I WISH YAMAHA HAD MADE A NEW SIMILAR SHAFT DRIVE TO REPLACE THIS MODEL. I AM THINK OF A NEW FAZER 1000, PERHAPS I WAIT UNTIL THEY FIX THE FUEL INJECTION. Strengths: RELIABLE LOW MAINTAINACE FUN. Weaknesses: NOT TRENDY.

After a lay off of a few too many years I bought the XJ900S. I live in Cornwall but was working in the Midlands so needed a tourer to carve through the summer traffic heading into Cornwall. I am 6'3" tall and find it pretty comfortable, I do get a bit of wind blast on the helmet but just dropping down a few inches takes me into the shelter of the screen. it has a large tank and will easily do further on a tank than I am prepared to sit ...so as I was doing 300 mile trips I found it convenient to have a fuel stop and a coffee at 150 miles, half way through my trip. Fuel gauge and warning light are very handy. Now I have sorted the forks and brakes out it really does move, got a good grunty engine and a great induction growl when you give it a handful. It will never break any land speed records but that isn't what I got it for nor is it designed for. However I took it to the Isle of Man in 2005 and I never disgraced myself on it going round the circuit with friends on sportier bikes. Strengths: Simple no nonsense, reliable tourer with gutsy well proven engine. Weaknesses:
Forks are soft, replaced the springs with Ohlins and upgraded the brakes with HH pads and braided brake lines.