YAMAHA XJ6 DIVERSION F (2010 - on) Review

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £100

As a relative novice, this was my first sports tourer and a good value second hand purchase. Smooth power delivery and rewarding to ride briskly. It has all the power most real world riders would ever need in truth.

Buying experience: Bought privately for £2000 with 12k miles on it from a mature owner. Some surface rust and marks around the bike and no MOT at the time, but passed with no advisories. A little TLC has revived it nicely and it should last a few more years yet.

Version: Sports tourer

Year: 2013

The colour of the bike is amazing

Buying experience: Bought from main dealer and it was fantastic service from them

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £350

Do it all bike at a bargain price.

Version: Half-faired version.

Year: 2013

It did everything well but had no character whatsoever, and not at all relaxing to ride with a very revvy engine.

Buying experience: No problems here.

Year: 2011

Annual servicing cost: £200

A very user friendly bike , Excellent brakes and ridden sensibly not likely to catch you out, I've owned 2 of this model and 11 of the early divis, Also 6 goldwings ,3 Vfr800s, 4 Tdm 900s A blackbird and most bikes in between ( 77 in all ), Ridden to Alicante In Spain many times on Diversions , They have Never let me down. Only criticism on the latest is Selecting Neutral when Warm/Hot.

Buying experience: Entered a deal with Westmidlands motorcycles, PX d a CBF1000 A8, I paid Just £250 over the PX, well satisfied.

Year: 2010

Outstanding fun and value for money

Year: 2010

Decent bike and often overlooked. It's flaws are weight and the lack of ABS is Australia in comparison to it's rivals. It's a great all round bike, it's entertaining when pushed, easy to commute of each day(as I do) and cheap(ish). Style is average, a little weird actually. It's nice naked but the stubby bulky fairing doesn't suit the slight back end. The new CBR650R looks very similar but heaps better. All in all, it's great but I can't help but want something else... If it looked good then I reckon I'd keep it so I'll be changing to something I find more aesthetically pleasing when I can afford to. However, I reckon it's going to be tough to find a decent all rounder that's rides and looks sporty, is comfortable on long distances, has windy protection and is easy to commute on..... VFR800??? Sigh, although they look sweet, pity about the price....

A pleasure to ride now I've discovered that when the bike is driven from cold, it is best to apply the throttle slowly after gear changes until it warms up >70oC. No problems otherwise. Need to build my arms up though - definitely a lot heavier to the ybr 125 I had before but, you don't notice this when you're driving either slowly through traffic or going fast on the open road.

I have only been riding for 2 months and recently passed the 1000 mile mark on my XJ6 Diversion S. Obviously I don't have much to compare it to other than the 15 year old XJ6 I passed my full A license on. I think from an absolute newbie's perspective this could be (and I hope) will be a handy review. Looks: I have the half faired version (S) and it looks brilliant. I was considering a Kawasaki ER-6F, but the Yamaha wins on looks hands down and in the Race Blu matte finish, it looks even better. I love to tinker with things and it looks like the fairing will come off quite easily for some summer naked riding. It is also about £400 cheaper than the full faired version (F). Comfort: Feels good. The seat is nice and spongy and there is plenty of room to move around. I am 5ft 11 and can place my feet firmly on the ground when stationary. Suspension does a good job of soaking up all, but the harshest of bumps. If on longer journeys there is plenty of room to adjust your whole body including your feet. Handling: This is something that will be difficult to explain. To me it feels like the best bike I've ever riden, that's because it is, but it's only the 2nd big bike I have riden. Suffice to say despite it's 200kg+ weight it feels light and nimble. It's also quite a narrow bike making commuter type filtering a breeze. Because of it's compact size and safe composed feel I was quickly confident enough to filter at slower speeds. Engine: At first I was disappointed as I spent the first 800 miles running the bike in. It will happily pull at most of the rev range in any gear, but up to about 6,000 revs it felt sluggish. However, after it's first service I could fully open it up and after the 6k mark it goes ballistic! I know it isn't the fastest bike in the world, but I used to have a 400bhp Subaru WRX and this bike is much quicker. Gears from 1 to 3 and back are a bit clunky, but this maybe because it is still brand new. Running costs: £57 tax a year About £550 insurance a year £20 a fill up and abut 180 miles Nuff said. I could write more, but it is nearly 9pm and Homeland is on.

I've been a bike for a while now, had some spills, had many different bikes but age catches up with you and that's why I bought an XJ6 Diversion. Although the bike suspension is basic it handles the bends well (enough to keep up with the big boys). The bike is a bit heavy (220kg) but after 1200 miles the bike has started to come to life. Fuel consumption is average, riding position is excellent and build quality is quite good to. In a nutshell, it's a good bike for knocking about on and nipping to work.

As the title suggests this is my first proper bike and I like it. It's a comfy commuter specially as I'm 6ft 2 and found it difficult to come across a bike that was comfortable for someone with long legs. Just completed the first 1k miles and no problems to report. I think a must with this is bike is to invest in a bigger screen, feel the wind a bit too much from the nips upwards. I like the predictable power you get from the engine, great for building confidence for a new rider and as it says above gears pull very well as long you're above 3000RPM, anything below and the engine doesn't sound too well. The bike looks great just wish it had the exhaust note to match. Can't have it all for a brand new bike at £6k I guess...